Search Results for: blog pet foster care

Would You Lease A Pet?

If you’re thinking about getting a pet but aren’t sure you can handle the responsibility, you still have a few options.  Consider volunteering for a shelter, pet-sitting for a friend, or fostering a pet; there are even some short-term fostering situations.  If none of these appeal to you, or if you have a little extra money to spend on your pet, you now have another option: lease a pet.  MSN has the details. A company called Hannah’s Pet Society has started a new business: leasing pets.  Here’s how it works: interested parties go to one of the company’s two stores … Continue reading →

Why Pets Aren’t Good Presents

This goes without saying, but you can never say it too often because it happens every year: don’t give pets as presents.  If you’re thinking about gifting a pet to someone you love this year, consider very carefully.  Pets are lifelong commitments and responsibilities, not fun presents. Now, I can think of one context in which it could be OK to give a pet for a present: if the person receiving asked for it, knew that’s what they were getting, and understood the responsibilities involved.  That means in most cases, it’s not appropriate to get pets as gifts for children: … Continue reading →

Dog Days of Summer: Pets on Vacation

Pet owners face a unique situation when making our summer travel plans: we have to worry about our pets. Do we only go places where we can take our pets, or do we try to find care for them while we’re away? Website Pet Relocation released its third annual Summer Pet Travel Survey. They found that 70% of the people questioned plan to travel with their pets. If you want to take your animals along with you on vacation this summer, there are a few things you have to consider. Make sure you can bring your animal with you where … Continue reading →

Make Reunions Happen: Be a Noble Foster

My old neighborhood was full of military families, due to the large naval base nearby. Aside from the license plates from myriad states, military-related bumper stickers, and the occasional person in some kind of uniform, it was just like any other neighborhood. That included the large number of pets in many of the homes. Another thing we saw a lot in our development was moving trucks. That’s just a fact of life in a military town. Once in a while mine or another rescue is contacted by a moving family that can’t take their pet where they’re going. These families … Continue reading →

Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays

Here we are in that ephemeral week between Christmas and New Year’s. Even for those who have to return to work, this week often feels like a strange period of not-normalcy, a time that’s just one step behind ordinary life. Owning to this, then, I don’t feel like I’m entirely behind the times in continuing to blog about holiday–related stories. After all, the Twelve Days of Christmas extend into January. And when it’s a story about saving shelter pets, well, of course I’m going to share. If someone came up to me on the street and asked me how I … Continue reading →

Pet Foster Care

Today I surrendered my cat back to the shelter we adopted her from. I cried the whole way to the drop-off veterinarian. I apologized to her over and again. I kissed her goodbye and left her for her new foster mom to pick her up. We adopted Tori not long after we moved to Texas. She was a kitten when we brought her home. We kept her in a room separated from the other three cats until we felt everybody had adjusted to the new arrival. Tori was a bully. She hissed and spit and tried to assert dominance even … Continue reading →

The Animal Lover’s Alternatives to Owning Pets

Even though the Humane Society’s official Be Kind to Animals week has ended, around here on the Pets blog the theme’s always Be Kind to Animals. In that spirit, I want to carry on a thread I started in my last article: what if you want pets, but aren’t able to have them? Let’s say you or a family member is allergic, or you don’t have the space, money, or time at the moment. If you’re an animal lover who doesn’t have any animals to love, I have one word for you: volunteer. Look up your local shelter or rescue. … Continue reading →

Book Review: Maybe Days: A Book for Kids in Foster Care

My last blog mentioned some books written to help foster care kids understand and come to terms with their experiences. I wanted to write a full review of another book, Maybe Days: a Book for Children in Foster Care. This book, labeled for ages 4-10 years, seems to me to be for somewhat older kids than The Star or Zachary’s New Home (books discussed in the last blog). It is written by Jennifer Wilgocki, M.S., a child and family therapist who presents training on attachment and bonding issues to professionals and foster parents. Dr. Marcia Wright is a clinical psychologist. … Continue reading →

Car Pet Restraints

Do you use a pet restraint when you take your dog or cat in the car with you? I’m wondering because a couple of weeks ago when I went with my friend Karen to the Nashville Humane Society (NHS) they had a variety of suggestions posted for taking care of your pet. One of them was to always make sure to restrain your pet while traveling in the car. I don’t restrain Murph at all when he’s in the car with us. I do put both Tabby and Mr. Meow in their kitty carriers when I take them to the … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for July 7 – 13

The Pets Blog Week in Review endured somewhat of a hiatus the past month or so, but now it’s back. Have you missed this handy cheat sheet way of quickly finding out what Aimee and I wrote about the week before? Sorry about that, but without further ado here’s this week’s installment. Monday, July 7 Aimee detailed the many medications guests at the cat care facility where she works take. Tuesday, July 8 Aimee got in touch with her crafty side and offered some neat suggestions for DIY chew toy projects. After an absence of my own, it was with … Continue reading →