ATHENS, Ga- Becca Marrick has been a “dog person” ever since she can remember. “My family has been fostering ever since we were little…my parents wanted to see if me and my sister could handle pets.”

Marrick picked up these four Labrador-Basset Hound mixes at the Athens Humane Society on Tuesday. They didn’t have names when she got them….so she named them Rocky, Rambo, Drake and Lilly. “They’re sleeping through the night (sort of) and doing some puppy things!”

The foster program tries to work around your schedule. They provide food for the puppies to eat….a fenced in area for them to play…..and a bed for them to sleep. The shelter is mostly looking for people who can show the dogs some love. Shelter office manager Leah Trotter says they do everything they can to make the process easy for foster families.

“We provide everything you could need to foster. All we ask is your time, energy and patience.”

The dog foster program has seen huge growth over the past two months. Last year, the program fostered about 10 dogs all year. This year, they have already been able to find foster families for 70 canines. Jed Kaylor is the shelter manager.

“They’ve been socialized for us. So, when they get back here they are happier, healthier, and we don’t have to worry about picking up their poop every day.”