PACC Foster Volunteer Liz Johnson Recognized as One of 22 National Foster Heroes

People are passionate about their fur-babies. Big or small, furry or slimy, silent or loud, people love animals and see them as part of their families.

Unfortunately, not all creatures get to share in the love and get left behind, forgotten about, or worse. If they're lucky, they make it to centers like Pima Animal Care Center where they sit and wait for their forever homes.

This can be super stressful for the animal, who only wants to feel safe and comfortable. Instead, they're crowded around other animals they don't know in conditions they're not familiar with, hoping that someone will notice them and take them in.

Enter people like Liz Johnson. Liz volunteers with PACC by fostering some of these animals until someone is willing to give them their home and heart. And now, she's being recognized for her efforts.
The Petco Foundation, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, has announced Liz as one of 22 National Foster Heroes in recognition of her volunteer work with PACC.

"Liz stepped up to foster Joker, one of our toughest behavior cases, through 6-8 weeks of surgery recovery, and he THRIVED in her care, said Rachel Jones, adult dog foster coordinator at PACC. “Liz nursed him back to health - mind, body, and soul. She saved Joker's life without question."

There's no better time to recognize foster efforts, as June is also National Foster a Pet month - part of Petco Foundation's Pledge to Save Pet Lives. The hope is to encourage more pet families to foster or adopt, but even donating time or money goes a long way to ensure long lives for some of our furriest friends.

Summer is always a time in which PACC gets crowded with animals, and circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have caused even more stressful conditions for all shelters and a need for foster families. Not only is room for all the animals an issue, but people also are not coming in to adopt quite as much and it's harder to get donated supplies as well.

In fact, fostering is at the top of the list of needs from PACC right now.

“It is an honor to recognize the National Foster Heroes who are making a difference in their communities and demonstrating the lifesaving impact of fostering pets,” said Susanne Kogut, president of the Petco Foundation. “During the response to the COVID-19 crisis, we saw a significant spike in the number of people fostering pets. Our goal is to continue this trend, inspire more people to join the pet fostering movement and make pets sheltering in foster homes, versus animal shelters, the new normal. Because, if less than 2% of pet-owning households in the U.S. fostered one pet a year, we could eliminate unnecessary euthanasia in animal shelters tomorrow.”