Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays

Everyone deserves a home for the holidays. That's why for the third year in a row, Petfinder.com is launching its annual Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program along with hundreds of shelters and rescue groups with a goal to empty out animal shelters from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.

"Many people do not realize just how important fostering is among the animal welfare community," said Betsy Banks Saul, the co-founder of Petfinder.com. "Animal shelters across North America have to euthanize adoptable pets simply because they are overcrowded. However, by fostering, people can give pets a place to stay while they wait for their forever home."

The goal of the program is to spread awareness about fostering and to find temporary homes for adoptable pets while giving shelter workers and volunteers a much-needed break. A list of participating shelters and rescue groups can be found at www.petfinder.com/fosteralonelypet. Staff and volunteers at each organization will be available to answer questions about the fostering process and help select a pet who will be a good match for the foster family's lifestyle.

Created in 2009, the Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program was inspired by Greg Kincaid's book and movie, "A Dog Named Christmas," about a young man who sets out to convince his community to participate in a local animal shelter's inaugural "Adopt a Dog for Christmas Program."

Petfinder.com is the largest online, searchable database of animals that need permanent homes. With more than 360,000 adoptable pets from over 13,600 animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico, Petfinder.com has facilitated more than 17 million adoptions since it was launched in 1996. 

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