For all the sadness that can be associated with animals being surrendered at or even born into animal shelters, Joe McElroy of Naperville says that there are some heartwarming stories that prove what great work shelters across the country are doing every day.
For example, every year several hundred dogs and cats find new homes thanks to ADOPT (Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment), an animal shelter in Naperville where Joe McElroy volunteers and served on the Board of Directors for five years. “We see human nature at its best and worst,” Joe McElroy said, pointing to animals that were treated badly but then find new, loving homes.
McElroy added that most shelters, including ADOPT, have been quite crowded of late and need more volunteers,
Before being adopted, dogs like Little Man, shown here, received medical care and regular exercise at ADOPT, an animal shelter in Naperville.
Helping Animals and their Owners
Shelters workers like those at ADOPT in Naperville aren’t just there to take in abandoned dogs: they actively work to assist the families struggling to look after them, too, as shown by the McKamey Animal Center in Tennessee this week.
When an impoverished mother of two was forced to surrender her dog to the shelter due to homelessness, the shelter took the time to not only look after Lilo but reunite her with her owner.
The shelter went so far as to help get Lilo’s owner into a more secure living environment, with the hope that the dog may soon return to her loving family in the near future.
Super Bowl Incentive Draws Interest
Philadelphia and Kansas City may be going head-to-head in the biggest game of the football season, but they’ve come together to raise funds to support local animal shelters, offering fans the chance to adopt a dog for just $57.
The KC Pet project and animal center ACCT Philly are running an adoption special, boosted by the promise to name pets after star team players, that will encourage people to welcome a new canine into their homes and help the community keep the dogs they may be struggling to look after.
It’s a heartwarming, off-field initiative where both cities are coming together in the spirit of the upcoming on-field battle.
A Birthday Gift with a Difference
Social media is full of cute videos of people being gifted puppies and kittens on their birthdays, but for the past ten years, a group of friends in South Africa have been giving back to shelters on their birthdays, instead.
Pauline Morris and pals have agreed that in honor of their birthdays each year, rather than buying each other gifts, they’ve instead donated that money to buy food, fund shelters, and help pay vet bills for local dogs in need.
It’s a great idea that people all over the world can get on board with, and the more friends who join the initiative, the more can be raised for local animal shelters.
Like Travel? Adopt a Kitten!
Las Vegas Animal Foundation has a tempting offer for anyone looking to adopt a kitten: free travel vouchers to anyone who takes in a newborn kitty.
Partnering with Frontier Airlines, the Nevada based shelter is giving a little extra incentive to prospective new owners in the hope of a swift adoption for a weeks-old litter of three kittens who have been named Spirit, Delta, and Frontier.
The airline is offering vouchers worth as much as $500 to the new parents of the kittens, and for those who adopt its namesake, they’re doubling that amount. It’s a novel way to attract interest, but with boosts such as these from sponsors, shelters are much more likely to place animals in new homes.
