When life hits hard, a hospital stay, housing crisis, or unsafe situation, pet owners often face an impossible question: What happens to my animal?

The Cleveland Animal Protective League is offering a new answer with its Crisis Safety Net Foster Program, created to keep pets safe while their owners work through a temporary emergency.

The program provides up to 90 days of foster care for pets whose owners are dealing with situations like homelessness, hospitalization, or domestic violence. Instead of permanently giving up a beloved animal, families can focus on recovery knowing their pets are cared for, loved, and ready to come home when life stabilizes.

Volunteer foster families play a key role, giving pets a calm, consistent environment along with veterinary care until reunification. APL President and CEO Sharon Harvey says the program recognizes what many people already know, pets are family, and losing them during a crisis can deepen trauma.

Right now, APL urgently needs more foster homes. No experience is required, and all supplies and support are provided. The program is funded by grants from Humane World for Animals and the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, with a clear goal: protect the human-animal bond when it matters most.

Applications are open for both foster families and pet owners in need of temporary help, offering relief, hope, and a path back home for pets and the people who love them.