PINE GROVE TOWNSHIP -- Meet Havana. The Chihuahua mix was found on the side of Interstate 81.
She ended up at the Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA near Pine Grove and is now being fostered by the Reinbold family.
“We had just lost our dog, so we were looking for something to kind of fill the space for the holidays, so we decided to bring her home,” stated Kelli Reinbold of Pine Grove.
The SPCA is doing a fostering program for its dogs this holiday season.
“The home for the holidays is a foster program to try to get out dogs out into homes for the holidays in hopes that it becomes a permanent adoption,” said SPCA Assistant Manager Bridget Barder.
The SPCA doesn’t usually allow fostering during the year.
“The whole point is to get to know the animal over the holidays and if everything pans out we move forward with the permanent adoption,” Barder continued.
SPCA workers say allowing the families to take the dogs home gives them a chance to get to know the animal outside of the shelter.
That’s what the Reinbold family is doing with Havana.
They’ve had her for a week now.
“It’s been great. She’s really sweet. She’s a completely different dog than from up at the SPCA. She was very timid and she didn’t really approach anyone and when we brought her down here, as soon as we let her off the leash in the house she was running around and playing,” said Reinbold.
And now they’re pretty certain they will adopt her and hope that other families choose to foster so they can help more animals find a forever home.
“I think, give it a shot because you never know what the dogs going to be like when you take it home,” stated Reinbold
The SPCA fostered about six of its dogs in the month of December. Volunteers will be allowing families to foster dogs until after the new year.
