I was reading one day about someone who said something they did the week before Christmas every year was visit a local shelter. I thought that would be a lovely idea. Originally I was going to find out exactly how many cats and dogs there were and gift them individually. Sadly the shelter Callie came from is high kill. They do welcome rescue groups but the facility is so very small. I'm always grateful that they gave Callie a chance at a forever home. Some places around here put down intact bullies the same day. But they gave him a chance and we came at the right time. So I went to the dollar store. I'm not working yet so I can't get too fancy. But several baby blankets, dog toys, catnip mice, treats. I'll add some more old towels in the bottom of the bag. Not even twenty dollars and I know it will make a difference for a bunch of critters no matter their eventual outcome. Poor Callie, when I brought him home they gave me the toy he had slept with in his kennel. I tossed it in the sewer it was in such bad shape. A new clean squeaky toy for a lonely pup. Really think it's a neat tradition.
Last month I had a good clear out of the dogs old collars, leads, harnesses and coats. They were all in good condition, but either too big or too small for the two G's. (I didn't realise how many I had)! I took them all to the local rescue and the lady I gave them to couldn't thank me enough which made me feel so great that I've decided every 3 months or so I'll make an "in kind" donation. I've just bought new blankets for my two spoilt brats and when I have time I'll give their old ones a good wash and donate those and I thought when I do I'll buy some tins of cat food and a 10 kg bag of dog kibble to go with them.
Because I work in a rescue home I treat all the dogs in there, I start by sorting through all my dogs old toys, I wash them & wrap each one up with a treat, then I visit the park football/tennis clubs & ask for all their used balls for the dogs in The Rescue Home, they give me 2 lager black bin bags of used balls for £5 enough balls for each dog at the home plus one each for my dogs.
On another dog forum the other day I saw an appeal from a rescue in the US, for baby/children/ adult T shirts and sweaters that dogs could wear to keep them warm in winter. I've lots of old T shirts and sweaters I'd willingly give them and If I remember when I'm next anywhere near our local rescue I thought I'd pop in and ask if they's like them
That gives me another idea. The local high school sports department. Sophie used to have a blast with old footballs. Something else too, marking the calendar and making a commitment to every two or three months rounding up some donations. There's used clothing stores that have blankets and towels for $1 each.
What a lovely idea, Leslie. Our Obedience club does quite a bit of fundraising for local rescue homes, and for greyhound rescue. There have been collar, lead, blanket and coat collections for Romanian Underdogs at the Midland shows this Summer. There are so many appeals, at home and worldwide - also for those brave souls who stay put and struggle to care for deserted dogs in warzones. Whatever we do always feels like a drop in the ocean.
