How can I get animal assisted therapy for my loneliness if I can’t walk dogs?

If you live in a big city, and there’s a waiting list for dog-walking, or some similarly difficult hurdle to jump through, you can always foster. Fostering involves taking in sick or injured animals, or very young animals, and nursing and housing them until they are ready to be adopted.

Fostering is a good way of “test-driving” a specific animal. I mean, are you really prepared for an Irish Setter? Fostering is a way to find out.

Two things to note: First, fostering is not the Hallmark card it’s often portrayed as. The last time I fostered kittens, they were just tiny things, and I wound up with a fair bit of kitten poo all over my diaries. Second, you want to make sure you’re with a reputable animal agency that you can turn to for advice, support, and which—if necessary—will rehouse the animals. Ask the agency what its policies are on providing food and medical care to fostered animals, and ask what will happen if—no matter how hard you try—the foster situation just isn’t working.