The Earnest House of Tucson provides transitional housing and a fresh start to its human residents and four-legged companions in need. The nonprofit, which assists individuals post-incarceration, without a home, or tackling addiction, has woven a partnership with the Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) through a foster program, as highlighted in a recent Pima County news release.
Arriving from the grips of life's harsher realities, residents like Fawna, find solace and purpose within the walls of the Earnest House. It's here that these dogs, often bypassed for adoption due to size or breed, as in Fawna's case—a large pit bull—discover their ability to trust and be part of a community again. "When she came to us, she was a little skittish. But with our residents, she’s blossomed," Danny Howe, founder and director of the Earnest House, told Pima County.
The symbiosis extends beyond companionship, with the responsibility of caring for the animals fostering a sense of accountability and purpose for the residents. According to Kayleigh Murdock, a PACC public information officer, "We see people rescue dogs and cats all the time, but sometimes, that animal can end up saving you." Murdock explained in the Pima County interview how the therapeutic bond between residents and foster animals can facilitate mutual healing.
During the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pet owners undergoing long-term residential treatment for addiction had once looked after them, the Earnest House stretched further, caring for their animals in the interim. Howe spoke of the mutual understanding residents share with canine fosterlings: "They both get being locked up. Without speaking the same language, they understand each other." Howe told Pima County about the unique relationship that forms under such circumstances.
While fostering offers a temporary reprieve for animals from shelters' noisy and crowded conditions, PACC points out the immense benefit of stress reduction for these pets, even if fostering lasts a day or two. And those looking to adopt do so armed with valuable insights into the pet's personality, gleaned from the fostering experience. Currently, PACC has emphasized their need for more foster homes for dogs, and for those inclined to assist, both the Earnest House and PACC welcome donations, including pet supplies, to aid in these mutual recovery journeys.
