by Anna Holton-Dean
Fostering a pet isn’t just a kind way to give back — it’s lifesaving. The reality is that hundreds of thousands of pets — 415,000 in 2023 alone — are euthanized in shelters every year simply because they lack a safe place to call home, according to Best Friends Animal Society. By opening your home to a foster pet, you help not one but two animals: the one enjoying a loving, temporary home and the one who now has space to enter the shelter.
All pets deserve a home. If adopting a pet is not an option for you right now, fostering is another meaningful way to help them get there. Maybe you’ve thought about fostering but are hesitant because of misconceptions or concerns that have stopped you from taking the next step. In this article, we’ll address some of the most common myths about fostering and discover they’re not only often untrue, but fostering can also be an incredibly rewarding experience.
“I don’t have the money to care for a foster pet.”
Almost all foster programs across the country cover the cost of the animal’s care, food and supplies. Think of it as having an adorable furry friend hang out with you – for free!
Roshelle Anderson, marketing manager at OK Humane Society, says they provide all medical care, food and other common pet supplies for foster care. “We will try and help out if they don’t have other things like a wire crate,” Anderson adds. “We want to help them as best that we can.”
“It will be too time consuming.”
The time commitment isn’t always what one may anticipate, says Emily Hornay, a registered veterinary technician who has fostered for three years. The biggest factor in determining the time required is the individual age and stage of the animal. Bottle-feeding newborn kittens or puppies will require more time than fostering a pet that’s two or three years old.
“These guys (the dogs she fosters) just want to hang out with you,” Hornay says. “They don’t need to be pampered. They’re just so excited to be out of a crate.”
You may also worry about scheduling conflicts while the pet is in your care, but remember you have a whole community of people in your corner. “People might have issues getting to an appointment or transporting them to the adoption center,” Anderson says. “We have a group of fosters who try and work together, or staff members may have time to pick up the pet from their house and take it to the appointment. We work as a team to make things happen.”
“Letting go is too hard.”
Admittedly, it’s always hard to say goodbye to someone you love, especially adorable cats and dogs. But the reward is worth it. As the ASPCA reminds us, you can take pride in knowing you helped provide the animal the love and support it needed to find its adoptive home and potentially saved its life. “Also, saying goodbye means you’re making room for more animals that need to be fostered!”
Anderson says this is the most common concern OK Humane receives about fostering. “While it can be hard to say goodbye, many pets would never have the chance at a happy ending without a temporary foster home,” she says. “Fostering gives pets the time and care they need to heal, grow strong and build confidence while rescues like OK Humane learn more about their personalities and needs, ultimately helping them find the best forever family for them.”
Anderson herself has fostered over 200 pets since 2018. While every pet has a different story, helping them find their happy ending is always a reward worth the cost.
“Many people assume that rescue pets must have something ‘wrong’ with them or that they’re homeless because of something they did,” she says. “There are many reasons why pets end up without homes: the rising cost of living, limited access to spay and neuter services, varied views on pet ownership, or sometimes simply a series of unfortunate circumstances that force someone to say goodbye to a beloved pet.
“Through fostering, I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible dogs and cats. Each one has reminded me of the resilience, joy and unconditional love animals have to offer.”
Cats and dogs of all ages, sizes, breeds and personalities are waiting for foster homes. Check out okhumane.org/foster to learn more about fostering in the Oklahoma City area.
Sidebar
In each issue of 2026, meet a local foster parent and discover why they open their home and heart to pets in need.
Chesna Alford Chesnut
I first got into fostering in 2017. My husband and I moved to Oklahoma City in 2014 and adopted a Pittie mix, Birdie, from OK Humane. A few years later, I decided I wanted to be more hands on and help out in an impactful way. Organizations like OK Humane are completely foster based, so finding fosters is almost always the difference between being able to pull an animal into the adoption program or having to leave them behind.
I will continue to foster as long as the need is there. Every animal deserves a chance at a loving home, and a foster home is the first step in that journey. People always say, “I could never foster. I would keep them all.”
Respectfully, I always reply: “It’s not about you.”
It is hard to let them go, but seeing them thrive in a loving forever home is worth it every time! It’s literally life or death for these pets. Even if you’re only able to foster every once in a while, every little bit helps, and it’s the community’s job as a whole to combat the pet overpopulation crisis.
