http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-ways-to-show-animal-shelters-the-love.html
10 Ways to Show Animal Shelters the Love
In 1996, The Humane Society of the United States launched National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week–this year it begins Nov. 2. This campaign was designed to acknowledge and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services. Here are the top 10 ways that the HSUS suggests you can show your appreciation:
1. Donate a Subscription to Animal Sheltering Magazine.
Shelter workers appreciate Animal Sheltering–an award-winning bi-monthly magazine chock full of articles to educate, inform and inspire anyone who works or volunteers with homeless pets. Donate a year’s subscription to your local shelter for just $20.
2. Learn How to Help Injured or Abandoned Animals.
Your local shelter and animal control officers depend on the community’s help to reach animals in need. Learn everything you need to know to take action, from how to put together a first aid kit to which community phone numbers you need to know.
3. Be an E-mail Ambassador.
Spread a shelter-friendly message every time you hit send–attach a tagline like this one to your signature for all outgoing e-mail messages: Love animals? Support your local shelter!
4. Adopt or Foster an Animal.
Consider adopting or fostering a homeless animal. Whether you decide to bring home a new pet or foster an animal until she finds a forever family, you’ll be giving a critter a safe and caring home while making room for another homeless pet in your community’s animal shelter, where space is limited.
5. Say Thank You.
Drop a note in the mail or shoot an e-mail to your local shelter and let them know how much you appreciate all they do for animals. If you can, sweeten your thank you by adding an item from the shelter’s wish list, a check or a gift card from a pet supply store.
6. Volunteer Your Time and Skills.
Whether you end up walking pooches, helping at special events or lending your expertise as a newsletter editor, your shelter can match your schedule and talents to their needs. Not only will you be helping animals in your community, but you also will be building knowledge and skills. Call your local shelter and find out how to start volunteering.
7. Support Spay-Neuter.
Spaying or neutering your pet or offering to help fund a spay/neuter surgery for a friend, family member or neighbor’s pet will save animals’ lives by helping to lower the number of unwanted animals in your community and reduce the strain on your local shelter’s resources.
8. Donate a Dog Bed.
No shelter dog should have to sleep on a cold, concrete floor while waiting for a forever home, but providing bedding for the millions of homeless animals in our nation’s animal shelters can add up to thousands of dollars each year–not to mention loads of laundry. Help a dog in need by donating a durable, shelter-tested bed to a shelter of your choice through the Kuranda shelter donation program. The beds can increase the overall physical and mental well-being of a shelter’s doggie residents.
9. ID Your Pet.
Your pet should never go naked–that is, without a collar and ID tags. It’s the number one way that lost pets are returned to their owners. Without it a Good Samaritan or animal shelter will likely have no idea how to contact you. Even if your pet is microchipped or your cat never goes outdoors, always err on the safe side and make a collar and tag permanent–your pet’s life could depend on it.
10. Add a Banner to Your Web Page.
Post a banner to your MySpace profile, blog, or website to show your appreciation for your local shelter. Just copy and paste the code here into your page.
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why is this inappropriate?
Millions of cats and dogs, puppies and kittens are left to fend for themselves, or "surrendered" (i.e. dumped) at shelters and humane societies in the U.S. each year. The problem does not lie in the shelters who try to find homes or space or foster care or medical care for these animals. The problem lies with us---people who need to spay and neuter our animals, and educate those who don't--and educate those who are still buying animals from pet stores and breeders. Please don't blame the shelters for doing what is a horribly devastating job. They "kill," as you say, only when there is no alternative. Can you imagine having a shelter already completely full with animals, and then having 250+ animals brought to you in a single day because a puppy mill is raided? What would YOU do? Every kitten and puppy season results in thousands of litters across the nation--most of which will not find a home, and will get dumped in shelters. Do you know the heartbreak of staff in shelters who have no room left? Please rethink your judgments, and do research at these websites: aspca.org, and hsus.org. Then consider volunteering at your local shelter. It's quite an education. That will be a good start. Thanks for reading.
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Shelters do not shelter -- they kill. The public supports shelters but it might be wise to rethink this.
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Another great way to help animal shelters - both of my children asked for donations to a local animal shelter in liu of birthday presents. Guests donated money, towels, blankets, cleaners, whatever was on the shelter's wish list. The kids felt great knowing that everything was helping the dogs and cats in the shelter. We also ended up adopting one of the dogs. The shelter director came and spoke to all of the girls invited to my daughter's birthday party too. It was very fun and very educational.
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Check with animal shelters and find out what you have that they accept as donations, i.e. blankets, towels, bowels.
Have children? Check out the ASPCA website for things you should teach your children about dogs. Play the game with them.
Push your elected officials to require spaying of animals by the time they are 2. In my area it is not required and, contrary to law, people breed some very large dogs in their apartments. If your neighbors are using their apartments to breed dogs, check the regulations with the Health Department and complain if it is illegal.
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Forgot to mention that everyone should boycott breeders, pet stores, and any other business that "sells" animals. Animal shelters, rescue groups, and sanctuaries have literally millions of animals who need to be adopted!
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Sharon M. said, "
Also, I would like to mention that I have been on a mission to remove the word "owner" from the vocabulary when it comes to pets. I think the "owner" mindset contributes to the widespread abuse of animals. I didn't know what word to use, but then a few weeks ago I saw the term "pet parent" in print somewhere and thought that was perfect. It has a whole different feel, doesn't it."
I wholeheartedly agree! The word I use is "guardian." Until people realize that animals are not disposable objects or commodities to be "owned," like a car or a house, the problem of animal overpopulation and euthanization will never be solved. Please see "The Guardian Campaign" at the website for In Defense of Animals: idausa.org.
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Glad to see that you included fostering animals as well as adopting them. I am up to my 6th foster dog, all cocker spaniels. The previous 5 have been adopted and their new families are very happy with them. The dogs were all from a site that rescues that breed. Several beautiful ones were found as strays, one was abandoned in a park because he was having seizures. Each have their own story and special needs because of their history.
People ask if I miss them when they leave. I am happy that I had the dog long enough to restore the animal's faith in people. It makes it easier to find a permanent home.
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I would have put spaying and neutering at the top of the list with flashing lights all around it.
Also, I would like to mention that I have been on a mission to remove the word "owner" from the vocabulary when it comes to pets. I think the "owner" mindset contributes to the widespread abuse of animals. I didn't know what word to use, but then a few weeks ago I saw the term "pet parent" in print somewhere and thought that was perfect. It has a whole different feel, doesn't it.
As would follow, I am vehemently opposed to the selling and breeding of pets as a commodity, and I want to see that industry boycotted by everyone and permanently put out of business. The term "responsible breeder" is an oxymoron, particularly with millions of cats and dogs in need of people to take care of them.
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Could I also suggest, on a slightly larger scale, helping here http://www.brightfuturesfarm.org/ (I WISH I'd known they were being voted on) or here http://www.canterusa.org/ ? I know cats and dogs need so much, and there are more cats and dogs. I'm sure some exotic animal folks can also recommend groups! But there are also more and more horses in need/abused by people who shouldn't even have a goldfish, let alone be trusted with a large animal.
Speaking of trust: most shelters and rescues do heroic work, but if you're looking at smaller groups, do a little snooping/Googling/asking around...nothing more disheartening than finding out a "good foster home" is really some crazy hoarder or an under-the-table breeder/dealer :-{
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