4 Important Steps to Help You Prepare to Foster Animals

There are several steps you should consider when preparing to foster shelter animals. This can be especially true if you have pets of your own in the home. While the importance of fostering animals cannot be stressed enough you, will want to make sure that you take the proper steps to ensure the safety of your pets, the foster pet, and your home.

Pet-Proof Your Home

When including a new pet into your home, it is important that you animal-proof it just as you would when you childproof a home. Animals are curious creatures and will attempt to check out every aspect of their new environment. Cats will jump onto high surfaces and squeeze into narrow spaces, while dogs will want to know what is inside the garbage can and eat anything that they find on the floor. It is vital to the safety of your foster pet that you prevent accidents from happening beforehand by proofing the home.

Safety Enclosures and Quarantine

It is important to have a space set up for your new foster pet where they can adjust safely and comfortably when they are initially brought in—away from other pets and family members. This will ensure the safety of any pets that you may already have in your home while also providing the foster pet a place where they can acclimate to their new surroundings. This can be a pet crate or a safe and secure room that can be isolated from the rest of the home. If the animal you are fostering is sick or infected, then you also will want a quarantine area where they can safely recover without risking the health of your pets or other animals you may be fostering.

Be Legally Prepared

You may want to consider discussing certain legal aspects in regards to animal fostering with a legal firm that offers personal injury attorney services. While bringing a pet into your home to foster can be personally fulfilling and bring joy to the home, you’ll want to keep in mind that there is the possibility that they may hurt someone when scared or confused. Animals that are rescued from less than ideal circumstances often carry a lot of anxiety that can manifest as aggression, especially to visitors or if they get loose outside. Speaking with a professional lawyer can help you understand what steps need to be taken to reduce your liability and prevent you or the animal from coming under legal action should an incident occur.

Get to Know the Local Veterinarian

When fostering animals, you will want to make sure that there is a veterinarian close to your home that can answer emergency calls. Bringing a foster pet into your home comes with a lot of responsibilities. While many foster animals have already been given the rescue treatment and are in good health, others may still be recovering or carry unexpected medical complications that require immediate care. Having a veterinarian that you can consult with also can give you a great source of education in terms of how to help animals that are feeling sick or even suffering from mental or emotional distress.

Being the foster ‘parent’ of an animal can be a fulfilling way to help animals in need of a good home. Taking all of the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your foster pet, family pets, family members, and home will go a long way towards creating a safe atmosphere for your foster animals to grow and prepare to move on to their future forever home.