LAKE ELSINORE -- Ask Trish Butters how many dogs and cats are at the Animal Friends of the Valleys animal shelter and, without missing a beat, she'll tell you, "Too many."

Every day, between 15 and 30 dogs are dropped off at the Lake Elsinore shelter, which is a noisy and cramped facility made up of a collection of outdoor kennels and mobile homes. As soon as the unwanted creatures enter the shelter, the clock starts ticking.

The staff's commitment and care for the animals are no match for logistical limitations. When the pens and cages are full, some little guy has to die. Unclaimed or unadopted animals typically have between five and 10 days before they are euthanized.

But there is a way these pound pups and cats can get a second chance. The animal shelter has begun a foster program that allows area residents to keep dogs and cats at their home until the creatures are permanently adopted -- and ultimately saved.

Butters, the foster family coordinator for the Animal Friends of the Valleys, said only about 30 percent of the animals that come into the shelter are adopted. The others meet a sadder fate.

"My foster parents are just the most awesome people," Butters said.

There are 21 families offering foster care to 42 animals. Butters said the shelter is in need of many more willing people to care for the animals.

"We are overwhelmed with animals now, but in the spring, we expect the number of animals we take in to skyrocket," Butters said.

While she welcomes any help for the shelter, she warns those interested in the program that animal fostering is a commitment.

Betty Ann Taylor of Lake Elsinore is an animal-fostering all-star. In the past two years, Taylor has fostered 251 dogs. She can keep up to four dogs at a time, and the stay of each animal depends on the length of time it takes until they are adopted, a process that takes as little as a few days or as long as a month.

"I never give up on a dog," Taylor said. "There are too many good dogs and cats getting put down because they run out of time."

Taylor, a former worker at the Animal Friends of the Valleys, said the need for foster families is increasing as the animal shelter is operating at capacity. She said people in the community need to be realistic about what really happens at the shelter: if the pets are not adopted -- quickly -- they are killed.

"The staff at the shelter does all they can. It's not their fault and it's not their choice, but there are just too many animals being put down," Taylor said. "I love the shelter, but it is dinky compared to the growth taking place in the valley."

While Taylor may be an exception with the number of animals she takes in, she said it is important for prospective foster families to realize they can take breaks between animals so they don't get overwhelmed by the responsibility.

The foster parents are sometimes asked to care for the animals before and after they are spayed or neutered -- a requirement before any animals can be adopted from the shelter. The time spent with the foster families also allows the animals to become more socialized.

Jan and Dean George of Temecula began taking in foster animals a couple of months ago. The Georges have four dogs of their own, in addition to the foster animals they take in. Now, the Georges are caring for a poodle called Wiggles.

"You can see how happy the dogs are to be in a house instead of cages," Jan George said. "The hardest part is giving them away."

The potential foster parents fill out an application and then their homes are evaluated by shelter staff members to make sure the animals will be safe and healthy. Besides caring for and feeding the animals, the foster families are asked to take the animals to "adoption shows" Saturday afternoons at either the Petco store in Temecula or the PetSmart in Murrieta.

In Wildomar, Sue Haley has been taking in dogs and cats for six months. She is currently caring for a mixed-breed dog.

"I wish I could save them all, but I can only save one at a time," Haley said. "I'm not rich. I wish I was. But I have a yard and I have love."

Haley, a seamstress, said there is work behind the fostering. She's taken her current foster dog to multiple adoption shows, but he has not yet found a family. Haley said she's not giving up on the dog, which she calls "Good Boy."

"That is what they called him at the shelter. He is a good boy and a love monster," Haley said. "I won't rename the animals. He'll just have to be called 'Good Boy' for now. He'll get a forever name and a forever home when he gets adopted."

For information on how to become an animal foster parent, call Trish Butters at (951) 674-0618. The shelter at 29001 Bastron St. is also seeking donations of food, blankets, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, towels and funds.

Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com. Comment at www.californian.com.