DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5mkkwh7d6
title: The characteristics, motivations, and experiences of foster caregivers at animal shelters

description: Foster care programs at animal shelters have emerged as an important tool
 for promoting animal welfare and supporting shelter life-saving efforts.
 Preliminary evidence suggests that foster caregiving may also be
 health-promoting for humans. The goals of this study were to investigate
 the experiences of foster caregivers at animal shelters based on measures
 of positive and negative affect, quality of life, and grief, and to
 describe human-animal attachment among foster populations. Between March
 2022 and 2023, 131 foster caregivers from five shelters in the United
 States completed three online surveys before, during and after providing
 foster care to a shelter animal. Positive affect decreased significantly
 from baseline to post-foster (F=5.71, p&lt;0.01), particularly among
 dog caregivers (F=6.17, p&lt;0.01). Negative affect remained unchanged
 (F=0.47, p=0.63). Foster caregivers perceived their foster animal provided
 companionship, affection and emotional support, although dog foster
 caregivers reported significantly higher emotional (U=313.50,
 p&lt;0.01) and social/physical quality of life (t=4.42, p&lt;0.01)
 than cat foster caregivers. Caregivers reported low mean avoidant and
 anxious attachment, suggesting they were able to develop secure bonds with
 their foster animals. Retention of fosters was also strong, with 86% of
 caregivers reporting they were likely to provide foster care in the
 future. Our findings suggest that fostering at animal shelters may serve
 as a One Health intervention to offer companionship, affection and
 emotional support to human caregivers while promoting animal welfare.
 However, these benefits did not translate to improvements in caregiver
 mental wellbeing, so caution should be applied when considering foster
 caregiving as a potential mental health promotion tool.
description: GENERAL INFORMATION 1.      Title of Dataset: The characteristics,
 motivations, and experiences of foster caregivers at animal shelters
 2.      Principal Investigator Contact Information Name: Lauren Powell
 Institution: University of Pennsylvania Address: Philadelphia, PA USA
 Email: [lrpowell@vet.upenn.edu](mailto:lrpowell@vet.upenn.edu) 3.     
 Dates of data collection: March 2022-May 2023 4.      Geographic location
 of data collection: Continental United States 5.      Funding sources that
 supported data collection: Nestlé Purina PetCare Global Resources, Inc,
 Award: PD10084618. 6.     Links to publications that cite or use the data:
 Ackerman, R., Watson, B., Serpell, J., Reinhard, C. L., & Powell, L.
 (2023). Understanding the Motivations of Foster Caregivers at Animal
 Shelters. *Animals*, *13*(17), 2694. DOI:10.3390/ani13172694 Powell, L.,
 Ackerman, R., Reinhard, C. L., Serpell, J., & Watson, B. (Under
 Review). A prospective study of mental wellbeing, quality of life,
 human-animal attachment, and grief among foster caregivers at animal
 shelters.  DATA & FILE OVERVIEW 1.      File List:
 FosterDatabase_Deidentified 2.      Are there multiple versions of the
 dataset? No DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION 1.      Number of variables: 151
