August 20, 2010
Ministries for Homeless Pets
Encourage shelter adoptions, promote pet sterilization, and raise awareness of puppy mill cruelties
-
Your congregation can help homeless animals. HSUS/N. Peterson
-
Help dogs by educating would-be pet owners about puppy mills. HSUS
-
Support positive programs like this agility training class to help end dogfighting in your community. HSUS/Jeff Jenkins
-
Help dogs and cats find homes with the families in your community.
More than 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized each year in shelters. Most of these ani-mals are healthy and adoptable; there simply aren’t enough adoptive homes. Meanwhile, across the country, factory-style breeding operations known as puppy mills churn out millions of dogs every year in conditions of squalor and neglect. We can combat these tragedies by encouraging shelter adoptions, promoting pet sterilization, and raising awareness of puppy mills.
In the guide
Pet adoption event resources:
Puppy-friendly pet stores initiative
Spay and neuter:
Adoption information: why it matters
Shelter Pet Project PSAs:
Download the Shelter Pet Project PSAs and run them on a small screen on your information table throughout the event. These PSAs will help educate attendees about shelter pets and will draw people to the information table where your other information can be made available.
Feature adoptable pets in your newsletter
Partner with a local shelter or rescue group. Ask them to send photos and brief descriptions of animals they would like to feature. Include the photo and the information about the pet in your newsletter, in a special part of your website, or on a church bulletin board. Set up a schedule so you will have new information regularly for publication or to refresh your web site. You can feature pets who need foster homes as well as those who need adoption.
Food, towel and toy drive
Partner with a local shelter or rescue group. Find out what sort of supplies would be most useful to them and organize a drive in your congregation to collect donations of things the shelter needs. This can be a one-time event or a more regular contribution.
Educational pet classes
- Contact us to connect with a guest speaker near you
- Share dog behavior and training tips
- Share cat behavior and training tips
Videos
More ideas
Foster a homeless animal
Contact local shelters or rescue groups to assess their foster care needs. Identify a person in the congregation to coordinate this ministry and in your newsletter, bulletin, or website, ask congregation members interested in foster to contact the coordinator, who can then direct the volunteer to the appropriate group.
Take care of feral cats
Include resources in your newsletter
- Include the puppy mill tip line
- Include pet care tips
- Include other animal stewardship information: visit www.humanesociety.org and pick different issues to feature from our various campaigns and departments. Highlight petitions, legislative issues, seasonal concerns, or recent events.
- Provide a link to Humane Steward, the monthly online newsletter for Faith Outreach at The Humane Society of the United States
Bring the Spay and Neuter campaign to your community
Form a public service announcement committee
- Form a committee to urge local TV and radio to play Shelter Pet Project PSAs and anti-dogfighting PSAs
Post anti-dogfighting information
Find out about End Dogfighting Campaigns in Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee and Atlanta
Youth activities
