Easier to find pet foster homes, thanks to WFH

Many animal lovers are opening their doors to dogs since they don’t have to worry about leaving them home alone

SnehaPataliwith Lily.

Ashwini Shetty has adopted Arthur now.

More people in Bengaluru have been offering to foster dogs since March, when the pandemic lockdowns began. The main reason for the increase in foster parenting is that working professionals are at home, and can take care of animals without having to lock them up.

Ashwini Shetty, assistant manager in a corporate company, had decided against a pet as her apartment was small. “But during the lockdown, when I heard about a pup, I stepped up since I was working from home,” she says.

Arthur came to her as an abandoned dog with separation anxiety. “He needed to be assured every few minutes that he was not alone,” she explains. After adopting him, she took him to Mangaluru, from where she now works remotely.

Online manager Sneha Patali is not new to foster care. She has fostered 10 dogs so far, and has one with her now.

“Lily was a six-month-old abandoned pregnant dog my family and I took care of. We had her till she delivered and now she and her three pups are adopted,” she says.

Laila, adopted last week, was a paid foster. “Food expenses are mostly taken care of by us but in cases where the dog needs a special diet, we do ask for help,” she says.

Fostering isn’t easy, especially when the dogs are ill. Marketing professional Nidhin Jacob George took care of Mickey only for a month before the dog passed away.

“He went through several treatments but nothing could save him,” says Nidhin.

Nidhin has fostered a couple more dogs since. “I was fostering lab Terry who grew quite attached to me. But when a family wanted to adopt him, I visited them a couple of times to make sure everything was all right,” he says.

Nidhin still follows up on the pets he’s looked after. “I would request anyone who has the ability to foster to do it. Or help out financially as any help goes a long way,” he says.