Giving A Pet A Holiday Home

Petfinder, the online animal service website, launched a program to help give abandoned animals a new home -- if only for the holidays. The Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program teams up with local shelters and foster agencies to give pets a foster home for a few months, with the hopes that people will fall in love with the animals and keep them for good.

The program is based on a book-turned movie by Greg Kincaid, "A Dog Named Christmas," where a boy fosters a dog for the holidays and gets his community involved. "It's a feel-good story with a great message," wrote one Petfinder blogger.

Many people have given away their pets in the recession, leaving shelters full to capacity. "Animals are a luxury," said Nicole Plank to WFMZ TV in Reading, Penn. Plank runs the Cat Works, an animal foster service that is participating in the program. "I get emails every single day... from people who have lost their job, they're losing their home and they have to give up something they've loved for years."

Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays is free. The only requirements, according to the Cat Works' website, is that "you feed them and kiss them every day, and make them feel safe and secure."

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