Dog Tip of the Day

Helping Homeless Pets in Tough Economic Times

Today's economy is tough not only on people but on pets. Not only are difficult times making it harder for people to adopt but foreclosures mean a growing number of animals at shelters....while at the same time donations to shelters drop.

But Best Friends, the incredible Utah shelter that's the largest in the country (you might be familiar with them from the DogTown series on the National Geographic Channel), believes that through simple steps, everyone can help.

Liz Finch, manager of Best Friends' No More Homeless Pets Department said, "We are seeing the necessity now more than ever of all of us working together to solve the homeless pets problem," Finch said. "Here is what we know at Best Friends: the people in this country have an amazing ability to reach out and help. How many times have we seen people turn out in force after a hurricane or tornado? Yes, these are especially difficult times, but Best Friends knows that solving the homeless pets issue is a miracle of many small choices. None of us can solve this alone. Do one small thing and get your friends to do one small thing, too. It's amazing how fast these small sacrifices add up."

Six Simple Steps You Can Take to Help

1. Make a small donation to your local rescue group or shelter and get five of your friends to do the same. Small amounts add up fast.
2. Volunteer at your local shelter or rescue group.
3. Foster a homeless pet and promote it for adoption.
4. Spay/neuter your pets. If you can afford to do so, donate the cost of a spay/neuter for a neighbor who cannot pay to have their pet altered.
5. If you can, consider adopting one more dog or one more cat.
6. Donate to the local pet food bank (in many communities there are organizations dedicated to distributing pet food and some traditional food banks also accommodate pet owners).

For More Information:

• visit the Best Friends Network
  
• click on the resources tab in the No More Homeless Pets community: http://network.bestfriends.org/nmhp.You'll find helpful all sorts of helpful information on fundraising.
  

Labels: shelters

posted by Paris and John @ 2:36 PM