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According to Smith, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization saw a five-times increase in foster inquiries compared to today, which allowed them to save the lives of more dogs.

Wags & Walks is not alone in its need for fosters during this time.

“Unfortunately, it seems as though the need for dogs to be rehomed has gone back to pre-COVID days, with shelters filling up again and receiving more surrender inquiries,” Smith said.

According to the ASPCA, approximately 390,000 dogs are euthanized every year. Rescue organizations such as Wags & Walks work to decrease that number by placing dogs with fosters until they find their forever home.

“A foster parent takes in a dog temporarily until they are adopted by their forever family, usually for less than a month,\" Smith added.

\"PHOTO:
Squarespace
PHOTO: Wags and Walks teamed up with Squarespace to build a new Web site to spread awareness for their organization.
>

Muddy Paws Rescue based in New York City has seen a similar increase in need for fosters.

“We have seen that many groups across the country are facing a decrease in foster availability,\" Mallory Kerley, marketing director for Muddy Paws Rescue, told “Good Morning America.”

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A post shared by Muddy Paws Rescue (@muddypawsrescuenyc)

Similar to Wags & Walks, Muddy Paws relies heavily on fosters to save the lives of many dogs.

“Fosters are essential to our mission of saving lives. We want people to know that fosters are definitely needed right now, across both city shelters and organizations without a brick-and-mortar shelter,\" Kerley added.

\"PHOTO:
Squarespace
PHOTO: Muddy Paws teamed up with Squarespace to build a new Web site to spread awareness for their organization.
>

Both Wags & Walks and Muddy Paws have created new Squarespace websites to help potential foster parents find their match.

For those who are not able to foster a dog, organizations such as these usually welcome donations.

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