PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Cara Devine has been fostering with Adopt A Boxer Rescue for nearly 12 years.
On average, she fosters five Boxers a year, sometimes a few more, sometimes a few less.
But Devine said the past decade of fostering has changed her life.
"I think the most rewarding part is seeing how happy the dogs are once they get to their families and their forever homes. We keep in touch with all of the families that we adopt out to so we get to see them thrive and we get them broken, we fix them up a little bit, we send them off to their forever homes and we get to see them live their best life," Devine, Forty Fort, said.
Adopt A Boxer Rescue is a foster-based rescue in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Volunteers said right now a lot of dogs are coming in but not a lot are going out, which is common in the summer. The rescue is desperately looking for more foster homes so that volunteers can continue to bring more dogs in.
At Friends with Paws Pet Rescue in Scranton, rescue workers are seeing the same thing.
They said a lot of it has to do with the pandemic and people surrendering their pets now that they are going back to work.
But also because a lot of the animals that come in here are from the south, specifically Kentucky; and with the extreme weather and flooding there, Friends with Paws is now at capacity.
"To foster for us or any rescue, your home does not need a fenced-in yard, but all the pets in your home have to be spayed or neutered and be up to date on their vaccines. And of course, the dog has to fit with your environment," Clara Cammerota, Friends with Paws Pet Rescue, said.
For Animal Care Associates, an entirely foster-based all-volunteer cat rescue in Lackawanna County, Katrina Sonnenberg said the need for fosters is never ending but the need for donations right now is more than ever.
"With the way the world is, the costs rising for everything, food, and litter have increased astronomically. Just daily care expenses for all of the animals that we need to care for have increased, vet costs have increased because the costs have increased for them," Sonnenberg said.
So volunteers with Animal Care Associates are getting creative to raise money.
This weekend, the Comedy Show hosted by Scranton Comedy Club at the Holiday Inn in Dunmore will benefit Animal Care Associates and the dozens of cats under the rescue's care.
"Something different and unique that you don't get to see very often. Rescued life is stressful, very stressful, so we thought a night of laughs would be a great idea," Sonnenberg said.
The Comedy Show starts at 8 p.m. this Saturday, and doors open at 7 p.m.
And of course, you can always meet an adoptable pet on 16 To The Rescue every Friday at 5:30 p.m.
See more pets and animal stories on WNEP's YouTube playlist.