HELP! I’m in a kennel and can’t get out!

Daisy: rescued, fostered, adopted!

Let’s say you love animals. Let’s also say you would like to help some animals in need. Well, you’re in luck. Every shelter and rescue organization is looking praying for you. And the animals are sure you’ll show up to help them—faces pressed up against the kennel bars, peering around the corner, waiting for the sound of your foot steps. Your fellow volunteers will welcome you with open arms. The animals need you to take them out for walks so they can stretch their legs, take them to adoption events so they can flirt their way home, bring them special treats to make them smile, sit in their kennels so they don’t get too lonely, bathe them so they smell nice, donate old towels and blankets so they can curl up on something warm, and most importantly perhaps, make room for them in your home whether permanently or temporarily. A little effort by you can make a world of difference for your community’s homeless animals. These times are tough for us all and even tougher still on others, but what a great opportunity to share what you have to give. Here in Cowtown we have many organizations that tirelessly take in, clean up and adopt out animals that have come upon hard times.

Here’s a very short list:

Franklin County Dog Shelter (http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/ancl/)
Citizens for Humane Action (http://www.chaanimalshelter.org/)
Capital Area Humane Society (http://www.cahs-pets.org/)
Columbus Dog Connection (http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/)
Measle’s Animal Haven (http://www.measlesanimalhaven.org/)

Pretty sure the org’s listed above are open to new help…

Now, for you folks who have a hard time stomaching all the desperate, furry faces begging to come home with you, don’t lose hope! You don’t have to step foot in a shelter to greatly impact countless numbers of homeless animals. Foster homes are the life-blood of many animal rescue organizations. Fostering an animal can instantly save that animal’s life, while opening up precious kennel space for more animals to pass through on their way to a new beginning. For instance, let’s take a local rescue group, Measle’s Animal Haven. Measle’s focuses on taking in homeless pit bulls in central Ohio. They rely solely on foster homes to care for their dogs until a suitable home is found. So when the call comes in from ABC County Shelter to please take a deserving dog, Measle’s can only take on as many dogs as there are spots in foster care. Enter you! The rescue takes care of vet bills and you provide an extremely grateful dog love and leadership. Need a crate? Not sure about housebreaking? Not sure about how to manage a household of resident animals and a foster? There are plenty of resources within each organization to make sure your experience is a rewarding one and one that you’ll repeat. And no one will make fun of you if your foster turns into a permanent family member—we’ve all been there!

HELP FIDO looks forward to helping plug you into the many ways to make a difference in your community!

(This post is dedicated in memory of Lyle and Lilly. We’re working on making this world a better place for dogs like you.)

(written by and uploaded for Amanda)