6 Ways You Can Help Los Angeles' Shelter Pets

As a pet care professional, I feel like it's my duty to give back to the animals since I make my living off them. Before I had my daughter last year, I would volunteer at the West LA Animal Shelter, performing such activities as cleaning kennels, walking dogs and handling animals at a mobile pet adoptions. Since having the baby and have ZERO available time, the way I currently volunteer is by networking the dogs at the shelter (with the help of Mirja Bishop and the other volunteers) on the Hounds Needing Homes of this website and our Healthy Paws' Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Since you're on this website, you obviously care about the welfare of animals so you may wonder how you can help the over 57,000 animals taken in by the LA City Shelters each year.

1. Adopt from a City Shelter - Open your home to a needy pet.  Learn more about Los Angeles Animal Services adoption fees & policies.
2. Volunteer - Walking the dogs, laundering pet beds/sweaters, showing animals at the shelter…all these activities help the working of the shelter, allowing a more comfortable shelter life and ensuring more animals are adopted.  Learn how to volunteer 
3. Foster - Fostering is a great way to give the pet the time he needs for city shelter to find him a place of his own.  For more information on fostering, contact Jan Selder, 213-482-9594.
4. Network the animals - You are the animal's best advocate.  Follow the Hounds Needing Homes  page on this website; these are the dogs most in need at the West LA Animal Shelter.  Check out the New Hope Alerted Animals on an on-going basis; these are animals in most dire need city-wide.  Tweet it, Facebook it, Google+ it…whatever it takes to encourage your network of family/friends/acquaintances to adopt or foster a furry friend.
5. Donate items — leashes, collars, pet beds, dog sweaters, treats (no rawhides, please), pet food, towels, blankets, etc.  These items (and many more) are desperately needed at each City Shelter.  Drop off donated items at your nearest City Shelter.
6. Donate $$ - In this economic climate, your tax-deductible support is needing more than ever. Giving has never been easier. You may easilty donate online.

The progression of Los Angeles' City Shelters toward a No-Kill program is dependent on these efforts by animal lovers like you.  Continued volunteering, fostering and sharing of shelter animal experiences with friends and family helps raise awareness about our wonderful shelter animals.  The animals are counting on us.  We are all they have.