We are a municipal run shelter and are looking into having an emergency foster team of staff approved. We currently have an amazing group of volunteer-based fosters, but we do run into problems when neonates are brought into the shelter at the end of the day and don't have foster ability. In these situations, staff often guilt themselves into taking bottle babies (or sickly kittens) home solely because they know they may pass overnight without care. They are up during the night caring for these animals, which can add to the stress of shelter medicine and blurring that work-life balance. We are looking to form a team of staff who are willing to take cases like this when volunteer-based fosters cannot. We are hoping this team can be approved with compensation for their time in order to encourage more staff to participate, and reduce the workload on those that continually have to do this for free as they sometimes have no choice. Does anyone else have experience with this type of situation or have a team in place already? Thank you in advance!
#FosterPrograms
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Amy Gilbert
Veterinary Technician
Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement
NC
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