how to help
According to various reports and statistics, more than 6.3 million domestic animals enter into animal shelters and rescues across the U.S. each year. Starting today, you can be a part of the solution.
Spay/Neuter
Advocate
Wishlists
Spaying and neutering our pets is unbelievably important. Pet overpopulation can best be described as a crisis, both in the U.S. and around the world, and unconstrained cat and dog breeding creates lasting impacts. Spaying/neutering presents pet owners with a way to not only be part of the solution, but also to keep their pets healthy and safe.
Supporting legislation that improves the lives of animals is a pivotal step toward making change. There must be regulations in place for certain actions and behaviors—including legal consequences—to set a precedent. Many municipal shelters are relying on antiquated budgets to function. Contact your representatives by calling or writing a letter so that you can share your thoughts regarding local and state bills.
An animal group near you may already have a “wish list” on its website, go check it out! These lists, which highlight the current needs and donation requests of the organization, can be independent or linked directly to a website such as “Amazon” or “Chewy.” Additionally, when shopping online, consider choosing one of your local animal rescues as your “AmazonSmile Charity.”
Adopt
Donate
Volunteer
Adopting a pet is a tremendous decision that not only saves one animal, but also creates space in an already overburdened system for another, doubling the impact with every adoption. When you adopt a pet, it’s a lifelong promise (the pet’s life, of course).
Donations assist with daily operations, supplies, food, veterinary care, vaccinations, community outreach, and much more. You can also donate items, such as: food; towels; blankets and pet beds; crates and carriers; pet toys; collars, leashes, or harnesses; cat litter; and more.
Volunteering duties might include: walking dogs; cleaning; socializing cats; taking photos; office tasks; community outreach; fundraising; transporting animals; attending adoption events; and more.
Share
Educate
Foster
The more we talk about our own stories of adoption, the more we can share the message that shelter pets are not less or broken because of their circumstance. Additionally, “sharing” can quite literally mean getting on social media and sharing posts or adoption profiles from animal groups, who are constantly posting their needs, adoptable pets, wishlists, and more.
Educating others about the importance of adopting, as well as spaying and neutering our pets, is the groundwork needed for actual change. However, educating should not be confused with arguing; we can spend our time more wisely by having respectful, compassionate conversations with people who are willing to listen.
Foster homes afford shelters and rescues the ability to save even more animals, and it helps animals that would otherwise be in a cage find comfort and support. Here are some questions you might ask yourself before fostering a pet:
Am I emotionally prepared to say goodbye?
Is everyone in my home equipped for this experience (other pets included)?
Am I able to transport this pet to vet visits and adoption events?
Types of Animal Shelters
Municipal Shelters
Municipal animal shelters are run by a government, operating on a budget just like police departments, public health departments, and more. These shelters work as part of a city or county’s animal control division, and are most often funded with taxpayer monies, aiming to assist animals within the shelter’s authority while also protecting humans from the potential hazards posed by animals. As per certain regulations, municipal shelters are often contractually required to take in any animal, regardless of health, disposition, or age—including every single dog that’s surrendered, every stray cat, animals that are sick, kittens too young for adoption, animals taken from hoarding situations, and so much more. Because of this, municipal shelters are considered “open admission” and risk becoming overstrained. As part of a governmental body, the requirement that falls on these shelters is to serve the public as a whole.
Private Shelters
While some privately-run shelters do contract with one or more municipalities, most are independently-operated nonprofit facilities—not run by a government. Private shelters often have a Board of Directors establishing policies, procedures, operations, and bylaws within the shelter, and while private shelters can be open admission (if they’re contracted with a municipality) they’re most often considered “limited admission.” This means that private shelters can choose which animals they take in, and they are able to turn animals away. Private shelters are typically funded through donations, as opposed to an operating budget.
Rescue Organizations
Nonprofit rescue groups are another alternative to consider when adopting a pet; these groups can have a physical location, but often do not and are “foster-based,” relying on a network of foster homes instead. These organizations often take in animals from overburdened open admission shelters, and many function exclusively on donations and the efforts of volunteers.
“Animal rescues, open admission shelters, and limited admission shelters all serve a vital role, requiring equal amounts of care and support from us…it’s our duty to look beyond the labels and become part of the solution. I believe it’s a mistake to criticize or vilify the open admission shelters that so urgently need our support. It’s our job to help them, not decry them.”
Kimberly Palmucci, The Door to Fur-ever
Limited Admission vs. Open Admission Shelters
Open admission shelters will not, or cannot as per certain regulations, turn away an animal. This creates a problem when intake rates are high and resources are strained; these facilities adhere to the viewpoint that—in extreme conditions with limited spacing and resources—euthanasia is a more humane option for an animal, rather than that animal languishing in the streets.
Limited admission shelters, on the other hand, are not obligated to accept every animal; they can say, “we’re at capacity,” or they can also accept only a specific group of animals, such as special needs pets or very young kittens, concentrating their resources and offering services that otherwise may not be available. These facilities are often considered “no-kill” as they will not euthanize animals regarded as healthy or adoptable.
“To be considered ‘no-kill,’ an organization must reach a 90 percent placement rate for the animals in their care, which can include adoption, rescue transfers, TNR efforts, and more. This is simply a more achievable standard for the limited admission shelters that can turn animals away, but the good news is that open admission shelters can also reach that ‘no-kill’ status, although it requires a tremendous level of support from us, the community.”
Kimberly Palmucci, The Door to Fur-ever
The best way to discover the needs of your local animal groups is by doing a search online, checking recent social media posts from the organization(s), or by contacting them directly and asking how you can help.
This information was acquired over the course of the author’s career as a journalist & animal advocate and through common knowledge. Certain numbers are based on national estimates and data from shelters and rescues; numbers may vary in each state.
Purr-fectly Books 