 2.      Number of cases/rows: 131 3.      Data format: wide 4.     
 Variable List: * ShelterID: unique identifier for each animal shelter
 where foster caregivers sourced their foster animals * Baseline Date: date
 of baseline survey completion (MM/DD/YY) * FosterStartDate: date that
 foster caregiver took foster animal home from shelter per shelter records
 (MM/DD/YY) * Nanimals: number of foster animals housed with foster
 caregiver during study period per shelter records * FosterSpecies: species
 of foster animal housed with foster caregiver during study period (“Cat”,
 “Kitten”, “Dog”, “Puppy”, “Rabbit” “Guinea” for guinea pigs, “Other” for
 all other species) * Gender: gender of foster caregiver (“Female”, “Male”,
 “Non binary”, “Prefer not to answer”) * Age: age group of foster caregiver
 in years (“18-29”, “30-39”, “40-49”, “50-59”, “60-69”, “70+” for all
 participants aged 70 years or older) * Race: race of foster caregiver
 (“Asian”, “Black or African American”, “Hispanic or Latino”, “Mixed Race”,
 “Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander”, “Prefer not to answer”, or “White”) *
 FosterExperience: foster caregiver’s experience fostering animals prior to
 study (“Yes” for any previous experience caring for a foster animal, “No”
 for no previous experience caring for a foster animal) *
 FosterExperienceSpecies: species and age group of foster animals that
 foster caregiver has fostered prior to study (“Neonatal kitten (≤3
 weeks)”, “Kitten (4 weeks–6 months)”, “Kitten with mum”, “Cat (&gt;6
 months)”, “Neonatal puppy (≤3 weeks)”, “Puppy (4 weeks–6 months)”,
 “Puppy/s with mum”, “Dog (&gt;6 months)”, “Other”, “None”) *
 FosterExperience_Behavior: foster caregiver’s experience fostering animals
 with behavioral condition/s prior to study (“Yes” for any previous
 experience caring for a foster animal with behavioral conditions, “No” for
 no previous experience caring for a foster animal with behavioral
 conditions) * FosterExperience_Medical: foster caregiver’s experience
 fostering animals with medical condition/s prior to study (“Yes” for any
 previous experience caring for a foster animal with medical conditions,
 “No” for no previous experience caring for a foster animal with medical
 conditions) * PetOwner: species of pets currently owned by foster
 caregiver (“Cat”, “Dog”, “Other”, or “Non-owner” if caregiver does not
 currently own any pets) * PreviousOwner: species of pets owned by foster
 caregiver prior to study (“Cat”, “Dog”, “Other”, or “Non-owner” if
 caregiver has never owned any pets) * Motive1: extent to which foster
 caregiver agreed “I want to provide a good home for an animal” motivated
 them to provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”,
 “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive2: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I want to provide an animal with love”
 motivated them to provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at
 all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive3:
 extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I have enough time and space to
 be a foster caregiver” motivated them to provide foster care on four-point
 Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very
 True”) * Motive4: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I want to
 provide a home to reduce an animal’s risk of euthanasia” motivated them to
 provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”,
 “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive5: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I considered adopting and thought foster
 caring was a good way to start” motivated them to provide foster care on
 four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately
 True”, “Very True”) * Motive6: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I
 am not in a position to have a pet of my own (e.g., financially, level of
 responsibility)” motivated them to provide foster care on four-point
 Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very
 True”) * Motive7: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I want to care
 for a pet but I do not want permanent responsibility” motivated them to
 provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”,
 “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive7: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I want to care for a pet but I do not want
 permanent responsibility” motivated them to provide foster care on
 four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately
 True”, “Very True”) * Motive8: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I
 want to have company for my own pets” motivated them to provide foster
 care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”,
 “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive9: extent to which foster
 caregiver agreed “I want a foster pet for companionship” motivated them to
 provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”,
 “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive10: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I want a foster pet for emotional support”
 motivated them to provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at
 all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive11:
 extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I want to care for a foster pet
 to improve my level of physical activity” motivated them to provide foster
 care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”,
 “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive12: extent to which foster
 caregiver agreed “I want to meet new people in my community” motivated
 them to provide foster care on four-point Likert scale (“Not at all true”,
 “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”) * Motive13: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I want to do something positive for my
 community” motivated them to provide foster care on four-point Likert
 scale (“Not at all true”, “Somewhat true”, “Moderately True”, “Very True”)
 * MotiveOther: open-text response describing any other reasons that the
 foster caregiver was motivated to care for a foster animal * TIPI_1:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Extraverted, enthusiastic) applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale
 (“Disagree strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither
 agree not disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree
