Ten Ways To Help Your Shelter

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

27 Sep 2006 12:59 PM

Maybe your schedule doesn't give you the time to volunteer every week. Maybe you don't feel comfortable talking to potential adopters. Here are ten great ways for you to help your local shelter that you may not have thought of!

1. Take a shelter dog to obedience classes. This is a great one for college kids on summer or winter break; obedience classes can be done in just a few weeks.
2. Help socialize the animals. Just spending time in the cat room or playing ball with a frisky pup can help increase their chances of being adopted.
3. Help your shelter create or improve their online presence. If you have the know-how, offer to build or update the shelter's website. If you're good with a camera, offer to take flattering pictures of all the adoptable pets. Help the staff keep websites up-to-date. Add your shelter to Petfinder if they aren't there already, and offer to handle the updates.
4. Offer a skill that the shelter may not have but may need. Are you a lawyer? They may need legal advice. Are you an accountant? They may need help with the books.
5. Help with fundraising. It can be as simple as asking your coworkers to kick in $5 each in support of the shelter. Work at a local restaurant? Invite local celebrities to work as wait staff for the evening and donate tips to the shelter. Work at a hair salon? Team up with a groomer to offer a day of beauty for people and pets, and donate the proceeds to your favorite shelter. Be creative! And don't forget to advertise.
6. Write for the shelter newsletter. A newsletter is a great way to keep the community involved with what has been going on at the shelter! If you've got writing skills or design skills to offer, the shelter will surely be glad to take advantage of them.
7. Share your green thumb. When you buy plants for your garden and window boxes, buy a few extra and plant them outside the shelter.
8. Get crafty. Build a jungle gym for the cats to play on, or help erect new outside play areas for the dogs.
9. Get even craftier! Do you knit? Make jewelry? Give some of your special products to the shelter to sell, and let them keep the profits.
10. Get more people involved. Invite your friends, your family, and your coworkers to join you in helping your local shelter.

Learn more about animal shelters and volunteering at Familes.com!

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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Megan Bayliss (3586) 27 Sep 2006 01:54 PM

Aimee this would be a good cause for the wearing of a support your local pet shelter T.Shirt for "Topical Whensday" ( http://mental-health.families.com/blog/topical-whensday-when-will-you-cause-an-effect ). Another thing about animals that really bothers me is when a family exits their home due to domestic violence they often have no where to leave their beloved pet. Boarding at pet shelters is too expensive for the family and the family often have to relinquish their pet. Good blog. Thanks.

Aimee Amodio (11995) 27 Sep 2006 02:23 PM

More and more states are starting to include pets in domestic violence legislature. Maine was just the first: http://pets.families.com/blog/maine-legislation-protects-abused-pets

zonamytte (19675) 27 Sep 2006 02:41 PM

Volunteering time at a shelter is also great as a date and/or family activity! My husband and I used to walk dogs everyweekend for a shelter for two hours, we talked excercised and the dogs got to be out of their kennels! Now we do it as a family!