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secondhand
hope

senior outreach

Our Secondhand Hope program offers companion pet visits to Minnesota assisted living communities and other facilities.

 

Our goal is to provide both humans and animals with comfort, socialization and companionship. Volunteers bring their personal animals, including dogs (both large and small) and cats, to participate in the visits. Each animal and its handler receives guidance from Secondhand Hounds staff in order to make the experience both enjoyable and safe.

Numerous and varied scientific studies have proven that interaction with companion animals offer a wide range of benefits, both mental and physical. Some of these benefits include:

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Physical Health:

  • Lowers blood pressure

  • Improves cardiovascular health

  • Releases endorphins (oxytocin) that have a calming effect

  • Diminishes overall physical pain

  • The act of petting produces an automatic relaxation response, reducing the amount of medication some folks need

 

Mental Health:

  • Lifts spirits and lessens depression

  • Decreases feelings of isolation and alienation

  • Encourages communication

  • Provides comfort

  • Increases socialization

  • Reduces boredom

  • Lowers anxiety

  • Reduces loneliness

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  • How long does one typically foster a dog or cat before it finds a forever home?
    It is very hard to give an average time an animal is in foster care. Many puppies and kitties are adopted within a month​ or two, while some adult dogs have been in foster care for years! Most of the time, our animals are adopted relatively quickly, but we cannot make any guarantee as to how long they will be in your home. We ask that you commit to the animal you are fostering until a forever family is found.
  • Can I choose what dog/cat I want to foster?
    Yes! All of our animals needing a foster home are posted on our Secondhand Hounds Fosters Needed Facebook page. If you find a dog or cat who interests you, contact the Foster Coordinator and he/she will ensure the animal will be a good fit for your household. You can also give us criteria for the type of dog or cat you want to foster. After you let us know your criteria (i.e. age, size, gender), we will do our best to match you with the perfect foster animal.
  • What is the role of my Foster Coordinator?
    Foster Coordinators help find dogs and cats to come to rescue, and are responsible for placing them in foster homes that are a good fit. Foster Coordinators are also the main resource and support system for all of the fosters. If you have a question about your foster animal, you should talk to your FC. If it is a question that they can not answer, they will delegate that question to someone who has the answer. See them and all of our staff here!
  • Where do the dogs/cats come from?
    Our animals are rescued from high-kill shelters all around the Midwest. We have volunteers who regularly visit these facilities and look for animals that need our help. We have developed great relationships with shelter workers who contact us when they have animals in danger of being euthanized. If you are interested in more information about your specific foster, we will do our best to tell you where he/she comes from, and his/her background story, if possible. We also receive some of our animals from owner surrenders – owners who can no longer provide care for their animals, but who want to ensure the best possible new home is found for them.
  • Am I putting my personal pets in danger by agreeing to foster?
    Because our dogs and cats come from shelter situations, they have unknown histories and it’s quite possible they haven’t had their medical needs properly met. They sometimes have kennel cough (the equivalent of a human cold) and worms, among other possibilities. Before we bring the dogs/puppies and cats/kittens into a foster situation, we de-worm them, vaccinate them, and give them Frontline or other flea/tick preventatives. We highly recommend your resident animals are on Frontline or another flea/tick preventatives prior to fostering.
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