ST. LOUIS — No one should spend Thanksgiving alone and that includes the pets in shelters. That’s why Gateway Pet Guardians wants to clear its shelters this holiday. It's encouraging people to foster a dog for the day.
“It’s sad for us to think about the dogs in kennels all alone on Thanksgiving while we’re all at home. We want that for our shelter dogs as well, said Jill Henke, the Program Director for Gateway Pet Guardians.
At any given time, the shelter houses 12 to 15 dogs and they want to place as many of them in homes this Thanksgiving as possible.
“It’s so good for their mental health just to have that quiet time away from the shelter,” said Henke.
One of the dogs they have right now is Hershel Greene, named after a Walking Dead character. He’s a 1-year-old pitbull mix. He was found abandoned in East St. Louis with a very bad paw injury. It’s not slowing him down, but Henke said it will have to be amputated. She added that dogs with three legs live completely normal lives.
“He’s become a volunteer favorite,” said Henke.
If you’d like to foster a dog, here’s what you have to do:
- E-mail Foster@gatewaypets.com
- You can pick the dog up from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and return them Friday. However, you can keep the dog longer.
- They’ll send you home with plenty of food, supplies and a crate.
- If you do fall in love with your furry friend, Gateway Pet Guardians will waive the adoption fee.