 strongly”) based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_2: extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Critical, quarrelsome) applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale
 (“Disagree strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither
 agree not disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree
 strongly”) based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_3: extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Dependable, self-disciplined) applied to them on a seven-point Likert
 Scale (“Disagree strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”,
 “Neither agree not disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree
 strongly”) based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_4: extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Anxious, easily upset) applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale
 (“Disagree strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither
 agree not disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree
 strongly”) based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_5: extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Open to new experiences, complex) applied to them on a seven-point Likert
 Scale (“Disagree strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”,
 “Neither agree not disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree
 strongly”) based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_6: extent to which foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits
 (Reserved, quiet) applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale (“Disagree
 strongly”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither agree not
 disagree”, “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree strongly”) based on
 the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_7: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt a pair of personality traits (Sympathetic, warm)
 applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale (“Disagree strongly”,
 “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither agree not disagree”,
 “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree strongly”) based on the Ten
 Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_8: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt a pair of personality traits (Disorganized, careless)
 applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale (“Disagree strongly”,
 “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither agree not disagree”,
 “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree strongly”) based on the Ten
 Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_9: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt a pair of personality traits (Calm, emotionally stable)
 applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale (“Disagree strongly”,
 “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither agree not disagree”,
 “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree strongly”) based on the Ten
 Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_10: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt a pair of personality traits (Conventional, uncreative)
 applied to them on a seven-point Likert Scale (“Disagree strongly”,
 “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree a little”, “Neither agree not disagree”,
 “Agee a little”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree strongly”) based on the Ten
 Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_Extra: average of TIPI_1 and
 TIPI_6 reverse-scored to provide a mean extraversion score based on the
 Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_Agree: average of TIPI_2
 reverse-scored and TIPI_7 to provide a mean agreeableness score based on
 the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_Consc: average of
 TIPI_3 and TIPI_8 reverse-scored to provide a mean conscientiousness score
 based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline * TIPI_Neuro:
 average of TIPI_4 reverse scored and TIPI_9 to provide a mean emotional
 stability score based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory at baseline *
 TIPI_Open: average of TIPI_5 and TIPI_10 reverse-scored to provide a mean
 openness to experiences score based on the Ten Item Personality Inventory
 at baseline * PANAS1_1: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Upset”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_2:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “Hostile” (five-point scale from
 “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and
 Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_3: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “Alert” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at
 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at
 baseline * PANAS1_4: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Ashamed”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_5:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “Inspired” (five-point scale from
 “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and
 Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_6: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “Nervous” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always”
 at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at
 baseline * PANAS1_7: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Determined”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_8:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “Attentive” (five-point scale from
 “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and
 Negative Affect Schedule at baseline * PANAS1_9: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “Afraid” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at
 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at
 baseline * PANAS1_10: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Active”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at baseline *
 RecordedDate2: date of second survey completion (MM/DD/YY) * FosterReason:
 primary reason that foster animal needs foster care (“Medical condition”,
 “Behavioral condition”, “Socialization”, “To make room in the shelter”,
 “Other (please specify)”) * PrimaryFosterReason_Other: open-text response
 for foster caregivers who selected “Other (please specify)” for
 FosterReason to explain the primary reason their foster animal needed
 foster care * HealthCondition: foster animal/s current health status (“No
