13 Ways To help and Care Animals
13 Different Ways You Can Lend A Paw At Rescue Shelters That Need It
When it comes to saving dogs and cats’ lives, many people think the only way they can help is by volunteering at the local shelter. While volunteering is a great thing to do, it’s just the tip of the iceberg! Shelter animals need so much more than walks, and you can lend a paw with all of it.
Here are 13 creative ways you can help make a difference in the lives of homeless pets.
1. Provide transportation
When animals land a foster or adoptive home, it might not be right around the corner. Volunteers are often needed to take a dog to wherever its destination may be. Sometimes it’s a two-hour road trip, or just a leg in an eight hour drive. For those in cities, where the main mode of transportation is bus or train, this is especially helpful. And if the lucky pup does get to ride shotgun with you, it just might be the most exhilarating moment EVER.
Source: Brandon Daniels
2. Dust off that sewing machine
If you can sew a straight stitch, you can help! Follow this tutorial on how to make a bed from an old sweater. Or help sew “privacy curtains” for shy animals. Check with your local shelter to see if they need anything.
3. Take photos
Whether you are a professional or amateur photographer, shelters and rescues can benefit immensely from great photos. Grab your camera, and get those dogs out of their kennels. You can even hold photography workshops for shelter volunteers so they can take the best photos of the animals as possible. If you’re feeling very generous, donate your old camera equipment.
4. Spring clean
Donate towels and sheets you don’t use anymore. Shelters are always in need. Bonus points for gently-used beds, collars, leashes and clothing. Just look how happy these two are.
5. Go shopping
Find out what your favorite shelter or rescue needs. It could be leashes, food, cleaning supplies, or a variety of other items. Use sites like Amazon or Barkshopto spoil some pup’s who really need it.
6. Throw a party
Lenny the Pug throws a birthday party every year. He asks for donations or gifts like harnesses, eye drops, etc. for his Pug friends at Curly Tail Pug Rescue. Maybe celebrate your birthday, or ask your kids if they’d like to help with theirbirthday parties, and ask for dog beds, blankets or collars instead of traditional gifts!
7. Use your computer skills
Lend your graphic design, coding, or writing skills to help with a shelter’s website, social media, or newsletter efforts. Running a shelter takes a lot of work and things like this are often put on the back burner.
8. Do some social good
Use social media to get the word out. Share tweets or postings about missing animals or an animal that needs a home. Hamilton Pug will put up a custom message in exchange for a donation to a rescue, and The Bumblesnot runs his own Zazzle shop and donates all the proceeds to shelters and rescues.
9. Crunch numbers
Are you an accountant that can help a shelter or rescue with their books? Experience in non-profits is especially helpful.
10. Foster
Do you have room for a temporary pet? Fostering can be fun, rewarding, and challenging. By opening your home to a dog or cat, you are opening up a spot in a shelter that otherwise wouldn’t exist. The length of a foster can be a couple of days, weeks, or months. Every shelter is different, but they usually cover medical expenses and sometimes food and supplies. Visit Petfinder target=”_blank”for more information on fostering.
11. Grab a hammer
If you’re handy at all, you can help by making repairs, painting, or building furniture for the animals.
12. Donate funds
Shelters and rescues always need more funds, especially since most run solely on donations.
13. Bring a book
You may have heard of therapy dogs visiting libraries so kids can read to them and strengthen their skills. Well, one woman is visiting shelters to read to the dogs. Even the sound of a calm voice can help with stressed shelter animals–and your company may just be the greatest thing in the world to them.
See How These Pup Siblings (And Their Parents) Found Their New Weekend Home
This video is paw-wered by The National Association of Realtors®, who are on a mission to help dog parents find the perfect home for their entire family.
We love our dads, and we think they can do pretty much anything. Except find a weekend home outside of the city. It’s not their fault -- there are so many things to think about when it comes to house-hunting! Plus we’re kinda distracting. In case you didn't know, we are painfully cute and therefore impossible to ignore.
So it’s a good thing our Realtor®, Logan, stepped in to help out. Logan did everything for us, from research to paperwork to a bunch of other technical things we don't totally understand. (We're dogs, after all.) It worked out great for our family. Not only did Logan get us the perfect place, but all of his help gave our dads and us extra time to cuddle, play, and goof around -- and that really made our new house feel like home.
To find a Realtor® who can help you find your dog-ified dream home, visit realtor.com/GetRealtor.
Help us Hand Over $1k to Your Favorite Pup or Project!
