Tis the season of giving! Gifts have long been a way for us to show people that we love and care about them, so why not show the same with the ones who love people unconditionally every single day? While our pets may have furever homes to care for them during this season, there are still many pets awaiting their own furever homes and for someone to care for them. So, while you’re going through your holiday to-do list, try adding a thing or two for giving back to the pets in need this winter. Here are some pawsome ways to give back and support the Pet World this holiday season!
Donate to Your Local Shelter
This is one of the more practical and simple ways for you to give back to the pet community this holiday season! Your local shelter will always put any kind and any size of donation to good use, so you can feel good knowing that your donation is going to providing love and care to the rescued pets in your community.
You don’t have to go out of your way to donate to your shelter at all! Next time you go grocery shopping for those holiday food runs, consider swinging by the pet food aisle and picking up a bag or 2 of pet food or treats. If the food is a little too heavy for you to carry with all the rest of your groceries, you could always opt for a couple toys or leashes/collars. Regardless of what and how you choose to donate, your local shelter is sure to appreciate that the pets they care for are on your mind this holiday season.
Here are a couple ways you can donate this year:
Little Silver Animal Hospital Foundation for Animals
The Afya Program
Volunteer at Your Local Shelter or Human Society
What better way to give back than to lend a hand? There’s no shortage of volunteer opportunities for you and your friends to take part in at your local shelters or human societies during the holiday season. Whether it’s walking, feeding, cleaning or just playing with the pets at the facility, the time you spend with these pets is extremely helpful and valuable. The holidays also include a lot of adoption events. Depending on the shelter, you may be able to volunteer and serve at one of their adoption tables in your local community. This is a great way to get pets into their furever home for the holidays.
Have a special talent or skill? The shelter would love to see you share those with them as well! Social media plays a very important role in the adoption process for pets in the shelter. If you’re nifty with a camera, you can volunteer your photography or videography skills with your local shelter or human society to help get content up on their websites and social media accounts. This is a great way for you to use your talents in a way that is rewarding for both you and the pets you’ll work with!
Sign Up for a Local Charity Sporting Event
Feel like getting your fitness on? Try looking for a charity event that supports your local shelter or human society! Your community may be hosting something like a fun-run, walk-a-thon or sporting event that puts donations towards helping and feeding the pets who are hoping to get adopted during the holidays.
This is a fantastic way to add some fitness into your holiday traditions, and for those of you who are all about resolutions, these kinds of events are a great way for you to either get a head start on your fitness resolution for next year or catch back up on your resolutions for this year! Either way, taking part in any charity event this holiday season will go a long way in helping the pets of your local community this holiday season.
Foster or Adopt a Pet
If you’re in a position to do so, adopting a pet this holiday season is an amazing way to care for a pet in your community. There is no greater gift for these pets than for them to find a warm, loving furever home with people who love them. If you’re considering adopting, make sure you have considered all the responsibilities and commitments being a pet owner entails. Here is a helpful article to see if adopting a pet is the right option for you this holiday season.
If you can’t take on the full responsibility of adopting, but have some room and time during the holidays, consider fostering some pets this holiday season. This time of year can be especially busy for shelters, and in order for them to have enough space to care for the pets who need it, they might require some help from people who are willing to take a few pets in and care for them from their home. Fostering is amazing in a couple ways. It allows you to find out if you’re ready and able to care for a pet of your own while also increasing the chances of a pet being adopted to their furever home. If you’re considering fostering, check out this article that guides you through the things you need to know before taking in a foster pet!
A Note from Little Silver Animal Hospital
We wish the very best for you during this holiday season. As this year has been one of plenty of adjustments and changes, we hope that you, your friends and your family are able to spend plenty of time together full of love and celebration. We also hope you take some time to give back to the pets of our community this year, and maybe even starting a new annual tradition of volunteering to love on furry friends in our local shelters. Happy Holidays from your friends at Little Silver Animal Hospital!
