Making Quarantine Cuter: Elon Students Foster Dogs

Cara Delevigne, Kaia Gerber and Camila Morrone are among the many celebrities fostering dogs during quarantine. Amid the chaos and craziness, people are being reminded of the powerful impact animals have while simultaneously bettering a pet’s life. After all, what better time to play with a dog than during quarantine?

Celebrities are not the only people making a difference—college students getting on board with this current trend too. These lucky pups are certainly benefitting, but their owners are also feeling plenty of love.

Meet Bear, a dog from the Burlington Animal Services who moved in with senior student Emma Kanell during quarantine. Kanell was inspired to foster after missing her dog back home.

“I just missed having a dog around and thought it would be a good time,” Kanell said. “So, I thought, why not get him, help out the shelter and put some structure in my day during this quarantine.”

Kanell quickly noticed how fast Bear got attached to her and is grateful she was able to give him a home for a week.

“Fostering is different than just taking care of a dog because often these dogs have been through trauma and their behavior is unpredictable, so they need extra love,” Kanell said.

Senior student Austin Leblanc also adopted a dog from Burlington Animal Services named Geico.

“I was inspired by other students who did the same,” Leblanc said. “I figured if I had all this free time I could put it toward something.”

He picked out Geico online and has enjoyed fostering him so far.

“My biggest takeaway is that all these dogs come from so many different backgrounds, and some are very neglected,” Leblanc said.

He credits quarantine for his decision to foster Geico.

“If it were not for quarantine, I probably wouldn’t have been so easily convinced,” Leblanc said. “But, I decided to since I have free time.”

Cameron Irvine is a junior currently fostering a dog named Bronco from Burlington Animal Services.

“I have always wanted a dog at school but never really had the time for it,” Irvine said. “So, when I found myself stuck at home quarantining, it seemed like the best time to have a pet.”

After Irvine and her roommates met and played with several dogs at the shelter, they realized Bronco was the perfect fit for them.

“Fostering a dog is an amazing and heartwarming experience for both the dog and their foster,” Irvine said. “Taking in Bronco is one of the best decisions we ever made.”

As much as Irvine is helping Bronco, he is also returning the favor by keeping her busy.

“Bronco has a lot more energy than we thought, but we take him on lots of walks and runs,” Irvine said, “which is also a plus because he keeps us active too.”

Irvine is thrilled that Bronco has many families interested in adopting him once the stay-at-home order is lifted in the state of North Carolina. Until then, Irvine is happy having Bronco in her home.

“If anybody has time to foster a dog and get them out of the shelter during this time, I can guarantee it will be an extremely rewarding experience,” Irvine said.