13 Creative Ways to Help Animal Shelters You Probably Didn’t Know

1. Transport animals. Dogs can’t drive, so they need someone to take them places. And sometimes that drive can be a long one. Volunteer to take a dog to its foster home or forever home. Sometimes it can be a couple hours or just a leg in an eight hour drive. For those in cities where the main mode of transportation is bus or train, this is especially helpful.

 

2. Dust off that sewing machine. If you can sew a straight stitch, you can help! Follow thistutorial on how to make a bed from an old sweater. Or help sew “privacy curtains” for shy animals. Check with your local shelter to see if they need anything.

3. Take photos. Whether you are a professional or amateur photographer, shelters and rescues can benefit immensely from great photography. So grab your camera, some props and get those dogs out of their kennels. You can even hold photography workshops for shelter volunteers so they can take the best photos of their animals as possible. If you’re feeling very generous, donate old camera equipment to a shelter.

4. Spring clean. Donate towels and sheets you don’t use anymore. Shelters are always in need. Bonus points for gently used beds, collars, leashes and clothing.

5. Go shopping. Find out what your favorite shelter or rescue needs. It could be leashes, food, or cleaning supplies. Use sites like Amazon or Wag and send the donation directly to them.

6. Submit a pup-related cause to BarkFund or sign a shelter up for the Bark & Co. shelter and rescue program. Recently Bark & Co. started a program called “BarkFund” where we give out grants to a different dog in need each week. There’s also our shelter and rescue initiative where we have different campaigns where we donate 10% of profits to pups in need.

7. Throw a party! Lenny the pug throws a birthday party every year. He asks for donations or gifts like harnesses, eye drops, etc for his pug friends at Curly Tail Pug Rescue. If you throw your kid(s) a birthday party, ask for dog beds, blankets or collars instead (clear this with your kid!)

8. Get creative. Lend your graphic design, coding or writing skills to help with a shelter’s website, social media or newsletter efforts. Running a shelter takes a lot of work and things like this are often put on the back burner.

9. Social good. Use social media to get the word out. Share tweets or postings about missing animals or an animal that needs a home. Hamilton Pug will put up a custom message in exchange for a donation to pug rescue and The Bumblesnot runs his own Zazzle shop and donates all the proceeds to shelters and rescues.

 

10. Bookkeeping. Are you an accountant that can help a shelter or rescue with their books? Experience in non-profits is especially helpful.

11. Foster. Do you have room for a temporary pet? Fostering can be fun, rewarding and challenging. By opening your home to a dog, you are opening up a spot in a shelter that otherwise wouldn’t exist. The length of a foster can be a couple of days, weeks or months. Every shelter is different, but they usually cover medical expenses and sometimes food and supplies. Click here for more information on fostering.

12. Grab a hammer. If you’re handy at all, you can help by making repairs, painting or building furniture for the animals.

13. Donate funds. Shelters and rescues could always use more money.

Any other ideas, be sure to add in the comments! ❤