Christie Chipps Peters is the shelter director of Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC), and she is also the mind behind the shelter’s Thanksgiving Foster Program which is now on its 4th year. The program aims to treat shelter animals to a week-long Thanksgiving experience with a loving family. This started because of Peters’ deep concern for the animals being stuck in the shelter, not having a family to celebrate with during Thanksgiving. Another great thing about the foster program is that usually the pets end up being adopted by the family, or friends of the family who want to give the animals a forever home. Year after year, more and more people are committing themselves to inviting shelter animals over for Thanksgiving. This year, 92 animals have been granted the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with a wonderful family. If ever a family chooses to adopt the pet they invited over for Thanksgiving, the shelter is happy to waive the adoption fee for them. Read more about the Thanksgiving foster program below, and check out RACCs Facebook page if you’re interested in supporting their cause.
The Thanksgiving foster program was created by Christie Chipps Peters, the shelter director of Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC).
She wanted to give homeless cats and dogs a taste of real home with a loving family, even just for the week of Thanksgiving.
Interested families will first be interviewed by the shelter staff, so they can be paired with the perfect pet. After the process, the lucky pet will then get to spend a whole week with a foster family for Thanksgiving.
And not only that, the shelter also provides pet supplies that the foster family might need, like food, medication, and a crate.
Most of the time, animals don’t only get a family during Thanksgiving but they get adopted for life. If ever fostering does turn to adoption, RACC will grant the adoption fee for free.
This Thanksgiving, Peters’ is hoping that a few of the shelter’s senior pets will find a forever home. There’s Elton, a 9-year-old pit bull, and Taco, a huge fluffy cat, longing for warm hugs during the holidays.
The program is on its 4th year now, and the number of participants has almost tripled compared to its first edition. From 35 on its first year, now, 92 shelter animals are going to celebrate Thanksgiving with their own happy family!
