TAMPA, Fla. — Your help is desperately needed right now if you have room in your home and in your heart.
Rescue dogs, many of them from Puerto Rico, are in desperate need of foster families. It is easy to host a dog and it won't cost you a dime.
The Rodriguez family says fostering Vicente is one of the best decisions they ever made.
Over the years, Maite Rodriguez and her family have fostered as many as 50 strays.
"We have a huge need because Puerto Rico has a horrible problem with stray dogs," says Rodriguez. "So this foundation, the one that I've been working with Compassion Kind. They've been doing these flights since Hurriane Maria happened in Puerto Rico, which obviously made things worse."
Vicente is one of the lucky ones. His foster family is nursing him back to health. But there are countless other dogs who have the same heartbreaking story as Vicente who need your help.
"He's got skin conditions, which are normal for strays, but no teeth at all," says Rodriguez. "He's learning to eat, regardless of no teeth. He's so goofy. He loves to eat. A lot of people tell us sometimes this happens when they're so so hungry, they eat whatever they can find in the streets. Sometimes it's concrete, rocks. You name it."
Rodriguez is a foster parent through the non profit, Compassion Kind which puts the rescues on flights from Puerto Rico to Tampa in search of loving, forever families.
"We've had flights of over 50 dogs! It's insane!" Rodriguez says. "If you have a loving home and you have a space in your heart to help these animals that's all we need. We provide the food. We provide the crates. We provide the vet care. All you have to do is open your home to an animal in need for a few weeks. That's it."
Anyone interested in fostering is asked to visit compassionkind.org for more information.
If you are not quite ready but you want to help, the organization always need donations, blankets, toys, crates, food and money. They provide all these items to foster families to make their job easier.
