San Diego’s animal shelters are straining at the seams.
A confluence of crises — floods, fires, the high cost of living, pandemic-related issues, the end of a regional eviction moratorium — have left animal-rescue organizations locally and nationally overflowing with companion creatures, who often suffer extreme stress and anxiety from a combination of new faces and crowded conditions.
“We are seeing a huge increase in stray pets coming to us, especially stray dogs,” said Nina Thompson with the San Diego Humane Society. “We have 1,296 animals in our care, and 607 of those are dogs.”
To counter the overwhelming pressure felt by shelters, the San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition launched Project Dog Foster at the beginning of April. The countywide campaign is intended to match dogs with foster homes in order to help alleviate overcrowded shelters.
The coalition is made up of several participating organizations, which include City of Chula Vista Animal Services, Frosted Faces Foundation, PAWS of Coronado, Rancho Coastal Humane Society, San Diego County Department of Animal Services, and SDHS.
The humans fostering the pups benefit as well. Diana Diaz was the first person to apply to the program. She said that she had never had a dog before, but she would occasionally take care of an old boyfriend’s.
“I just fell in love, because I wasn’t raised with animals really,” she said. “After spending time with this dog I thought, man, my heart was two sizes too small.”
She decided to look through animals available for adoption. “Then I saw the foster program and I thought, oh that’ll be a good way I could help… it just made sense,” Diaz said. “So I am just taking care of her until her owner can take her back again.”
The program has already offered temporary homes to at least twenty dogs, said the Humane Society’s Nina Thompson, who said that even short stints with a foster family help lift some of the pressure.
“Even if it’s just for a weekend,” she said. “You are doing a service. Give that dog a break from the stressful environment… just helping one makes a difference.”
Other ways to help include donating to shelters, or simply sharing posts on social media about adoptable animals in order to find them foster or permanent homes.
More information about the program, including how to apply to foster pets, can be found here.