The care and welfare of all animals are very important. One of the best places that put these values above anything else is an animal shelter. Animal shelters take in lost, found or abandoned animals and give them the kindness they deserve to help find them a caring, forever home. There are many people who see the value of helping an animal shelter because all the good they do for animals, but aren’t able to help through adopting one of their animals. Luckily, there are many ways to help animal shelters without adopting:
Foster Homes
Sometimes people or families aren’t able to create a forever home for an animal in the shelter, but would still like to help animals in need. Even if someone isn’t able to take on the responsibility of adopting a dog or cat full-time, but can still open their homes to animals, they can foster a pet until it’s adopted. Rescuers only have so much room available in the shelters and are always looking for foster homes to take in an animal until adopted. While being a foster home, it’s important to remember that goodbyes to the animal will have to be made once it is adopted and it requires a lot of responsibility.
Transporting Animals
Another way to help that requires less responsibility is by transporting animals to foster homes. There are many animals in certain areas, such as rural areas, that have trouble finding a new home. In some places, there is low foot traffic and a too big population of animals in need. In order to find them a place to stay and wait to be adopted, many rescuers look for volunteers to transport animals to areas that can handle more animals.
Buy Off the Wishlist
Running a shelter takes a lot more than just volunteers to lend an extra hand. From new toys, food, or even medical supplies, shelters are always in need of certain items. More likely than not, a local shelter will have a wishlist of items they need to keep the shelter functioning. A great way to help is by buying these items on the wishlist for the shelter. This way they have the food and supplies they need to in order to give the animals the best care. Buying off their wishlist will give them the help they need without barely lifting a finger.
Social Media Networking
A picture is worth a thousand words and is also the key to finding a forever home for a pet. Anyone with social media, graphic design or web design skills can lend a helping hand in the adoption process. By taking pictures of adoptable animals and creating social media posts, many people see possibly their future pets looking for a home. Nowadays, the first place potential adopters will look for a new pet is the internet. Lend a shelter a helping hand by creating posts and graphics for animals.
Become a Volunteer
To get truly involved, become a volunteer with the shelter. Shelters are usually always looking for volunteers to help out and have programs to enlist in. Volunteers will typically be required to complete an orientation before helping out. The workload will usually require cleaning out kennels, handling the phones, taking dogs for walks, mailing applications, or feeding the animals.