Today marks the start of National Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week, which was founded by the Humane Society of the United States in 1996 and is celebrated each year during the first week of November.
I adopted my Nate, shown above doing his best impersonation of a jaguar perched in the trees, from the Kenton County Animal Shelter in Northern Kentucky when he was just four months old. All of my pets have come from shelters or rescues and they are/were all the greatest pets in the world, so I have a great deal of respect and affection for these organizations and the people who keep them running. There are between six and eight million homeless animals in the United States each year and only about 3,500 shelters to help them, so it's clear that all rescues have their work cut out for them.
In honor of the week, The Humane Society offers ten tips for helping your local shelter or rescue, some as easy as "liking" and sharing about rescues on Facebook and other social media. Other ideas include donating supplies such as towels or cleansers or even making your own toys for the shelter animals in your area. To read the article and see the whole list of ideas, click here.
Nate didn't want me to include a dog in this post but I saw this video last week and I think it captures the value of animal shelters and rescues more than any words ever could. It's such a feel-good story that even Nate had to relent and he agreed that it fits perfectly with Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week.
Kudos to this shelter and all the others across the country!
Post by Sea FM Hobart.
Shelter animals are usually 'mutts,' and those always make the best pets.
ReplyDeleteNate does jaguar well.
Great reminder, Julie - thanks! And Nate is not only ferocious but also gracious to allow a dog pic on this post. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie - rescued animals are really lucky and the rescue centres do amazing jobs ... my 2nd dog in South Africa was a Heinz 57 variety from the SA RSPCA ...
ReplyDeleteNate looks amazing and I know you love your animals ... cheers Hilary
I never got the chance to have a shelter pet since my cat just showed up on our doorstep, but I definitely plan on it in the future.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know this. Thanks so much. All of my dogs have been adopted from shelters. I wouldn't do it any other way.
ReplyDeleteI really can see Nate being a predatory cat. Obviously he's domesticated, but you can see the fierceness behind his eyes.
ReplyDeleteNate's so pretty...and obviously very happy to have been rescued!
ReplyDeleteAwww, such a special doggy going to such a special family! All of my granddogs have been rescues. I love them to bits!
ReplyDeletePound puppies (and kitties) have the biggest hearts!
ReplyDeleteThe video was touching. Few people are willing to adopt deaf or otherwise handicapped animals. Good for you Julie helping shelter animals.
ReplyDeleteNate looks so much like our Naddy and he sits like that too. In fact he will hang his paws in front-so funny. The dog is so beautiful and sweet. The dog is a pit bull and we can no longer have them here in Canada as pets due to their bad reputation but it is the people that train them this way and bring out their aggressive behaviour. I have met pit bulls that were so sweet and gentle. I heard they were the nanny dogs because, back in the 1800's they would watch over the children and were the gentlest with them. This story is so touching and so glad he got a good home. We get our animals from rescue shelters. Wallace is still so scared of the outside after 5 years but we love him.
ReplyDeleteMy last dog was a shelter dog. The best! Always support them when you can. :)
ReplyDeleteAll of my dogs and cats have come from shelters or been rescued in some fashion. I was glad I taught Faulkner, The Original Dog, hand signals. He was deaf the last couple years of his life. I've had blind dogs, too. They've managed quite well. Adopt! Don't buy. And be sure to spay or neuter.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Nate is handsome! I'm going to have to put together a package of supplies for my local shelter. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about this week! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Animals are the best!
ReplyDelete@Alex, I love mutts, that's all I've ever had.
ReplyDelete@Madeline, he is, isn't he? LOL it was hard for him.
@Hilary, Heinz 57 is cute LOL.
@Sarah, oh, that's how my family got two cats when I was a kid. They just showed up. It's funny how cats can just pick you sometimes.
@Jay, you're welcome, my pleasure.
@Michael, he would love you for saying that LOL.
@Stephanie, thanks! I'm so happy to have him.
@Gwen, isn't that story so sweet? I just love that dog and he obviously found the perfect family for him.
@Elizabeth, true!
@Sheena-kay, so glad you enjoyed it.
@Birgit, aww, poor Wallace. I'm glad he found a home with you and your family.
@LG, agreed. :)
@Janie, it seems lots of dogs go deaf as they age. I never thought about teaching the hand signals but that's a great idea.
@Chrys, thanks!
@Yvonne, my pleasure!
@Shelly, amen to that. :)
i have 2 shelter adoptees (dogs) and 2 that were rescued off the back road after being dumped (dogs). they're all very special.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't have allergies, we'd be all about pets. I really appreciate people who can handle them, and do help. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteUnleashing the Dreamworld
Both of our dogs were rescued. I'm not sure how someone could hurt them or give up on them. These two pups are positively wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was a Shelters Week! I'll have to remember this for next year, as I an involved in kitty rescue. ;)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I just realised you said National, not International. But still, we could adopt it as our own here in Aus!
ReplyDelete