NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — It's going to be a different Christmas than most for people who are avoiding travel during the 2020 holiday season, to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
The Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter is offering a program that helps people stuck at home, and pets stuck in shelters, spend a few days together around Christmas.
The Christmas Holiday Heroes Foster Program asks people to take home eligible shelter pets on December 22, and bring them back on December 27.
"Foster periods like these can be life-saving to shelter pets because it gives them a chance to relax and mentally recharge," a spokesperson for PRAS wrote in an email.
"The shelter is often loud and busy, and it doesn’t give these kids much time to just be a normal pet. In your home, they’ll get to do just that! Run around the backyard, snooze on the couch or beg for just one more scrap from the dinner table," they wrote. "You can be the person that gives them that much needed break and some additional love and attention."
On the shelter's Facebook page, a spokesperson said the shelter would provide the needed pet supplies for the holiday foster vacation.
Participants have to be at least 18 years old. There's a survey to fill out online in order to be considered. The shelter offers a list of adoptable pets on its website.