The holidays are a time for giving (and receiving), and often around this time of year, people are hurting, they are in need of love and thoughts from others. This time of year, pets are left out too, they are in need of love and attention as much as humans are. This year, maybe make a difference in a dog or cat’s life and give back a little something to the pet community.
In the spirit of the holidays, here are some ways you can give back to pets in your community:
Pet Food and Doghouse Drive
Offer to organize a pet food and doghouse drive to help support local shelters and residents in need. Set up a location and date, get some friends together and get the word out that you are collecting dog and cat food and homes to help animals in need.
One amazing story of a young girl who did something similar, then took it to the next level is Mimi Ausland. At age 12, she decided that she wanted to feed a good meal to the tens-of-thousands of dogs and cats in shelters across the nation. She founded FreeKibble.com (and FreeKibbleKat.com) to help feed the need and now runs a successful advocacy program for dogs and cats with the help of some corporate sponsors. For her amazing efforts, she was granted the ASPCA’s Kid of the Year in 2008. No matter how big you can reach, you can help.
Foster a Lonely Pet
Christmas can be a tough time for people with all the stress of family, friends, and buying stuff. More and more around the holidays people abandon their pets and surrender them to already overcrowded animal shelters. How can you help those poor pets who are homeless? Work with a local shelter and foster a dog. Dog fostering is a beneficial program for shelters, dogs and foster parents. It is a great way to make a difference, give back to your pet community and have a warmer, critter-filled Christmas. All you need to do is contact local shelters to find out more about fostering animals.
Pet Toy Donation
Are you feeling generous, but not sure where to direct that urge? Make the holidays a little brighter for furry friends by donating new (or gently used) dog or cat toys to a local animal shelter. Shelters are always in need of toys and other pet supplies, and donating will benefit pets in need in your community. If you are unsure of what to give, call up the shelter and just ask, they’d be happy to hear from you! No need to worry about finding cool dog toys and cat toys…we’ve gotcha covered!
Foster a Soldier’s Pet
There are some amazing programs out there that truly benefit pets and owners in need of support. Programs like Guardian Angels for Soldiers’ Pet, allows qualified people to foster animals for military personnel while they are deployed. What a cool way to serve the men and women that serve this country, as well as their beloved pets?! A soldier wants to come home to his pets, instead of having to give them up due to lack of care while he is away. Why not help be the solution and bring a soldier’s pet into your home for awhile? Click here to find out more about this cool program. If you are not able to foster a dog, but would still like to support the program, you can still help in many ways like contributing and volunteering.
Adopt a pet...for Yourself
As I said earlier, pet shelters are overcrowded during the holidays, and if you are ready to bring a pet into your life, why not adopt a pet? Know what you are getting yourself into by bringing a pet into your heart and home (if you have never before) and my advice is only adopt a pet for yourself, do not adopt a pet for someone else as a gift.
These are only a few ideas of ways you can give back to your pet community. Do you have any ideas or things you have done in the past to give back?
