My Labrador Ernie and I have been on a bit of a mission. We’re very familiar with the shelters in our area and the wonderful work that they do, but have not investigated the foster world.

Many of you cannot commit to a permanent adoption, but love animals and could provide a temporary home for one who will probably be euthanized. Not because they need to be euthanized, rather that there is no room in the animal shelters to house and care for them. Shelters are full of lost, stray, abused abandoned or surrendered animals.

Many of these animals need medical care, socialization, simple training and in every case, love and attention. Ernie and I checked lots of Web sites and were amazed at the number of rescues that are looking for temporary homes. Some of them are breed specific and some are not.

They are all up for adoption, but many have been through such abuse or other circumstances, such as Hurricane Katrina and so many other occurrences, especially in the South.

Special attention and enough love to return a once cheerful, healthy and happy pet to that same life of safety and protection. We met a few foster dogs in our travels. Lots of them are seniors, but they vary from puppies to a bit older, as well.

We met Beau first. Terrified but wanting to be friends, this dog adored children, cats and people. She needed a couple of weeks

of adjustment, and off she went to her forever home, where she is “The Royal Dog,” a far cry from the starving, abused and frightened dog found in the South by rescuers.

These animals come from all over. The rescues often find adoptive homes from the people who check their Web sites, but an amazing number, because of their treatment (or lack of it), do not immediately present as healthy, “cute”, or playful.

These are the ones who people don’t adopt and are usually euthanized. A few days or weeks of care would bring back, in most cases, a wonderful, loving friend. They need some initial attention to health and diet issues, and most rescues have a veterinarian to treat and monitor their needs.

In a foster family, the animals have a chance to socialize with other animals, children and adults in a normal manner. The opportunity opens a whole new world for them. The rescues carefully place the animals in appropriate homes. They check the people applying, do home checks and frequently drop by to see for themselves if all is well – for everybody.

Potential adoptors often make arrangements to visit the pets and may, in most circumstances, take them for a day or a night, to familiarize them with their new world.

It’s a tough world out there now for everybody, but imagine being in a happy place and suddenly having no home, no food, no caring and absolutely no idea what happened. Won’t you consider helping?

Fryeburg resident Alice Wentworth is a registered nurse, a board member at Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeburg, and a former president of the board. She has two dogs, a cat and a bird.