On April 29, The Lantern discussed Ohio’s legislative treatment of dogs. As the conclusion of a three-part series, today’s article explores dog fostering and adoption.

Students can help dogs through activism or volunteering at shelters.

For those who want more dog contact, Buckeyes for Canines suggests dog foster care.

“Foster programs allow you to enjoy having a pet in your home without the long-term commitment or financial responsibilities,” said Alysha Noorani, vice-president of Buckeyes for Canines. “If you’re going to get a pet, foster first because the shelters give you everything.”

Pets Without Parents, the Franklin County Dog Shelter and other Columbus shelters provide foster parents with all the food and equipment they need to provide temporary care to dogs not thriving in the shelter environment.

“Foster first to figure out what you want — especially with puppies,” said Molly Stancliff, president of Buckeyes for Canines. “If more people knew about fostering, there would be fewer dogs in shelters.”

Many students are capable of properly owning and caring for a dog. And for those planning on it, the consensus among OSU’s canine clubs is that adoption is best.

Besides the fact that each adoption saves a dog’s life, adopting is economically smarter than buying a dog.

Dogs bought from pet stores or breeders will cost far more than those from shelters, according to peteducation.com. In addition to the actual purchase price of the dog, which can be $1,000 or more, owners must pay for many other things.

To spay or neuter the dog costs between $100 and $300. Testing it for heartworm costs $25 to $35, and the first rabies vaccination and deworming each cost between $15 and $25.

The first month’s heartworm-prevention medicine and flea and tick control each cost another $15 to $25. The initial veterinary exam costs about $100.

Beyond the expensive first year, dog owners can expect to pay at least $150 annually for food and must consider further veterinary exams.

The Franklin County Dog Shelter, on the other hand, provides its dogs with all these services before they adopt them out. The flat rate of $117 includes licensing, shots, spay and neutering and the adoption fee. Dogs older than five years cost $67 and include the same package.

“I’ve never talked to somebody who didn’t have a good experience adopting,” said Maeve Hopkins, dog-chair for the medical school’s MEDpaws program. “If I was to get another dog, I would adopt.”

Yet the Humane Society of the United States reports that 6 million to 8 million pets enter shelters yearly, but only 3 million to 4 million are adopted. With limited resources and funding, most shelters must regularly euthanize dogs. Most, but not all.

Despite receiving zero federal dollars, Pets Without Parents calls in favors and pulls strings to keep the 15 to 20 dogs it has at any one time alive.

“Our dogs stay here until they get adopted,” said manager Jourdan Ribbler. “If it takes over a year, it takes over a year.”

A cat or dog is put down in America every eight seconds, but Pets Without Parents managed to find homes for 313 cats and 345 dogs in 2009.

And because it checks references for all potential adopters, the shelter ensures they are good homes.

Franklin County has the biggest shelter in Ohio. It takes in all stray or lost dogs to be reclaimed by their owners.

The Franklin County Animal Shelter hosts Mingle with Mutts every first and third Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. to facilitate adoption. Prospective adopters can talk to experienced shelter staff who match families and lifestyles with the best breed, age and temperament of puppy or dog.

While the new Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center is being built, other Columbus facilities are seeing more fur.

The Capital Area Humane Society aims to adopt, adore and advocate. In the months of August, September and October 2009, the humane society adopted out 235 dogs and logged 9,790 volunteer hours.

Its adoption fee includes the standard operations and vaccinations but also microchip implementation.

This quick, non-surgical process painlessly injects a sterile microchip the size of a grain of rice in between a pet’s shoulder blades. Each chip has an unalterable code that enables shelters to locate owners.

The humane society also offers foster programs and training classes and is the lead animal cruelty investigation agency in Franklin County.

“We can’t adopt out dogs that are involved in our ongoing cruelty cases,” said Cheri Miller, marketing and events manager for the Capital Area Humane Society. “They are considered evidence.”

Refusing to let sleeping dogs lie, the humane society seeks justice from animal abusers. And with an 85 percent placement rate for dogs, it only euthanizes in extreme cases.

“At any time we have 200 to 300 animals,” Miller said, “they stay with us until they’re adopted or saved by a rescue organization.”

Such organizations are private and usually focus on specific breeds.

For instance, the Bull Mastiff Rescue saves Bull Mastiffs that aren’t being adopted or are about to be euthanized.

There are many rescues in the Columbus area.

“Any dog you want you can find the right way,” Stancliff said. “Even the rarest breeds can be found in rescues.”

Dogs in rescues are healthy but might be too timid for a shelter or just old, Miller said.

There are many advantages to giving a senior dog a second chance, according to the Columbus Dog Connection.

Senior dog owners can focus on the joys of living with a dog rather than the trials of training one. A list of all Ohio pure breed rescues is at columbusdogconnection.com along with many other dog resources.

Referencing the multitude of dog rescues in Columbus, Stancliff said, “There is no excuse to say you have to buy a new dog to have a purebreed.”