Let’s face it: most animal shelters need help throughout the year in the form of volunteers, monetary donations, and donations of food and other items for the residents. But the holidays are a great time to offer a little extra help to your favorite shelter!
If you’re the sort of person who buys holiday gifts for your furry, feathered, and scaly family members, you might want to think about picking up an extra something and bringing it to your local shelter. Food, treats, and toys are always welcome. Your local shelter may also keep a list of specifics they need — like kitten milk replacement, grooming supplies, or office supplies. Check with your favorite animal shelter or rescue before you head out to shop for your animal family, and see if there are any wishes you can grant while you’re at it!
Shelters and rescues may also need extra volunteer help around the holidays. If you’ll be home for the holidays, you could donate time and energy to helping out. A lot of folks do travel for the holidays, and this can leave animal shelters understaffed.
What could you do to help? There are plenty of things! Walk dogs, play with kitties, help clean kennels, serve meals, run a few loads of laundry, answer phones, stuff envelopes, lead tours of the facility, and more.
And if you need to finish up your holiday shopping? Consider making a donation to a shelter or rescue in someone’s name (or in honor of a lost pet). The pet-lovers on your shopping list will appreciate the gesture.
I routinely ask family to make donations to the shelters where I got my dogs (Jersey Shore Animal Center in Brick, NJ for Miko and the Rutland County Humane Society in Rutland, VT for Lally and Moose). When a pet is a part of your life, that is one of the greatest gifts of all… so making a donation to one of the shelters that gave me that gift is a great holiday present for me!