FOSTER CARERS NEEDED TO HELP SURRENDERED PETS AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS

It takes a special kind of person to open their heart and home to homeless pets, and unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough of them.

Animal rescue organizations are heading into the holiday season feeling both overwhelmed and exhausted by the mounting demand.

This time of year sees an increase in pets being abandoned by their owners, fewer foster carers available, and commercial kennels reaching full capacity. As a result, more unclaimed dogs and cats end up being put down in pounds and shelters.

Fostering a very special dog

Calley Gibson left her career in advertising to pursue her passion for animal care and is now the director of her own rescue service in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges.

In 2013, Ms. Gibson unknowingly became a social media sensation, thanks to her “serious, well-behaved, bow-legged” staffy, Pikelet, who quickly captured the hearts of many online.

“There wasn’t a lot of pets on social media back then … the bigger accounts that were popping up were not rescue dogs, they were French bulldogs or pugs, pure breeds, the ones that society deems popular,” Ms Gibson said.

The Life of Pikelet has garnered 144,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook, chronicling the adventures of Pikelet Butterwiggle and his many adopted and fostered siblings.

At the time she fostered Pikelet, Ms. Gibson already had two dogs.

“I pretty much fell in love with him and started pestering my fiancé at the time… asking almost daily, ‘Can we adopt him?'” she said.

Fate intervened when Pikelet swallowed her engagement ring. After an emergency trip to the vet and a thorough search through several of his poo bags, the diamond ring was miraculously recovered, completely intact.

“I just called the rescue and said, ‘He’s mine!'”

Sadly, Pikelet recently passed away.

After months of successful chemotherapy for leukaemia, he succumbed to the effects of anaemia, but his 11-and-a-half years on this planet were well spent as a poster boy for all the unwanted underdogs.

“Pikelet was a pound puppy on death row, suffering from rickets—the dog no one wanted. We’ve always focused on taking in and promoting the dogs that people might overlook—deaf dogs, blind dogs, and those with different abilities,” she said.

Successful fostering needs a bit of leg work

Ms. Gibson explained that all animal rescue organizations are currently under significant pressure.

“Everyone is at capacity and struggling, with many rescues having to temporarily stop accepting animals. As a result, there’s a critical need for foster carers,” she said.

Ms Gibson said the best foster carers were people who understood when you take on a rescue pet, you’re only going to be looking after them until they get adopted, and that you are saving a life.

Trisha Taylor, president of Victorian Dog Rescue, agreed, noting that they had to halt intake between August and September this year.

“All our dogs are placed in foster care in private homes, and if we find ourselves with a dog and a foster carer is unavailable—whether they’re going away or for another reason—we have to use commercial kennels. That leads to a pretty steep kennel bill,” Ms. Taylor explained.

She added that about a third of their regular foster carers typically take time off during the festive season.

“We have about 100 dogs and cats in our care at the moment, so we have to not only cater to them, but we have to try to help the others that are being dumped in pounds at Christmas.

“If we can help anyone hold their dog over that period by giving them food or doing what we can paying for vet work, we’ll do anything to just get past this really dangerous period.”

Victorian Dog Rescue actively advertises and currently has around 100 foster carers, with an additional 50 on the waiting list for specific types of dogs.

“We try not to assign new foster carers difficult cases. Instead, we’d match them with a surrendered dog that has a known background. We’re fortunate to have some amazing foster carers—one of them has cared for around 37 dogs for us,” Ms. Taylor said.

Dumped rural pets have fewer options

Ms Taylor said working on the frontline could be extremely stressful for volunteers when you were going into the pound to see the dogs on death row.

Carolyn Stow runs Phoenix Animal Rescue at Horsham, in western Victoria, and has done this kind of unpaid work for 18 years.

She said the number of foster carers had definitely decreased and they often had to beg or guilt people into helping.

Ms Stow said more animals were being surrendered, but there were a lot less people willing to open their homes to them.

“We cover all the costs for the animals—food, veterinary care, vaccinations, bedding, toys, and anything else they need—so foster carers aren’t out of pocket,” she explained.

Foster carers are simply asked to provide love and care, treat the animals as their own pets, create a safe environment, set boundaries, and offer basic training if necessary.