The Problem
Animals in shelters spend many hours in cages. There is often not enough time, staff or enrichment for all the animals in care.
Our Plan
Our group will create animal enrichment items (toys) for animals in care at our local shelter. We invite anyone to take part and learn to create toys for their nearest shelter. Additionally, we will be creating "adoption ads" for the shelter's long-standing residents. These ads will include artwork or photos of the pets needing homes as well as information regarding their personalities and ideal home. These ads will be displayed at the local library as well as the county shelter!
Themes Addressed
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Animal Welfare
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Collaborate
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Homeless Animals
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Pets & Companion Animals
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The Benefit
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Animals
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Here is how the project went:
This project was an overwhelming success! It was truly lead by the children and they did fantastic work! We made toys for the shelter dogs and cats and they wrote and drew 'adoption ads' for the pets needing homes. Their work was displayed both at the library and at the shelter itself. After the shelter shared the artwork on social media, Darth Vader (the longest- resident cat at the shelter) was adopted. This was a direct result of the group's work because the woman adopting him saw the post and said "Look at this! I have to go get him!". And she did. We also received a thank-you letter from the Shelter Operations Manager which was shared with the group.
Through this project I/we learned:
We learned to keep in touch with one another. We learned about the issues public shelters face and how they differ from private shelters. We learned what the community can do to help reduce the number of animals euthanized at municipality shelters as well as how to improve living conditons.
What I/we might change:
I would like to be able to arrange for shelter staff to speak with the group via Zoom, or if Covid wasn't a concern, a tour of the shelter as a group.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
I loved hearing when an animal we worked for got adopted. It was great putting up that "Adopted" star on their ads when the pet was no longer available due to finding their forever home! I also loved talking with everyone who came in to the library about our group and ways they can get involved. Our display books on shelter pets were all checked out and we received great feedback!
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
If you're upset about animal euthanasia in shelters, please learn more about why there are "kill shelters" and "no-kill" shelters. These differences are important and so are the steps involved in operating each type. Public shelters need support and assistance from the community (you!). They want to help animals, they want to save them. But they need help. Foster, spread the word, donate, volunteer. There are so many ways to get involved and make a difference. You can check out The Kitten Lady on YouTube or Social Media for greater insight and information.
