It is truly a heartbreaking scenario to find helpless, starved, and wounded animals sniffing through dumpsters or sleeping underneath cars. Like humans, animals need shelter, food, water, care, and attention to live their lives happily and healthily. Unfortunately, not all animals are born with these needs provided for. Many homeless animals end up starving to death, hit by a car, or living their entire lives in unfortunate. If you are an animal lover who wants to contribute to saving these homeless beings, below are some of the possible means you can help.
Donate Supplies
Visit your local shelter or animal rescue organization to inquire about the supplies they are in greatest need of. Most shelters and rescue groups are non-profit organizations, meaning they have limited funds. To help them better care for rescued animals and perform more rescue operations, provide the supplies they need, such as bedding, pet food, housing, vitamins, etc. Even secondhand items like your PC printer, blankets, and crates can be of great value for these facilities. Ask first though – don’t just show up with a bunch of boxes.
Maximize Your Efforts
One or two blankets will help, but it’s a long way from helping all the homeless animals in your community. If you have plenty of time to kill, you can become the point person for a particular necessity your shelter has. For example, if your shelter requires bedding or linens, call your relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbours and ask if they can spare their used ones. If this goes well, you could do so every year around the holidays or whenever you have time off, like the summer. You’d be surprised how easy it is to throw a party and ask for useful items as an admission fee.
Use Your Skills
Though you’d think your computer skills or carpentry short course won’t be able to help homeless animals, there are always ways to utilize your skills and talents into doing good for others. Your local shelter or animal rescue organization may require someone with your particular skill set and experience. The process of rescuing animals and caring for them does not merely need rescuers and veterinarians. They might need office assistance, training for new employees, man-power for community outreach programs, or fundraising command people with extensive knowledge and prowess for the duties at hand.
Bring One Home
Bringing a homeless animal in your home and caring for them is another great way to contribute. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can bring home a bear or deer with you. Dogs, cats, birds, and rodents are some of the animals that are domesticated and thrive equally well outside their natural habitats. Before bringing the animal home, make sure you have him/her checked up by your veterinarian to attend to wounds and to detect preventable diseases.
Help Lost Animals
Some animals you find on the streets aren’t really homeless, but lost. Despite their natural born instincts of finding their way back home, dogs and cats get lost from time to time and the outside world is no place for them. If safe enough, try to take the animal to a shelter where they can be cared for while their owners are looking for them.
About The Author:
Silas Brenneman writes about his career saving animals and the environment. His most recent work showcases the best degrees for green jobs.
Manuela Tosi
Anche io ho un cane preso da un canile.
Harold Gardner
Great post. I think it is important to remember even if you can’t do everything, you can do something.