SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Humane Society urged residents Friday to volunteer their homes as foster spaces for the influx of animals typically lost after the Fourth of July.
Beginning July 1, the society will begin providing animal services to six additional cities: Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, San Diego, Santee and Solana Beach.
The Humane Society's annual care burden is expected to rise from roughly 30,000 animals to more than 50,000, and space will be even tighter with the necessity to shelter the lost and stray animals that appear after presumably being spooked by Independence Day fireworks.
"We're doing all we can to empty our shelters to make space for more animals that will be coming very soon," said Jennifer Brehler, humane society chief operating officer.
To become a foster volunteer, visit the humane society's website. The society will provide the training and supplies needed to care for a new pet.
"Every animal that's placed into a foster home makes space for another animal who is in urgent need of our care," Brehler said. "By opening up their homes, foster volunteers significantly expand our shelter's capacity to take in more vulnerable animals from the community and from other shelters."
Brehler said placing the animals in foster homes also gives the society valuable information about how a pet behaves in a home, which is useful for potential adopters.
