Last week, I stopped by a Sonoma County animal shelter. Rohnert Park City Animal Shelter has been running an adoption special. Their Trick or Treat for the whole month of October invited people to name a price for adopting of any for a dog, a cat or a small animal. All qualified adopters had to pay a minimum ten dollars for paper work and staff time. This shelter keeps an active volunteer program going. On their counters sit copies of their wish list, flyers on what “jobs” they need volunteers for.
Animal Shelters Need Volunteers
Did you know shelters need cat cuddlers?If they have a rabbit program, then they need bunny cuddlers too.
Most of our animal shelters work to restore lost pets to their families. Animal shelter staff and volunteers work everyday to help abandoned pets get adopted.
These city or county shelters find themselves often overrun with pets. They do not want to have to kill pets. They need our support and participation. So get involved.
7 Ways to Help Pets in Animal Shelters
- Visit and ask what they need most
- Help set up and run pet adoption events
- Help answer the phone
- Work with visitors who wish to adopt
- Work on fund-raising events
- Be friendly, help assist visitors who come looking for a new pet
- Offer to write a column for your local paper to promote pet adoption
Save a Bunny
Each week I read a column the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter Mickey Zeldes writes. For the past half a year, I have wanted another rescue rabbit. Their shelter has a SaveABunny volunteer who runs their rabbit adoptions and Meet the Bunny monthly event.
Because we adopted our first and much-loved rabbit, Paris, I hoped we could find another wonderful pet in the Rohnert Park Shelter. Paris was a fun and happy Dutch mix. From first hop, Paris showed interest in us. He lived to the grand old age of 12 years. House rabbits and indoor rabbits live longer than ones kept outside. His passing felt like I had fallen into and frozen in cement for months.
Week after week, I visited shelters and looked online at adoptable rabbits. I wanted one like Paris, a lapful of calm and curious rescue rabbit. Hunting for a new rescue pet felt exciting. But it also took patience and stick-to-it work.
It took me seven months to find our caca-poo, Sydney. Our dog had waited his whole first year of life to find his forever family.
October is ASPCA adopt a dog month.
Here is a great adopted dog I met outside of Trader Joes.
I hope your will treat your closest animal shelter with a visit.
Help be part of the solution.
Help get homeless pets families to love.
Related articles
- Rescued Is My Favorite Breed (dogleadermysteries.com)
- Events hope to change animal shelter perceptions (heraldnet.com)
- Adopt With Pic for Pets app (foxnews.com)
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