- Categories:
- Animal
- Tags:
- PetPet Health
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Every June
- Holiday emoji:
- 🐾
National Foster a Pet Month dedicates every June to raising awareness about the critical need for temporary pet homes. Discover the profound impact fostering has on animal welfare, from providing safe havens to preparing pets for their forever families. Learn how you can get involved and make a difference.
Want to sponsor National Foster a Pet Month? Learn how
Expected National Foster a Pet Month Deals
As a `Cause` holiday, National Foster a Pet Month focuses on driving support for animal welfare organizations rather than commercial deals. Many pet supply retailers, like PetSmart and Chewy, partner with local shelters and rescues to promote fostering and adoption, often offering discounts on supplies for foster parents. Organizations such as the ASPCA and The Humane Society of the United States run campaigns throughout June, encouraging donations and volunteer sign-ups for their foster programs. Brands like Purina and Mars Petcare often contribute food and supplies to shelters, supporting foster networks. Look for local animal shelters to host special events, informational sessions, and adoption drives throughout the month. We will update this page with confirmed live campaigns and events as June approaches.
Platform Guide for National Foster a Pet Month
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #FosterAPetMonth. Share heartwarming photos and videos of foster pets, highlighting their personalities and journeys.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #FosterAPetMonth. Join local community groups to share foster success stories and connect with potential adopters.
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Mention @NatlToday and use #FosterAPetMonth. Post urgent calls for fosters, share educational infographics, and retweet adoption pleas from shelters.
National Foster a Pet Month Hero
Henry Bergh
History of National Foster a Pet Month
National Foster a Pet Month is observed every year in June. This month is observed around the country by people who foster animals in order to educate the public about what it takes to foster and how they can begin the process.
Fostering offers animals in need a temporary home to experience the love and care they need. Fostering may include providing medication and socialization opportunities to animals in addition to food and shelter. Foster homes play an important role in facilitating adoption by preparing pet animals for adoption in many different ways.
Foster homes are a space for abandoned or feral animals to be introduced to life with humans. Fostering is a rewarding experience for most people who are able to take pride in nurturing a hungry frightened animal into a well-groomed, healthy animal who can be adopted into a family that can care for the animal for the rest of its life.
Fostering is important as it is an alternative to the animal being sent to a shelter, which is already at capacity. The majority of shelters also put down or euthanize the animals in their care due to a lack of space. Often, animals are put down despite being perfectly healthy and adoptable because the shelter needs space and the animal hasn’t been adopted fast enough.
Fostering ensures that these animals have a temporary home and don’t need to be adopted immediately. Fostering a pet also allows people time to find the appropriate home that will suit the animal and its specific needs. Most fosters keep the animal as long as it takes to find a home, which is a much better alternative to putting them down.
National Foster a Pet Month timeline
Animal shelters are established for stray animals but they are unclean spaces rather than proper shelters.
Animal shelters begin active spaying and neutering activities, but continue to kill animals at alarming rates.
Almost all animals older than three to four months are routinely euthanized to prevent overcrowding at shelters.
Animal shelters with strict no-kill policies come into being, which keep animals as long as they need to until a home is found.
How Businesses Can Celebrate National Foster a Pet Month
Local businesses can play a vital role in supporting National Foster a Pet Month. Pet supply stores can offer discounts on food, toys, and bedding for verified foster parents, or host in-store adoption events with local shelters. Cafes and restaurants might partner with rescues for ‘Pints for Pups’ or ‘Muffins for Meows’ fundraisers, donating a portion of sales. Even non-pet-related businesses can display information about local fostering opportunities, collect donations, or offer space for informational sessions, helping to connect potential fosters with animals in need.
National Foster a Pet Month FAQs
When is National Foster a Pet Month?
National Foster a Pet Month runs throughout June 2026, dedicating the entire month to raising awareness about the benefits and needs of pet fostering. It’s an opportune time to learn how you can provide temporary homes for animals.
How many pets need fostering each year?
While exact numbers fluctuate, millions of animals enter shelters across the U.S. each year, with a significant portion benefiting from foster care. Fostering helps alleviate overcrowding and provides a less stressful environment for pets before adoption.
What are the benefits of fostering a pet?
Fostering offers numerous benefits, including providing a safe, loving environment outside a shelter, reducing stress for the animal, and helping them socialize. It also frees up space in shelters, allowing them to rescue more animals in need.
What's the difference between fostering and adopting?
Fostering is a temporary arrangement where you care for a pet until they are adopted, providing a stepping stone to their forever home. Adoption, on the other hand, is a permanent commitment to providing a pet with a loving family and home.
How to Observe National Foster a Pet Month
Foster a pet this month
A great way of showing your support during this month is to foster a pet. Head over to your nearest animal shelter and take on the animal or animals that you can.
Support no-kill shelters
Support no-kill shelters by sharing their adoptable pet information. You can also donate money to help them with their expenses.
Talk to people about fostering
Share information and build a data bank about fostering animals. Spread the information among people who want to adopt as well so they know where to look.
5 Important Facts About Pet Fostering
There were a lot of barriers
Fosters used to have to undergo training as well as home checks before being allowed to foster.
Fostering drastically improved the save rate
Animals saved in shelters rose from 75% to 90% when pet fostering was introduced.
You can foster short-term
Fostering pets doesn’t have to be long-term, it can be as simple as taking an animal in for the night.
Fostering increases the chances of adoption
Fostering animals can improve the chances of them being adopted as it allows adopters to see the animal in a home setting.
Fostering improves animal behavior
Most badly-behaved animals in shelters suffer from kennel stress, which is easily remedied by fostering.
Why National Foster a Pet Month is Important
We want to prevent euthanization
It is cruel and heartbreaking to put perfectly healthy animals down. We want to help these animals live long and happy lives.
We want to inform people
More people would foster if they knew how to. We want to share information with people so they know how they can proceed.
We want to support shelters
Animal shelters do an incredible job of caring for animals. We want to do our part to help them find homes for these animals.
Social Media Tips for National Foster a Pet Month
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