Human benefits of fostering shelter animals

Photo: isavira/Adobe Stock

Recent research suggests that fostering animals at shelters not only contributes to animal welfare but could also function as a One Health intervention and provide companionship, affection, and emotional support to these animals’ caregivers. With animal shelters in the United States receiving more than 6 million cats and dogs each year, foster care programs have been on the rise.¹ The research, funded by Purina and led by Lauren Powell, PhD, researcher and lecturer of Animal Welfare and Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers insight into the effect of animal fostering on the caregiver’s mental wellbeing, quality of life, human-animal attachment, and grief.

For the study, 131 foster caregivers from 5 US shelters, including Providence Animal Center in Pennsylvania, Humane Animal Partners in Delaware, Dakin Humane Society and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Massachusetts, and San Diego Humane Society in California, participated in 3 online surveys between March 2022 and March 2023. Eligible foster caregivers were more than 18 years old, agreed to temporarily care for a shelter animal in their home, had not fostered an animal in the past 7 days, did not plan to use the foster period as a trial adoption, and had not previously participated in the study.²

Participants completed the surveys at different stages of fostering a shelter animal: before fostering, 10 days after taking the first survey, and after the foster animal had left the participant’s home.

The study found that although fostering did not notably enhance participants' mental wellbeing, many of these caregivers reported self-perceived benefits in their overall quality of life with love, affection, and companionship from their foster animals being significant contributors. Moreover, dog foster caregivers reported significantly higher emotional and social/physical quality of life than cat foster caregivers, according to the study.² Moreover, caregivers reported low average levels of avoidant and anxious attachment, indicating that they were able to form secure bonds with their foster animals. Additionally, although some caregivers felt grief when their foster animal was adopted, most adapted well after the foster period ended.¹ In terms of retention rates, 86% of participants said they were likely to foster in the future.

“Our findings suggest that fostering at animal shelters may serve as a One Health intervention to offer companionship, affection and emotional support to human caregivers while promoting animal welfare. However, these benefits did not translate to improvements in caregiver mental wellbeing, so caution should be applied when considering foster caregiving as a potential mental health promotion tool,” wrote the study’s authors.²

“Dr Powell's research underscores the importance of understanding foster caregivers' motivations to better match foster animals with suitable caregivers, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and benefits of foster care programs,” wrote Purina in a news release.¹

In another study, Powell also investigated the motivations of foster caregivers. The study offered data on the motivations of caregivers from different age groups, underlining differences in motivations and expectations between different demographics. The research found that main reasons for fostering were typically linked to animals or community involvement.³

Under the Purina Sponsorship for Human-Animal Bond Studies program, Purina scientists and pet experts offer up to $30,000 per project to researchers exploring the human-pet bond and the therapeutic benefits of pets. Moreover, the company dedicates more than $100 million annually to research, according to a news release.¹

References

1. Purina-sponsored research unveils dual benefits of animal foster care programs. News release. August 6, 2024. Acessed August 21, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/purina-sponsored-research-unveils-dual-benefits-of-animal-foster-care-programs-302214893.html
2. Powell L, Ackerman R, Reinhard CL, Serpell J, Watson B. A prospective study of mental wellbeing, quality of life, human-animal attachment, and grief among foster caregivers at animal shelters. PLOS ONE. 2024;19(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0301661
3. Bautista-Alejandre A. Research sheds light on motivations of foster caregivers. dvm360. August 12, 2024. Accessed August 21, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/research-sheds-light-on-motivations-of-foster-caregivers