Audrain Humane Society held their first Pet Pals Foster Forum to celebrate the program’s 1 year anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Courthouse Community Room.

The forum was a social for the fosters and Audrain Humane Society Board Members to meet each other and was also an informative event on Audrain Humane Society’s Pet Pals Foster Program.

All foster parents of the Pet Pals Foster Program were invited to the forum. 14 foster parents attended, and each received a certificate of appreciation for being a lifesaver for the cats and dogs they fostered.

Tammy Gibbons, Sam Melton and Marilyn Niekamp presented a Powerpoint presentation on the Pet Pals Foster Program. Through Oct. 13, 176 pets were helped in the last year. 129 were adopted, 18 were transferred to other rescues and 29 were currently in foster care.

The animals in the Pet Pals Foster Program come from rescue transfer, shelter tags and stray, owner and vet surrenders.

The foster parents shared some of their successes and tips for working with the foster cats and dogs.

Tasha Love won the raffle for a dog lovers gift basket and Mindy Allen won the raffle for a cat lovers gift basket.

The success of Pet Pals Foster Program is due to our Foster Parents. They are heroes:

• FOSTERS GIVE, they give a place in their home, their patience and their time.
• FOSTERS TEACH, they teach house manners to their foster pet while they wait to be adopted
• FOSTERS CARE, they care for their pet’s daily needs and in many cases help them heal from physical and emotional trauma
• FOSTERS LOVE, fosters let their heart break a little, to give their foster pet a brighter future

To learn more about being a life saver and becoming a Pet Pals Foster Parent, please visit https://www.audrainhumanesociety.org/foster-a-pet.