Hawaiian Humane Society updates us on foster program

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Back in October 2022, the Hawaiian Humane Society started a program called couch crashers. It encouraged folks to foster animals during a time when the shelter was reaching capacity.

KHON2 News went to the humane society to check up on how the program is going. Brandy Shimabukuro, Hawaiian Humane Society Manager of Communications, said that “right now, with Hawaiian Humane Society here at our Moiliili campus, we are what’s called over capacity for dogs.”

“What that ultimately means is we’re seeing so many folks who are dropping off adult dogs because they’re no longer able to provide for their care,” she added.

The Human Society said fostering is beneficial to the animal’s behavior and health and hopes the community can help out. Shimabukuro said that “Wesley has what’s called contact abrasions. You can see he’s got some little pads on his elbows. It looks like maybe he was staying in a place where he was on hard pavement for a while.”

“It is common with a lot of dogs that maybe have been living their lives outdoors or maybe on the street sometimes as a stray. It is difficult to tell. But, that is why we’d love to get him in couch crashers or a loving home so he can just sleep on all the soft things on pillows and beds and sofas because he certainly deserves that,” said Shimabukuro.

“The role of a foster, whether it’s for a cat or a dog is that you are ultimately giving them socialization. You’re introducing them sometimes to a home environment because when they come to Hawaiian Humane Society, they might be coming to us as strays. They might be coming to us from a home that wasn’t ideal.”

Brandy Shimabukuro, Hawaiian Humane Society Manager of Communications

The couch crashers program helps dogs get into homes for human interaction anywhere from 72 hours to two weeks.

“We’re seeing about an average of a 33% adoption rate for foster’s who ultimately end up keeping their fosters for good, which we love to see. But, not everybody has the capacity to do that. So, if you are able to only be able to short term, foster them, please come on down to our mobility campus. You’re desperately needed,” said Shimabukuro.