Santa Clarita, Calif., February 5, 2019 – Shelters and rescues always need pet fosterers. However, many individuals who are interested in establishing pet fostering programs in their communities do not know how to do so or understand the process. Animal Behavior College’s (ABC) Pet Fostering Short-Term Program serves as a how-to guide that helps aspiring pet foster advocates create successful programs.
The Pet Fostering Short-term Program provides relevant information on: working with rescues and shelters; recruiting, finding, training and retaining volunteers; pet nutrition; socialization; safety and first aid; caring for animals with special needs; as well as many other skills.
Approximately 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters each year, according to the ASPCA. For overcrowded rescues and shelters, community pet fostering programs are invaluable resources. In addition to providing temporary homes and caring for animals’ basic needs, volunteers help socialize their fosters, which increases their chances for finding a forever home. They also free up space so rescues and shelters can help more homeless animals.
“There are well-meaning people who create foster programs that take in animals only to realize it’s more than they can handle, which is why I’m a firm believer in doing your research first before jumping in and setting up a pet fostering program,” said Laura Glaser Harrington, Dog Obedience Program graduate, Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer (ABCDT), ABC Mentor Trainer and owner of Canine Communication, LLC laura@caninecom.com, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. “Education is the first step for individuals who are interested in starting a foster program.”
In addition to being a canine foster, Laura is also a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI), Certified Tricks Dog Instructor (CTDI) and a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (CGC).
“Some people think [cat] fostering is simply babysitting until they are adopted when in reality it is a huge commitment and full-time job,” said Jami Hull, Cat Training Program graduate, ABC Certified Cat Trainer (ABCCT) and owner of https://clawstothewallsllc.weebly.com/. “If people learned the proper steps to creating a foster program in their communities, more fosters would be successful and able to help even more animals.”
Jami’s experience fostering and training homeless cats at shelters for 8 years in her Maryville, Missouri community not only helped them but also increased their chances for adoption. She’s currently fostering 15 cats.
The Pet Fostering Short-Term Program is approved for Continuing Education Credits by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).
ABC also offers specialized certificates of completion in six other short-term programs on subjects including doggie daycare, pet massage, pet nutrition, pet sitting, training shelter dogs, and selling and teaching private lessons. In addition to dog trainer and cat trainer certifications, ABC offers professional certifications in pet grooming and veterinary assisting .
For more information, call 1-800-795-3294 or learn more at animalbehaviourcollege.ca .
About Animal Behavior College
Founded in 1998, Animal Behavior College is a vocational school that trains professional dog trainers, cat trainers, veterinary assistants and pet groomers. As of December 31, 2018, ABC has graduated and certified more than 27,500 students from all of its four core programs combined. Students obtain practical hands-on experience applying what they learn by working side-by-side with a member of the college’s expert mentors group. These professional mentors include thousands of professional dog trainers, veterinary hospitals and clinics and grooming salons from all across the U.S. and Canada who are dedicated to helping students succeed in the pet services industry.