Meet Pinch the Cat…

We’re so honored the family of Pinch the kitty named her after our little organic spice company! Here’s the story of how that came to be…

We Love You Pinch!

So…What is Fostering Like?

We have fostered quite a few dogs and cats over the years here at the Pinch household. It’s a joy to take in a dog or cat who need a temporary home, often ones who are facing euthanasia. We give them a safe place to decompress, heal physically and emotionally, and just learn how to feel safe in a home. And they give us trust and love. They give us way more than we give them.

People often say to us “I don’t think I could ever foster. It would be impossible for me to say goodbye to them when they get adopted. I’d have to adopt them all and I’d need a farm!” We thought the same thing before we started fostering…

So How Do We Say Goodbye to a Foster We Love? It’s Simple – That Goodbye Turns into a Hello for a New (Usually Death-Row) Animal Who Needs a Miracle

When you connect with a local animal rescue, you start to really see just how many animals need help. You see these personal stories of just how many animals are on euthanasia lists because they don’t have a rescue to take them in. You start to witness how many:

• people break the supposed-to-be lifelong promise of taking an animal in by relinquishing them to overwhelmed shelters because “they’re moving,” “they got a new puppy,” and “the kids don’t want to play with an old dog”
• people dump animals in parks
• people abuse and neglect animals, like tying up dogs on chains and leaving them to fend for themselves in deadly hot and freezing weather
• stray kittens are born during “kitten season”
• animals are rescued from dog fighting rings and hoarding situations
• backyard breeders throw away dogs because they’re “done with them”

When you foster, you become part of the solution to all these terrible problems.

Animal rescues rely heavily on foster families. When you become a foster, you open up a space so they can save one more animal. As they saying goes, “Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal.” (Also, it does change the world!)

When all of that comes into picture, it makes it easier to say goodbye to your foster animals because you know there’s another deserving dog or cat (or capybara or snake, or whatever you’re into) who desperately needs rescue right behind them. Plus, most of the people who’ve adopted our fosters have stayed in touch via phone, text, email or social media, and we even get to visit some of them!

There’s nothing like taking in an animal who was scared of the world, or maybe a little naughty, and then seeing them happy and thriving in life with their new forever family. We feel honored to be able to take them in a for a short time so they can find their people.

So How Does Fostering Actually Work? The Logistics…

If you’re interested in becoming a foster (holy cow, that’s amazing by the way!), here’s how to get started and how the process tends to work:

1. Find a local animal rescue you love, then apply to become a foster parent with them (they usually have a form on their website). The rescue will then contact you and find a dog or cat in need that fits well with your family.
2. You take the animal into your home. The rescue can often provide food, toys and a crate so money doesn’t have to be a barrier.
3. The rescue provides medical necessities like heartworm and flea and tick preventative, and vet care. It depends on the rescue, but sometimes they pick up the animal and bring them to vet appointments, and sometimes you bring them to the vet if it works with your schedule.
4. When the animal is ready to be adopted, they’ll post pictures and a description of the animal on their website, then share on social media accounts and places like PetFinder.com. Sometimes they have adoption events at places like Petsmart or farmers markets, and you’ll drop them off there, or go there with them to meet potential adopters.
5. When the rescue finds potential adopters you’ll drop them off to meet them or you often go meet the potential adopters with the animal so you can answer questions and see how they do with them. Most rescues do “home visits” to make sure they have a safe home for a pet. If it’s a good fit, they’ll be adopted (often you’re part of that decision-making process because you know the animal really well).
6. Sometimes we take a break after a foster is adopted, and other times we go pickup a new foster right away. It all depends on what you’re feeling and comfortable with.

P.S. You don’t have to be a superstar animal trainer (we’re not!) – you just have to provide a safe home. You’ll be teaching the animal a lot by getting them to trust you and them learning they’re safe now. Some basic training can be fun and rewarding too, though. Some rescues will even offer free training classes for you and your pet.

If you take the leap and foster an animal in need, we promise you won’t regret it! Please send us pictures, we’d love to see your foster fur-babies! 🙂