The United States is facing a pet crisis. According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats are taken to shelters every year. Of those animals, about 1.5 million are euthanized. Anyone who has ever owned a pet knows how expensive it can be to provide them food, water and most of all, healthcare. Because of a lack of funding and high intake rates, many shelters are forced to euthanize animals that are sick or that have been in their care for too long.

One way for shelters to avoid this unfortunate outcome is to find people who are willing to foster animals until they are adopted. However, fostering an animal is neither easy nor cheap – especially if that animal is sick, injured or very young. 

Pearl River County SPCA Manager Elizabeth Treadaway said that if a person volunteers to foster an animal through the SPCA, they are provided with any tools or medication that may be needed. However, if a person fosters a pet through an advocacy group, an alternate source of funding is needed.

This weekend a fundraiser will be held by the Animal Advocates of Pearl River County to raise funds to treat two dogs with heartworms that are in foster care. Members of this organization may at times have to pay for the animals they foster out of their own money when there are not enough donations. Medical treatment for animals can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars – a daunting amount for potential fosters. 

Without fosters, shelters would be forced to euthanize significantly more animals every year. In addition to participating in this weekend’s garage sale event, Pearl River County residents can help by donating money or signing up to be fosters themselves.

Call the Pearl River County SPCA at 601-798-8000 for more information on how to donate, or how to apply to become a foster.