The City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department (AWD) is seeking foster parents to provide temporary homes for special-needs pets. In 2023, AWD admitted 3,257 kittens and 2,136 puppies into the shelter. The department anticipates an even higher number during the 2024 kitten season.
Pets in need of fostering include those recovering from illness or injury, new animal mothers and their litters, newborn baby puppies and kittens, elderly animals requiring extra care, bottle-fed animals without mothers, and dogs and cats learning good behaviors for their future homes.
The AWD Foster program offers monthly introduction classes about the program and the care of bottle-baby kittens and puppies. Foster parents are provided with pet food and supplies; they are only required to offer a loving home.
"Fostering is a rewarding commitment," said an AWD spokesperson. "Being part of AWD’s foster parent program, you will play an important life-saving role in the journey of a homeless pet to their new family."
The duration a pet spends with a foster parent varies based on the pet's needs. This can be an intense short-term commitment but also a highly rewarding one.
Interested individuals can email [email protected] or apply online to become foster parents.
