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© Hilary Schwab |
| Shelter workers around the U.S. need your support for their vital programs. |
Has your family adopted a fantastic cat?
Have you ever found a stray dog and wound up taking her to the one place you knew that would always take in lost animals?
Animal shelters provide more services to communities across the country than many of us imagine.
Always There
Perhaps your area's local animal shelter provides humane education in your child's school. Maybe it helped a senior citizen you know keep their beloved pet. You may have even read a newspaper article about dozens of animals who your local humane sociey rescued from a bad situation.
The incredible commitment and livesaving work of these organizations is annually recognized during National Animal Shelter Appreciation (NASA) Week. This year, it will be held Nov. 4-10, and The HSUS is celebrating the occasion by sharing the many ways we can all support vital shelter programs.
Some of those are listed here.
Extreme Makeover: "In Need of Homes" Edition
Know a shelter in need of a makeover? Help them earn one in a shelter makeover contest. Zootoo—a website founded by pet lovers—runs such a competition and turns individual feedback on pet products into points for competing shelters. Users select which shelter they'd like to support and then review and rate pet-related items to increase that shelter's chances of winning.
How it Helps
One competing shelter is The Animal Shelter Inc., a private operation in Sterling, Mass. "Our shelter is about 30 years old," said Executive Director Leigh Grady. "It's not very practical as far as the set-up goes.
If we have more than two people in the kitchen they fall over each other … our cat intake area is part of our kitchen, and the general public has to walk through the kitchen to get to the kennel."
Winning the contest would make for "a brighter, more cheerful place for our visitors to see the animals waiting for adoption," Grady said. "Though we're an old facility, we are very clean, and the animals are extremely well cared for."
Presents 4 Pets
In support of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) conducts Presents 4 Pets, an annual collection drive.
NAPPS pet sitters deliver pet supplies and donations from their clients and other animal lovers in their communities to local shelters and rescue organizations. This program benefits shelter animals, creates awareness of community shelters and has helped many animals find new homes.
How it Helps
In the past, NAPPS sitters have coordinated donation drives through pet supply stores and other local businesses. In one area this year, a fast-food Mexican restaurant chain gave a free taco to anyone who dropped off an animal shelter donation at its store. The restaurant reportedly gave out $14,000 in tacos—that's a lot of cat toys and dog beds!
Donated items can include toys, treats, blankets, towels, rugs, beds, bleach, leashes, collars, coupons or newspapers. To donate, contact a NAPPS petsitter near you.
Web Works
There are still more ways to participate online in NASA. Check out the Top 10 Ways You Can Support Your Local Animal Shelter to learn how to download a banner to your blog, MySpace or FaceBook sites.
Call on Me
Or, just give your local shelter a call! Every shelter has specific needs, and a quick phone call asking what is most vital to your shelter's programs can go a long way. If nothing else, send a note, some flowers or a box of cookies, and let the staff know that you appreciate what they do every day to help animals in your community.
If you work or volunteer for a shelter, visit a website for shelter professionals for all the information you need to plan a National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week celebration.
