Fido Fosters Giving Pups ‘Five to Thrive'

Five days can often go by as quickly as five hours.

If you don't quite buy into that notion, consider how often you've said "well that year flew" in the last week, or heard other people express similar sentiments.

Time has a way of not staying put, as a rule, but any time we can give to helping others is an hour, a day, a week, or a lifetime that's meaningfully spent.

In the spirit of time flying and helping others, there is the new "Five to Thrive" program, from Los Angeles Animal Services and Best Friends Animal Society.

The heartfelt aim?

To pair "long stay" dogs with new fosters, people who can house and care for the critters for five days or more.

The program launched on Jan. 1, 2020.

"Large breed dogs can be a challenge to adopt in Los Angeles, often due to rental or home owners association restrictions," said Brenda Barnette, General Manager of LAAS.

"We have a lot of fabulous dogs here who end up staying in a kennel for weeks or months or longer. They really need a break from shelter life. Sometimes we find that foster volunteers are key to finding their charge a new home just during walks in the neighborhood."

If you're feeling the "Five to Thrive" spirit, and you can take a pup for what amounts to less than a week (though, for sure, you are welcome to sign up for a longer time), visit one of the six LAAS service centers, or Mission Hills, where the Best Friends Lifesaving Center is located.

There are "more than a dozen NKLA coalition partners," too, including Michaelson Found Animals Foundation and Pacific Pups Rescue.

Pictured: Erik and Meg Sedrakyan of Los Angeles with Boo, their adopted dog. Boo, who originated from Los Angeles Animal Services before being transferred to the Best Friends Lifesaving Center, was in a foster home prior to being adopted.