PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The Portsmouth Humane Society (PHS) is looking for community members to serve as short-term foster families for a variety of cats and dogs.

Officials say the shelter has recently become overpopulated, but requests for short-term support continue to rise.

“Our Community Programs offer guidance to community members that need help rehoming their pets, have found lost pets, or have other animal conflicts. Animal homelessness is not a PHS problem, it is a community problem, and we cannot effectively support the animals that need our help without the active participation of community members,” said Community Engagement and Development Director, Dyanna Uchiek.

The PHS foster team is looking to house a variety of ages and sizes of dogs and cats. They say the average animal spends 2-4 weeks in a foster home.

There is no cost to the foster family – all food, supplies, and vet care are covered.