March 11th - 17th

FWACC Fosters,

Each week, we’ll share updates, opportunities, and resources to help support you and the pets in your care. Our foster community plays a critical role in giving animals a safe place to decompress, learn, and show their true personalities outside the shelter. In this newsletter, you’ll find featured foster pets in need, helpful reminders, upcoming opportunities, and ways you can continue making an impact. Thank you for opening your home and being such an important part of helping these animals move forward.

We are excited to share that Silcox Outbound Supervisor Melanie Pena has been promoted to Shelter Superintendent at our Henry’s Animal Campus!

Melanie has been a passionate advocate for animals throughout her life. Her dedication to animal welfare, combined with her leadership and commitment to creating lifesaving opportunities for shelter pets, has made a tremendous impact on Fort Worth Animal Care & Control. Through her work with our outbound programs, especially transport partnerships, Melanie has helped countless dogs and cats find placement and a second chance outside of Texas.

Her compassion for animals and vision for improving their lives continue to inspire those around her, and we know she will do incredible things in her new role.

While Melanie will certainly be hard to replace in the Outbound Supervisor role, we are excited to see the positive impact she will have leading operations at Henry’s Animal Campus. We have officially posted the Outbound Supervisor position and will begin the search for someone to continue building on the strong foundation she helped create.

Please join us in congratulating Melanie on this well-deserved promotion! 🐾

Our March Volunteer Newsletter has officially been published! Be sure to take a few minutes to check it out for program updates, upcoming opportunities, volunteer highlights, and important shelter news.

It’s a great way to stay connected with everything happening across the shelter and see the impact volunteers are making every day.

Click here to read the March Newsletter.

Heartworm disease is one of the most common medical conditions we see in dogs entering our shelter here in North Texas. Because mosquitoes thrive in warmer climates, many dogs who have lived outdoors or without regular veterinary care test positive for heartworms.

The good news? Heartworm disease is treatable, and these dogs can go on to live completely normal, healthy lives.

At Fort Worth Animal Care & Control, we remove the financial barrier to treatment by providing free heartworm treatment after adoption or rescue placement, and in many cases we can begin the process once a foster home is secured.

Treatment begins with a 30-day course of doxycycline, followed by two injections at the shelter that eliminate the adult heartworms. The most important part of recovery is rest and limited activity for several weeks afterward while the dog’s body heals.

Many people are surprised to learn that heartworms aren’t contagious between dogs and most heartworm-positive dogs still act like normal, happy pups. What they need most is a calm place to rest during treatment — something a foster home provides beautifully.

By fostering a heartworm-positive dog, you’re not just helping them heal — you’re giving them the chance to start their next chapter.

If you’ve ever considered fostering one of these dogs, know that it isn’t scary — it’s lifesaving.

Read our full guide on Heartworm Disease, Treatment, and Aftercare here:

Understanding Heartworm Disease in Dogs

This week, we’re spotlighting two dogs who would greatly benefit from foster support to help increase their visibility and placement opportunities:

• Carmellow – Henry’s Animal Campus 👉 View Trello card HERE

• Star – Chuck Silcox Animal Shelter 👉 View Trello card HERE

Both dogs are strong candidates for adoption events, the PetSmart Adoption Center, and our Transport Program. A foster stepping in — even short-term — could help gather updated notes, photos, and real-life observations that strengthen their placement profiles and move them forward more quickly.

If you’re available to foster for an upcoming event, support PetSmart placement, or assist in preparing a dog for transport, Rigley and Honey are excellent options this week.

We have several upcoming adoption events that are an important part of the foster journey. Helping your foster pet participate—whether by attending an event or sharing their story—gives them valuable exposure and increases their chances of finding a permanent home. Your insight and advocacy truly make the difference.

Click -> Adoption Events

This weeks events candidates are:

• Buddy – Henry’s Animal Campus 👉 View Trello card HERE

• Jonsey – Chuck Silcox Animal Shelter 👉 View Trello card HERE

Last week, 28 pups left Texas for their forever homes thanks to your incredible support. As we prepare for our next transport, several dogs still need fosters—many have lost their transport tags and some are now urgent. Even fostering just one dog can save a life and open a kennel space for another animal in need.

Silcox - Johnny A0058453983 👉 View Trello card HERE

Henry's - Sarge A0060253964 👉 View Trello card HERE

View all available Pups HERE

Fostering a shelter pet is one of the most impactful ways to save lives—but it can also come with questions along the way. That’s why Fort Worth Animal Care & Control provides a Foster Resource Center, designed to give our foster families the information, tools, and guidance they need to succeed.

The Foster Resource Center serves as a central hub for everything related to fostering, from basic care guidelines to troubleshooting common challenges. Whether you’re welcoming your first foster pet or have years of experience, these resources are here to support you every step of the way.

The resource center includes helpful guides and reference materials to assist with:

• Preparing your home for a foster pet

• Decompression periods and introductions with existing pets

• Basic care guidance, including feeding, housing, and enrichment

• Recognizing signs of illness or stress

• Behavior tips and training support

• Steps to take if an issue arises during your foster period

These resources are designed to help foster caregivers feel confident while providing the best possible care for their temporary houseguest.

Foster homes are a critical part of lifesaving efforts. By providing pets with a safe, calm environment outside the shelter, fosters help animals reduce stress, recover from illness, socialize, and show their true personalities—making them more likely to find their forever homes.

Having easy access to reliable information ensures foster families can focus on what matters most: giving shelter pets the care, comfort, and stability they need while they wait for adoption.

If you’re currently fostering—or thinking about it—take some time to explore the Foster Resource Center. It’s a valuable tool that can help answer questions quickly and make your foster experience even more successful.

View the Foster Resource Center:
https://fort-worth-animal-care-and-control.frontkb.com/en/categories/1455553-foster-resources

Together, our foster community plays a vital role in helping shelter pets take the next step toward their forever homes.

Thank you for the time, compassion, and dedication you continue to give to the animals in our care. Every walk, foster placement, photo, event shift, and moment of enrichment helps improve the lives of pets waiting for their second chance.

Because of volunteers like you, our shelter pets receive more than just care—they receive attention, patience, and the opportunity to show their true personalities to potential adopters.

We are grateful to have such a committed community standing beside us in this lifesaving work. We look forward to seeing many of you at the shelter or out in the community this week.

Thank you for being part of the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control volunteer team.

FWACC FOSTER TEAM