Pet animals are an integral part of society as families treat pets no less than a family member. They spend thousands of dollars to ensure that their pets are not only perfectly healthy but also look adorable. As a result, businesses that are focusing on pet grooming are also doing exceptionally well. While the world of pets sounds like it is free from any distress and tragedy, it is not the same in reality. You might have seen many organizations asking donations. If you also wonder why, here is your answer.
Do Animal Shelters and Organizations Really Need Donation?
According to Zebra.com, around 3.3 million dogs were admitted to animal shelters across the United States in 2018. This number becomes several times bigger if you add the figure of 3.2 million because that many cats found themselves in the shelters that year. What’s worse is that around 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed each year because shelters don’t have enough space and resources to keep pets safely.
That’s why you see animal donation organizations asking capable human beings to be kind and to contribute whatever they can for animal shelters and their support. Just like you, many animal lovers look for ways to donate and help animals. While there are several ways to help animal shelters like becoming a foster parent for pet animals and volunteering at animal shelters, one of the best ways you can assist them is by donating money.
Monetary donations make a huge difference to animal charities and shelters because, this way, they can put the money where it is needed the most. Animal shelters need resources and supplies, including food and bedding. Apart from this, they also require veterinary care for their animals, such as medical treatments and spaying/neutering.
Many shelters also need money to expand their facility so that they can take in more stray pet animals that are in dire need of care. Animal shelters need to provide care to abandoned animals until they find a suitable home. Sadly, a significant number of animals in shelters never find a home despite the fact most of them are perfectly healthy to be adopted.
Therefore, animal organizations are in desperate need of donations to ensure that they can provide quality care to animals and help them find a home.
I Do Not Have Money to Donate to Animal Shelters. How Can I Help Them?
In case you are not capable enough to donate money or you already donate money to animal organizations but also want to do more for animals, here are some of the important ways you can help.
Volunteer: You can volunteer your time at an animal shelter in your area by walking the dogs, cleaning kennels, helping with feeding, attending adoption events, playing with animals, answering the phone, managing the website, providing maintenance service (if you are a skilled handyman), and so on.
Supplies: Not all donations are monetary. You can get in touch with animal shelters in your city or state and find out what supplies they need. Most common supplies requested by animal donation organizations include toys, bedding, heating pads, crates, cleaning supplies, and food.
Adoption: If you can take care of a pet animal yourself, adoption of a pet animal from your local shelter is another great way to help your local animal organizations and shelters. If suitable, you can also think about offering foster care for a shelter’s pet animals.
So, determine how you want to help an animal shelter and take action as quickly as possible.