Animal welfare – How to help without donating money

Volunteering

This one might be obvious, but volunteering is a great way to help without having to spend any money. Do you have time left in your week and would you like to do something productive and helpful (and give animals without homes some extra love)? Check with your local shelter or farm sanctuary to see if you can offer a pair of hands!

If you have a specific skill, you could also offer your services. Local shelters and non-profit organisations also need photos, websites, posters, or social media posts. If you are a photographer, graphic designer, or IT specialist, your skill can help those organisations and therefore, the animals they take care of.

Foster or adopt

If you are looking for your new furry best friend, definitely consider adopting one from a shelter. You will help an animal in need by giving him his new forever home. Unlike some people might think, a lot of pets from the shelter are well-trained. You can also find pure breeds at the shelter if that is something you want. If you can’t commit long-term, but you still want to help, you can also foster an animal! You can bring these animals home and give them the love that they deserve until they are re-homed. You will probably fall in love with them, though.

Donating goods

A perfect Sunday activity. Go around your house and collect all the stuff (clothing, books, etc) you don’t need anymore. You can bring these to charity shops like the PDSA. These shops will sell your items, and the money goes towards helping those animals in need. You can also donate goods directly to shelters and rescue charities. Think of fleece blankets, towels, dog beds, dog toys, tinned dog food, plastic paddling pools, leads, but also office and cleaning supplies like paper towels, garbage bags, gloves, pens, folders, a4 paper, and much more. Donating goods means a clean house for you and happy animals in the shelter. It’s a win-win. You can always contact your local shelter to see which items they accept.

Get crafty

Are you one of those people that googles ‘what to do on the weekend?’ Look no further; get crafty for pets in need! Not only is it a fun activity to pass time, but shelters are also always happy with donated items as they are full of animals that need a bed and toys. Some pets love their toys so much, they can destroy them in hours! So get some old t-shirts, sewing machine, tennis balls, or other stuff you have lying around the house and see if you can turn it into an animal’s new favourite item. Are you a professional at knitting? Knit a dog coat! Perfect for a rainy day.

Start a fundraiser

Fundraising allows you to be creative when it comes to collecting donations. If you want to collect money to donate, you could consider organising a raffle, an ultimate pet quiz, a bake-off, a dog and car wash event, a themed pet photoshoot, a pet talent show, or a speed dating event for animal lovers. You can also organise a sponsored marathon or other challenges. If you and people you know like to get hands-on and make things, you can sell crafty items or artwork for a good cause. If you prefer to donate goods, you can also think of an event to collect pet supplies for shelters in your area. Get your creative brain flowing and think of the best idea that people won’t say no to!

Create awareness on social media and sign important petitions

The power of social media. There are only a few people that don’t have Facebook or Instagram on their phones and let’s be honest, most people have their phone glued to their hand. Social media is one of the most powerful tools to share information and create awareness. This could be information about non-profit organisations, but you can also share your local shelter’s post about pets that are up for adoption. You never know, maybe one of your followers is looking for a new pet and falls in love with the animal you just shared! The more shares these pets get, the bigger the chance they will get adopted. Another way to help with a snap of a finger is by signing petitions! These petitions can make a difference to those animals in need, and they take no time at all.

As you can see, there are many ways to help out without the involvement of money. Of course, it’s great to contribute, whether it is national pet month, world animal day or not.

Charities

Down below, we added a short list of lesser known UK animal welfare charities that are worth looking at. These charities are all here to help animals and pets in need, no matter how big or small!

• Wet Nose Animal Aid: They help vulnerable animals and distribute funds to lesser-known rescue centres.
• K9 Search Dog: A charity that helps reunite missing dogs with their owners.
• Fresh Fields: Non-profit charitable organisation caring for abandoned and unwanted animals, farm animals, and sick and injured wildlife.
• Street Paws: Provides free accessible vet care for homeless people in the UK.
• Oldies club: Dog rescue that helps older dogs find their forever home.
• Good Heart Animal Sanctuaries: They help rescue farm animals that have suffered neglect and abuse. Not just that, they also try to change the perception about farmed animals through education and campaigning.