COVID-19 stay-at-home orders mean that millions of Americans are spending the mass majority of their time at home. Many of us are working, cooking, eating, schooling, and surviving at home to help flatten the curve and save lives. Why not take advantage of this time to help a shelter and a dog in need? It’s a triple-win scenario for the shelter staff, the dogs in need, and you! Here’s how.
Celebrities are Urging Followers to Foster a Dog in Need
Celebrities like Camila Marrone, Lisa Marie Presley, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez are opening their homes and hearts to foster shelter dogs in need during the COVID-19 crisis. They are posting adorable photos of cuddle time and snuggle sessions, urging their followers to make the leap and do the same. There are some pretty compelling reasons to foster a shelter dog while you shelter-in-place. Here are 7.
#1 – You Are Home Nearly All the Time
Unlike any other time, your life is being lived almost entirely at home right now. You may put your mask on and go out for essential supplies like food, but other than that you are staying put. If you have ever considered fostering a dog but didn’t because you are not home enough, you are home enough now! Get yourself a silver lining and use this time to bring a foster dog home with you.
#2 – Dogs Relieve Anxiety and Provide Unmatched Comfort
Science has shown time and again that dogs are super effective at relieving anxiety and providing comfort that humans cannot get from any other species, including other humans. If there was ever a time when anxiety levels were sky high for record numbers of people, it is now. Bring a foster dog home with you and enjoy some relief from the uncertainty and scariness of this pandemic.
#3 – Shelter Staff Need Our Support to Stay Healthy
Do your part to help shelter staff stay healthy by lightening their workload at the shelter. If they have fewer dogs to care for on-site, they can more easily stagger work schedules and have fewer staff members at the shelter at any given time.
#4 – Foster Dogs Make it Easier to Follow Stay-at-Home Orders
Everyone is getting a little bored staying home. It’s human nature. If you have a new roommate to hang out with while you ride this thing out, it will make it easier to curb that boredom and stay at home.
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#5 – Fostering Provides Purpose and Structure to Your Day
One of the best ways you can help a foster dog is by helping them become better candidates for adoption. Providing love and affection makes them more comfortable around people. Teaching them some basic doggie manners and obedience commands can help make them more appealing to potential adopters, too. This work is important and will provide you with purpose and structure during quarantine.
#6 – Foster Dogs Give You a Great Reason to Get Outside
We all know we need to avoid public spaces and stay socially distant from others. But there is no reason why you and your foster dog can’t slip on the leash and take a walk around the neighborhood. Fresh air and exercise is uplifting and beneficial, now more than ever. Your foster dog will give you a great reason to get more of it.
#7 – Get Some Physical Interaction During Social Distancing
One of the hardest things about social distancing is the lack of physical interaction. Normally, we would hug, high five, and shake hands with people throughout the day. A foster dog will happily soak up all the snuggles and strokes and pets you will offer. Having someone to be physically close with during the stay-at-home order will help bridge the gap until you can hug your human companions again.
If you’ve been wondering when the right time to foster a dog is, the answer is “now!” Make some beautiful meaning out of this crazy time by sharing it with a shelter dog in need.
H/T people.com
Featured Image Camila Morrone/Instagram
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