FOSTERING & ADOPTING BUNNIES FROM THE BC SPCA!

Our kids have been begging for a pet cat or dog for years, but with my allergies still going strong, the best we've managed up until now has been fish & gerbils. They've had fun with those pets and learned some responsibility, but early in 2020 we decided to take things a step further without actually welcoming a cat or dog into our family permanently. We signed up to foster with the BC SPCA so that we'd be on their outreach list for short-term cat, dog and small animal foster placements until they find their forever homes. Win-win for everyone!

FOSTERING NINE BUNNIES

While our girls were initially hoping for a call out for fostering a kitten or puppy, they were over the moon excited when we got a call about the need for a two-month foster placement for mama bunny, Clover, and her eight newborn bunnies! It was early on during the "stay home, stay safe" phase of the pandemic here in BC with lots of time home alone as a family, so we decided to take a leap and go for it. The bunnies were tiny & adorable, and with our extra time & energy to devote to them over the Spring & Summer, it just seemed meant to be!

FULL SUPPORT FROM SPCA TEAM

Over the past two months, we've had the full support of the BC SPCA team to train us in bunny feeding, cleaning and socializing. They've given us all the supplies and tools we need, our girls have gotten used to a daily routine for bunny care, we've all fallen in love with Clover and her eight bunnies, and somehow I've had no allergy symptoms with all of them in the house! They're all very social and love to hop up on our laps for a snuggle. We recently found out that six of the little ones are female (now named Bella, Bloom, Buttercup, Daisy, Rose and Sunny), and two are male (named Ferrari and Finn). Rose & Bella are especially affectionate with each other, so we've decided to adopt them as a sister pair and keep our family on the foster list for other short-term animal care needs. Clover and the rest of her babies are now available for adoption through the BC SPCA website, along with many cats, dogs and other small animals.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOSTER AN ANIMAL?

Fostering an animal means you take a BC SPCA animal into your home and care for them for the SPCA. While they’re in your home, they provide you with food and medical care until the pet is available for adoption. Foster families help animals recover from illnesses/injuries or provide them with socialization and love.

If you are unsure about adopting an animal, or unable to make the commitment at this time (just like us), fostering can be a great way to bring animals into your life. While fostering is temporary, many foster families fall in love with the animal in their care and decide to adopt them (again, like us!).

WHAT MAKES A GOOD FOSTER FAMILY?

Length of commitment from a couple of days to several weeks
Ability to spend time with the animal every day
Daily monitoring of the animal as needed
Ability to accommodate time to transport the animal, as needed, for appointments, treatments and weigh-ins

FOSTERING OPPORTUNITIES

Nursing dog with puppies
Nursing cat with kittens
Orphaned kittens or puppies
Sick or injured animals needing medical care
Animals needing help with behaviour issues
Puppies and kittens too young to be in the shelter
Horses and other farm animals

If you are 19 years of age or older and this sounds like it might be up your alley, you can view foster care opportunities and apply to be a foster family through the BC SPCA website and watch the video below! Or take an even bigger leap and look into adopting one of the many animals looking for a long-term family.

Angela Santoro

Born & raised in Vancouver, and co-founder of Healthy Family Media and the Healthy Family Expo, Angela is a reformed divorce lawyer turned healthy family champion! By day, she thrives on connecting conscious brands with busy Vancouver families. By night, you’ll find her wrangling two feisty daughters, choosing between instant pot or healthy freezer meals for dinner, and singing with MomChoir. She especially loves sharing her favourite family-friendly finds with other Lower Mainland parents!