Animal shelters are an important part of any community. This year, November 6 - 11, is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. It started in 1996 based on a great idea from the Capital Humane Society located in Lincoln Nebraska and now has gone national always occurring during the first full week of November. The National Animal Shelter Appreciation week has a twofold focus. First, it is dedicated to promoting and acknowledging the valuable role animal shelters have in our communities. Second is its focus to raise the public's awareness of animal welfare issues as well as the services provided by animal shelters.
The Humane Society of the United States does amazing work especially in parts of the United States that have displaced animals due to natural disasters. Nowadays, however, their work goes further due to the economy and its impact. Many people have had to let their animals go often turning them into a shelter or in some cases, simply releasing them into the world because they do not have the financial resources to keep them. This is where animal shelters and rescues can be of immense value.
The Espanola Valley Humane Society located in New Mexico just north of Santa Fe has a mission, "...to improve the quality of life of companion animals in the Espanola Valley." Their goal is to find every dog and cat in their care a "happy and loving home." And no one is turned away or judged for the decisions they have to make.
The Huron Humane Society located in northeastern Michigan offers a variety of services to its animals including full veterinary services for all the animals in their care. They make sure the animals are checked out and healthy especially before adoption which is the animal service of which most of us are aware. As you might suspect, it is important to find loving homes for animals. Some say it is a critical component of their care. When you think about getting (or giving) a pet to someone check out your local humane or animal shelter first. Check out the The Shelter Pet Project / Adopt a Pet website. It was created as an effort to help place homeless and stray animals. Their mission as the website tagline says is, "A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet. Be that person." They are connected to animals located in thousands of animal shelters and rescue facilities throughout the country many of which offer temporary placement until a new family is found for the animal.
The Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society accepts more than 10,000 lost, stray, injured or abandoned animals each year relying for the majority of their funding from private donors such as individual, companies and foundation. They offer humane education programs through local schools teaching children how to respect and car for all living creatures. As their website states, "...we work for change in the lives of our companion animals and to end the suffering of all animals."
Spaying and neutering is another issue in the animal world. According to the website, "The Humane Society of the United States is committed to supporting efforts to reduce the population of stray and unwanted companion animals." Overpopulation of animals, especially stray dogs and cats, can be reduced if they are spayed or neutered.
PAWS Chicago - Pets Are Worth Saving - was founded in 1997. At that time, more than 800 homeless dogs and cats were being killed every week in Chicago. In that year, 42,561 deaths occurred. PAWS Chicago was founded to raise awareness of this practice and stop it through high profile events and public awareness campaigns. Since 1997 the number of "kills" has dropped by 50% but as they say, there is much work still to be done.
Many reading this will ask how they can help? Here are five (5) recommendations and tips you can do that will Make A Difference (M.A.D.):
1. Consider adopting an animal from an animal shelter or humane society facility. A simple search on the Internet with the words "animal shelter" plus the geographic area will usually take you directly to options available in your area.
2. Consider becoming a volunteer at an animal shelter. If you have a love for animals but either your lifestyle or your living situation does not allow you to have a pet of your own, become a volunteer at an animal shelter or humane society. They always need people to walk the dogs and pet the cats to name a few things almost anyone could provide
3. Make a financial donation to an animal shelter. They are always in need of funding to keep the animals in their care safe.
4. Have your animal spayed or neutered to reduce the unwanted animal population.
5. Take up a "pet food" drive for your local animal shelter. Ask the local animal shelter what it needs then work with your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and others to secure what is needed.
Bonus Tip: Take a senior citizen with you to the animal shelter; see how their faces light up at the idea of spending a day helping the animals.
There are many ways to help the animals in our community. One of the best is by working with your local animal shelter or humane society. Through becoming a volunteer, donor, board member or simply an advocate, you will be helping some of those in your community who are the most vulnerable. Animals can often be overlooked in the stress and busy-ness of our daily lives. Take a moment to remember the animals. Then determine how your plan of action. Whatever it is, you will be Making A Difference (M.A.D)! What will you do to be M.A.D. for the animals in your community?
Follow Lisa M. Dietlin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lisadietlin
Michael Gilmour: Companion Animals and Spirituality
Animal Shelter - Adopt a homeless dog or cat from a local animal ...
Animal Shelters, Animal Rescue Groups, Dog Shelters: Petfinder
The same is basically true of the ASPCA, except that they're the New York City SPCA shelter and their focus is primarily on pet animal welfare. When you see their sad commercials and call to make a donation, you're doing a wonderful thing to help homeless animals in New York. If you thought they would share the money with the SPCA shelters in your area, you were mistaken. Of the $130M+ dollars they took in last year $7M went to various animal welfare organizations around the country. The rest went to running their NY based shelter, and their ongoing work to promote animal welfare issues.
The only reason I'm pointing this out is because of the confusion caused by their names. The HSUS and ASPCA are recipients of many millions of dollars donated by people who probably thought that some of the money would go to animals in their own community.
The HSUS works for ALL animals - cats, dogs, bears, pigs, seals, and everything else. You can read more about our work at http://www.humanesociety.org/about/
And you just did it again by saying you've given millions of dollars to local shelters for spay/neuter programs. You didn't mention that the millions given to these programs are spread out over several years and that you're giving $800-$1500 to each recipient. That's enough for what... advertising? And I bet you're sure to mention in the ads that your organization sponsors these low cost spay neuter "programs" thereby getting more donations to your organization by tricking people into thinking you're contributing on a more substantial level.
Though you mention how you offer support to all US shelters (even though you make more off them than they'll ever see from you) perhaps on your "donate" page you could mention that the shelters could use financial donations too, and offer a search feature so people could find shelters in their area in need of funds.
Giving to your local shelter is always a good idea, but living in the San Francisco area I'd like to point out that some shelters are needier than others. We give money to the Peninsula Humane Society every year because they're our county's animal control and they're an open door shelter. But they're not exactly hurting for cash. The San Francisco SPCA, as great as they are- they don't need my money. The animals in their care have large rooms with tons of toys. The cats even have TVs in their rooms that play bird videos.
Instead we give money to local city run animal shelters- the open door facilities left with the unfortunate burden of having to euthanize unwanted pets. We praise the no-kill shelters, but unless you're open door it's an undeserved distinction.
DOGS AND CATS ARE BEING KILLED EVERY DAY!
ADOPTERS / FOSTERS DESPERATELY NEEDED!!!
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
Urgent Death Row Dogs:
www.urgentdeathrowdogs.org
Urgent PART2 on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Urgentdeathrowdogs
Dogs About To Die :(
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206358356043718.56767.152876678058553&type=1
http://muttscomics.com/
“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” ~ Ben Williams