 health condition”, “Minor health condition/s”, “Moderate health
 condition/s”, “Serious health condition/s”) * HealthCondition_Text:
 open-text response for foster caregivers to describe the health
 condition/s. * BehaviorProblems: foster animal/s current behavioral status
 (“No problems”, “Only minor problems”, “Moderate problems”, “Serious
 problems”) * BehaviorProblems_Text: open-text response for foster
 caregivers to describe the behavioral problem/s. * PANAS2_1: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “Upset” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to
 “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point two * PANAS2_2: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Hostile” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based
 on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two
 * PANAS2_3: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Alert” (five-point
 scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive
 and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two * PANAS2_4: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt “Ashamed” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to
 “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point two * PANAS2_5: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Inspired” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5)
 based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at
 time-point two * PANAS2_6: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Nervous”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two *
 PANAS2_7: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Determined” (five-point
 scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive
 and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two * PANAS2_8: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt “Attentive” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to
 “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point two * PANAS2_9: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Afraid” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based
 on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two
 * PANAS2_10: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Active” (five-point
 scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive
 and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point two * DOQOL_1: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt their current foster animal “Provides me love and
 affection” on a seven-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”,
 “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”,
 “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”) based on the Dog Owner-Specific Quality
 of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_2: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 their current foster animal “Provides me companionship when I want it” on
 a seven-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat
 disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”,
 “Strongly agree”) based on the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life
 Questionnaire * DOQOL_3: extent to which foster caregiver felt their
 current foster animal “Provides me emotional support” on a seven-point
 scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”,
 “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly
 agree”) based on the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire *
 DOQOL_4: extent to which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal
 “Improves the amount of social activities I perform” on a seven-point
 scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”,
 “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly
 agree”) based on the Dog Owner Quality of Life Scale * DOQOL_5: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal “Improves my
 ability to do things for fun outside my home” on a seven-point scale
 (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither
 agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”)
 based on the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_6:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal
 “Improves my level of physical activity” on a seven-point scale (“Strongly
 disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor
 disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”) based on
 the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_7: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal “Interferes with
 my other household responsibilities” on a seven-point scale (“Strongly
 disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor
 disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”) based on
 the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_8: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal “Results in damage
 to my belongings or property” on a seven-point scale (“Strongly disagree”,
 “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”,
 “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”) based on the Dog
 Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_9: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt their current foster animal “Interferes with my
 ability to go on vacation or leave my house” on a seven-point scale
 (“Strongly disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither
 agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”)
 based on the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * DOQOL_10:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt their current foster animal
 “Increases my level of stress” on a seven-point scale (“Strongly
 disagree”, “Mostly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor
 disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Mostly agree”, “Strongly agree”) based on
 the Dog Owner-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire * EmotionalQoL: score
 for emotional quality of life based on the mean responses to DOQOL_1,
 DOQOL_2 and DOQOL_3 * SocialPhysicalQoL: score for social/physical quality
 of life based on the mean responses to DOQOL_4, DOQOL_5 and DOQOL_6 *
 StressQoL: score for stress/interference quality of life based on the mean
 responses to DOQOL_7, DOQOL_8, DOQOL_9 and DOQOL_10 * PAQ_1: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “Being close to my foster animal is pleasant
 for me” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on
