It’s National Foster Care Month, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight an exciting way to help animals in need. If don’t have the capacity to add a permanent furry friend to your household, becoming a pet foster parent is a great way to pitch in. By fostering a dog or cat, you’ll free up crucial space in your local shelter and you’ll help pave the way for that animal to find a loving home.

At the ASPCA, we rely heavily on our volunteer animal foster caregivers, who create “a shelter outside of our shelter” in their homes for thousands of animals who are not quite ready for adoption. Foster caregivers provide these animals with the time and attention they need while preparing them to find forever homes. As a result, our Adoption Center staff has additional time and shelter space to help thousands more animals.

If you’re in the New York City area and would like to find out more about fostering for the ASPCA, please email [email protected] and visit our foster care page to learn more. If you’re not in New York City, visit our shelter finder to locate a shelter or rescue group in your area that might be in need of foster volunteers.