In middle school we were required to volunteer for a total of 90 hours throughout the three years. You could choose where you wanted to volunteer and for how long; so being an animal lover, I chose to volunteer at my local SPCA. I spent all three years volunteering during the week and on the weekends through a youth volunteer program they run year long.
My respect and admiration for the work that the people running shelters and rescues grew every time I walked into the SPCA. While we did the typical washing dogs, throwing out old food, arranging new pantries, picking up laundry, etc.; we also learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. We took their personality survey which helps pair you with dogs that fit your lifestyle the best, and we learned about the adoption process, including how often they were pushing capacity and in need of aid.
Shelters and rescues don’t just take in strays, a lot of the animals they get are voluntary surrenders. People who no longer want their animals, can’t care for them, are not allowed to have them where they are living or don’t neuter their animals are just a few of the people who give their pets up to these organizations. They take in, rehabilitate and foster as many animals as possible and they try to get as many animals adopted as they can into loving and safe homes.
I personally have adopted all of my pets from shelters and rescues, and I couldn’t love them more. I have a beautiful black Chow mix, a Golden-Lab mix and a Maine Coon. I’ve also had a german shepard mix, and a black Chow-Lab mix, and two american shorthair cats. I have always been an advocate for adoption. There are so many animals out there that are just waiting for homes and you can really find any type of dog (my boyfriend recently adopted baby Zeus and he looks exactly like Scooby Doo)!
(left to right: Pepper, Sam, Simba, Zeus)
We’re coming up on the winter months and what a lot of people don’t realize is that shelters lose a lot of support during these months. Food, blanket, bed and other donations tend to decrease as people focus on holiday shopping. Volunteers for cleaning and helping out in the shelters start to dwindle as people’s holiday plans get in the way of their normal volunteer schedule. This is also a big kitten season, as they usually get the last of their late season litters in and while it’s not nearly as bad as the summer kitten influx, they still have more than they can usually handle.
So, if you’re looking to find a new family member this holiday season or even if you just want to help out, check out your local shelters and rescues. Most will have websites that will tell you how you can volunteer and what they are looking for in terms of donations. If they don’t provide adoption files on their site, Petfinder.com usually lists most, if not all, animals in your area available for adoption. Some of these animals have been waiting years to find a loving home and all they need is a second chance at having a family to love.
Please check out your local shelters to learn about donations, volunteering, and adoption information!
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