Want to help lower the kill rate? Pet-fosters needed in Lee Coun - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myer
1. By Andrea Praegitzer, Web Producer
LEE COUNTY, FL -
Want to help lower the kill rate? Pet-fosters needed in Lee County
Posted: Oct 17, 2014 11:16 AM EDT Oct 17, 2014 11:16 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 17, 2014 11:58 AM EDT Oct 17, 2014 11:58 AM EDT
She lets them into her home and nurses them back to health - only to give them away.
Keeping pets isn't part of the job.
“Every dog is absolutely hard to give up,” said Lené
Hill.
Hill's Fort Myers pool home smells as clean as it looks. Dog bowls, pillows embroidered with ‘woof', and a
roomy crate hint of pets - and someone who loves them.
The dog, right now, is a five-pound Pomeranian recovering from surgery and almost ready for adoption.
“I would say the most rewarding factor to doing the fostering is that I know on the other end, there is a family
that is just waiting for this dog,” said Hill, clutching the calm Pomeranian to her chest.
Hill has been a foster parent to shelter dogs for over six years. She usually fosters around eight to ten dogs in
a year, and has no other pets of her own right now.
Like Hill, Lee County Domestic Animal Services has 39 registered foster volunteers - with 10 dogs in foster
homes - and a big need for more help.
The job isn't always predictable. Animal Services cannot guarantee that all foster animals are completely
disease or parasite-free, though that is the goal.
“You don't know if they're housebroken,” said Hill. “Usually the first night they're completely scared of where
they are.”
They normally adjust quickly, she said. Except for one unpleasant feline experience, all of Hill's past foster dog
relationships have been positive.
Some have been adopted by her neighbors and family. All go to work with her at a local furniture business -
where she occasionally passes them around to staff, creating a soothing effect on stressful days, she said.
Hill keeps pictures of the dogs she's let into her home. She points to each one and shares its story and impact
on her life.
She even keeps in touch with some of the people who have adopted them and enjoys getting updates.
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2. “You can see just the sheer love and joy that they get when they take their new dog home,” Hill said.
Hill began her journey as an Animal Services volunteer in the kennels. The word fostering came up, and she
said she thought: “I've always wanted a dog, let me try it.”
Dozens of dogs later, and it won't be long until Hill welcomes another into her home. Her tiny Pomeranian is
almost ready to be put up for adoption, and Hill's still hoping to get one that wants to jump in her pool - since
all have so far been timid of water.
“I know that I've done my job and that there is another dog that's waiting for me that needs that same care,”
she said. “There's just so many that need the little stopping place.”
Veterinary staff said there is a need for more foster parents to help ease shelter crowding and reduce
euthanasia. In September, 254 dogs and cats were put down, 269 were adopted and 460 were listed as
shelter intakes, according to online LCDAS statistics.
More fosters could help reduce the number of animals put down every month.
"I think it's the key to really increasing the live release rate," said Dr. Nicole Ferguson, Lee County Domestic
Animal Services Veterinarian.
Foster volunteers care for kittens, puppies and sick and injured pets not ready for adoption. They also give
temporary shelter to adoptable animals when the shelter is at maximum capacity.
The foster volunteer incurs no cost. Pet food, supplies and veterinary care are all provided. The job usually
lasts a few weeks to several months.
Click here for an application. Animal Services interviews all applicants and inspects homes prior to pet
placement.
