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Henry County Animals Need Families to Adopt or Foster Them Now

Animals are at risk and shelters are full, you can save a life

By Jennifer Sheran, publisher Macaroni Kid McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, Locust Grove August 11, 2022

I don’t know about you, but I would not be able to work at an animal shelter. A quick scroll down the Henry County animal Shelter’s Facebook page tears my heart in pieces and makes me worry about humanity. People who rescue and foster animals are heroes. And you can be a hero too. 



Animals are at-risk and need families to adopt them now.

If you can open your heart and home to a new dog or cat, now is a great time to do so. The Henry County Animal Shelter and other shelters like Street Paws are full. Unfortunately, that means many healthy, adoptable pets are in danger of being euthanized.

There is a dog or cat waiting for a family to love right now. If you would consider opening your home to a new four-legged, furry family member contact the animal shelter for Henry County, Georgia or visit them online at www.hcacc.org. The shelter is located off I-75 at Exit # 218, 527 Hampton Street, McDonough, GA 30253.

Consider being a foster pet parent

If you aren’t ready to make a lifetime commitment to a rescue animal, consider fostering. Fostering can be short-term or long-term and allows you to save innocent animals until they can find their forever home. The more foster homes that are available, the more animals are saved. Street Paws could really use your help. If you have ever thought about fostering, then please contact Street Paws and fill out a foster application. 

A foster family shares what pet fostering means to them.

For Ashley, a long-time foster with Street Paws, fostering is rewarding. Her family has fostered with Street Paws for more than seven years. 

“I always get asked ‘How do you let them go?’ or I hear comments like ‘I couldn't foster because I would fall in love with them’,” said Ashley. “The truth is, we do fall in love. We fall in love over and over again. We have loved each foster so much that we were able to let them go and help the next one in need. We grow attached like anyone else would. We also know that with each one we find that perfect forever family for, we can help another in its place. We have such amazing adopters that usually send us several updates over the years.” 

Ashley explains there is some work involved when fostering like socializing, training, and getting our fosters to events and vet visits. 

“All of the work is worth it when you get to see a scared little kitten become brave enough to play with kids or a sick puppy make it thru the hard times and chases a ball for the first time,” continued Ashley. “Fostering is so rewarding, and I love that we're teaching our kids about proper pet care and unconditional love along the way.” 

Ashley’s family loves fostering with Street Paws because the organization cares so much about the well-being of each animal and their goal is to find the perfect match for each family and each foster animal, so the adoption is a forever one. 





How to Foster a Pet

Fostering a pet takes time, attention, and a little work but the rewards are many. I recently spoke with Kristi Butler who runs Street Paws in Locust Grove, a non-profit rescue shelter. Kristi answered some questions about what it takes to foster an animal. 

What are the requirements to be approved as a foster pet owner? 

We need someone willing to accept a pet and all the issues that could come along with it. It really depends on the need of the animal to determine what type of foster we need. We need people who are committed to animals, can make sure they are loved and safe. They must be able to keep children safe if any are in the home.

How long does a family typically foster?

A foster family has the pet until it is adopted. It can sometimes be as soon as they are medically ready if the pet is highly adoptable. If the pet is not as adoptable, they could be fostered for years. We ask foster families to commit to the animal until it is adopted. Due to lack of fosters, if they back out, there is nowhere for the animal to go. 

What if they fall on love and want to adopt their foster? 

We allow our fosters to adopt. They pay either the adoption fee or how much we have spent to date on the animal, whichever is less. 

How much does fostering cost? We pay for everything. Many fosters do choose to pay for some things on their own. For example, we donate food and litter but if they choose a different brand than what we offer, they may purchase something different. 

Can you have other pets when you foster? Yes, but there is a 2-week quarantine period. We also must make sure the foster and owned pet are safe as well. Henry County allows you to only have four pets per household. 

Why is fostering important?

Without fosters these innocent animals suffer and die. 

What are the benefits of fostering?

You know you saved an innocent life, you are helping your community, and the unconditional love of an animal.

What if the foster animal has behavior problems? 

That is a challenge that we do not always have an answer for. Trainers can only do so much, and they usually train the trainer not the animal. 

 Because we are short staffed, we don’t offer a lot of training. We do provide support and we have a foster manual.