The San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) Partnered with Petco Love and Sketchers with its philanthropic footwear collection BOBS in time for fostering a pet month.
Throughout June, Petco Love will work with its network of partners nationwide to share the fun aspects of fostering while helping pet parents through their foster pets goodbye.
“Fostering offers the one-on-one attention and loving comfort that only a home setting can offer, which is precisely what some of our animals need,” said the Director of Nursery and Placement Jackie Noble. “It also opens up space in the shelter for other animals needing our help. Through our partnership with Petco Love, we’re excited to take part in National Foster a Pet Month and build on this event’s positive momentum to help save more lives year-round.”
There are 700 pets in foster homes and the SDHS seeks many more foster volunteers. According to the SDHS, pet fostering is lifesaving and provides critical support for animal shelters, particularly during the busy summer season.
One of the most cited reasons why pet parents don't foster is the fear they’ll struggle giving the pet away to a new family, according to the SDHS. Through their partnership, Petco Love takes a humorous approach by holding a #MyFosterBreakUp story contest featuring Foster Breakup Kits giveaways and a curated playlist to guide foster pet parents through their goodbyes.
These foster break-up kits include the essentials: cozy, festive socks from BOBS from Skechers, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Kleenex, the official Petco Love Foster Breakup Spotify Playlist, and a foster tee that reminds you that “Foster Pets are Here for A Fun Time, Not a Long Time”
Foster parents can enter to win $10,000 for the organization they foster from by sharing their break-up letter from their foster pet on Instagram through June 30 using the hashtag #MyFosterBreakUp.
“Establishing June as National Foster a Pet Month to increase participation in fostering is just one of the lifesaving actions led by Petco Love in their 23-year history of helping pets, with $330 million invested in lifesaving efforts and 6.5 million pets adopted — and counting,” SDHS wrote in a press release.
Skechers has contributed more than $8 million to help over 1.5 million shelter pets, including saving 1.1million rescued pets in the United States and Canada. The nonprofit also recently launched a new national database, Petco Love Lost, which uses pet facial recognition technology to help reunite missing pets with their families.
According to Petco Lost Love, an estimated 10 million pets go missing each year. The database has more than 10,000 dogs and cats and creates digital lost pets alerts on Nextdoor, Facebook, and via email.
To learn more about foster opportunities at San Diego Humane Society, visit sdhumane.org/foster.
