Maddie's Insights - Foster Care and the Human-Animal Bond (On-demand)

Maddie's® Insights are monthly webcasts with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people.  

It is commonplace among those who provide foster care for animals to have a recurring conversation with those who do not.  Upon hearing that one is an animal foster parent, a frequent response is, “Oh, I could never do that.  I would not be able to give the animal up.”  But this is precisely what those caring for animal fosters are called to do.  The ability of animal shelters and rescues to provide critical care through foster homes depends on volunteers who willingly and temporarily take animals into their homes and lives.  Studies of foster volunteers have indicated that they find taking care of animals with medical, and particularly behavioral, issue to be stressful.  And, volunteers that do not feel that their shelter is providing them sufficient emotional support are more likely to think about quitting.  Given these two realities, it becomes important for shelter staff to understand the emotional aspects of providing foster care and to identify ways to better support volunteers so that they are satisfied and more likely to continue to provide this service. 

The presentation addresses these issues with the following learning objectives:

·      What is the nature of attachment (human-animal bond) between volunteers and their foster animals?

·      What emotions do volunteers experience when their fosters leave their care?

·      What coping and resilience strategies appear to reduce the stress of providing foster care?

·      How can animal shelters help foster volunteers cope with the stress inherent to fostering?

Presenter: Laura A. Reese, PhD, Professor, Departments of Urban and Regional Planning, Global Urban Studies, and Political Science, Michigan State University

This webinar has been pre-approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It is also for approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval until 02/06/2026. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit for CAWA and NACA.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsFosterCareHumanAnimalBond

keywords  Maddie's Insights, Laura A. Reese, foster care, animal welfare, human-animal bond, coping and resilience strategies for foster caregivers, foster pets, foster caregiving