Foster Spotlight: Meet Erin

For National Foster a Pet Month, we asked Erin, one of our dedicated fosters, to answer a few questions about her experience. Spoiler: She has fostered close to 350 animals. Here’s how it all started. 

How long have you been fostering with RPM? How many animals have you fostered?

I’ve been fostering with RPM since January 2023. I’ve fostered about 250 animals with RPM since then, and another 100 or so before that. My very first fosters were actually in 2014, and I fostered on and off with different organizations until 2023, when I found RPM.

What made you decide to start fostering?

I’ve been a huge animal lover from a very young age. As a child, I had one of my birthday parties at the shelter and encouraged people to donate. I did a presentation in 5th grade on puppy mills and irresponsible breeding. But I was not allowed to have many pets or bring animals home. So in 2014, as a new college student, I wanted to get involved with animal rescue now that I lived alone and no one could tell me no!

I really wanted to adopt my own dog, but I didn’t think it would be responsible with my lifestyle and busy college schedule. Instead, I visited the shelter in my college town and started volunteering. They asked if I was interested in fostering, and I said sure! My first fosters were two orphaned kittens, about two weeks old. 

What is something you know now that you wish you’d known when you started as a foster?

You can’t save them all, and you have to take care of yourself at the end of the day. I used to feel so guilty for all the animals left behind when I picked up animals from the shelter. I would be devastated when one didn’t make it (choosing to foster orphaned kittens means you will deal with some loss because of how fragile they are). 

But now I know I’m making a huge difference for the ones I CAN save, and I need to keep my energy focused on them. Take a break if you need to. It’s okay to only foster older, healthy animals. There are so many in need, and even fostering one animal per year is life changing for them!

What would you say to someone who wants to foster but keeps finding reasons not to?

Fostering is simply babysitting. It’s inherently temporary. When you go into it with that mindset, it becomes easy to let them go. For me, fostering isn’t a tool to shop around for a new pet, it’s a way to help save 50+ lives every year!

It’s actually exciting to let them go, because they’re onto a wonderful new life, and now you get to pick up more fosters and save more lives. If you can babysit your friend’s pet, you can foster. Fostering for RPM is especially great for new fosters who want to make sure they have support. The RPM team makes sure you have everything you need, from supplies to education to vet care.

Who is your current foster? Tell us a little about them!

Right now I’m fostering a 5-week-old kitten named Hash Brown. She had an adopted brother named Burnt Toast who ended up at the shelter at the same time, so they were put together. Sadly, Burnt Toast was so sick and underweight, and his little body couldn’t get better, even with 24/7 care from me and the RPM vet team. He passed away last week. 

Luckily, Hash Brown is thriving and is the happiest little girl!

Inspired by Erin’s story? RPM fosters get full support, supplies, education, and vet care every step of the way. 

Apply to become a foster here: https://rescuedpetsmovement.org/become-a-foster-parent/

Learn more about Erin and her fostering journey here: https://www.facebook.com/erin.berger.54

Want to join the movement?