After feeling fascinated with her friend’s involvement in dog fostering, counselor Kelsey Milne decided to introduce the same opportunity into her home.

Milne said she began fostering dogs eight years ago through the organization Safe Hands Animal Rescue.

“(Safe Hands Animal Rescue) started as a really small grassroots organization, so everybody in it is all volunteers, everybody has jobs outside of the rescue,” Milne said. “I’ve been with them since they were really little, and now they’ve just gotten to be a huge organization who does I would say almost 50 to 100 dog adoptions a month.”

Milne said as a foster mother, she treats her foster dogs as if they were her own and participates in finding their permanent home throughout the adoption process.

“People fill out applications online, they’re forwarded to us and then we set up meetings with potential families. We’re really searching for the right fit for each dog, because every dog has a different personality,” Milne said. “It would be really hard to let go of a dog, but it’s a lot easier because I know they’re going to an awesome home, and every time I do an adoption I feel really good about it.”

Senior Amaia Floreal said she recognizes the benefits of dog fostering because of her family’s experiences.

“My cousins dog foster, and she helps out with dog fostering and takes them for walks and they wear little vests and stuff,”  Floreal said. “I think it’s really good because they don’t have to stay in a cage or anything. They can hang out and then have an actual home.”

Milne said she believes fostering provides a more pleasant living situation for the dogs and an opportunity to educate the public.  

“A lot of times people who are adopting, they maybe have never adopted, they don’t know that much about the shelter situations, or they don’t know that much about puppy mills or things like that,” Milne said. “If they’re waiting in a house for five months for a family, it’s not an uncomfortable wait. A lot of rescues rely on fosters because that’s how they can bring dogs here.”

Freshman Muna Hussin said she believes fostering provides many dogs with the necessary care they lack otherwise.

“I think that it’s good that (Milne) does that because some dogs don’t have homes and they need to be cared for. It’s really nice that she is doing it,” Hussin said.

Milne said all of her foster dogs have a place in her life, whether they live with her or their adoptive family.

“When I’m dropping a dog off at their new home, it’s easy to let go when you look at the family and you look at their new life and you know they’re just going to have an amazing life,” Milne said.

Milne said she encourages students to become involved with animal rescues even if they are unable to provide a foster home.

“Some people don’t have the resources or the time to have another animal in their home or to have a dog in their home, but rescues are always looking for help in other ways too,” Milne said. “I think everyone has their causes that are near and dear to their heart, so for all the dog lovers or animals lovers out there, I would definitely recommend (fostering).”