5 Things No One Warns You About When Fostering Shelter Pets

My entry into the world of foster animals came in October of last year, after my puppy fever hit a record high. Several months spent religiously stalking my neighborhood shelters led to a strange little face popping up on my screen — it was a Pekingese with bulgy eyes that weren't quite right and a wild fur coat that made a dog somehow look more like a lion with growth issues. And what do you know, he needed a foster home. I quickly fired off a "Can we foster this guy?" text to my boyfriend, and without waiting for a response, I was hurrying out of my office to pick him up from the shelter.

Swooping that pup up from Social Tees animal rescue turned our home into a revolving door for foster pets, welcoming a new four-legged friend each time the last found his forever family. The laughter, joy, and occasional chaos these animals have brought into our cramped one-bedroom apartment in New York has been the absolute best experience.

If you're at all considering joining the foster community, here's just a small dose of what you can expect.