It’s Foster a Pet Month!
To celebrate, we’re highlighting some of our awesome foster families, like Marissa and Brixon. Learn how you can foster, too!
Marissa and her 7-year-old son, Brixon, are outnumbered. Not only do they have two dogs, Rags and Bear, they’re also currently fostering six cats through Anderson Humane. Though there’s rarely a dull moment, Marissa wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’ve always liked helping animals,” she said. In fact, she volunteered at our shelter when she was 12. So, when she saw a post online last winter about our need for fosters, she thought, Why not? I’ll do it!
She and her son started with dogs and are currently fostering their first litter of kittens. “They think Rags is mom and sometimes try to breastfeed from her,” Marissa said with a laugh. They also pounce on the dogs’ tails. But they also get some good snuggles, she said. “They’re good dogs and have handled it well.”
Marissa deals with the mixed blessing of fostering herself. “I love being able to provide animals with a home until they find their forever home,” she said, adding that shelters can be a bit overwhelming for homeless pets.
But she also faces the fear of any of her foster pets not going to a good home. “Thankfully, they’ve all been animal lovers,” Marissa said of the adopters she’s met. “I can tell the animals will be spoiled and live their best life in their new home.”
While those goodbyes can be hard, Marissa likes the way that fostering is shaping her son. “It’s helping him have responsibility,” she said. “And teaching him the value of doing something hard for the greater good.”
Though the mother-son duo have been fostering less than a year, Marissa is already trying to recruit others to join them. She’s posted about Anderson Humane’s fostering needs on local social media board, noting that it’s a great way to give back that doesn’t cost money – just time and love. “And it changes an animal’s life,” she said, “setting them up for success.”
Marissa also makes sure people know that they can choose the type of animals they want to foster and the frequency they taken animals in. “There’s a flexibility to fostering that people don’t know about,” she said, then laughs at how much she’s sounding like a commercial. “I just want there to be as many foster families as possible!” We couldn’t agree more.
Learn more about fostering with Anderson Humane. Or contact us at [email protected] or (847) 697-2880 ext. 37.