If you could use a great idea and some equally great news about just how much our communities want to help us save animals’ lives, here’s a #FalalaFoster story that will make your season bright!

It comes from Morganne Struble of Lifeline Animal Project at Fulton County Animal Services in Georgia, which recently had a large impound of 91 dogs in terrible condition from a hoarding situation. Their dog population was already near capacity, and they were worried about their current residents and the overcrowding this intake would cause in their medium and large run dogs.

“I quickly sent out an emergency foster request for one to two week placement of the dogs currently in our shelter, to make room while we processed our new intakes,” Struble said. The response she got back was unbelievable.”

“Foster parents arrived in their pajamas until 11:30 PM the first night to pick up foster dogs,” she said. “Over the next three days, 70 dogs left for temporary foster. Our community rallied together. Rescue partners came out to support. It’s one week later, and we did not euthanize a single dog for space concerns.”

Not only did the pajama-clad community step up, but only ten of the 70 dogs are returning to the shelter. Most are transitioning over to foster until they are adopted, or the fosters are adopting the dogs themselves.

Rejoiced Struble, “Our long term residents are spending the holidays in homes!”

Go ahead… cry those happy tears. You know you want to. Then get out there and try it in your shelter, too!