Walking up to PetSmart, you lock eyes with a puppy sitting outside the front door. You can see it in the sweet saucers: wide, sad, yet hopeful, that this canine yearns for a place to call home. Thankfully, Cauzican Care Animal Rescue is on a mission to find them a loving family. Cauzican Care is a non-profit rescue group run solely by volunteers. They work to save animals and search for people to either adopt or foster them. I personally volunteered with Cauzican Care at the Apalachee Parkway PetSmart near Florida State University a handful of times. Watching the dogs and cats meet their new owners and find new homes warmed my heart. But at the same time, I was exposed to the reality of the setbacks Cauzican faces. Unfortunately, the number of rescues outweigh the number of people willing and able to help.
President and founder of Cauzican, Bonnie S. Brinson, first began aiding animals in need by helping to vaccinate and transport them. After seeing firsthand how many unwanted animals needed assistance, she formed Cauzican and began to make an even bigger impact on their lives. The organization’s main mission is to save as many shelter animals or unwanted pets as possible.
In order to satisfy their goals, Cauzican needs volunteers who are willing to foster homeless animals. “We are a shelter based to save lives, and without fosters, we cannot save the lives of unwanted pets,” Brinson stated.
If you want to make a difference, but aren’t sure if adoption is right for you, then fostering may be the best option. It gives you a chance to learn the ropes of caring for a pet without the lifelong commitment. In addition, you may not know what breed best matches your personality and lifestyle. By spending even just a couple weeks with a smaller dog with tons of energy, and then another couple weeks with a larger, calmer one, you will quickly discover which type you mesh with more.
Maybe you don’t have a ton of time to commit to taking care of a pet. Between classes, work and other tasks life throws your way, it can be tough to take responsibility for a whole new living being. However, fostering provides much more flexibility in terms of time. You get to choose the duration of your care.
Fostering can be a great way to transition into a longer commitment for both the humans and the animals. When they are abandoned and forced into shelters with nobody to call family, animals may have a hard time adapting to the concept of being loved and cared for. A foster home will help them through this adjustment period and get them ready for adoption. By learning more about their true personality, such as how they interact with others, how full of energy they may be, and how they like to play, it is easier to match them with the perfect “furever” home.
These furry friends need your help. If you are considering fostering an animal, contact the rescue group at cauzicancarefl@gmail.com. Even if you aren’t in the position to care for a pet right now, you can help by sharing the Wakulla Animal Services page on Facebook, signing up to volunteer or donating.
As Brinson said, “Always adopt, don’t shop. Visit a local shelter and help make a difference.”