TEMPE, AZ — Think of it as date night with a dog!
Ever wanted to foster a pet but didn't think you had the time or the space? A Valley shelter has come up with the perfect solution!
It's called "Borrow a Buddy," and it was the idea of the folks at Lost Our Home Pet Rescue in Tempe.
This flexible fostering allows people (who have already completed the application process) to decide how much time they can spend with a fur baby and where they'd like to go.
For example, a buddy could come and play with a dog at the shelter's agility course for a couple of hours, or decide to take the dog home for the weekend. Lost Our Home says it's all about being flexible and meeting humans where they are, and being understanding that not everyone is ready for a long-term foster situation.
Erica Wages with Lost Our Home says even the short visits help lift the animals' spirits, and there's been another unexpected benefit: the exposure.
"They post the video and photos, and they share them on their timelines and social and tag us, and it gets shared even more, and it gets all these dogs seen," explains Wages.
If you're interested, Buddies do need to go through an application process first. To learn more about that, click here.