Is your animal organization trying to reach a more diverse audience for pet foster care? Research published by the pet product retailer, Chewy, found pet fostering has increased by 17% over the past year, with 8% of U.S. households fostering pets (HumanePro, 2022). However, little research has addressed the disparities between marginalized audiences and their white counterparts when it comes to pet fostering and overall knowledge about the pet fostering process.   

Through a combination of a survey and focus group discussions with self-identified Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) animal lovers, new research provides insight and recommendations on how to best engage more diverse communities in the pet fostering process. These findings will help inform marketing and outreach efforts to address the gap in pet fostering amongst BIPOC audiences. 

The focus group discussed various ways to promote pet fostering initiatives, emphasizing the importance of enhancing awareness and expanding opportunities for pet fostering within communities of color. A few highlights include: 

• Logistics, such as supplies, are important considerations for fostering pets and seeing others foster pets in person can be more impactful than just hearing about it.  
• Participants noted that fostering pets requires time, attention and resources, including medical care and training, and some are hesitant to foster pets due to attachment or concerns about their own pets.  
• In addition, checking the living situation, job and financial stability of potential foster parents is important to ensure the safety and well-being of the pets.  
• Emotional appeals, expectations and tangible time frames for fostering can be effective in encouraging people to foster pets.   
• Face-to-face interaction with real people who have experience with fostering pets can be effective in increasing awareness and encouraging people to foster.  

Learn more about the findings and how you can apply them to your foster program by listening to this recording of the Community Conversations call.