 the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_2: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “I’m often worried about what I’ll do if something bad happens to my
 foster animal” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”)
 based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_3: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “I prefer not to be too close to my foster animal”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_4: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “Sometimes I feel that I force my pet to show more commitment and desire
 to be close to me” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very
 much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_1: extent to which
 foster caregiver felt “Being close to my foster animal is pleasant for me”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_5: extent to which foster caregiver felt “I
 prefer to keep some distance from my foster animal” (seven-point scale
 from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment
 Questionnaire * PAQ_6: extent to which foster caregiver felt “If I can’t
 get my foster animal to show interest in me, I get upset or angry”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_7: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “Often my foster animal is a nuisance to me” (seven-point scale from 1
 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire *
 PAQ_8: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Signs of affection from my
 foster animal bolster my self-worth” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at
 all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_9:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “I feel distant from my foster
 animal” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on
 the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_10: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “I often feel that my foster animal doesn’t allow me to get
 as close as I would like” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7
 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_11: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “I’m not very attached to my foster animal”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_12: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I get angry when my foster animal doesn’t want to be as close to me as
 much as I would like it to” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7
 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_13: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “I will be able to give away my foster animal
 without any difficulties” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7
 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_14: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “I get frustrated when my foster animal is not
 around as much as I would like it to be” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at
 all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_15:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “I have no problem patting with my
 foster animal for a long duration” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all”
 to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_16:
 extent to which foster caregiver felt “I need shows of affection from my
 foster animal to feel there is someone who accepts me as I am”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_17: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I get uncomfortable when my foster animal wants to be close to me”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_18: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I feel frustrated if my foster animal doesn’t seem to be available for me
 when I need it” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”)
 based on the Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_19: extent to which foster
 caregiver felt “I get nervous when my foster animal gets too close to me”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_20: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “Without acts of affection from my foster animal I feel worthless”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_21: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I want to get close to my foster animal, but I keep pulling away”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_22: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I am worried about being left alone without my foster animal”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_23: extent to which foster caregiver felt
 “I try to avoid getting too close to my foster animal” (seven-point scale
 from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment
 Questionnaire * PAQ_24: extent to which foster caregiver felt “I need
 expressions of love from my foster animal to feel valuable” (seven-point
 scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet Attachment
 Questionnaire * PAQ_25: extent to which foster caregiver felt “When I’m
 away from my foster animal for a long period of time, I hardly think about
 it” (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the
 Pet Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_26: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “I need a lot of reassurance from my foster animal that it loves me”
 (seven-point scale from 1 “Not at all” to 7 “Very much”) based on the Pet
 Attachment Questionnaire * PAQ_Avoid: score for avoidant attachment to the
 foster animal based on mean of PAQ_1, PAQ_3, PAQ_5, PAQ_7, PAQ_9, PAQ_11,
 PAQ_13, PAQ_15, PAQ_17, PAQ_19, PAQ_21, PAQ_23, and PAQ_25 * PAQ_Anxiety:
 score for anxious attachment to the foster animal based on mean of PAQ_2,
 PAQ_4, PAQ_6, PAQ_8, PAQ_10, PAQ_12, PAQ_14, PAQ_16, PAQ_18, PAQ_20,
 PAQ_22, PAQ_24, and PAQ_26 * OtherComments: open-text response for the
 foster caregiver to share any additional notes at time-point two *
 RecordedDate3: date of third survey completion (MM/DD/YY) * FosterOutcome:
 foster animal/s outcomes from shelter. Caregivers could select separate
 outcomes for each animal. (Select all that apply from “Adopted by me/my
 household”, “Adopted”, “Transferred to another foster caregiver”,
 “Transferred to another foster shelter/rescue group”, “Returned to
 shelter”, Died in care”, Euthanized”) * OutcomeText: open-text response
 for foster caregivers to provide any additional details about foster
 animal’s outcomes * FosterOutcomeDate: date of final foster animal’s
 outcome per shelter records (MM/DD/YY) * ContinuousHousing: foster
