Are you an animal lover? If so, you’ll want to keep reading! Shelter animals need your help. As i’m getting older, my illusion that euthanasia in shealters being a thing of the past shattered completely. Perhaps it was naïve to think that enough support for animals in need would be provided, because well, they’re cute and fluffy and every movie with shelter euthanasia portrays it as something completely evil. The reality is, shelters aren’t often funded enough to keep animals alive and euthanasia of perfectly healthy animals is still common practice. 

While I don’t know what the situation looks like everywhere, I know some shelters that get an influx of animals without an influx of adopters. So, dozens of cats and dogs get euthanized at a time. Funding can even become so scarce that method of euthanasia becomes less humane and more affordable. 

Shelter employees aren’t necessarily the bad guys in this circumstance, though. Maybe there are no bad guys. If we want practices like this to stop, we all have to do our part to support animals in shelters. Here are ways you can get involved.

Adopt

OK, I love purebred cuties as much as anyone and it’s understandable why many individuals and families would prefer to buy their pets from a breeder. However, let’s dive into why adopting a pet from the shelter is a dazzling idea! One, you could literally be saving that animal’s life. If a shelter animal is in those shelter cages, there’s a chance they’re on a euthanasia list. This may make you want to adopt them all, but even providing one animal with a loving home is better than nothing! Two, many shelter animals are prebred! If you’re dead set on having a purebred breed, you can always check in with local shelters to see if any of the animals there fit your taste. Three, mutts have more fun 😉 If you do end up adopting a mutt from the shelter, you can enjoy knowing mixed breed pets have fewer medical problems overall and experience an on average longer lifespan! Four, shelter animals have often been through something tough. Be it neglect, hunger, or lack of cuddles, your shelter animal turned house pet might be all the more grateful to be in your life! 

Bonus points if you adopt a senior animal! Senior dogs and cats tend to be adopted at much smaller rates than younger animals. Much of the time, these mellow sweeties need a home much more than the youngsters do. Adopting a senior pet is a great way to do even more to support a shelter and save an animal’s life, giving them the best fun and love they could get in their final stretch of life.

Volunteer

If you have free time, why not spend it helping out some super cute animals? Volunteering for a local animal shelter is such a great way to give back and help support animals in need. If you don’t have the financial means to help boost your local shelter that way, volunteering is still an amazing way to put some love into the animals’ lives, help increase their chance of adoption, and decrease their chance of euthanasia. A lot of the time, people who already have pets or feel like they can’t give a pet the best life can volunteer at an animal shelter to still make a big difference in the lives of animals, and not to mention, a positive impact on the community.

Donate Supplies

Maybe adopting or volunteering really don’t fit into your time frame. Fret not! Shelters are commonly in desperate need of supplies that will help them take care of animals. Pet beds, food, toys, blanket, bowls, medical supplies, etc are typically gladly accepted by animal shelters to help give the fur babies all they can. Even if it’s bringing in things a current pet has grown out of or a passed on pet left behind, it’s good to know pet supplies are being used and loved by other animals.

Donate Finances

Speaking of making donations, if you have the means, donating finances to local animal shelters can help them continue operations, continue to care for animals, and delay euthanasia as much as possible. The more resources a shelter has, the more animals they will be able to care for longer until animals all find happy homes. If you’re considering giving back to something you care about monetarily, donating to animal shelters actively working to eliminate the need for euthanasia is always a great option to support local animals.

Foster

If you have the ability to take on hands-on care for an animal shelter, great! You should consider fostering an animal in need! Typically, fosters are needed for young shelter animals in order to get a higher level of care or get accustomed to being in a home before eventually being adopted. By fostering a shelter animal, you can enjoy the perks of playing with and loving on a cute animal while also providing an amazing service for that pet. Fostering helps guide animals away from the shelter life and toward a bright future of adoption, and for those who have the time and space to provide foster care for animals, it can be an entirely rewarding experience!

Help spread the word

Finally, a great way to consistently support shelters and help save animal lives is to spread the word. Is your local shelter filling up? Share the shelter’s need for volunteers and adoptions online to help make an impact! Is the shelter in desperate need of canned pet food? Share with your community members so they know they can bring donations in. It takes a village to save animals in local shelters sometimes, and spreading the word can do much more than one might think!

How do you plan on helping your local shelter animals? Do you know of more ways people can support animal shelters? Let us know in the comments!