Christmas
is quickly approaching and it is a perfect time of the year to play Santa Paws
for your local no-kill pet shelter. There
are countless ways to help and not break your holiday budget. In fact, most of the ways are completely
FREE.
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We volunteered at the Insane Inflatables 5K run this weekend. |
1. Volunteer your time at the facility. There are always things to do around the
shelter such as landscaping, cleaning, interacting with the pets, and answering
the phone.
2. Volunteer at shelter events. This is such a fun way to meet people, talk
about dogs, and help shelters. Following
the shelter of your choice on Facebook is a great way to find out about
upcoming events.
3. Clean out the linen closet. Winter weather is especially hard on shelters. Pull out those old blankets, sheets, and towels
to help keep a pup warm while it waits for a loving home. *Be sure to wash them before donating.
4. Buy a few flannel blankets. Christmas is a great time to find the cute
printed flannel blankets on sale. Some
are even as low as $2.99. Grab some to
drop off at the local shelter. It doesn’t
cost much to give a dog something to snuggle on to be off the floor.
5. Toys Does your house resemble
a doggie daycare? Are toys scattered
from one end to the other? Is Santa
bringing even MORE? Gather all of the
toys in a pile, separate the toys your dogs are no longer interested in, and
bag them up for some dogs that will love them.
*Make sure all toys are clean and in good condition.
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The Humane Society of NW LA. received a portion of the entry for one race. |
6.
Easy
to Make toys There are many
types of toys that you can make while watching television. Click here for my Pinterest DYI Dog Toys
board.
7. Donate quality treats Most shelters welcome dog /cat treats. Always call and ask your shelter if they
prefer a particular brand or size in treats.
*Many stores offer free bags of treats in their promotions. These make great items for donations.
8. Gift Cards If you are going heavy on gift cards this year;
pick one up at a pet store or big box store for a shelter.
9.
Cleaning
Materials You can only
imagine how many paper towels a shelter uses each day. It is always helpful to pick up a few rolls
to donate.
10.
Leashes
and Collars It you have a
gazillion leashes and only use half a gazillion, donate the others. Collars of various sizes are welcomed.
**Always
check with your shelter before planning a donation.
I hate to ask but…

Bentley is featured on
Bentley is thrilled
to have his story shared by Dr. Baker.
She is a veterinarian and an author.
Her book, Eighteen Months to Live is available on Amazon. Be sure to stop by, read Bentley’s story, and
say “Hello.” Dr. Baker also wrote a
lovely review of The Returns on Amazon.
We thank her very much for everything.
Great ideas and I am sure this time of year they could do with as much help as they can get. Have a terrific Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
I think everyone has some old blankets or towels stuffed in a closet. Shelters welcome them.
DeleteGreat tips!! Saw Rachaels post already, fantastic and voted! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks JoAnn! I was really excited that she chose Bentley to be featured. Thanks for voting.
DeleteI donated my win from the shows for a shelter, I hope they will like it, but it's made by Purine so I think it will fit for a christmas menu :o)
ReplyDeleteEasy Rider
That is so awesome! I'm sure the dogs thanks you so very much. ☺ Congratulations on your win!
DeleteSuch wonderful ideas!! We are going to plan to do at least 2 of them this year!!
ReplyDeleteSmileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
Yay! That's great Dory. We are sending our photo with my sweetie Emma and Pierre's friend Bailie to you. We are so excited!
Deletewe just did our donation - towels and blankets - we were lucky to get some fleece on sale and made some wonderful blankies and we had some coupons for treats so were able to get a nice box of goodies to give to the pups
ReplyDeleteI love the feel of fleece. I keep saying that I am going to make some fleece no-sew blankets. I think they are so cute! I have a pile of sheets and blankets ready to take.
DeleteVoted :)
ReplyDeleteThese are all wonderful ways to help out animals in need!!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thanks so much! It takes so little to make a huge difference to a shelter.
DeleteThose are all such great ideas. It's the time of year to clean out the cupboards anyway, and what better to do with the things we don't need then to share them with pets that do.
ReplyDeleteJan, Wag 'n Woof Pets
I seem to have more old towels and blankets than I do new ones! It's a great excuse to buy me more and donate the others.
DeleteThis is a very important message
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
Thanks y'all. Feel free to share.
DeleteI love the ideas for helping shelters in this post, Melissa. Great job! And your Tuesday True Tails story about Bentley on my site is attracting a lot of attention - people are really enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring Bentley on your website. The story and photos turned out awesome. I hope your audience enjoyed it.
DeleteVoted. Great list of ideas for helping shelters.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your vote. This is such a great honor to be a finalists. It feels so good to help out the less fortunate pups and cats.
DeleteI had mom go over and vote for your cover. I couldn’t do it since it wasn’t featuring Bentley. Wish we had a shelter near us, but the closest one is almost 40 mins away, so we don’t do much with it.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a sweetie! Actually, tell your mom to scroll down. My book cover on The Returns is one below The Showstoppers. Both of our books are finalists. I'd love for you to go back and vote on mine. I don't think you have to register again or anything. Just vote. I got your card today and it is gorgeous. ♥
DeleteGreat ideas for helping shelters! I hope you had a great time at the run. Going to vote now.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark. We did have a very good time watching the runners climb and bounce on the obstacles. I really appreciate the votes.
DeleteWe give monthly donations to different shelters here in Denmark.
ReplyDeleteThat is terrific. Cash is always needed! ♥
DeleteA very impawtent post!! We better check out the vote thingie . . .
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Thanks Doods! It is hard to imagine that we have so much and other dogs have so little. It is important that we share our blessings. For sure check out my books and vote. I really appreciate it.
DeleteThose are terrific ways to help out your local shelter. Thank you for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteWe just voted for you. :)
That is wonderful! I know that you understand how important donations are to shelters. Thanks again!
DeleteThose are some WONDERful tips!!! We know the shelters will appreciate them!
ReplyDeletegreat ways to help a shelter, thanks for sharing them. Love your DYI pet board.
ReplyDelete