Three Things to Know
Foster care programs saw a significant increase during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand the successes and challenges of these programs, researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of data from 19 U.S. shelters.
93% of dogs experienced positive outcomes, with foster-to-adopt placements proving particularly successful. Well-resourced shelters were able to recruit new volunteers from the community, many of whom adopted their foster dogs, even if they hadn’t initially intended to. Shelters that empowered foster caregivers to arrange meet-and-greets also saw shorter stay lengths for dogs.
One significant challenge was foster caregiver retention, with less than a quarter of caregivers taking on multiple placements. Additionally, 17% of dogs with behavioral needs were returned to the shelter, indicating a need for increased support for caregivers of these animals.
The Full Picture
Millions of dogs enter U.S. animal shelters each year, facing stress from factors such as noise, confinement, and social isolation. Foster care, which provides temporary homes for shelter dogs, has been shown to alleviate stress and improve their well-being. Additionally, fostering can enhance adoption rates by increasing visibility and offering potential adopters valuable insights from foster caregivers.
Foster care has also proven crucial during emergencies, such as natural disasters, by providing temporary housing for displaced pets and reducing euthanasia rates. The COVID-19 pandemic presented both challenges and opportunities for animal shelters. Widespread stay-at-home orders led to reduced intake, increased adoptions, and expanded foster programs.
This study, titled “Emergency Fostering of Dogs From Animal Shelters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Shelter Practices, Foster Caregiver Engagement, and Dog Outcomes,” examines the use of foster care in 19 U.S. shelters during the early months of the pandemic. The study investigates shelter and caregiver characteristics, as well as outcomes for fostered dogs.
Study Methods
The study explored four key areas of foster programs during the pandemic:
1. Animal Behavior
The study focused on animal shelters that had canine foster programs in place as of March 2020. Interested shelters provided data on their foster programs and general information about their organization, including location, admission policies (open, managed, or limited intake), organization type (municipal, private non-profit, or private non-profit with municipal contracts), operating budget, and 2019 intake numbers and live release rates.
Shelters were also asked about their foster programs, specifically behavioral assessments, the presence of behavior staff, spay-neuter surgery capacity during the pandemic, and adoption procedures, including dog meetings, paperwork handling, and physical transfer methods.
2. Dogs Placed Into Foster Programs
The study analyzed dogs placed in foster care between March 11, 2020, and June 30, 2020. Shelter staff selected dogs for fostering, prioritizing those with behavioral or medical needs. Foster placements were categorized as either puppy fostering (under 8 weeks old) or dog fostering (8 weeks and older). Limited data was collected on foster-to-adopt cases.
The study also tracked the duration of each foster placement and the timing of spay-neuter surgeries. Incidents like biting and reasons for ending foster care were also documented.
3. Foster Caregivers
Foster caregivers shared their age, the number of dogs in their home, how they acquired their dogs, whether they adopted any of the fostered dogs, and their role as a caregiver. Caregivers were categorized as community members, new or returning volunteers, staff, or individuals who were fostering dogs they found or already owned.
4. Foster Utilization Ratio (FUR)
To assess the extent of foster care utilization at each shelter and across the entire dataset, the Foster Utilization Ratio (FUR) was calculated. FUR was determined by dividing the daily number of dogs and puppies in foster care by the combined total of dogs and puppies in foster care and in the shelter on the same day.
Study Results
1. Shelter Demographics
Nineteen animal shelters across the United States participated in the study. The majority of these shelters (78.95%) were private non-profit organizations, with one-third having contracts with neighboring municipalities. In terms of admission policies, 63.16% operated as open admission shelters, 21.05% managed admissions, and 15.79% limited admissions.
Significant variation was observed in key annual metrics across shelters. The average live release rate (LRR) for dogs in 2019 was 93.66%, ranging from 67.00% to 99.80%. Operating budgets varied widely, ranging from $100,000 to $12,000,000, with a mean of $2,840,497. Shelters reported an average annual animal intake of 3,956, ranging from 223 to 16,357. By considering operating budgets and intake data, shelters were categorized into five resource groups based on available resources per animal, ranging from very low ($116–207/animal) to very high ($1,547–2,305/animal).
