Safe Harbor able to foster dogs ahead of cold weather, snow

Every dog at the Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Jackson except for one was fostered by local homes this past weekend thanks to a Facebook post from the not-for-profit asking for foster homes because of the below-freezing temperatures and snow that hit the area.

The one dog without a foster home stayed indoors with the cats at the sanctuary because he is very "food aggressive."

"Our community is, like, amazing. I was honestly overwhelmed with the help we have gotten with this," director Monica Babers said. "I was floored by it. I couldn't even keep up."

She said the shelter received 60 to 70 foster home offers the first night, with 150 offers in total. The post has more than 800 shares and more than 100 comments.

Dogs are kept in 10-by-10-feet kennels and the sanctuary staff does what they can to keep the dogs comfortable in cold weather, but in the temperatures predicted for this week, Babers said those efforts become "irrelevant."

She also pointed out the road conditions from winter weather complicate the staff and volunteers' ability to make it to the shelter to take care of all the animals. Therefore, finding homes for the dogs was the best option.

Seven fostered dogs are planned to return when the weather is forecast to warm up by this weekend, according to Barbers, since two dogs have already been adopted by their foster families.

Wendy Street signed up to foster after seeing the sanctuary's Facebook post, and her family got Barkley, a young dog that had been in the sanctuary for about two years. She said he is getting along well with their other dogs already.

Street said she recently lost her job and although she wanted to adopt Barkely, she told the sanctuary she would have to pay the adoption fee in small amounts at a time. Instead, Safe Harbor waived the fee.

"They are wonderful people and they take fantastic care of their animals. Just the fact that they were willing to pay the adoption fee so he could have a home says it all," Street said.

Barbers said the shelter's staff hopes to build an entirely indoor space for the dogs once they have the means.

The cats are kept entirely indoors and did not require foster homes in this situation, she said.