Dallas, Texas – Dallas Animal Services (DAS) is celebrating National Foster a Pet Month by recognizing foster heroes and calling for additional foster support. The national celebration is in partnership with the Petco Foundation and Sketchers’ charity footwear collection BOBS from Sketchers.
“We couldn’t do the lifesaving work we do without the hundreds of foster volunteers we have each year,” said DAS Director Ed Jamison. “We have a limited number of kennels, so without the support of our foster families, we wouldn’t physically be able to save the lives of all of the placeable pets in our care.”
National Foster a Pet Month is part of the Petco Foundation’s Pledge to Save Pet Lives which encourages animal lovers to adopt, foster, volunteer and/or donate this summer with a goal of inspiring 1.5 million pledges to match the approximate number of pets unnecessarily euthanized in shelters each year in the U.S.
“It is an honor to recognize the Local Foster Heroes who are making a difference in their communities and demonstrating the lifesaving impact of fostering pets,” said Petco Foundation President Susanne Kogut. “During the response to the COVID-19 crisis, we saw a significant spike in the number of people fostering pets. Our goal is to continue this trend, inspire more people to join the pet fostering movement, and make pets sheltering in foster homes, versus animal shelters, the new normal. Because, if less than 2% of pet-owning households in the U.S. fostered one pet a year, we could eliminate unnecessary euthanasia in animal shelters tomorrow.”
Kitten season in full swing, during this time DAS takes in dozens of new animals daily. DAS is in need of new foster volunteers, especially during the warm months of the year, when kitten season is in full effect. We had the country’s third highest intake of dogs and cats last year with nearly 40,000 pets coming through our facility.
“If COVID has you spending more time at home,” said Jamison. “It’s the perfect time to provide a temporary home for a dog or cat in need; you’ll literally save a life with your spare time.”
To learn more about Dallas Animal Services and how you can help save a life, visit www.dallasanimalservices.org. For more on the Petco Foundation and to take the Pledge to Save Pet Lives, visit petcofoundation.org/pledge and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #SavePetLives.
