dog with leash at animal shelter

How to Support Local Animal Shelters

In Pets by Adam's Crossing Apartments

dog with leash at animal shelter

Whether you’re a dog lover or a cat person, we can all agree on one thing — our furry friends make the world a better place. Unfortunately, there are many animals in animal shelters that deserve the same love and support but don’t always receive it. According to the ASPCA, 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters each year. While it’s not realistic to assume everyone is in the position to adopt an animal, there are many other different ways you can support local animal shelters. The week of November 7 is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week! Now is the perfect time to help out a local shelter.

Donate Toys, Food, & Other Supplies

When we think of donations, we often think about money. However, a simple way to help animal shelters is by donating supplies! Shelters can always use food, toys, cleaning supplies, blankets, and other useful items. Prior to donating, identify what it is your shelter might need at the time. Next, figure out when and where you can drop off these items. You can gather additional items by asking friends and family if they have anything they’d like to donate as well! If you have old blankets you’re thinking of tossing, consider donating them to a shelter in need instead.

Volunteer Your Time

Another way you can help local animal shelters is by volunteering your time! Hanging out with cats and walking dogs is not only fun for you but incredibly beneficial to shelters and the animals. Shelters might need help in other areas like cleaning, adoption events, and more. For instance, there are many ways to help out at the Humane Society of Charles County! They have a variety of opportunities for volunteers like dog walking, socializing cats, cleaning kennels, fundraising and adopting events, and more.

Learn more about the Humane Society of Charles County’s volunteer process here.

Adopt a Furry Friend

If you’re considering getting a pet, adopt one from a local shelter! Adopting is one of the best ways you can help a shelter and change an animal’s life. However, before adopting a pet, make sure that you are in the position to provide them with the adequate environment and level of care they need. In adopting a pet from a shelter, you’ll be gaining a new best friend and changing their life in the process. Learn more about the adoption process at Last Chance Animal Rescue in Waldorf or the Humane Society of Charles County. As a pet-friendly apartment community, Adam’s Crossing welcomes your new furry friends!

Foster a Pet

If you aren’t quite ready to adopt a pet but still want to help out, try fostering a pet. Fostering is a great way to test the waters to see if you can handle a pet while helping out an animal in need as they wait to get adopted. Fostering a pet can also put them in a better environment in which they’ll likely feel more comfortable and relaxed. Not to mention, by fostering a pet, you can help expose them to potential adopters like a friend or outside family member. If you have the time, consider fostering!

Support Shelters on Social Media

A lot of animal shelters share their available pets on social media. A simple way to help out? Reshare their posts to spread the word! In a world where everyone is so connected, this is a great way to promote the adoption of shelter animals. Not to mention, shelters might also share fundraising and adoption events that you can reshare as well.

From sharing social media posts to adopting a dog, there are many different ways you can support local animal shelters. During National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, see how you can help out by bettering the lives of animals. Check out our blog here to find local animal shelters.

Adams Crossing provides residents with the top affordable luxury apartments in Waldorf. We love offering fun and useful information to our residents, helping them enjoy all that apartment living in Charles County has to offer. Schedule a tour with one of our marketing professionals to see why we’re a 2020 Top Rated apartment community through ApartmentRatings!