How to Help Save Homeless Animals

Ways that you can help save homeless pets lives now.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience
• Knowledge
• Respect
• Willingness to get your hands dirty

1. NEVER buy a dog or cat. Always adopt. 25% of all dogs brought into shelters and county pounds are pure breed. Their adoption fees usually range from $75 to $300 depending on the medical care provided to the dog and you're helping save that animal from being put to sleep. Some people spend $1500 for a dog in a shop when there is an exact replica of that dog sitting in the county shelter crying for a new home. Cats are constantly put to sleep due to their overwhelming numbers. Help save their lives. DON'T SHOP! ADOPT! Visit www.petfinder.com to find a pet from shelters in your area.

2. Be a foster parent. This is fantastic for people who want to learn more about different types of animals but do not have the desire to keep them all permanently. Being a foster pet parent means you're pulling that animal from a place where it could be put to sleep and giving the shelters time to find it a home. Shelters do not have the space to provide for every dog so foster pet parents are a necessity in helping save lives. This takes a little patience, love and respect for what the animal has been through but it is nothing but completely rewarding. You can foster anything from dogs to guinea pigs. Visit www.petfinder.com for a list of shelters in your area that need foster parents.

3. Instead of just handing money over to someone or writing a check donate supplies. Shelters need the basics such as paper towels, bleach, Febreze, dog food etc. Buy an extra bag of supplies and bring it to your shelter. Or if you are a groomer or a vet donate your services. This will help bring down the exorbitant costs it takes to care for a homeless animal until it gets adopted.

4. Volunteer. Just donate two hours (1 hour on Saturday and Sunday) of your time per week to help walk the dogs. Sounds too easy right? Wrong. Most shelters have dozens of dogs stacked to the roofs and having to walk them all would take an army. By you coming in for just two hours you have the ability to help walk at least 12 dogs that have been cooped up for hours in a cage. It's good for the dogs because they get fresh air, a chance to stretch their legs and a chance to go to the bathroom. It's good for you because of the exercise you'll get and it's good for the shelter because it's one less cage that will have to have the poop cleaned out. Make this part of your exercise plan and along with being healthier you will be happier by knowing that you're helping as well.

5. Spay and neuter. If you have animals spay and neuter them. If you have wild cats that you feed that will allow you to pick them up then bring them into a vet to have them spayed or neutered. Feral cats have a hard life and wild kittens can starve, be eaten or worse breed more and more feral (homeless) cats. By helping to spay /neuter you are preventing unwanted animals from being born and therefore being put to sleep. Many counties have low cost spay / neuter programs. Check with your local government or you can visit www.luvmypet.com to see if there are any low cost spay/neuter programs in your area.

6. Teach your children the importance of adoption and spay / neutering. Children are the next generation and one day they will grow up to have pets of their own. Make sure they realize that a pet isn't a novelty item that can be given away like an item at a yard sale. Teach them the importance of these steps and the chain of knowledge and respect will continue.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient and realize that animals are put into their current status by us. If an animal is aggressive, withdrawn or mean it's usually because a human made them that way. Always show respect and kindness to animals and encourage the same in others.
• When becoming a foster please remember to state what types of animals you are willing to foster and why. Many shelters have disabled, geriatric or sick animals that usually will never be adopted and they are just trying to find them a home. This means that sometimes they will give you one of these animals hoping that you'll keep it (either by pity, growing attachment or force). But if you cannot accurately care for a sick, old or disabled animal please voice this at once. The only one that will suffer is the animal.