Shelbi Waters, executive director, said Tuesday that the shelter has a number of animals who could potentially be temporarily fostered by loving individuals or families.

Many of the animals had only been brought to shelter at the beginning of the week.

“(There are) multiple reasons,” said Waters. “We had a couple of hoarding and neglect cases come in and a handful of owner surrenders.”

In some cases, pet owners lost their jobs and had to move to a residence where they are not allowed to have animals.

Submitted Photo Chico, a bull terrier, needs to be adopted by a family that lives outside the Minot city limits and does not have any other dogs or cats in the home. He is available for adoption at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter.

“Everyone who has had to move because they had to surrender a pet has been devastated,” said Waters.

The Minot City Pound is also currently at capacity, which makes the Souris Valley Animal Shelter a vital resource.

Waters said there is assistance available for people to purchase food and necessities for a pet if they are able to keep the animals in their homes. More information is available by calling the shelter.

The shelter also will temporarily house an animal for free for up to 35 days if its owner has to flee a home because of domestic violence. The shelter has strong partnerships with the Domestic Violence Crisis Center and YWCA. The emergency housing program applies to people in Minot, Minot Air Force Base and in surrounding counties.

Waters said the ideal candidate to foster will be someone who does not already have pets and has experience with animals, though the shelter will also consider people without experience if they are the right fit. Some of the animals who need to be fostered might be feral.

People will fill out an application and go through essentially the same process as they would if they were applying to adopt an animal. They will answer questions and meet and greet the animal and make sure the home environment for the pet is acceptable. Home checks might be required to check on the environment for the animal.

Animals are vaccinated and the shelter will provide needed supplies for the animals so the cost to the fosterers will be nothing or very limited.

People who are interested in fostering one of the animals can also call the shelter at 852-6133 or send a message via Facebook for more information about the program and about filling out an application to foster an animal.

Access to the shelter is currently limited due to the coronavirus pandemic but volunteers are still very much needed and Waters said people can still call the shelter to make an appointment to see pets or arrange to adopt one.

The shelter is following guidelines regarding frequent cleaning and social distancing. No more than 10 people at a time can be in the shelter building at a time to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The shelter will also isolate any animal that might have been exposed to coronavirus or shows symptoms. Some studies indicate that animals, particularly cats, might be more vulnerable to catching the disease from humans. A volunteer veterinarian checks regularly on the health of the animals at the shelter.

Souris Valley Animal Shelter, a non-profit, will be able to sustain itself for the remainder of the year and has not had to lay off staff, said Waters, but other animal shelters across the state are not so fortunate.