Celebrating Gratitude for Animal Shelters
Thanksgiving is a time of year that makes us pause and reflect on what we’re grateful for and how we can give back. It’s hard not to; the holiday itself is about both thanks and giving—it’s in the name! It is a really good exercise since the rest of the year can be a blur and move fast, so being forced to take a moment to really truly think about what we are most thankful for is definitely a mood booster. It’s safe to say our dogs sit at the very top of this list. They enrich our lives with their cuteness, cuddles, and the way they love us with literally their whole being.
This season of thankfulness is also the perfect time to extend our gratitude to those who may not always be at the forefront of our minds: the committed animal shelters in our communities. Every year, The Humane Society celebrates National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, and this year, it falls on November 3- 9, 2024. It is a way to honor animal shelters and, just as importantly, the dedicated people who work to protect animals.
The Heart of the Community: Why Animal Shelters Matter
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The people who work and volunteer at animal shelters are people who are dedicating their lives to the love of all animals. The kind hearts of these individuals are what make our communities better. They are the heroes behind the scenes, protecting and caring for animals within our local neighborhoods. They spend endless hours of quality time with the animals and learn about their personalities, likes, and dislikes. |
A special relationship that, in the end, helps match a potential adopter with an animal that fits a particular lifestyle and family. Animal shelters, on the other hand, are much more than a place for abandoned or stray animals to stay until they find their forever homes. While animal shelters play an important part in finding the perfect home for animals, they also serve larger purposes and missions that are critical to the wellbeing of both animals and a community. A glimpse at all the work they do: |
- Animal care: Shelters provide food, water, shelter, veterinary care, rehabilitation, and behavior training for animals.
- Finding homes: Shelters find new homes for lost animals and reunite pets with their owners. They provide a second chance where they can receive medical care and have a safe place until they find their new, loving home.
- Preventing overpopulation: Shelters work to reduce overpopulation through spay and neuter services and education.
- Educating the public: Shelters advocate for animal rights, promote animal welfare policies, and educate the public on key issues.
- Keeping communities safe: Keeping communities safe: Shelters safeguard animals from abuse and cruelty while also protecting citizens from any animal-related health hazards.
- Responding to disasters: Shelters can be on the front line of rescue efforts after a disaster.
- Providing resources: Some shelters provide resources to pet owners, like low-cost vaccinations and pet food banks.
- Animal Advocates: They are at the forefront of advocating for animal rights and promoting animal welfare policies, bringing awareness to a broader group of people and seeking action.
While shelters help families find their new four-legged family members, bringing joy and companionship to individual homes, the work they do every day serves a much larger purpose for the broader community, making it more compassionate and stronger.
How You Can Get Involved Year-Round
There are so many ways you can help! Whether you donate your time and supplies or even adopt a pet, every bit of help makes a huge difference. It’s also incredibly rewarding to be doing something so positive and good. And, as a pet owner, you know your furry bestie will appreciate all that good you are doing! |
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- Volunteer Your Time: Shelters rely on volunteers for lots of tasks, from walking dogs and playing with cats to helping with cleaning or admin work. Even an hour or two a week can make a noticeable difference!
- Donate: Many animal shelters are non-profit. This means they depend on donations and grants to stay open and operating! Money donations are incredibly helpful, allowing shelters to cover medical expenses and daily care for their animals. If you don’t want to donate money, you can also donate supplies like blankets, toys, food, and cleaning products.
- Foster a Pet: Fostering is a wonderful way to help animals in transition. It gives pets a temporary home while making space at the shelter for other animals in need.
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- Spreading the Word: While getting directly involved is great, just having the convo with friends or family about shelters and understanding what they do could inspire the next person to volunteer or donate. Many people are often surprised to learn about the efforts that go on behind the scenes at an animal shelter.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of animals and ensure these shelters continue to feel all the love! Now that is something to be really grateful about!
Are you looking for a place to start? – at Petfinder, you can search your city, and it will give you a list of shelters in your neighborhood.
This particular topic is near and dear to Happy Hound’s heart. We work closely with local shelters and rescues to help foster dogs that may be more challenging to place, like large dogs or dogs who may need a bit more socialization or who may just need just a tad bit more TLC all around . We provide boarding and daycare and get them all gussied up with our grooming services and, of course, we provide tons and tons of loving accolades and pets until they find their forever family. Read more about our Foster Program here.