Oleda Fraley has fostered pets at her mother’s home in Canal Winchester, including a blind cat and a three legged dog.

Where do you foster from?
We find abused animals on the street or from other homes that we decide to take in, or my mom finds animal listings on Facebook that need help.

How long have you been fostering?
Since I was born.

Tell me about your current foster pets.
Right now we have a dog that we rescued from a place in the Kentucky area. She was starving, she had open wounds because of her fleas, and we really needed to take her in because she was miserable.

What are you going to name them?
She has a name [already]. It’s Harley. I don’t know what we’re going to name her though, because we’re not keeping her.

Have you adopted some of the foster pets?
Yes.

You told me you also got a new cat – Sumo. Tell me about Sumo:
I did! So Sumo showed up one day and he wasn’t in a terrible state compared to [other animals] I’ve seen but he is a bobtail like my two other cats. He was kinda skinny so we just started feeding him and then soon we’re going to take him to a spay and neuter clinic to get him neutered.

Why would you say you’re able to foster so many animals?
Sheer willpower. In terms of resources, we just do what we can when we can. We’re not supported or given resources by any vet or adoption shelter or anything – it’s our money that we’re willing to spare.

Do you plan to foster when you get older?
Absolutely!

What’s your favorite memory with a foster pet?
Ooh, it would either have to be my blind cat Herbie or the three-legged dog Sophie, which the Licking County Humane Society has made their mascot and created a thrift store after. Both were super sweet and they were super cuddly. I miss them a lot.