Animal Fostering Allows Employees to Give Back while Working from Home

Since the closing of offices amidst COVID-19, two Arch employees have volunteered their time, homes and love to a variety of furry friends.

With the help of their prior experiences with animals, Geordie Enell, who is usually based out of Arch’s Greensboro office, and Bridget Little, normally in the Atlanta office, seized the opportunity to temporarily care for the cuddly creatures.

Geordie, who fostered Meesha, a 2-year-old female Rottweiler, and Boss, an 8-month-old male blue tick coon hound, initially had no intentions of fostering animals. But after seeing a Facebook ad from The Haley Graves Foundation, an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 rescue, he quickly changed his mind.

“Fostering not only helps save a dog (that might be at risk), but it gives the foster parents valuable experience in working with a new dog, preparing them for a time in the future when they might be ready for a dog of their own, and discovering the challenges of raising a dog but with the knowledge that this is just temporary,” Geordie said.

After the death of her 4-year-old male cat, Bridget’s daughter urged her to reconsider fostering kittens. With the help of the Feral Cat Program of Georgia, Bridget and her family began fostering their first set of 5-week-old kittens only two weeks later.

“I feel good helping defenseless, scared animals to be healthy, happy and loving companions,” Bridget said. “It also makes the work days more enjoyable watching these little ones run and play.”

With social distancing mandates, it has been difficult to build connections with other people. Through Geordie’s fostering efforts, he was able to form new friendships.

“Fostering gave me a way to socialize in the time of COVID,” Geordie said. “Walking around my neighborhood, I’d meet people because of my dog. I also sometimes ‘used’ my dog to create dates to meet people in local parks.”

For Bridget, her foster kittens inserted an element of surprise into her work-from-home routine.

“Having kittens in my office with me provides entertainment, distraction, love and stress relief,” Bridget said. “If I get to feeling stressed, I just take a break and go sit in the floor (away from my computer) and pick up a purring baby.”

Though fostering cats and dogs have different sets of experiences, Bridget and Geordie describe their fostering experiences as being valuable and beneficial for themselves and the animals.

“Both of my foster dogs benefited from their time with me,” Geordie said. “At a minimum, they were safe and fed. But they also got lots of affection and attention and even a little bit of obedience training.”

Geordie and Bridget have plans to continue fostering animals, bringing some joy and additional companionship into their lives in the age of social distancing.

“Giving and receiving love from a helpless animal could make a huge difference,” Bridget said. “What better time to give your love and attention to those in need?”