MIDDLEBURY — Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, is seeking volunteers to provide in-home care for shelter animals. They currently have short and long-term fostering opportunities for dogs, cats, and kittens.
Foster homes are used by the humane society when animals are in need of extra attention and care.  Some examples include animals that are too young for adoption, animals that require socialization to prepare them for adoption and animals that require medical care in a home environment to ready them for adoption.
Year after year the greatest fostering need is for kittens. Late spring through mid-autumn is unofficially called “kitten season” — the time of year when most kittens are born. The season is influenced by daylight hours and temperature. Despite Homeward Bound’s best efforts, there are still dozens of unwanted kittens born in the region every year, many of which become orphaned and are in desperate need of care. During this time period the shelter receives many kittens that are too young or too under-socialized to be immediately available for adoption.
Before they can be adopted, kittens must be at least two months old and two pounds. “Fostering is a labor of love,” says Homeward Bound Executive Director Jess Danyow. Noting that orphaned kittens, for example, require feeding around the clock by their providers, akin to the attention needed by a baby. “Foster families donate their time and a loving, temporary home and Homeward Bound provides food and other necessities for the cats and kittens.”
Danyow adds, “We currently have 15 active foster families and they are an incredibly important resource for our shelter. We are hoping to attract more folks from the region who are looking for an opportunity to help homeless animals during their time of transition. We are especially interested in people who can provide foster care for dogs in need, as this has proven very helpful in getting dogs who deteriorate in the shelter kennels over a lengthy stay back on track and ready for adoption.”
Those interested in this volunteer position can download a volunteer application from homewardboundanimals.org. Questions can be directed to [email protected].