Fostering Pets Brings Unexpected Benefits

He built a meaningful retirement finding temporary homes for pets of deployed military and hospital patients

Christine Richmond and Michele C. Hollow

Updated November 21, 2025

A man, Buzz Miller, smiling in a home with a dog

Buzz Miller is with Buddy, an older dog and foster from an owner who had Alzheimer’s disease. “We took him in at 14,” he says.

Courtesy Alex Lowy/PACT for Animals

Buzz Miller recalls volunteering at a handful of animal shelters near his eastern Pennsylvania home. Military personnel would sit on the shelter floor crying because they were shipping out and had to surrender their pets. “That’s no way to treat brave servicemen and women,” he says.

From this experience came the idea for PACT for Animals, the nonprofit he founded in 2011, and its fostering program called Operation Foster. “Some people aren’t ready to adopt,” Miller says. “Fostering is a commitment, but it’s not permanent. I thought about matching fosters with the pets of deployed soldiers.”

Once Miller phased out of his work as a real estate and business lawyer, he devoted himself full-time to the program. “I was 70 at the time and thought I should do something I love,” he says. He started small in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he already knew animal shelter workers, veterinarians and people who fostered pets. Many clued him in to service members with dogs and cats who were about to be deployed overseas. He set up a nonprofit to accept donations so he could provide the fostering services for free.

Today, Operation Foster works in all 50 states and has placed more than 3,000 pets in a variety of caring foster homes. People who foster must fill out an online application, agree to a veterinarian checkup that verifies all pets in the foster home are healthy, and consent to a personal home visit by an Operation Foster volunteer.

Foster animals in the program must be spayed or neutered and up to date on all vaccines, and Operation Foster will not accept any pet with a history of destruction or aggression towards people or animals.

Social and physical benefits of pet fostering

The program is always looking for more fosters. “Our best fosters are older people in their 60s and up who had a pet, but don’t want to own one,” Miller says. “Fostering gets people out of the house. Many go to local dog parks and meet other dog owners. Walking a dog is good exercise. And dogs and cats make great companions.” Being around pets can also reduce stress and anxiety and help protect against dementia, research has found.

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Most of the pets need foster care for anywhere from six weeks to two years. Operation Foster sends out a contract for the pet owner and foster to sign and then continues to check in and provide support throughout the fostering period.

People who foster send weekly updates about the pets in their care via email, Zoom or Facebook. “Friendships form between fosters and soldiers,” Miller says. “The soldiers appreciate the love and kindness given to their pets.”

Expanding to hospital patients

Operation Foster has been so successful that Miller got a call from a doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia asking if he’d extend the program to include hospital patients. “Some people may have to stay in the hospital for a month or longer,” Miller says. “And hospitals are not pet-friendly. So what do you do if you or your child is sick and you’re spending your days and nights at a hospital? Who will care for your pet?”

Buzz Miller sitting on a couch with his goldendoodle Ricky

Buzz Miller with his goldendoodle Ricky.

Courtesy Judi Goldstein

The hospital foster program operates in the same manner as the military foster program. “We consider our pets members of our family,” Miller says. “A patient in a hospital who knows he’ll see his pet once he gets out of the hospital has hope. He’ll keep fighting to recover. It gives patients peace of mind.”

“The pet updates cheer the people and their families in the hospitals,” Miller says. “And in both of our programs, friendships outlast deployment and hospital stays.”

A sense of purpose

Miller has always been an animal lover; he and his wife Judi share their home with three cats, a goldendoodle and a bird. “Being around animals lifts my spirits,” he says. Spending his retirement helping pets and their people has been deeply rewarding. There’s even evidence that finding purpose in life can help you live longer. “Running Operation Foster keeps me happy. I’ve met so many wonderful people and pets,” he says. He’s also been invited to speak at animal welfare organizations around the country, which has built his confidence and expanded his social circles. “I enjoy talking about Operation Foster, meeting people and sharing information,” he says.