While all but one shelter had pre-pandemic foster programs, pandemic restrictions necessitated adjustments to animal pickup procedures. Over a third used drive-through pickup, over 30% opted for traditional in-shelter pickup, and nearly 30% conducted outdoor pickups with staff.
2. Dogs Placed Into Foster Care
Between March 11 and June 30, 2020, a total of 2,225 animals (1,155 dogs, 323 puppies, and 747 fostered by potential adopters) were placed into foster care. Dogs primarily entered shelters as transfers from other facilities (40.18%), followed by strays (28.42%) and owner surrenders or failed adoptions (20.25%). The gender distribution was nearly equal. On average, dogs were slightly over three years old and weighed 17.6 kg.
Outcomes
Over 93% of fostered animals experienced positive outcomes, with adoption being the most common (83%). A significant portion of these adoptions occurred directly from foster homes. Transfers to other agencies accounted for almost 10% of outcomes, with puppies transferred more frequently (15.02%) than adult dogs (7.82%). Notably, less than 1% of fostered animals were returned to their owners. At the study’s conclusion, a small percentage (5.37%) remained in care, either in foster homes or shelters, and less than 2% faced negative outcomes such as loss, death, or euthanasia.
Shelter resource levels influenced placement strategies and caregiver engagement. While all resource levels achieved high live release rates, their approaches varied. Higher-resource shelters (mostly private non-profits) primarily relied on adoption, while lower-resource shelters (municipal and private with municipal contracts) often transferred animals to other organizations.
Although only 18% of dog caregivers and 7% of puppy caregivers adopted their animals, new foster caregivers were over four times more likely to adopt their fostered dogs than those who had fostered previously. Caregivers without a dog were also more inclined to adopt. Shelters could benefit from viewing first-time foster caregivers as potential adopters. This approach not only reduces training costs but also streamlines the placement process, leading to shorter shelter stays and ultimately lower costs for the organization.
Length of Stay
The total length of stay for fostered dogs and puppies, encompassing both shelter and foster care, averaged 43 days, with foster care alone averaged 20 days. Older dogs tended to have longer stays. Foster type also influenced duration: foster-to-adopt placements, with a nearly 75% success rate, resulted in shorter stays compared to traditional foster care. These findings suggest that fostering allows caregivers to assess compatibility with the animal, reducing perceived risks of adoption.
Importantly, shelters that empowered foster caregivers to arrange meet-and-greets with potential adopters or facilitate direct adoptions from foster care experienced shorter stay lengths for dogs compared to those without such practices.
These strategies align with the principles of “open adoptions,” a more conversational and less restrictive approach to animal placement. Caregiver-directed adoptions enable foster caregivers to share valuable insights about the dog’s behavior in a home setting, contributing to more informed and successful placements. In addition, data suggests that foster caregiver-directed adoptions result in lower return rates compared to adoptions from shelters.
While the correlational evidence supports this approach, further research is needed to directly compare foster caregiver-directed adoptions with traditional fostering practices.
Special Needs of Foster Dogs
Approximately 20% of fostered dogs had behavioral needs, while puppies requiring behavioral management were rare. Medical management needs were more prevalent, affecting 32.90% of foster experiences for dogs and 21.67% for puppies. Bites were uncommon (1.1%), with most incidents involving dogs without known behavioral issues.
Caregiver-related returns occurred for 10% of all fostered dogs. Behavioral or medical issues influenced the likelihood of returns. In particular, dogs with behavioral management needs had a higher return rate (17%) compared to those without behavioral issues (5%). This highlights the necessity of targeted support for foster caregivers managing dogs with known behavioral challenges.
3. Foster Caregivers and Their Experiences
The average age of foster caregivers was 36 years. Puppy caregivers were more likely to have resident dogs (57%) compared to adult dog caregivers (40%), with most dog-owning caregivers having one dog (48%).
During the pandemic, 53% of foster caregivers were new to the shelter community, over a third were returning fosters, while 5% were existing volunteers taking on their first foster placement. Importantly, 13% of new caregivers continued fostering after the initial pandemic period.
