Supporting Shelters Without Adopting (Yet)

By: Sheila Zapata, Social Media Intern, and Deniza Marcinkevica, Manager, Business Development, Skytails.com

Pet shelters are facilities that take in animals in hopes of finding them a new permanent home. They are not supported as much as they can be, and this affects the pets more than anyone else. Adopting is the best way for people to support shelters, but not everyone is ready to take on that responsibility. That does not mean that there aren’t other ways for you to support these shelters.

The most common thing people do is volunteer. Shelters would ask for help regarding cleaning, walks, or administrative activities. Volunteering can ease the workload shelters have, as most of them are understaffed and need all the help they can get, even if that means you’re not working with the animals directly. Ultimately, you are making an impact on the animal’s lives in some way, shape, or form. 

For more community-based support, spread awareness for different shelters. People who want to adopt animals usually don’t know where to start, so you might be doing someone a favor by spreading the news about shelters that could potentially give them their new pet. It is also helpful to give the shelter some publicity and show the community that these animals need help.  

If you have the money to spare, try to donate a bit of cash to these shelters. These donations could cover important expenses that shelters might not be able to cover on their own, such as medical treatments, vaccinations, or emergency resources. Besides that, shelters could provide the animals with better living conditions and healthier food options. Many shelters have programs for people to donate money to that target specific animals until they are adopted. 

If you have some old stuff around that shelters could use, you should think of donating items. A lot of equipment goes fast in shelters, so any extra things they receive would benefit them more than you think. Items a lot of shelters would need would be leashes, pet beds, food, or old toys from another pet you might’ve had. You can also see any lists at shelters to see what specific things they are running out of to purchase, if you so choose to. This is a tangible way of supporting shelters without any long-term commitment. 

Conclusion: Adopting a pet is a great way to support shelters, and giving an animal a new home is a great commitment. If you can't, there are many ways to substitute that. You can donate old pet toys or new supplies from shelter lists, donate money to buy new items for the animals, volunteer your time to the shelter, and spread awareness in the neighborhood for more support. 

SkyTails Connection: If you are ready to adopt a pet, SkyTails can assist you with the price that comes of a pet. If you are ready to adopt, don’t let the prices get in the way of the long-term commitment you know you are ready to take on. SkyTails is with you throughout the entire process, and we are here for your pets as well. 

#skytails #petshelter #petcare #support #petawarness