BarkFund-ing continues! Each week we’re giving away $1k to a pup in need, or an amazing dog-savin’ idea. This week’s contenders are as cute as ever, a trip to rescue 40 pups in need, an old man of a frenchie, stinky mangey puppies? You decide! Take a second to VOTE RIGHT HERE on our Facebook page.
Bonus: If we get 10,000 total votes, we’ll give away $1k to TWO of these finalists!
Submit a pup in need, an idea for a project or nominate a shelter/rescue to become a fundraising parter here: BarkFund Submishionz.
1. Pup in Need: Miracle Max
Miracle Max is a very special senior Frenchie who needs your help! Max is a 13.5 year-old-male who was surrendered to French Bulldog Rescue Network by his former owner who resided in an assisted living facility. It was a heartbreaking and emotional surrender. We can’t blame Max for being a little confused in his new surroundings, as he is the oldest Frenchie here has gone through a radical transition at his advanced age. Max is a sweetheart. Because of his age, he has typical Frenchie issues and will need lots of medical care. He’d love to have his senior piggy bank full to pay for his belly bands and upcoming expenses. Vote to help us take good care of Max!
How else can you help? Donate to FBRN!
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2. Pup in Need: Hippo
Hippo is a puppy that was dumped at an open access shelter in Chicago just before Christmas. She was only a few weeks old and had already been through the painful and inhumane process of having her ears cropped. She had a severe respiratory infection and was already suffering from advanced mange. She had open sores all over her body. Because Trio Animal Foundation stepped in to sponsor the extensive medical bills of this pup, Hippo was rescued and is now up for adoption! Help us care for Hippo, vote here.
How else can you help? Donate to Trio Animal Foundaion!
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3. Care-a-Van Road to the Rescue
Suncoast Animal League would like to launch “Care-a-Van” Rescue. A handful of volunteers, Executive Director Rick Chaboudy and 3 other experienced rescue staff will drive to rural Alabama and remove as 35-40 dogs from “High Kill” shelters. They will be brought back to the arms of 30 more volunteers in Florida where they will be cared for and placed into foster homes until they are ready for adoption. This is an extraordinary opportunity for our shelter, we have always wanted to participate in a rescue operation of this type but have not had the resources to do so. The rural areas of Alabama have very few resources and we would like to be a source of hope for them. Help us make our own dreams come true – and provide dream homes for these pups in need. Vote for Care-a-Van!
How else can you help? Donate to Suncoast Animal League!
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4. Pup in Need: Emory
Emory is a pretty girl whose siblings died in a shelter from parvo. Dogs XL Rescue saved Emory just in time to save her life, however, Emory did not escape the parvo illness and she now is at risk of the same fate as her brothers and sisters. Emory will need a lot of TLC and vet care in order to save her young life. Please take a second to vote for Emory, and help this little girl grow to be someone’s forever pup!
How else can you help? Donate to Dogs XL!
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5. Bracelets for Marley’s Mutts New Center
If chosen, Marley’s Mutts would purchase, sell and distribute 2,150 customized bracelets. The profit made from the bracelet sales (approximately $15,000!) would fund a Miracle Mutts Grooming Salon, part of a plan for a brand new Miracle Mutts Rescue, Rehabilitation and Community Education Center. This grooming salon would create jobs and training programs for people in drug and alcohol recovery, people coming out of incarceration, adults with developmental disabilities, and others who are reentering the workforce. Of course, it will also financially support our rescue, rehab and education efforts. Please take a second to vote & dog speed!
How else can you help? Donate to Marley's Mutts!
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6. Mange Puppies Need Love Too Campaign
Approximately 40-50% of the puppies that are scheduled for euthanasia have mange.
Despite the rise in live release numbers, thousands of dogs and cats are killed in San Antonio’s city shelter because they are overlooked or scheduled for death due to highly treatable illnesses like mange. Puppies with mange tend to look ‘sickly’ due to hair loss and may have an odor, for this reason, they often remain in our adoption kennels for weeks. A large kennel environment is one of the most dangerous places for puppies because of their undeveloped immune systems (the longer a puppy is in a shelter, the more likely they are to contract life threatening illnesses). BarkFund will help us create a safe environment and care for these pups, and the other...
Despite the rise in live release numbers, thousands of dogs and cats are killed in San Antonio’s city shelter because they are overlooked or scheduled for death due to highly treatable illnesses like mange. Puppies with mange tend to look ‘sickly’ due to hair loss and may have an odor, for this reason, they often remain in our adoption kennels for weeks. A large kennel environment is one of the most dangerous places for puppies because of their undeveloped immune systems (the longer a puppy is in a shelter, the more likely they are to contract life threatening illnesses). BarkFund will help us create a safe environment and care for these pups, and the other...
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