Impact of Shelter Resources
Shelter resource availability significantly influenced caregiver recruitment strategies. Low and very low-resource shelters heavily relied on caregivers with prior relationships (79%), such as previous volunteers or fosters, as a cost-effective approach.
In contrast, higher-resourced shelters recruited new community members (61%) as foster caregivers, despite the additional costs and labor associated with onboarding and training. This approach required responding to inquiries, conducting training, and providing ongoing support, making it more resource-intensive. It’s possible that these shelters expanded their foster care programs during the pandemic to supplement existing resources, as they may not have previously prioritized adult dog fostering due to their robust in-shelter capacity. These findings highlight how shelter resources and caregiver relationships shaped strategies for achieving positive animal outcomes during a crisis.
4. Foster Utilization Ratio (FUR)
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in foster care utilization, peaking in April 2020 (43%, a 30% increase compared to the start of the pandemic). This surge was driven by a combination of factors:
- Increased Foster Caregiving: A surge in volunteerism, including fostering, as people sought ways to contribute to their communities and mitigate social isolation.
- Reduced Shelter Intake: Lower intake levels in April 2020 decreased the number of animals physically housed in shelters, leading to a higher proportion of dogs in foster care.
However, by May and June, intake levels returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic figures, contributing to the decline in FURs. Additionally, the decline in repeat fostering, likely due to the adoption of fostered dogs by caregivers, also impacted FURs.
Municipal shelters consistently had the lowest FURs, and they experienced the sharpest decline in FUR over time. While April marked their peak utilization, levels returned to near-March rates by May and dropped further by June. On the other hand, private non-profit shelters achieved higher FURs in April and May compared to March and June.
This analysis highlights the differing reliance on foster care between organizational types, with private shelters generally achieving higher utilization than municipal agencies.
Caregiver Retention and Recruitment
One significant challenge identified above was the retention of foster caregivers. While the pandemic spurred an increase in new caregivers, fewer than a quarter returned for subsequent placements. Common reasons for discontinuing participation included the needs of resident pets or the adoption of previously fostered animals. Over 56% of foster homes had no resident dogs, and those that did typically had just one, reflecting broader U.S. household trends. However, acquiring new dogs during the fostering process may have contributed to the decline in foster caregiving by mid-2020.
Fostering is a demanding form of volunteerism, requiring substantial physical, emotional, and time commitments. Caregivers often form strong bonds with their fostered animals, and some may find the demands of caregiving incompatible with their expectations. For shelters that rely on foster caregivers to promote and facilitate adoptions, these additional responsibilities may further discourage repeat participation.
Optimizing Foster Care Programs
In summary, shelters can optimize foster care programs by:
- Encouraging Foster-to-Adopt: Promoting foster-to-adopt programs can increase adoption rates and reduce shelter stays.
- Streamlining Adoption Processes: Implementing practices like foster-facilitated meet-and-greets and direct adoptions from foster homes can expedite placements.
- Providing Comprehensive Support: Offering specialized support to caregivers of behaviorally challenged dogs can improve outcomes and reduce returns.
- Prioritizing Caregiver Retention: Recognizing the demands of fostering and providing adequate support can encourage repeat participation.
By implementing these strategies, shelters can maximize the benefits of foster care and improve the overall well-being of shelter dogs.
Conclusion
The study found that foster care significantly improved outcomes for shelter dogs. Over 93% of fostered dogs experienced positive outcomes, including adoption, return to owner, or transfer to other agencies. Euthanasia rates were minimal, primarily due to medical or behavioral issues. Foster care was particularly effective for dogs with medical or behavioral needs, demonstrating its potential to address challenges faced by shelters. By tailoring strategies to maximize caregiver support and streamline adoption processes, animal shelters can enhance the well-being and placement outcomes for dogs in their care.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Shelter Dogs > Optimizing Shelter Operations > Expanding Shelter Capacity
Year of Publication:
2022
External Link:
Gunter LM, Gilchrist RJ, Blade EM, Reed JL, Isernia LT, Barber RT, Foster AM, Feuerbacher EN and Wynne CDL (2022) Emergency Fostering of Dogs From Animal Shelters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Shelter Practices, Foster Caregiver Engagement, and Dog Outcomes. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:862590. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.862590