During the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, animals rights advocates and celebrities are urging people who have the means and the time to help an animal in need and foster a pet from their local animal shelter.
Most recently, Queer Eye‘s Antoni Porowski stopped by Austin Pets Alive! and found a new furry friend in an adorable pit-beagle mixed name Neon to foster and take in.
In a video posted by Texas-based shelter, Antoni said, “It’s very important for us to support local shelters because they’re getting a lot less foot traffic during this pandemic […] If you can’t commit to adopting, I would encourage fostering as well.”
Earlier this morning, Antoni also shared a couple of adorable videos of Neon to his Instagram Stories.
On Instagram, the shelter shared their excitement over having one of their very own furry friends find a new temporary home with Antoni. “Feeling lucky to have this temporary Austinite @antoni fostering Neon to help us during this time! If you’d like to be fab & help as well please apply to foster a dog or cat,” the shelter wrote on Instagram.
The Queer Eye star isn’t the only star doing their part during the coronavirus pandemic—stars like Camila Mendes, Camila Morrone and Kyle Chandlerhave also recently shared their stories of fostering or adopting a pup.
Days after Antoni had fostered a pup from Austin Pets Alive!, the shelter shared on social media that the Friday Night Lives actor and his wife Kathryn Chandler had also stopped by to adopt.
“Actor Kyle Chandler and his wife Kathryn stopped by yesterday with the intention of fostering a dog. Little Clive stole their hearts and they decided to adopt instead! This is not the first APA! dog the Chandler family has adopted, and we thank them for their continued support,” the Instagram post read. “We’re still needing dog & cat adopters! Please check our website first austinpetsalive.org/adopt and email adopt@austinpetsalive.org to make a meeting appointment.”
On Sunday morning, the Riverdale star posted an adorable picture of her and her new furry friend out on a hike in the woods.
“mu cuddly lil quarantine companion. don’t know what i’d do without her. pls consider fostering a furry friend with all this time you’re spending at home! i adopted truffle from @thelabellefoundation in LA but you can just reach out to your local animal shelters and see how you can help,” she wrote on Instagram.
Earlier this week Camila had also shared a picture of her little Truffle looking cozy and snuggling with a stuffed animal.
“the amount of truffle content i’d be showering you with if it weren’t for my wiser self fighting the impulse with every ounce of my being. hope you’re all taking care of yourselves and others around you, especially those more vulnerable than us,” the actress wrote on Instagram. “let’s tone down the panic, check our sources for reliable information and focus on containing this thing reasonably and efficiently.”
Actress Camila Morrone also recently fostered a beautiful husky from Hollywood Huskies, a shelter in Los Angeles, Calif.
Last week, the 22-year-old shared a photo of herself with her foster pup and wrote, “Fostering a puppy during this quarantine time has been the single best decision. For all my friends showing interest in doing this, DO IT. You won’t regret it. These sweet creatures need you so badly.”
In a follow-up post, she shared that she’s “officially obsessed with fostering” and decided to take in another husky. “I couldn’t stand the thought of Jack not being with his sister, so I asked if I could take in Jill (on the right) as well. These two beauties are looking for a permanent [home] hopefully together. @hollywood_huskies,” she wrote on Instagram.
According to Huffington Post, many shelters in cities across the U.S. have urged for people to consider fostering while many more Americans continue to stay at home.
As many shelters have had to close to the public or cancel events, it has resulted in fewer pets being adopted even as more animals continue to come into their shelters. “Shelters want to move as many animals as possible off the premises and into foster homes, in case they’re hit with staffing shortages as employees and volunteers get sick or need to self-quarantine,” reports HuffPost.
Ultimately, beside helping your local animal shelter out, a spokesperson for Best Friends Animal Society told the publication that having a pet around is simply good for your mental health.
“It’s going to take you out of yourself a little bit. If you get a dog, it’s going force you to go outside,” the spokesperson said. “If you get a cat, it’s going to force you to spend some time cuddling.”
For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov.