Homeless Pets Toolkit

DOWNLOAD THE HOMELESS PETS TOOLKIT HERE

HOST SUPPLY DRIVES

Reach out to your local animal shelter or rescue organization to see what their supply needs are. Then setup collection boxes at your location to collect donations or provide wish lists to employees to ship directly to an organization. You could even select a few people to drop off donations, and probably get rewarded with some love from the animals at the shelter.

Sample Wish List Items:
  • Dry Dog & Cat Food

  • Canned Dog & Cat Food

  • Long Lasting Treats & Chews for Dogs

  • Blankets, Bedding & Towels

  • Cleaning & Laundry Supplies

  • Kitty Litter, Boxes & Scoops

  • Crates & Exercise Pens

Contact your local organization to find out their needs.

THINK SMALL

It’s great to support large animal organizations like the ASPCA, The Humane Society of The United States, Humane Canada, etc. But donating time, supplies, and money to smaller organizations can have a huge impact directly on animals in your local community.

Reach out to an organization in your area. Ask them questions or for a tour of the facility. Find out what their needs are and see what kind of impact you can make. A little goes a long way.

BECOME A FAN – FOLLOW, LIKE, SHARE & COMMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP!

SPEND SOME TIME VOLUNTEERING

A lot of animal organizations are on dependent on volunteers to operate! While volunteering directly with animals is super helpful, some people would prefer to help in other ways. You probably have skills that can help organizations get animals adopted and more donations like fundraising, grant writing, and photography.

There are many ways to volunteer:

  • Animal Care & Cleaning

  • Dog & Cat Socialization

  • Fostering

  • Working Adoption Events

  • Fundraising

  • Photography

  • Grant Writing

  • Marketing & Social Media Support

Contact your local organization to find out their needs.

BECOME A FOSTER HOME

Team up with a local organization and help them save more dogs and cats each year by opening up your home. Most organizations will have a foster home application, followed by an interview and home inspection. They’ll work with you to find an animal that fits into your family as a foster.

Serving as a foster home allows organizations to save more animals! Plus, you get a fur baby to love on until they find their forever home.

EDUCATE – BE SURE YOU ARE READY TO BRING HOME A PET BEFORE DOING SO.

EASY WAYS TO DONATE ONLINE

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Simply login to shop through AmazonSmile.com and choose a nonprofit that is helping animals. A lot of organizations have wish lists on Amazon too!

Facebook provides a platform to host fundraisers with proceeds going directly to the charity of your choice. This is a simple way to raise funds for organizations caring for animals. Consider hosting one for your birthday or in honor of an animal in your life. Every bit helps!

Chewy.com has a “Give Back” section on their website where you can find a animal rescue to support. They make it easy to shop off the organization’s wish list and send items directly to them. You can even purchase gift cards to be emailed to the animal organization for them to purchase supplies.

Find your favorite animal organization’s website and social media pages to see if they have any referral links that generate donations! A lot of companies send donations to non-profits when you shop through their referral links. So check out the website of organizations you would like to support to see if they have any referral programs. You shop & save – animals win!

Interesting Facts (US)

  • Over 2 million total intakes in 2021.

  • The majority of dog intakes are adults while cat intakes are kittens.

  • Intake of puppies and kittens has increased over the last 3 years.

Source: Shelter Animals Count

Interesting Facts (CAN)

  • Over 80,000 total intakes in 2020.
  • Cats account for over 75% of intakes.
  • Length of stay is 12 days for cats and 9 days for dogs.

Source: Humane Canada

BE

THE

GOOD