Throughout the year, millions of dogs are surrendered to animal shelters. If they could talk, these dogs would all tell us their unique stories, how they are longing for a second chance—which they all deserve!
Even though shelters do a fantastic job at providing a safe environment and basic care, surrendered dogs flourish best when loving, compassionate individuals step in and make a difference. You don’t necessarily need to adopt a dog to make a difference.
As Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” There are so many ways to help shelter dogs, and the following are twelve meaningful ways you can help.
1. Give Them a Furr-ever Home
Of course, this is the no.1 option because it provides the dog with a loving, stable, and permanent family. A lasting home will allow the dog to feel more relaxed and thrive. This also means it opens up a space at the shelter to foster another surrendered dog until it can be adopted.
Even if the dog is not replaced by another in the shelter, fewer animals means workers can offer better care and attention for the dogs that are left behind.
2. Open Your Home For a Little While
An option is a big step, and not everyone can offer that, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any tools to help. Fostering opens your home to a dog for a little while, and it is a fantastic, heartwarming action. Think of it as a little sleepover!
This allows our furry friends to get a little break from shelter life and allows you to witness how quickly these dogs can transform from shy or scared into tail-wagging joys running around. Fostering a dog might increase its chances of being adopted because it can go back to the shelter relaxed and with more confidence, making it a little easier to charm its potential new owners.
3. Let’s Give a Day and Volunteer at Our Local Shelter
By volunteering at a shelter, you might possibly be their favorite part of their day. There are so many ways to help out at a shelter, including walking the dogs, cleaning their kennels, helping with meals, or even giving them some hugs and kisses!
Any activity you offer towards helping at a shelter will bring comfort and joy to these furry friends. In return for providing your time, here is what you can expect to get in return: some exercise, a lot of dribbling kisses, and guaranteed tail wags!
4. No time? No Worries! You Can Donate Supplies.
There are a lot of supplies that go into keeping a shelter up and running but unfortunately shelters can often face tight budgets.
Many times, shelters rely on their community for donations of essential items like food to keep their bellies full, doggy beds that ensure snuggly warm nights, toys for stimulation, and cleaning supplies to keep the shelter feeling fresh.
5. Sponsor a Dog
The amazing thing about helping shelter dogs is that there are so many ways to do so. If adopting a dog of your own or fostering for a while isn’t in the cards for you, you can sponsor a dog without the big responsibility.
Offering to financially care for an animal until it is adopted can cover vital expenses like medical care, ensure it receives nutritious food, and provide a cozy bed. You can contact your local shelter and find out whether they offer sponsorship programs.
6. Be an Advocate for Adoption
Word of mouth is an excellent advertisement to get a company’s name out there. This can be an easy task to accomplish; you can simply help by sharing some heartwarming stories, posts, or pics on social media or with your friends when socializing over some coffee.
When we share our positive stories about shelter animals, we can bust myths about surrendered animals being “damaged” or “less lovable.” Your conversation or post can turn a “no, thank you” into a “yes, please!”
7. Be a Good Dog With Training and Socialization
Most of the dogs surrendered at a shelter have not had the opportunity to learn some basic commands or even how to walk on a leash. Teaching them these life lessons can give them a step in the right direction towards adoption.
It also helps when dogs have had exposure to socialize with other dogs; this can boost their confidence! Potential adopters will likely be more prone to adopt a well-behaved and full-of-charm dog rather than a dog who has never been taught any manners and is shy. These two activities offer the dogs bonding time while they wait to be adopted.
8. Be Part of Charity Events
It is very beneficial for shelters to host fundraisers, as any dollar that is raised can help in some way towards their care. There are a lot of different activities that can raise money, whether it is with a bake sale, a charity run, a raffle competition, or a market. Any effort you give towards a charity event will help their expenses, no matter how small. Not to mention, fundraisers are a lot of fun. To make it even better, you can include the dogs, and hopefully, a few adoptions can happen on the same day!
9. Did Anybody Say, Car Rides?
Volunteering as a transport driver is an excellent way to help shelter dogs. Being a shelter dog’s chauffeur means you can help when they need rides to the vet, foster homes, or even adoption events. Not only do they get to their locations, but it also offers an opportunity to meet new people and find a forever home by showing off their beautiful personalities within different neighborhoods. And who doesn’t like some extra company while driving around?
10. Snap a Pic and Share!
A dog’s online profile can make or break whether somebody chooses to adopt them while looking at shelter profiles online. High-quality photos and an intriguing bio can really shine a light on the dog’s profile. If photography is your hobby, then volunteering to take cute pictures is an amazing way to help! As they say, sharing is caring. So, make sure to share their portraits on social media to help boost visibility.
11. Stand Behind Spay and Neuter Programs
This is such an important cause to be a part of. Overpopulation can happen quickly, and that leads to more dogs in shelters than beds! Spaying and neutering dogs can help prevent this problem from happening. This can help shelters stay ahead and give them a chance to help the dogs that are already in need.
12. Show Compassion and Have Some Endurance
Some dogs often arrive at the shelter with a horrible past, and it might take some time for them to shake it off and feel safe or loved again. Whether you’re volunteering, fostering, or adopting, it would be very beneficial to show the dog some kindness and patience. A little can go a long way. It must feel like an amazing achievement to be the person who made a dog feel loved again!
