The shelter always needs vols: Here's how to help

All of us at Cocheco Valley Humane Society agree that it would be impossible for our small staff to care for more than 2,000 animals each year without the help of our amazing volunteers. Each day, volunteers arrive at 8 a.m. at the shelter and work tirelessly alongside the staff to clean cages, walk dogs, feed the animals, and prepare our shelter to open to the public. Throughout the day, they work with the shelter dogs on training programs and help nervous animals feel more comfortable by socializing and playing with them. Our volunteers are truly priceless, and we’re always happy to welcome new volunteers to the program. Children must be at least 14 years old to join the volunteer program, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved if you’re not quite old enough yet!

Hold a donation drive

Shelters rely on donations to help feed and care for the animals. In the past, students have held a “stuff the bus” event and filled an entire school bus with donations. Other children have held school-wide donation events, challenging different grades or classrooms to collect the most items. The most common way children collect donations, though, is with birthday parties. Amazingly, many children ask for donations for the shelter in lieu of birthday gifts at their parties. No matter how the donations are collected, they are always greatly appreciated. Not sure what items to collect? Ask your shelter for copies of their wish list and have them indicate which items are most needed and what brands they prefer. You can never go wrong with a donation of cat litter!

Invite a Humane Educator to your class

One of the best ways you can help the animals is by learning how to properly care for them. Humane Educators offer a variety of presentations on topics ranging from the ABCs of pet care and choosing the right pet for your family to safety around animals and reporting animal cruelty. Programs can even be tailored to match what you are learning in school or at scout meetings.

Make toys and blankets

Shelter animals are just like your pets at home: they love warm blankets to snuggle in and have a blast playing with toys. While the dog kennels are large enough to fit puffy comforters and other large blankets, the cat cages are a different story. A majority of the bedding we use for cats is specially made by volunteers to fit on the bottoms of the cages. Often made of towel on one side and fleece on the other, the blankets are an easy craft project that truly make a difference in the lives of shelter animals. Looking for something even easier to make? Baby socks filled with catnip and sealed shut are great toys for cats!

Make posters to highlight long-term shelter animals

Some animals at the shelter require a little extra help to find their forever homes. Find out what animals have been at your local shelter the longest and create posters for them to help draw the attention of adopters. If you are involved with social media, share photos of the animals with friends and family members and encourage them to share the photos as well.

Hold your own fundraiser

Raising money for the animals can be fun! Try holding a bake sale or yard sale. Put on a play or talent show with admission fees going to the animals. If you’re on a sports team, try holding a charity game to benefit the shelter. Offer to walk dogs for your neighbors and, in lieu of charging a fee, collect donations. You are only limited to your imagination!

No matter how old you are, there is always something you can do to make a difference in the lives of homeless animals!

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with three parrots, two cats, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org