How to Rescue Animals Adopt Your Next Furry (or Scaly or Feathered) Family Member Next time you’re considering growing your family with something furry, scaly, or feathered check shelters and rescues in your area before considering other options. Adopt a Pet is a very useful website for finding rescues and the pets they have available.
Volunteer at Your Local Animal Shelter Animal shelters everywhere are always looking for volunteers to work with the animals. Often they have several different roles to choose from. Perhaps you prefer to walk dogs or spend one on one time with cats or maybe you’re most excited by the idea of helping match animals with the perfect new family. Regardless of your interests, you’ll find a way to help out.
Donate to Animal Rescue Organizations Donating supplies or money to an animal rescue organization is an awesome way to help make sure they can continue rescuing animals year after year.
Foster Animals Until They Find Forever Homes Most animal rescues and shelters will have a foster program to help place animals in homes while they wait for their forever family. Even if you are only able to commit to short-term fostering, providing a much-needed break from the stress of the shelter environment can be just what an animal needs to get adopted.
Amplify Information About Shelter Animals If you are active on social media or are able to spread information on shelter animals in other ways, consider sharing the profiles and pictures of the animals at your local shelter. This helps increase exposure for the animals and may result in an adoption.
Stop Consuming Animal Products One of the best ways to cut down on farmed animal suffering is to stop consuming animal products. By choosing more plant-based options you are reducing the demand for animal suffering which reduces the number of animals enduring lives on factory farms.
Report Animal Abuse When You See It If you suspect that you are witnessing, or have witnessed, animal abuse, reach out to your local animal shelter to discuss the situation and determine the next steps.
Keep Your Animals Safe Keeping the animals that you share your space with happy and healthy is one important way to help with animal rescue. By ensuring your animals are well-loved and cared for you are leading by example and can make sure that you have a positive influence on those in your community.
Start an Animal Rescue Fundraiser If you’re looking for a shorter-term but highly impactful way to make a difference and get involved in animal rescue, consider organizing a fundraiser. Whether fundraising money through a bake sale or supplies at work or school, the animals and rescue organizations will be grateful for your support.
What’s Next Animal rescue organizations are as diverse as the animals and people they serve. Regardless of the species’ that they house, they all aim to make a difference for the better in the lives of animals in need. Farm sanctuaries house once distraught farmed animals in an environment that is stimulating and comfortable for them to spend their lives. Municipal shelters are loud and fast-paced with sometimes hundreds of animals housed there at one time, but amongst all the raucous are animals being loved and cared for until they are reunited with their families or matched with a new one. Despite these differences, all these organizations have people that love animals and have dedicated their lives to animal welfare working long hours. Next time you’re at an animal shelter or rescue take a moment to thank a staff member.