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The Emotional Aspects of Dog Fostering: Both Ends of the Leash

The Emotional Aspects of Dog Fostering: Both Ends of the Leash A common challenge for animal shelters/rescues is retaining volunteers that provide foster care for animals in their homes. This research investigated how animal shelters and rescues might better support volunteer dog fosters by examining the extent and role of attachment to the foster dog, the emotional challenges of fostering, and how organizations might alleviate these stressors. It employed data from a national survey of over 600 dog foster volunteers across the US. Findings suggest that emotional attachment to foster dogs is similar to attachment to pet dogs. Fostering animals does not appear to come without some emotional challenges for the human at the other end of the leash. Experiencing higher levels of emotional stress from fostering can have impacts on thoughts of quitting, which may hamper retention, particularly among the valuable volunteers who foster frequently. Organizational support directed at the human volunteer can alleviate these feelings, potentially increasing retention. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Anthrozoös Taylor & Francis

The Emotional Aspects of Dog Fostering: Both Ends of the Leash

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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2022 International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ)
ISSN
1753-0377
eISSN
0892-7936
DOI
10.1080/08927936.2022.2141506
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

A common challenge for animal shelters/rescues is retaining volunteers that provide foster care for animals in their homes. This research investigated how animal shelters and rescues might better support volunteer dog fosters by examining the extent and role of attachment to the foster dog, the emotional challenges of fostering, and how organizations might alleviate these stressors. It employed data from a national survey of over 600 dog foster volunteers across the US. Findings suggest that emotional attachment to foster dogs is similar to attachment to pet dogs. Fostering animals does not appear to come without some emotional challenges for the human at the other end of the leash. Experiencing higher levels of emotional stress from fostering can have impacts on thoughts of quitting, which may hamper retention, particularly among the valuable volunteers who foster frequently. Organizational support directed at the human volunteer can alleviate these feelings, potentially increasing retention.

Journal

Anthrozoös – Taylor & Francis

Published: May 4, 2023

Keywords: Attachment; foster animals; fostering; human–animal interaction; stress

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