Genesee County Animal Care: Shelter Foster Support Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Genesee County Animal Control (GCAC) is a high-intake facility and uses fostering programs to reduce stress for shelter animals and provide a loving home environment, allowing us to prepare them for adoption. Our foster program is particularly useful for animals who have been neglected and need to learn to trust people again and with kittens needing bottle-feeding, additional care, and socializing.
The Petfinder Foundation Shelter Foster Support Grant has assisted us with food supplies including kitten formula and dog food, incubators for our at-risk newborns, scales to monitor their weight gain, and crates needed by our dedicated fosters.
Our foster program has continued to grow, which is why we need additional financial assistance. In 2025, we saw 134 cats/kittens and 197 dogs/puppies fostered. That is more than double the number of our foster animals in 2024. From January through June 2026, we have had 63+ cats/kittens and 91+ dogs in foster, and this is only for the first half of the year. We expect to meet or exceed last year's numbers.
Fostering has resulted in more animals being adopted with the extra care and patience of a loving foster home.
How many pets did this grant help?
340
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Some cats walk into your life with confidence. Others arrive carrying the weight of fear, uncertainty, and a past we will never know. Sadie Sue was the latter.
Sadie Sue came to Genesee County Animal Care (GCAC) on March 19, 2026 (first photo). She was fearful and spent her time hiding in corners. We decided that fostering was going to be the best option to bring out the sweet kitty we believed was there.
So, on April 1, Sadie Sue went to an extraordinary foster who dedicated her time to helping Sadie Sue thrive. When Sadie first arrived in foster, the world felt like a scary place; every sound, every movement, and every new experience was met with caution. With time and patience, Sadie learned something amazing: She was safe! The timid cat who once hid from the world now, three months later, seeks out affection, enjoys quiet and calm companionship, and shows glimpses of the loving, sweet soul that was always there beneath all that fear (second photo).
There have been several inquiries from potential adopters interested in Sadie Sue. We hope she will be adopted very soon.
Sadie has accomplished this through the dedication of her special foster and financial support from the Petfinder Foundation’s Shelter Foster Support Grant, which provided funding for items such as food, crates, scales, and incubators. It truly takes a village!
