Special to the Telegraph
Last week, Bradford County experienced freezing temperatures that hit in the mid-30s.
For local Floridians, that meant a quick pivot to bringing in house plants, dusting off winter coats from the closet, and trying to estimate whether traffic conditions would be hazardous enough to prevent traveling to school and work.
But for Bradford County Animal Services, that meant finding enough fosters to empty the shelter before the biting cold hit the concrete building, which would make conditions unbearable for shelter animals.
BCAS used social media and existing contacts to get the word out that fosters were needed immediately. As a result, the community responded and delivered.
Four local fosters and one animal rescue were able to open their homes and board dogs and cats for the fast freeze that blew through the area.
Foster requirements were simple– present a driver’s license and fill out a foster form.
“Finding Fosters was easy on my part, thanks to our silent helper, Tracy. I made a phone call to her the night before when I found out we needed to try and get them out, and she worked her magic. I couldn’t have done it without her,” Christy Milligan, BCAS Animal Control Officer, stated. Tracy manages the Facebook page Friends of Bradford County Animal Services and Canine Rescue of Bradford County. She regularly posts the available dogs for foster and adoption at the Bradford County Animal Shelter.
“I was very thankful with us getting them all out due to the cold temperatures we were expected to get. It took some stress off knowing that the babies were not going to be in kennels and cold, although we do the best we can with heaters and blankets in their beds,” Milligan said.
According to Milligan, there is a great need for ongoing foster families. Not only does it remove an animal from the shelter, but it can also give the shelter an insight into the animal’s personality so that they can provide more information to any potential adopters.
“If there is anybody in our community here in Bradford that is wanting to foster, or even if they’re not in our community and want to reach out through a rescue to get these babies out of the facility, we greatly appreciate it,” Milligan stated. “The good thing about fostering is even if it is for a couple of days, they get to be in a home setting. You get to find out if they’re potty trained, or if you have cats in the home if they’re good with cats.”
Many fosters realize their foster is a good fit for their family. However, even if the situation is temporary, a foster placement means the animal gets to decompress from the stress they’re under by being kept in a shelter as well as whatever has happened to them before they wound up in the shelter. This results in the animal’s nervous system calming down and allows the animal to behave normally as they would if they weren’t under the constant stress and pressure of living at the shelter or in transition.
The animals who were fostered during the freeze will be returned to the shelter this week unless they find a foster, a forever home, or a rescue who will take them in.
BCAS has an ongoing partnership with the Bradford County Library’s Read to Shelter Animals event held regularly every month. Community residents bring their children to the library to read to shelter animals– something that Milligan says both the kids and the animals really enjoy.
Adoption fees are waived during the event. For those who can’t adopt, spending time with the shelter animals does help them decompress from their time at the shelter. For more information on Read to Shelter Animals, visit Bradford County Animal Services’ page online.
For information on becoming a foster, a furever parent, or donating, contact BCAS at 904-964-9200.
