PAWS seeking foster homes for pets over holidays

An area pet shelter is hoping families will consider bringing home a dog for the holidays — and then bring it back.

PAWS Tinley Park, a no-kill, not-for-profit animal shelter, is once again offering “Home for the Paw-lidays,” a program in which area families who aren’t traveling over the holiday season can foster one of the shelter pets from about Dec. 22 through Jan. 2.

PAWS Tinley Park provides the foster families with pet food, a leash, blanket, crate and other necessities, while local families, in return, provide love and support for an animal in need.

The “Home for the Paw-lidays” program has been a success since it began a few years ago, PAWS Tinley Park president Terri Buckley said.

“It’s always worked out well,” she said.

The program helps shelter volunteers return to their own families more quickly for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays because there are fewer animals to tend to at the shelter, Buckley said.

The pets get a chance to sleep and play in a cozy home instead of a cage, and many are later adopted, she said. This especially fits with the organization’s motto that saving one homeless animal may not save the world, but for that one homeless animal the world will change forever.

Foster families also can learn whether or not they are interested in pet ownership, Buckley said.

For those dogs who are returned to the shelter after the program ends, PAWS Tinley Park asks the foster families a series of questions about the pet’s experience, such as how the animal behaved, ate and listened to commands, Buckley said. The shelter is also interested in knowing how the pet interacted with children or other pets.

All of the knowledge is valuable to learn more about the pet and can assist in getting it adopted quicker.

“Christmas is a time for helping and sharing, and we are hoping people dedicate their time to helping their local shelter,” Buckley said.

Anyone interested in fostering a pet over the holidays can fill out an application on the PAWS website, www.pawstinleypark.org.

Foster families need to be within a 20-mile radius of the shelter, 8301 W. 191st St.

If they already have pets at home, those need to be up-to-date on their vaccines, Buckley said.

PAWS Tinley Park tries to create match the pet with the right families, Buckley said. The organization looks at the age of the pet along with the age of children or other members of the foster family, for instance. It also takes into consideration the enthusiasm or energy level of the pet with the type of home the foster family has. Older dogs may not do well with toddlers, and energetic dogs may not fit in a condo or apartment setting, Buckley said.

Matching the dog with the right foster home provides a better chance the dog will be adopted in the future.

Adoption is especially important these days, Buckley said.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, shelters are housing record numbers of animals, Buckley said. Many people who adopted an animal during the early days of the pandemic have been giving their pets up or abandoning them in the streets or forest preserves, she said.

During the pandemic, some dogs were not neutered, contributing to an increased stray population. Other dogs were not socialized, causing people frustration as they returned to a more normal lifestyle, Buckley said.

PAWS Tinley Park receives about a dozen calls a day from people looking to give up their animals.

In one instance, the shelter brought in Maverick, a young dog found on the side of the road in Blue Island who was shot twice in the back. PAWS Tinley Park helped the puppy receive necessary surgery and therapy. While Maverick was eventually able to walk again, his tail had to be amputated, Buckley said.

PAWS Tinley Park has dogs and cats available for adoption and also runs a Facebook page to reunite lost pets with their owners.

Organizers believe that when one pet is adopted it saves both their life and the animal that replaces them at the shelter.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.