More People Are Fostering Dogs in Central Maine Amid Pandemic

This year has been filled with so much negative, hasn't it? The pandemic, people getting sick, businesses closing, weddings being cancelled, jobs being lost- You name it, it's happened in 2020. However, if you peek into the little corners of light that are still shining through this year, you'll find stories like this, and all of a sudden, you'll feel just a little bit better about it.

According to WABI TV 5, the pandemic, which has led to more people working from home, has also led to an influx in people fostering dogs here in Central Maine. The best part of all this is that the more dogs being fostered means fewer dogs in shelter kennels. Lisa Oakes, Director for the Waterville Area Humane Society told WABI, "We had so many dogs coming up and dogs in house as well, and they went out to foster and they flourished. And just having staff be able to take the time to work with them behaviorally and working with them to do a little bit of training has made a huge difference in their adoptability.”

Melissa Elisa, a volunteer at the Waterville shelter, ended up taking a dog home for an overnight (they call it a slumber pup!) and just couldn't bring herself to return the dog back to shelter life. Melissa said, “I did a slumber pup over the weekend that extended into this week. I just couldn’t give him back, he was very sweet and shy here at the shelter, we had a hard time getting him out. We brought him home, and he did great with our cats, dogs. So giving that information back to the shelter he’s going to be adopted right away. Now everyone knows his personality and his temperament, and that information is great for the shelter.”

Lisa Oakes said that the way things have shifted during the course of the pandemic may alter the way the shelter operates permanently going forward. It's amazing to see so many in the community coming out to help support and foster our wayward animals. If you're interested in learning more about how you can help the Humane Society of the Waterville Area, contact Lisa Oakes at 207-873-2430.

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