LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Lexington Humane Society is looking for more foster families to apply to help animals in need.
According to the Lexington Humane Society, there was a surge in adoption and foster applications in 2020 when a majority of businesses transitioned to work-from-home.
“We had dozens of families stepping up and we saw the trend continue to increase over last summer,” said Ashley Hammond with the Lexington Humane Society. “However, as things are starting to open back up this spring, we are seeing a drastic difference in the number of foster families available.”
The Lexington Humane Society has 825 active foster families, but many have experienced changes in schedules and are not as flexible to care for animals in immediate need of help. There are 175 animals are currently in foster care.
“We have a wonderful pool of foster parents, but don’t let that number fool you because not everybody is available at the times that we need,” Hammond said.
Hammond said animals with special needs, like newborn kittens or dogs needing long-term care, are the most affected when there are not enough foster families available.
In instances when an animal needing frequent care cannot be placed with a foster family, employees within the Lexington Humane Society step up to fill the need.
“We rely on our foster families to help us care for those guys until they are completed with their treatment and are ready for adoption,” Hammond said. “We're giving them this second chance, and we need our community to help us with this and help give them a second chance as well.”
The Lexington Humane Society is calling on people who have extra time in their day to apply to serve as a foster family.
You can apply to be a foster parent by visiting the Lexington Humane Society’s website.