If you can’t get to the shelter you can still help. Here are some things that you can do from home that will make a huge difference in the lives of the dogs in your community.
Donate or fundraise for shelter dogs
Two things that all animal rescues are always in need of are money and supplies. You can use whatever talent you have to raise funds for your local animal shelter or the rescue of your choosing.
- Skilled at baking? Have a bake sale.
- Know a bunch of kids willing to help out? Try a car wash.
- Ask pet stores or local businesses to participate with you in a fundraising event.
Volunteers with the animal shelter can bring some great dogs to represent the cause at your event.
You can also make enrichment toys and treats and donate them to dogs in need or buy toys, beds, and treats for rescue dogs.
Create marketing aids for animal rescues
Animal shelters often don’t have the budget, time, or expertise required to create marketing aids. Facebook posts or ads, banners for websites, printable brochures and posters, and other marketing material all can work wonders to help dogs get adopted. You can bridge the gap between pictures taken at the shelter and media that achieves results.
Marketing help is especially needed for dogs who don’t do well at adoption events. A great brochure, poster, or video may make somebody take the time to meet a dog who doesn’t do well at events but is wonderful at home.
You may not think that you are especially skilled in video or graphics, but even if you know the basics of cutting a picture to scale and how to lay a few words over an image, you can do so much to help local rescues in your area.
| Digital | |
| – Facebook, Instragram, etc. pictures and posts | – Brochures with pictures and information |
| – Pet finder, Adopt-a-pet, Craigslist, etc. ads | – Posters advertising individual dogs or the animal shelter |
| – Short videos highlighting individual dogs or volunteering | – Coupons, handouts, and other marketing material |
Share rescue dogs on social media
This may seem like such a simple thing as to be hardly worth mentioning, but it really is very important to share your passion for dogs in need with your friends and community. You never know when a particular dog will strike a chord with somebody.
I have been pleasantly surprised to find friends and acquaintances that I didn’t have any idea were interested in rescue dogs come forward to help at the local shelter or to foster a dog when they saw the need or fell for a particular dog.
Not all shares are created equally. Sharing too many sad or heavy posts or posts that don’t make it clear how people can help may cause your friends to stop paying attention or even unfollow you. Focus on the assets of individual dogs and be clear about how people can help.