Lake County Animal Shelter encourages fostering pets during pandemic

The Lake County Animal Shelter is offering flexible fostering and adoption services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cooped up at home and need a little loving? No problem.

The Lake County Animal Shelter has your back.

The staff is doing things a little differently right now.

The shelter is loading pets in its “cuddle shuttle” and delivering them to you to help with social distancing woes.

“We put out the call for additional fostering homes for our shelter break sleepover program and immediately we had people answering the call, showing up, taking our pets out,” Lake County Animal Shelter Director Whitney Boylston said.

The shelter allows people to foster pets for 30 days.

But, during the coronavirus pandemic, the shelter is being more lenient, allowing people to keep the pets as long as they need to.

“We know having a pet around helps reduce stress and anxiety and anybody who is feeling stressed right now, especially if they’re feeling distant or isolated, having that pet in their care can really make things a little bit better,” Boylston said.

Right now, 43 pets are out for sleepovers.

“Part of our strategy is to reduce the population in the shelter so that whatever animals that are here are easier to care for whatever limited staff we may have,” Boylston said.

Those interested in fostering and adopting can select a pet online and then set up a virtual interview using FaceTime.

Then, the shelter will get the adoption or foster process rolling.

Visit the Lake County Animal Shelter's website to learn more.