$1.7 Million Research Grant For Foster Dog Programs In Shelters

T. Bowlby
Jan 15, 2019
2 min read

The structure and fostering program at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah helped Erica Feuerbacher, assistant professor of companion animal welfare at Virginia Tech, receive a $1.7 million Maddie’s Fund grant to study the structure of fostering programs in shelters around the United States and how the structure affects dogs and humans.

The goal of the study is to determine whether a change in the structure can help, such as less restrictions to becoming a volunteer or foster.

In an interview with Collegiate Times, Feuerbacher stated “We hope that all the shelters that are enrolling are moving towards a more progressive model where they see themselves as more of a resource for the community rather than adversaries,” “So we need to trust that (people) will step up to the plate and often times they do. And if people see the shelters as more of a resource rather than (a source of judgement or condemnation), then when you have problems, you’ll come back to them.”

Shelters enrolled in the program will be assigned one of three forms of fostering: 1) Field trips: a few hours out of the shelter, 2) Sleepovers: a night or two away from the shelter, and 3) Longer-term fostering: stays in a foster home of a week or longer.

According to the Collegiate Times, researchers "are also looking at demographic information provided by the shelters including how many volunteers they have before and after the program is implemented, and how many dogs get sent out to fosters before and after."

The study is scheduled to last three-and-a-half years, and the researchers involved are seeking to enroll 100 shelters. They have already received interest from over 180 shelters.

Applications for test shelters are still being accepted. So if you know of one, or are a representative of one who would like to participate in the study, you can find out more information here.

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