Most animal shelters operate on donations from the community to not only keep their facility running, but to feed the numerous animals that come through their doors on a daily basis. Within the United States, there are approximately 3,500 animal shelters and rescues that take in approximately 6.5 million companion animals nationwide every year. Among those 6.5 million, 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. The ASPCA reports that approximately 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year and about 710,000 animals who enter the shelter as strays are returned to their owners.

With such big numbers, we tend to forget that the people taking care of these animals are mostly volunteers. While many animal shelters run off of strictly volunteers, there are shelters who may have a core team to manage logistics, accounting or other specialized needs; but the daily tasks and coordination of adoptions is heavily relied upon by the volunteers in each facility.

Helping your local animal shelter can come in all different forms; from monetary donations to used towels and sheets around your house. Whether you have some extra cash from your budget last month, or you inherited that crafty trait from your mom, we break down the top 10 ways that you can help donate to your local animal shelter.

#1: Cash Donations

Money is at the top of just about every shelter's wish list since they typically work on tight budgets and can always use additional funds to provide better care for more pets. You can make a monetary donation to any shelter in the form of cash, check or online donations in most cases. These funds from the community can help:

Cover bills
Daily operations
Supplies
Staff training
Animal housing upgrades
Medical care
Animal enrichment

But, a monetary donation does not have to be just cash - it can take the form of buying a t-shirt or purchasing a calendar from the organization to help raise funds for the shelter.

#2 Wish List

You can easily research any local shelters in your area and peruse their website for a wish list. Shelters are always in need of items such as toys, towels or supplies and will update their wish lists to reflect what is needed most at their facility. You can help out by buying one or a couple of things off their wish list and have it sent straight to the shelter. If a shelter does not have a wish list, just give them a call and ask what they need or, even better, you could even offer to create a wish list for them!

#3 Cleaning out the Closet

Spring has been deemed “cleaning time” as the warm air starts to resurface and people can enjoy sunshine on their faces without being bundled by five layers of clothing. This is the PERFECT time to go through closets to find old or slightly used things to donate to your animal shelter! Here is a list of common items shelters are usually in need of:

Toys – Please only donate clean toys or ones that can be disinfected and washed frequently. The best durable brands to donate are KONG or nylabone. Try to stay away from squeaky toys and stuffed toys since strong chewers can swallow the squeaky part.
Pet Food and Treats – The biggest chunk of any shelter is spent on food. If you wish to donate, just make sure the food and treats are not expired or have been recalled.
Cleaning Supplies – You can donate bleach, dish washing liquid, disinfecting wipes, laundry detergent, window cleaners, paper towels, garbage bags, mops, brooms or rubber and latex gloves. Plastic shopping bags can also come in handy to clean up messes as well as be useful as storage purposes.
Towels and Blanket – Towels can be used for both cleaning and bedding, making them a great thing to donate to animal shelters. They are usually used often to line the bottoms of cages. Blankets are needed for bedding and to keep the animals warm when necessary.
Newspapers – These are generally used to line the bottom of the cages; they might seem like a small contribution but it's quite helpful since they get soiled quickly so they are always necessary.
Grooming Supplies – In order for animals in the shelters to stay healthy and beautiful, they need to be groomed often. Most of the animals that come into the shelter are dirty and have long, thick fur that needs to be cut and washed. You can help donate products such as shampoos, combs, brushes, nail clippers and hair cutting scissors.
Collars and leashes – Dogs in the shelter need to be walked often to keep them in shape physically and to give them fresh air to stretch their legs. Donate any slightly used or new collars, leashes and harnesses to make it possible for them to get outside.
Furniture – Donate any old dog beds, pads or mats that are lying around your home. Cooling pads, heating pads and mats are also always welcomed.
Crates and Carriers – These can be expensive, so if you have any old ones that are still in good condition lying around the house, think about donating them to shelters since every shelter needs multiple crates and carriers to transport animals.
Food and Water Bowls
Flea and Tick Treatment – Animals that come into the shelters almost always have fleas and ticks and require treatment. This needs to be done as soon as they come into the shelter to prevent further infections, which means shelters always need flea and tick treatment products.
Toilet Supplies – Dogs that end up in shelters are not always house trained and with some shelters not having enough staff to take dogs out for a walk or a potty break, accidents are going to happen. Consider donating pee pads or indoor toilets to help keep accidents to a minimum. Cats can always use litter boxes and litter as well.
Nursing bottles – Shelters often give these to puppies and kittens and can always use nursing bottles.
Office Products – Shelters don’t just need pet supplies, they also need office supplies to help keep the admin side of the business running. Consider donating pens, printer paper, staples, sticky notes and other office supplies that are always needed.