 caregiver reported whether foster animal/s spent any time at the shelter
 or with another foster caregiver during the study (“My foster animal was
 housed with me continuously”, “My foster animal spent at least one night
 back at the shelter”, “My foster animal spent at least one night with
 another foster caregiver”) * OtherDates: open-text response for foster
 caregivers to report the dates of any period in which their foster animal
 was not housed with them. * Satisfaction: how satisfied foster caregiver
 was with their foster experience during the study period on five-point
 scale (“Very unsatisfied”, “Somewhat unsatisfied”, “Neither satisfied nor
 unsatisfied”, “Somewhat satisfied”, “Very satisfied”) * Challenging: how
 challenging the foster caregiver found their foster experience during the
 study period on five-point scale (“Not at all challenging”, “Slightly
 challenging”, “Somewhat challenging”, “Moderately challenging”, “Extremely
 challenging”) * FutureCare: how likely was the foster caregiver to provide
 foster care to another animal in the future on five-point scale (“Very
 unlikely”, “Somewhat unlikely”, “Neither likely nor unlikely”, “Somewhat
 likely”, “Very likely”) * TypeAnimalLikeToAdopt: whether foster animal was
 the type of animal that the caregiver would like to adopt as a pet (“Yes”,
 “No”) * NotAdoptReason: if selected “No” in TypeAnimalLikeToAdopt, why
 would foster caregiver not like to adopt this type of pet (Select all that
 apply, “Activity level”, “Age”, “Appearance”, “Breed”, “Behavior”,
 “Medical conditions”, “Size”, “Other”) * Adopt_Other_TEXT: if selected
 “No” in TypeAnimalLikeToAdopt and “Other” in NotAdoptReason, open-text
 response for foster caregiver to describe why they would not like to adopt
 this type of pet. * TypeAnimalFutureFoster: if foster caregiver was to
 foster again, would they foster a similar type of pet (“Yes”, “No, but I
 would foster a different type of pet”, “No, I am not interested in
 fostering again”) * NotFosterReason: if selected “No” in
 TypeAnimalFutureFoster, what type of pet would you consider fostering in
 the future (Select all that apply, “Different species”, “Different age
 group”, “Different needs (e.g., medical, behavioral)” * Grief_1: extent to
 which foster caregiver agreed “I miss my foster animal since it left my
 home” on a five-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”,
 “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly agree”) *
 Grief_2: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I have periods of
 tearfulness as I think about my foster animal” on a five-point scale
 (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”,
 “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly agree”) * Grief_3: extent to which foster
 caregiver agreed “I feel I have adjusted well since my foster animal left
 my home” on a five-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”,
 “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly agree”) *
 Grief_4: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I feel a sense of relief
 since my foster animal has left my home” on a five-point scale (“Strongly
 disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat
 agree”, “Strongly agree”) * Grief_5: extent to which foster caregiver
 agreed “I often think about my foster animal and wonder if it is doing
 well” on a five-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”,
 “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly agree”) *
 Grief_6: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I feel lonely without my
 foster pet” on a five-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat
 disagree”, “Neither agree nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly
 agree”) * Grief_7: extent to which foster caregiver agreed “I had to
 mentally prepare myself for my foster animal leaving the home” on a
 five-point scale (“Strongly disagree”, “Somewhat disagree”, “Neither agree
 nor disagree”, “Somewhat agree”, “Strongly agree”) * PANAS3_1: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “Upset” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to
 “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point three * PANAS3_2: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Hostile” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based
 on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point
 three * PANAS3_3: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Alert”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point three *
 PANAS3_4: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Ashamed” (five-point
 scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive
 and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point three * PANAS3_5: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “Inspired” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1
 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point three * PANAS3_6: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Nervous” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based
 on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point
 three * PANAS3_7: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Determined”
 (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the
 short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point three *
 PANAS3_8: extent to which foster caregiver felt “Attentive” (five-point
 scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive
 and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point three * PANAS3_9: extent to
 which foster caregiver felt “Afraid” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1
 to “Always” at 5) based on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect
 Schedule at time-point three * PANAS3_10: extent to which foster caregiver
 felt “Active” (five-point scale from “Never” at 1 to “Always” at 5) based
 on the short-form Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at time-point
 three * PostFoster_Other: open-text response for any additional comments
 about foster experience at time-point three * PAS1: sum of PANAS1_3,
 PANAS1_5, PANAS1_7, PANAS1_8, PANAS1_10 * NAS1: sum of PANAS1_1, PANAS1_2,
 PANAS1_4, PANAS1_6, PANAS1_9 * PAS2: sum of PANAS2_3, PANAS2_5, PANAS2_7,
 PANAS2_8, PANAS2_10 * NAS2: sum of PANAS2_1, PANAS2_2, PANAS2_4, PANAS2_6,
 PANAS2_9 * PAS3: sum of PANAS3_3, PANAS3_5, PANAS3_7, PANAS3_8, PANAS3_10
 * NAS3: sum of PANAS3_1, PANAS3_2, PANAS3_4, PANAS3_6, PANAS3_9 5.     
 Missing data codes: n/a