Help Pets Get Ready for Adoption!

MAY 2016 NEWSLETTER

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When animals require more involved or long-term care, or if they are too young to be adopted, they are placed into foster care. AWS provides everything you need to look after the pets in your home, including beds, toys, food, litter and medical care. All you need to provide is a safe, comfortable space and lots of LOVE!

KITTEN FOSTER CARE

Kittens are not big enough to be adopted until they are 8-12 weeks old, so we rely on volunteers to take care of them. Throughout "kitten season," we take in orphaned kittens, pregnant moms, and moms with newborn kittens. We like to get them into foster care right away. Fostering can last from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the age of the kittens and their individual needs. We provide everything the foster family needs - from bedding to food. Our foster coordinator is available with advice and instruction on how to care for the kittens (and their mama) as they grow up.

Kitten season lasts through the summer and into the early fall. The need for kitten fosters is especially high in the summer months.

Join us on Facebook this year as we follow the journey of one foster family - from the birth of the kittens until they come back to the shelter for adoption. You'll learn more about what it takes to foster and find out how you can help!

We have a regular kitten foster who blogs about her foster kittens. We hope you'll check out Tails from the Foster Kittens to learn about her experiences (the below photo shows off an adorable litter of gray kittens she had last year).

MEDICAL FOSTER CARE

Shelter pets recovering from injury, sickness or surgery often need extra attention. While recuperating, these animals may be susceptible to illnesses and stresses in the shelter. They heal faster and become stronger much more rapidly while in foster care. We rely on caring volunteer and staff homes to give these animals the environment they need to get well. Medical fosters can include dogs, cats and small animals. Time commitment is on a case-by-case basis.

Foster families enjoy spending time with the animals, giving them the loving care they need to recover, and the best part is that they often end up adopting their foster pets themselves!

A cat recovering from surgery in foster care

A dog just after returning from foster care

BEHAVIOR FOSTER CARE

Some pets come to us a little nervous or needing to brush up on some skills to help them become a great match. We rely on the help of foster families to provide training, socialization and stability to help these animals learn and grow. Foster families help these animals become more confident and comfortable so they can be adopted as quickly as possible into their new homes. Sometimes, foster families fall in love and adopt these pets themselves.

Fostering can also provide much needed relaxation and a break for pets that find the shelter to be a stressful environment. Volunteer training level and time commitment can vary (from as short as an overnight to as long as a few months). Each pet's individual needs and personality are taken into account when foster families and foster pets are matched up. Little Navy, pictured below, was a nervous pup and spent a couple of weeks with a foster family prior to her adoption. Socialization in foster care gave her comfort and a place to learn how to be a good puppy!

Navy the puppy enjoys resting in her foster mom_s lap

Interested in fostering?

Please contact Rachel Levasseur at (207) 985-3244 x121.

SUPPORT PETS IN FOSTER CARE TODAY!

AWS AVAILABLE PETS

To view all pets available for adoption, including photos, videos and fun anecdotes, visit our website!

DOGS

JERZIE

Female, 13 years old, Am. Shelter Dog

*Adoption Fee Waived*

PIPER
Female, 4 years old, Pit Bull Mix

*Adoption Fee Waived*

CATS

LUNA

Female, 10 years old

*Located in the Boston House at AWS*

FRANKIE
Male, 4 years old

*Located in the front barn at AWS*

SMALL ANIMALS

Tuxs and her baby bunnies will be available for adoption this month.

Keep an eye on our satellite adoption page to see when and where!

UPCOMING EVENTS

KENNEBUNK'S MAY DAY FESTIVAL

May 7th: 8 am - 3 pm

Lafayette Park in Kennebunk

CRAFTS ~ ADOPTIONS ~ MUSIC ~ DANCING ~ PARADE

FILL THE AWS VAN WITH KITTEN SEASON SUPPLIES

Visit our wish list to find out how you can help our foster families!!

CANINE TRAINING

S HELTER DOGS SPIN THE BOTTLE

Thanks to our hardworking staff and dedicated volunteers, shelter dogs attend obedience classes several times a week. We recently introduced a new enrichment activity to these classes.

AWS Board member and regular shelter volunteer Malte Lukas recently crafted a new game for dogs: SPIN THE BOTTLE! Treats are placed in the bottles and then the dogs are encouraged to figure out to spin them around to get them to fall out. It stimulates their brains and gives them a tasty reward for doing so. Thanks for your hard work and creativity, Malte! The dogs love their new enrichment activity!