This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Arianna Nahim. Find her on Instagram at @ariannanahim. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
While I’ve been away at college there are many things I’ve missed. There’s the home cooked meals, the slower pace of life, but most importantly I’ve missed my dogs. When I’d come home, I knew I’d get a bundle of hugs, excitement, and cuteness. This was much appreciated especially after a hard day of studying, extracurriculars, and other academic and social responsibilities. So, when I moved almost four hours away from my hometown to further my education and pursue a bachelor’s degree, I knew there’d be a bit of a hole in my life without my dogs. Initially, my solution was to adopt my own dog down at school. I thought if I could just get even just one friend to split the costs and responsibilities it’d be very doable. However, there were some issues before I could even put my plan into action. The first one being I did not know another person I went to school with that wanted to take on the extra responsibility of caring for a pet. This was especially understandable considering the already difficult routine of learning and being solely responsible for yourself for the first time in your life, on top of studying and even working for some students. The second issue was that even if I managed to adopt a dog on my own, there’d be no home for it when it came to breaks. While I love my dogs completely, I have to admit they’re not the friendliest to other dogs, and it’s just a living situation that would be a recipe for disaster.
How The Idea Was Born
One sunny day, a perfect day to take a dog out on a walk, I left my apartment begrudgingly on my way to the library for a study day. And although it had already taken me about two hours to make it out of my apartment thanks to procrastination, I had to take the detour that was presented on the road ahead.
Before I could get to my car, I came across a neighbor of mine with two puppies. I mean if one needed any sort of excuse this would be a great one. Is it every day you have the chance to come across not just one, but two puppies? As I reveled in the cuteness of these adorable puppies, I got to chat with my neighbor and what seemed to be their owner. However, as I asked her more about the sweet pups, she explained to me she was just their temporary home.
Through an animal shelter just thirty minutes away my neighbor was able to house animals in need. Often, animal shelters are usually very overcrowded. Animals are gentle souls and need a lot of love and care, which isn’t always possible in a shelter that suffers from overcrowding. There are two types of fostering, fostering for adoption or transitional fostering. The first type is usually for puppies and kittens. This living arrangement can last anywhere from two-four weeks until they’ve found a forever home. The latter type is for animals who need a temporary home when their owners are not able to care for them for a certain amount of time. For example, the dog I plan to foster will be with me for about six weeks then be returned to its owner.
Why You Should Foster
If you’re like me and crave a fur baby but have other obstacles like not being able to bring it back to your hometown, fostering could be perfect for you. If you also struggle with bad habits like procrastination, housing an animal could be a great way to get you moving! You’d have something that is unavoidable that sets you up with a routine. Not only would you be helping yourself, but you’d also be helping animals in need. On many foster applications you will specificity what kind of animal you are able to care for. This will help when it comes to pairing yourself with the perfect animal for you. You’ll not only open your home to these pets, but your heart, which will go a long way. In addition to all of these benefits, 95% of rescue shelters will provide you with all the equipment you need, making expensive nonexistent.
If you find this to be something of interest to you, consider sending in your own application to your local shelter. You’ll have to answer a few questions but the application should take no more than five minutes. Once you’ve been approved a foster coordinator will send out emails notifying foster pet parents when pets are in need of a home. Your next house guest could be a Google search away.
Have you ever thought of fostering as a college student? Let us know!
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