Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays

Some of the most pitiful casualties of the crap economy are abandoned pets. When times are tight, Fido is sometimes the first thing to go, so shelters across the country are busting at the seams, reports the Huffington Post.

There are few things sadder to think about during the warm and snuggly holiday season than a homeless, loveless pet. Petfinder, an animal service Web site, finds it so sad, in fact, that it's doing something to help: The Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program works with shelters and foster agencies across the country to find short-term homes for family-less animals.

The hope is that those who sign on for a temporary ownership will find themselves unable to give their new friends up when the time comes.

The program is based on A Dog Named Christmas, a book by Greg Kincaid that has been made into a Hallmark film. The story concerns a homeless dog that a family takes in for the holidays, an act that changes them forever. "It's a feel-good story with a great message," writes Joan, the Happy Tails blog editor on the Petfinder site.

The program is free, and you can find participating shelters by using the drop-down box on the program Web site. You can foster for as little as a few days or as much as several months, or, of course forever.

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