Five reasons to foster a pet this Christmas

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Taking home a foster pet from a shelter or rescue home can be one of the most rewarding things for animal-lovers of all ages. 'Fostering' refers to bringing home and looking after a cat or dog (or rabbit, guinea pig or any other pet that needs a home) until they find a more permanent home with a new family. It's a vital undertaking in the world of animal adoption - not to mention encapsulating the kind of charity this time of year is famous for. Here are a few reasons to take the plunge:

Good test for full-time pet ownership
Foster pets need a lot more care than the average pet, so fostering can be a great test to see if you can handle the commitment of caring for an animal regularly. Some homes will also allow flexible arrangements where, if you only have the time to take on a foster pet on weekends for example, you can time-share with another family or just have the animal for a few days at a time.

Fun for your other pets (sometimes!)
It isn't true for every pet but there are plenty of success stories about foster pets fitting in well with other animals in the home. In fact, some animals even prefer the company.

Saving a life
Surely this is the biggest reward: you're saving an animal's life. Shelters become easily overcrowded and simply cannot accommodate huge numbers of homeless pets; by fostering a pet you'll be freeing up space at the shelters for more animals in need.

You benefit more than you think
While the main reason to foster a pet is to provide loving homes for animals in need, there are plenty of benefits many of us don't immediately consider - like the positive effects caring for animals can have on our mental and physical health. Fostering a pet might provide you with a new perspective on life or it might be just the kind of companionship you need during a tough time.

You might find your new forever pet
Many people don't foster pets with the intention of keeping them forever. But if you get paired with the right one, who knows what could happen? You might fall in love, and find a new forever pet for you and your family. There's only one way to find out...