Here’s how you can help animal shelters
Happiness is a warm puppy, Charlie Brown told us years ago. Or even a big warm dog named Barnett who’s got mange – you never know.
Comic strip wisdom on the joys of pets could be a mantra for many in the midst of coronavirus misery, the idea being: Contact your local animal shelter and adopt or foster a pet. And donate, you’ll feel better.
It’s already working for people like Hailey Gross, 22, and her boyfriend, Ryan Williams, 25, two Iowa-bred teachers newly arrived in the Houston public school system. They’re stuck at home with little to do once their digital learning classes are over for the day.
So they signed up to foster a pup at the sprawling Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one of the nation’s largest animal shelters and home of the TV show, “Animal Cops Houston.”
They took the foster course offered online by Houston SCPA online and soon had Barnett, a 3-year-old, 66pound Labrador retriever mutt with mange (he’s healing) and not yet fully house-trained (he’s improving).
“He’s a mix of everything you can think of,” says Gross, a high-school art teacher. “He’s got this wrinkly face and sad little puppy-dog eyes.”
The arrangement has been a pleasure for all, including Barnett, judging from his new receptivity to belly rubs, she says. Their bean-bag chair has become his bean-bag bed.
Gross grew up with horses and farm animals but fostering a house pet has its challenges along with its rewards. “It keeps your tank full while going through this (crisis),” she says.
So Barnett is living a good life with his new family, happily oblivious to the chaos outside or his next adventure in life.
“We’re keeping a ton of notes about him and what he likes. We know he won’t stay with us forever, but we’re going to make sure he’s the most prepared dog possible (for adoption).”
If you want to help, here are some tips from Kimberley Alboum, who writes a blog on the website of the national Humane Society.
❚ Adopt or foster: Find your local shelter or rescue organization websites and check out available pets online. You can choose to permanently adopt or temporarily foster, which might turn into an adoption later.
❚ Avoid the crowd: With “social distancing” adoptions and appointmentonly programs, you can visit the shelter without getting close to others. Call ahead and schedule a time. You might have to wait for a text in the parking lot, then pull up to pick up your pet.
❚ Donate: Ask the shelters what they need or go to website and look at their wish list. Share with friends, family and social groups. Or just click on the “donate” button.
❚ Fill the pantries: Check whether your community has a pet-food pantry you can donate to. Meals on Wheels and other human services may also deliver pet food to reach people struggling as a result of lost wages.