Animal lovers don't have to look very far to find the one who is right for them.
“I like to play matchmaker,” said Skye Barkley, foster coordinator for the Alachua County Animal Resources.
Barkley assists foster families in finding the best pets to stay in their homes based on the home’s environmental factors. It's a part of the revamped foster program at the shelter.
“So I wouldn’t put an energizer bunny in an apartment,” Barkley said with a laugh. “Usually that doesn’t end up going well.”
The program helps the pets at Alachua County Animal Resources get a feel for living outside of the shelter. Not only does it help the animals decompress, but Barkley said it also helps staff at the shelter. When the pets stay in someone else's home, the staff can measure how well they react to things like children or other pets.
“If you decide to foster a dog, that means we can get really good notes on how they do in a home,” Barkley said. “It allows us to find a home for them better down the road.”
Volunteers can foster both cats and dogs. The animal shelter provides all the resources a foster parent would need, including litter, food and crates. The shelter's director Julie Johnson said fostering is a great way to help out the shelter without making a permanent commitment. When it comes to the time commitment, she said you choose what works best for you.
“If you only have a couple days, maybe just a weekend, just to get them out for a sleepover, we very much welcome that,” Johnson said.
Alachua County Animal Resources currently has over 120 pets in foster care, which is the most it has ever seen. Barkley said her goal is to someday have more pets in foster care than in the shelter. Anyone interested in fostering a pet can send an email to foster@alachuacounty.us.
The foster program isn't the only change that is underway at the shelter. Alachua County communications director Mark Sexton said the County Commission budgeted $20 million for a new animal service facility.
The current facility, built in 1987, was originally a kill shelter, despite Alachua County Animal Resources operating as a no-kill shelter now. That is going to change with the new facility.
“It’s certainly a principle of the County Commission to operate the shelter that way,” Sexton said.
The facility is going to have a modern design, with more tech features available. It will take about two to three years to complete. Although there is no word yet on where the new facility will be located, Sexton said there could be a possible collaboration with the University of Florida.
Among the additions to the new facility, Alachua County Animal Resources plans to build a pet food pantry inside. The purpose of it is to help people who need assistance feeding and taking care of their pets, according to Johnson, who hopes that the new facility will serve the needs of everyone.
“We really are excited about what the future looks like,” Johnson said.