We love animals. My daughter would like a dog, but I think that we are full at the moment. With fish, two pet rats, and four – ack! – cats, the ark is definitely not taking any more animals at the moment.
She would also like to be a vet (and a sushi chef, and a doctor, and a …). She likes to pretend that she is rescuing animals. If you have a child who also loves animals, visiting or helping an animal shelter or rescue center is one way to encourage their interest.
If you can visit the shelter and help out, that’s great. While most shelters will allow you to visit, only a few will allow you to volunteer directly with the animals if you have a small child, because they are worried about liability.
However, you can help out in many other ways. If you have room in your home, you can foster animals that the shelter cannot accommodate. Just be sure that your child knows that the situation is temporary.
Shelters and other rescue centers also have virtual adopt a pet programs. Children can use their allowance or proceeds from a lemonade stand to sponsor an animal each month. This helps pay for the animal’s food and care.
Kids can also help collect items for the animal shelter. Shelters often need things that many of us might throw out. Items like old towels are important for drying off dogs. Storage bins, gloves, and many other oddball items are necessary and expensive to buy. You can ask the shelter for its list of needed items and collect them from friends and family.
If you don’t have a shelter near you, take a virtual visit to the animal rescue center. Our local raptor rescue center has an eagle cam, a camera that looks into an eagle’s nest at a pair of eagles and their eggs. Since the center is a fairly long drive from our house, this is a good way to learn about the animals without having to travel. Animal rescue centers and nature reserves around the world are now hooking up to the internet as a way to educate people about the animals that they help rescue.
Image courtesy of minita at Stock Exchange.