When you step into the Critter Room at the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS), you’re greeted by parakeets, guinea pigs, rabbits, and even a bearded dragon. It is a reminder that every animal who comes through these doors carries a story. For many, the next chapter begins with foster care.
At the heart of this lifesaving work is Jenae Pryce, Foster Coordinator at SAS. Her days are never predictable.
“Sometimes you think you know what the day will look like,” Jenae says with a smile. “Then you get a call about six strays coming in. The foster program works because communication is constant between staff, volunteers, fosters, and field officers. Ideally, animals do not stay in the shelter long. With enough foster homes lined up, they go straight into loving care.”
That is exactly what happened one recent weekend. Four tiny puppies arrived on Saturday. By Sunday, each one was curled up in a foster home.
Every Foster Matters
Not everyone can foster for months at a time, and that is okay.
“A shelter break, whether it is 10 minutes or 10 months, is hugely beneficial,” Jenae explains. “Some animals handle the shelter just fine. For others, even a few days in a home can change everything.”
Some people feel if they don’t work from home they cannot foster. However, if you’re away at work 8-9 hours, coming home and spending evenings and weekends with them is far better than being alone at the shelter. Even a long weekend can give a dog time to decompress, learn house manners, and show potential adopters who they truly are.
A Story of Hope: Leela
Jenae lights up when she talks about Leela, a sweet black pit bull mix surrendered to the shelter. Leela was overlooked many times and struggled with mild reactivity, which made shelter life especially hard.
Thanks to a devoted foster, Leela spent more than a year in a loving home instead of a kennel. When that foster had to move, Jenae quickly found a new placement. Just a few months later, Leela finally met her forever family.
“Calling her former foster to share the adoption news was one of the best moments of my career,” Jenae recalls. “Without the foster program, Leela’s story would have looked very different.”
Why Fostering Is Vital
The foster program is one of four initiatives funded by grants from the Seattle Animal Foundation, and its impact is remarkable:
- 396 animals have been adopted directly from foster homes so far in 2025. This includes 175 dogs, 204 cats, and 17 critters.
- On any given day, 100 or more animals are in foster care. This opens up critical space in the shelter’s 30 kennels.
- The more foster homes we have, the more lives we can save.
Quite simply, expanding foster care means expanding the capacity to care.
How You Can Help
Becoming a foster is simple. Fill out the form on the Seattle Animal Shelter website, and in about a week you will hear from Jenae or a species lead to get started. Whether you can commit to a weekend or a year, your time changes lives.
Support the foster program with a donation →
Together, we can give every animal the second chance they deserve.