Temporary care offered during deployments and treatment
LORAIN COUNTY — Military personnel preparing to deploy, veterans entering treatment and patients facing hospitalization can apply through a national nonprofit for temporary foster care for their pets.
PACT for Animals is a nonprofit based in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, that works to prevent military deployments or medical treatment from forcing people to surrender their pets.
Its Operation Foster program connects applicants with screened volunteer foster families until owners can be reunited with their pets.
Operation Foster has helped more than 3,500 pets since 2011, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, director of strategic partnerships and development for the organization, said in an email.
More than 20 of those pets belonged to Ohio veterans, she said.
Lorain County is home to an estimated 18,512 veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Ohio Army National Guard’s 812th Engineer Company is based at the Capt. Eugene M. Socha Armory in Lorain.
Fetterman said Operation Foster has not yet assisted a pet owner in Lorain County, but the organization is focusing its outreach on the county and elsewhere in Ohio.
She said Operation Foster partners with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Through that partnership, the organization was contacted about an Ohio veteran who was at risk of suicide. The veteran needed treatment but had no one to care for his pet while he was away, Fetterman said.
Veterans in crisis, along with their families and friends, can call 988 and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
“By providing free, temporary foster care, we give veterans the peace of mind to focus on their health, recovery, or service while knowing their pets are safe and will be waiting for them,” Fetterman said.
The program does not charge owners a fee for finding or managing foster placements. Owners remain responsible for food, veterinary care, transportation, grooming and other pet-related expenses.
Pet owners begin the process by completing an application. Operation Foster collects photographs, veterinary records and information about an emergency contact who can make decisions if the owner cannot be reached.
Prospective foster families complete an application, undergo a veterinary reference check and participate in a virtual home visit. They may specify which types of animals or breeds they are willing to foster.
Once a possible match is found, the owner and foster family can meet and determine whether the arrangement is suitable. If both sides agree, they sign a legal foster agreement. Operation Foster then provides support throughout the placement.
The program accepts pets nationwide, and foster arrangements generally last six weeks to two years. Owners are responsible for transporting their animals to and from foster homes.
Pets must be at least 1 year old and current on required vaccinations. They also must be spayed or neutered unless a documented medical condition prevents the procedure.
For medical placements, Operation Foster typically needs at least two to three weeks to find a foster.
Veterans, service members, hospitalized patients and prospective foster families can apply or find additional information at operationfoster.org.
“We know there are many more veterans we could help if they simply knew this resource existed,” Fetterman said.
