40 Ways to Help Shelter Animals
Adoption
- Adopt an animal if you are in the position to do so.
- Don’t adopt or take in an animal if you can’t keep them for their lifetime. Not planning ahead when getting a pet tends to result in them ending up at the shelter. It is also extremely hard on animals to bounce back to the shelter. We understand sometimes things happen, and that is why it is in our contract to bring them back to us if it doesn’t work out, but sometimes people want to adopt on impulse or don’t think about things that have coming up in the future that will prevent them from being able to keep the pet.
Donate (some of these options don’t cost you any money!)
- Donate supplies – you can find our wish list here https://www.cchumanesociety.com/ways-to-help/
- Make a one-time donation or better yet, set up a recurring donation! It doesn’t have to be a lot to make a difference. Every little bit adds up.
- Leave a legacy donation
- Mail or bring in your receipts from Tadych’s Marketplace. We get 1% of the money from all the receipts we hand in. It adds up quickly!
- Keep a collection jar at work to collect money for our animals. If you have a business we are happy to drop off a donation canister and pick up the money regularly.
- Ask for donations to the shelter as gifts (birthdays, wedding, holidays). Facebook and Instagram make it easy to set up an online fundraiser on your birthday.
- Give gifts of animal sponsorship. Sponsoring a pet is $25 per month. (We will even send them a card if you’d like!)
- Donate old (but still in usable shape) blankets, sheets, pillow cases, etc. to the shelter (please NO pillows, NO mattresses, NO cushions, etc.)
Volunteer
- Walk dogs
- Socialize cats (by appointment only)
- Brush cats
- Play with cats
- Do yard work at the shelter (rake leaves, shovel snow, etc.) Must be planned ahead of time. This is often a great opportunity for groups!
- Hold a fundraiser (we have some ideas if you have the manpower!)
- Hold a donation drive (just check with us ahead of time to see what we need)
- Join the CCHS board (if there are openings)
- Volunteer to work at events. We typically ask on our social media when we are in need of help.
- Transportation is sometimes needed for animals. Keep an eye on our social media, as it is typically posted there.
- Take photos and/or videos of our animals and send them to us to share on our website and social media.
- Ask staff if we need any help cleaning (sometimes we need help, but paid staff and community service do most of the cleaning)
Spread the word and educate
- Share posts of adoptable animals (maybe one of your friends is looking for a pet)
- Share information about the problems with allowing your cat to roam outside (we have a whole blog post on it)
- Encourage spay/neuter (less animals means less animals in the shelter). CCHS offers finanical assistance with spaying/neutering dogs, and KSNAG assists with cats.
- Share information about how barbaric the practice of declawing is (we often end up with declawed cats who have behavioral problems because they were declawed)
- Share information about how bad pet obesity is. It’s not cute. It’s unhealthy.
- Talk to someone who has a dog left outside all the time. Offer to help if you are able. Maybe they just don’t know what they are doing is not okay. Approach them with kindness, never anger.
- Write to representatives about animal-related issues.
- Promote adoption is forever.
- Follow our social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and we are currently working on getting our YouTube channel monetized.
Other ways to help
- Attend events supporting CCHS.
- Make some toys or scratching posts for animals. We have a Pinterest board of ideas.
- Buy pet-made paintings from CCHS. They are available at the shelter during our open hours and most events we attend.
- Buy a shirt from CCHS (on our Bonfire store ONLY!)
- If you aren’t planning on adopting from a shelter do not support puppy mills. Only buy animals from reputable breeders, and be sure to research wherever you get a pet from.
- Report suspected animal abuse or neglect (Call 911 and tell them it’s a non-emergency. CCHS is unfortunately not animal control, so you will need to contact the police if you suspect an animal is being abused or neglected, though you can make us aware of the situation and we can follow up with the cops and offer help)
- Plan ahead for emergency vet bills for your own pets. Many animals are surrendered to the shelter because the owner cannot afford vet bills. Regular checkups can also help catch medical issues early, which can really help decrease the cost and ensure a better outcome for the pet. Pet insurance can also be a fantastic option.
- If you move, make sure you can bring your pet! This is another common reason why people surrender animals.
- Foster an animal for someone who is in the hospital. This happens occasionally and we typically put it on our social media if we are contacted by someone in need.
- Foster pregnant moms and kittens. It is best to have young kittens in a foster home away from potential illness at the shelter and with someone who can socialize them. It is essential that they are exposed to people a lot when they are very young.
- Don’t allow your pets to roam. Sometimes things happen and they get loose, which is understandable, but if your pet is constantly roaming, chances are they will end up at the shelter at some point, and that is if they are lucky enough to not get hit by a car, killed by wildlife, killed by a cruel person, or something else terrible.