6 Ways to Help Homeless Pets and Animal Shelters
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A DogGeek.com exclusive by Michael McCamish
You don’t have to adopt/foster all the animals, have a lot of money or be a petexpert to help your local animal shelter out, there are pleanty of other ways. Below is a list of things that you can do at almost any shelter that we can guarantee they would be thankful for.
- Volunteer. Whether or not you can afford to donate cash or items, you can always donate time to volunteer! Ask your local shelter how you can help. They always need people to help walk and wash dogs, assist visitors, volunteer at adoption events and more. Not only do these things help the shelter keep costs down, they help pets get socialized so it’s a win-win.
- Donate supplies. Almost every shelter has a list of supplies that they are always in need of normally containing blankets, chew toys, leashes, collars, paper towels, cleaning supplies and more. If there is not a list online, call or drop by. Make sure you do contact them though to ensure that you are getting the brand they need. Some cleaners are harmful to pets. Some shelters need items like computers, cameras, printers, etc… next time you upgrade, don’t just throw your old one out or let it sit collecting dust, donate it.
- Marketing. We all can’t be marketing and ad people like of Mad Men, but we can help spread the word! Take time to repost things on Facebook or reTweet on Twitter posts from your favorite organization to help raise awareness. If the organization you are volunteering for doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter page, ask them if you can create one. Positive talk and word-of-mouth does a lot and will help them.
- Take photos. Most shelters at least have a presence on PetFinder.com (if not, you can help them out there) and it really helps dogs get adopted if they have a photo. Grab your camera and take some photos.
- Make some phone calls. Most shelters have a wait list of people who are looking for a certain type of dog. The problem is that the staff does not have time to call people on the list when the dogs come in. Take time to help out and call potential adoptors when there is a match and help them find a forever home.
- Events. Every shelter does events to help raise funds and awareness. Volunteer your time to help recruit sponsors (even ask the company you work for), find vendors and at the very least, support the event by coming and telling all your friends to come.
Got more ideas? Help spread the word below. Don’t know of an animal shelter near you to volunteer with?