We’ve all seen the commercials with sad songs and sick/lonely animals on our television screen.
If you’re anything like us, your heart breaks into a million pieces and you reach for the remote control to switch out of the brief torment. Although many of us hurt and truly feel for the animals we see, most of us don’t do much about it.
We love our animals to the fullest and give them all their deepest desires, but there are still others out there that could use your heart and help. If you are willing to volunteer and make an effort, we can assure you that you will be impacting yourself as well as many others around you. We want to offer some options to you so that you can get involved in a way that is practical and feasible for your family!
5 Tips
on how YOU can help save the animal world!
1. GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL SHELTERS
All animal shelters are different and have different rules and regulations. It is important to familiarize yourself with the ones in your surrounding area so you know what is accessible to you. Some shelters are at high capacity and are kill shelters. Please try to avoid turning in an animal to a shelter like this, as their chances of survival are not very high. If you have found an animal please take them to a facility that can check to see if they have a microchip or not. This could be an easy and quick solution to reuniting a pet with its owner. If the animal does not have a chip, consider what might be the next best option for them so you can do your part in ensuring they have a second chance at life.
**Here is an easy way to search what’s around you**
2. SAVE THE CATS BY TNR
The sad reality that about 70% of shelter cats are euthanized is devastating. We might not be able to stop the overwhelming numbers in shelters currently, but we can try to stop over population from continuing to occur through trap-neuter-return or TNR. This is a process in which feral cats are caught, brought in to be neutered or spayed, and are then released back into the wild. By doing this, you are helping to limit extreme numbers of feral cats.
How many to be exact? Well, according to Fayette humane society, an average cat has about 1-8 kittens per litter, with 2-3 litters per year. With the possibility of a 100 kittens during a female’s productive life, a single pair of cats and their kittens could produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years. That’s right, 420,000 kittens. I’ll give you a moment to digest that and see how big of an impact you can make through the TNR process.
3. FUND LOCAL RESCUE GROUPS
In addition to the shelters surrounding you, there are plenty of rescue groups that help homeless animals in need. By helping them with funds, donations, and time, you can help provide care for these animals while searching for their forever home. You can also become a foster parent for many of the rescue groups, which is a tremendous help! Being a foster parent is so special. While you provide a home temporarily for an animal, you can search for a family that would be the perfect long term fit for them and you are making more space available for more animals in the shelter or rescue group’s facility.
4. SPREAD THE WORD
Social media has become an outlet accessible to most people. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just a few sites we use on a daily basis. The rate that a post can reach others all around the world is astonishing, so why not use that to our advantage?
Share adoptable pets on Facebook and Twitter through a tab on the Adopt-a-Pet.com pet search and share any posts you might come across through your local shelter/rescue. By getting the word out and sharing a bio and picture of the animal needing a home, we have been able to find many furever homes for these sweet babies. Don’t underestimate what could come from a simple post being shared with your “friends”, you never know who they might share it with!
5. SET AN EXAMPLE
One of the best ways to show others how to treat animals and give them a loving home is by doing it yourself! Whether you go to the shelter or rescue group near you and adopt an animal there, or you show responsibility through the ownership of an animal you already have, you are making a difference. Show others and educate them on why you have a pet ID tag, microchip, and keep your pets current on vaccines. Make sure to spay and neuter your pet to avoid any unnecessary breeding that could lead to complications and illness due to lack of knowledge and/or experience.
Love your pet and treat them with care and compassion for all of their days. Don’t give up on them because you are moving and don’t have the time, or because they are getting old. Take responsibility as a pet owner to provide a home for that animal for life and to do what is best for them always. Hopefully we can touch others through showing them what it is like to have a true furry family member furever.
Now when you see those sad commercials and advertisements you will know you are doing your part to help the animals that need you.
Our pets are a blessing to us and bring so much love and joy into our lives. Let us bring joy to their little hearts by being the ones that they can depend on. Unfortunately, they are unable to do this for themselves.
Find a way to be a part of your pet community and help any way that you can. There are endless items to donate, ways to spend time volunteering, and plenty of pups and kitties longing for their furever home!
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