#4 Say Thanks

Take a minute to express your gratitude for your local shelter. Did you adopt from them? Did they provide affordable spay or neuter for your new pet? Did they reunite you with your lost pet? Shelter workers give their whole hearts to their jobs and are usually buried underneath never ending to-do lists with little pay and a lot of stress. Little things can go a long way! Give them a shout-out on social media, send a thank you card, drop off cupcakes or cookies or order them lunch such as pizza or sandwiches. Anything that shows how much they are appreciated will make a huge difference and will keep the positive energy flowing for the animals!

#5 Become a Fan

A simple way to help out a local animal shelter is to become like a cheerleader for them and help spread the word of who they are, what they are doing and how everyone can help! Like and follow your favorite shelters and rescues on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter and invite your friends and family to do the same. Engage by commenting and sharing posts to help get awareness out on social media; share some profiles of adoptable pets on your social media to help spread the awareness and to get more pets adopted! It takes little time and effort to click a link and share; you could play a crucial role in finding matches for animals in need of furever homes.

#6 Get Crafty!

Bust out your creativity and skills to make things for the shelter with stuff around your house! You can create homemade toys and dog beds using old t-shirts, jeans and blankets or sew up some “adopt me” vests and bandannas for shelters to use at events to let people know what animals are still available for adoption. Pinterest is a great place to start if you need patterns or ideas!

#7 Fun-Fundraising

Your Birthday! Birthdays are a perfect way to help raise funds for your favorite shelter or rescue. Instead of receiving gifts, you can ask people to donate to your favorite shelter to help raise money throughout the month of your birthday or ask guests to bring a gift for the shelter instead of for you if you have a birthday party.
Your Wedding! More and more of today’s couples are moving towards a no-gifts wedding registry, with couples asking for donations to their favorite charities. You can set up a registry page for monetary donations to go directly to your charity or shelter of choice or you could have your guests bring an item to donate to a shelter that you can drop off at a later time. Or even both!

#8 Buy One, Give One

The next time you’re out shopping for your pet, think of grabbing a second toy, bag or box of whatever it is you purchase to donate towards a rescue or shelter. Inquire with the store as to whether they offer the option to leave your donation at a receptacle to later be brought to a shelter, as many grocers and stores offer this option.

#9 Donate a Place in Your Home

Something all shelters are always searching for are foster pet parents. Being in a shelter can be very stressful for animals and can quickly become a place that they cannot thrive in. With shelters filling up fast, it is such a relief when people can foster animals to help free up space within the shelter and provide an animal shelter, love, food and training until it finds its furever home. Fostering does not exactly fall under the ‘easy’ category when it comes to helping, however it does fall under the category of one of the most important things you can do. Most shelters will pay for food and vet bills so fostering will not be a burden on your wallet. Contact your local shelter to inquire about their fostering programs.

#10 ADOPT DON’T SHOP!

One of the best ways to help your local animal shelter is to adopt straight from them! Each year, an estimated one million dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States because there are too many pets that come into the shelters and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet. The number of euthanized pets could be reduced dramatically if people adopted from a shelter instead of buying them. When you adopt, you save a loving animal by making them part of your family and open up a space in the shelter for another animal that may desperately need it.

Helping a shelter can be such a fulfilling way to make a difference in your local community and Going Mutts Pet Services is here to help the Lancaster community with their pets needs. We would like to help keep your pup active and engaged during the days you need to work with daily check-ins and walks! Contact us for more information about daily dog walking and check-ins!

Sources:

https://www.diamondpet.com/blog/adoption/rescues/15-things-rescue-shelters-need/

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/ten-ways-help-your-local-shelter-or-rescue

https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/25-creative-ways-to-help-animal-shelters