Picture this: you’re an American parent who—after a full day of listening to your children beg for a visit to a local drive-thru—is finally ready to give in to their wishes.

At this particular drive-thru, however, you aren’t picking up ice cream or french fries—you’re picking up a furry foster animal.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Despite sweeping closures across the country, homeless pets are finding temporary housing faster than ever as animal shelters find new ways to arrange foster care for hundreds of pets at a time.

Without the means to facilitate traditional adoptions, humane organizations have turned to social media to ask for help in finding foster homes for their furry charges—and many of the shelters have received amazing outpourings of support from their communities.

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“We put out a plea for emergency fosters and received over 500 applications in a matter of DAYS, which is nothing short of incredible,” Asheville Humane Society staffer Meghan Lavender told Good News Network in an email this week. “The REALLY good news, however, is that many shelters in cities around the US are experiencing the same amazing response from their communities.”

Take the Kern County Animal Shelter in Bakersfield for example. Since the California shelter was forced to adapt to the statewide shutdowns, they decided to host a drive-thru adoption day for their shelter cats and dogs.

Much like a fast food restaurant, people would pull up in their cars with paperwork in hand. Instead of driving away with a burger and fries, however, they would get sent home with a foster pet, along with food and other supplies.

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The shelters two drive-thru events were successful beyond all expectation—more than 100 animals found homes by the end of the week.

“We rely on the public to adopt. When we don’t have that avenue, we’re left with no option to get animals out of the shelter. It’s not healthy to have an animal sit in a cage for 30 days,” Kern County Animal Services Director Nick Cullen told The Californian. With nowhere left to turn, Cullen put out the call on social media asking the public to participate in the impromptu drive-through pickup event. Volunteers would fill out applications online before driving to the shelter and bursting into cries of joy as they were handed their lovable new friend to take home as a temporary foster.

“What we’ve seen from the community is like nothing we’ve seen before,” he told the news outlet. “We’re floored with the response.”

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Although California’s recent quarantine order has prevented the shelter from hosting additional drive-thru adoption days, social media has still proven itself to be a critical tool for shelters and SPCA groups across the country.

“Shortly after it became obvious that coronavirus was going to drastically disrupt everyday life, a Facebook group was utilized for animal care workers to brainstorm ideas, share what was working for them, and even to organize transfers of animals,” Lavender told GNN.

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The American Pets Alive! Shelter and Rescue Support Facebook page and website allows shelters and rescue charities to share lifesaving advice, health tips, and ongoing coverage and information about COVID-19 and its effects on pets and people alike.

They’ve also created a thorough, detailed guide for animal shelters across the country. The American Pets Alive! COVID-19 Animal Shelter Preparedness Guide covers topics ranging from “Feral/Community Cat Protocol” to “How To Get Your Community To Help” and even a chapter on “Found Foster Protocol for Chameleon”.

This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends On Social Media — Photo by American Pets Alive