Sonia Johnson does! Meet the Director of Foster Care for the Ipswich Humane Group! Sonia tells us how she got started and how she helps.
I have been volunteering with the Ipswich Humane Group (IHG) since 1997. I replied to an ad in the paper that was looking for someone to help socialize cats at the Ipswich Pound. Being new to town at the time and having two small children at school during the day I was looking for something to help occupy my time. I went into the shelter 4 days a week for about an hour a day for many, many weeks playing with all the cats there. It was so rewarding having cats that were very feral and unfriendly get excited when I would come to see them. One of my neighbors around that same time took kittens into her home, because at that time the animal control officer didn't like having the kittens at the shelter because no one was really there during the day and it was much smaller then. She asked me to help her one weekend while she was away and I haven't stopped since. Several years ago the IHG invited me to be the Director of Foster Care. As Director I am in charge of locating temporary foster care homes for kittens, cats and dogs that need to be cared for temporarily or until space frees up at the shelter. These volunteers are reimbursed for their expenses while caring for the animals and the animals are given more one-on-one attention. It's a win win situation for everyone. The only drawback is that it's hard not to fall in love! Over the years I have lost many foster care home providers due to them adopting the foster babies that they've been caring for, so we are always looking for foster care homes. So please let me know if you yourself or anyone you know might be interested in being a foster care provider. I can be reached at sjohnson@windhillrealty.com.
