Join the SPCA of Texas from October 1st-15th, during Bissell Empty the Shelters! Adoptions are free for all available animals at our Dallas Animal Care Center and Ellis County Animal Care Center.
THE Myron K. Martin Clinic is open for spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats. Make an appointment today.
Save lives today with a gift that will go straight to work protecting and caring for animals throughout North Texas.
Volunteer and make every day special for the animals in our shelters. Give your time and heart based on your schedule and interests.
Right now, shelters all over Texas are completely full and the SPCA of Texas is no exception. We rely heavily on foster homes to house nearly a third of our shelter population and we’re looking for more Foster Heroes to join our team! If you’ve been considering fostering a shelter pet, here are the top 10 reasons fostering is worth it!
If you love the idea of a pet, but you’re not sure if adopting a pet fits into your schedule and lifestyle long term, fostering a pet temporarily can help give you a better sense of what works for you. Some of our fosters don’t have pets of their own because of their work and travel schedules, but foster for a few weeks here and there when they can. That way they can experience the joy of a pet’s love without disrupting their careers or other interests.
Kids can benefit a lot from fostering! It’s a great way to test out if your kids are ready for the responsibility of a pet while they learn about what goes into caring for an animal. We have plenty of foster families that foster during the summer and winter breaks as a project they can all work on together as a family.
The SPCA of Texas has a Facebook group just for our fosters! There you can share stories, get advice and meet new people in your community who care about animals just as much as you do.
While some pets like to be the king or queen of their own castle, others are thrilled to have a friend to play with! We are always looking for fosters who have playful, confident dogs who can help build the confidence of our shy and fearful pups who don’t fully trust humans yet. Some animals love to be playmates and others appreciate the chance to be a caretaker for young animals. Some of our fosters have adult dogs who watch lovingly over litters of foster kittens and cats who teach puppies how to live politely with a feline.
Fostering is a great way to strengthen your romantic relationships and even friendships! Fostering a shelter pet who has never lived in a home or bottle feeding kittens can give you and your partner a great test run for future plans together. Whether that’s a baby or a permanent pet, fostering can help you practice communication and division of responsibilities for more long term life goals. But couples aren’t the only ones who can benefit from fostering – roommates and friends can grow their relationships through fostering as well. We even have fraternity and sorority members who have been incredibly successful at fostering pets as a team!
Depending on the pet you choose to foster, you can learn so many different things about pet care, pet health and of course behavior and training. Our foster, veterinary and behavior teams are available to provide all the support and advice you need while caring for your foster pet.
Have your pick of the litter – literally! When you foster a shelter pet, you get first dibs on adopting your foster pet should you choose to keep them. Not every shelter does this, but our belief is, why break up a great team? We love to see “foster fails” – which we prefer to call “foster wins”! While we love repeat fosters, we are always thrilled when a foster makes a true connection with their foster pet and gives them the loving home they need.
The memories you create with your foster pet will last a lifetime. You’ll learn more about yourself as you learn more about animals and best of all, you’ll have the cutest pictures and stories to share at your next get together. Fostering is also a great conversation starter when meeting new people or going out on a first date.
The SPCA of Texas provides all of the food, supplies, medical and behavioral care your foster pet needs while in your care. You just provide the love – we provide the rest!
Not all of us have consistent time to commit to going somewhere to volunteer. Well, fostering is volunteering from the comfort of your home! Every time someone takes a foster pet into their home, they make room for another pet in need at our shelters. You can make a huge impact for animals in your community by fostering. The feeling you get from saving a life and supporting the community is priceless.
If you think fostering is for you, you can sign up now at spca.org/foster. Take a look at all of the animals we have available for foster at spca.org/fosterme.
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