7 Ways You Can Help Pets in Need This Season

1.  Adopt, don’t shop

If you are considering adding a pet to your family soon, make adoption your first option. Visit your local animal shelter or search online for adoptable pets near you. Be sure to do your research before you decide where you adopt your pet from. Research places that are prone to being puppy mills and that are prone to having dangerous living conditions for animals.

2.  Foster a pet

If you are unable to make the commitment to adopt a pet, consider being a short-term foster parent to a pet in need.

Rescue organizations can pull dogs and cats from local shelters with the help of foster parents who provide temporary, loving homes and socialization for shelter pets. By fostering, you also free up space for a pet in a shelter.

3.  Donate supplies to your local shelter

Most animal shelters operate on small budgets and rely on donations of money and supplies from the community. Keep in mind that shelters and rescues are always grateful to receive donations of blankets, towels, pet toys, unopened bags and cans of pet food, and paper towels.

Many rescue organizations post their wish lists on Amazon, making it easy for you to help them out while doing your own holiday shopping. You can access an organization’s wish list by doing the following: hover over the “Your Lists” drop-down and select “Find a Wish List or Registry,” then search by name.  

Additionally, if you purchase through the Amazon Smile Program, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of the proceeds from eligible purchases to the charity of your choice.

You can also check out your local shelter’s website for a specific list of needed items.

4.  Volunteer your time

Animal shelters can always use an extra set of helping hands, and the holidays are no exception. Shelters and rescues never shut down. This means they still need people to care for and feed animals, clean the housing, walk and socialize dogs, transport animals to and from veterinary appointments, fill water dishes, keep track of medication, shred papers, and numerous other tasks.

Why not relieve some shelter workers this year and enjoy some time cuddling with animals. We guarantee you will find it a rewarding experience.

If you don’t know where your local shelter or rescue is located, find a shelter or rescue organization in your area by using the Petfinder Search Tool.

5.  Use social media

Follow your local shelter, favorite rescue group, or humane society on social media. Share their adoptable pets with your social network. Your share just might connect a pet with a forever, loving home!

Additionally, sharing and liking rescue organizations’ posts will ultimately boost traffic to their websites, resulting in the adoption of more animals. You will also be increasing traffic to your own social media.

6. Be an animal-friendly shopper

Not done with your holiday shopping yet? Or are you looking to buy yourself a little something special this year? Consider buying from companies that donate a portion of their proceeds back to animals.  

The following are a few of the companies we looked into that give back:

• • Amazon is a significant contributor to animal welfare programs. As part of the company’s mission to give back, Jeff Bezos created the AmazonSmile program. This allows Amazon users to purchase any product online and choose a dog rescue of their choice to receive a portion of the proceeds.
  • Subaru has donated approximately $10 million to the ASPCA in the last six years alone, as part of their Share the Love partnership.
  • Build-A-Bear Workshop has donated to charities since the company began in 1997.  They focus primarily on helping dog rescue organizations around the country.
  • Lush, the company well-known for its all-natural beauty products, donates a significant portion of its proceeds to animal welfare groups that fight against testing on animals. If you purchase any item from Lush’s Charity Pots line, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to the Beagle Freedom Project. The mission of this group is to rescue animals who have survived captivity, cruelty, and animal testing.
  • Vans has worked in collaboration with the ASPCA on several products to promote the adoption of cats and dogs. If you go through the Vans website, you can purchase custom shoes that will be helping out pets in need.
  • Ben & Jerry’s is another company that does right by animals. The company’s Free Cone Day is used as an adoption event, so local shelters find loving homes for dogs in need.

7. Consider giving the gift of pet insurance

Do you have pet owners on your shopping list? Pet insurance could be a gift of peace of mind. If you haven’t gotten around to buying insurance for your own pet yet, it just might be a stress-free way to kick off the new year for you and your family as well.

Here at PetFirst, we know accidents and illnesses happen to all pets. PetFirst is here for every canine and cat – year-round! Pet insurance can help cover unexpected vet visits.

Pet insurance provides peace of mind that if your pet gets sick or injured, you don’t have to worry about the financial aspect of your pet’s care and allows you to focus on your pet’s health.

Make sure your pet is covered with PetFirst Pet Insurance. We have Dog Insurance Policies and Routine Care Coverage to fit every budget.