Teach Your Children to Help Homeless Pets

A Chihuahua ready for adoption.

Teach your children the true meaning of giving have then use part of their Christmas cash or gift cards to help a homeless animal. If you join your kids in making a donation, you can use it as an end of the year tax write-off to help pets and yourself.

Here’s an example Let’s say grandma gave a child a $25 gift card from Wal-Mart. The toy they want is $20, leaving them an extra $5. Spend it on a fleece blanket and take it to your local animal shelter. Blankets, towels, old bedding and warm clothes make great donations to both animal shelters—for use as bedding—and human shelters to keep people warm, too.

Another great way to help animals in general is by donating to two national organizations The Human Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Personal preference is to donate materials or money, and volunteer some of your time, at a local pet rescue. Bring your kids—even if you don’t have pets, or are considering getting one—so they get to meet the critters. The dogs and cats will love the attention, and your kids will have a blast. In addition, you can teach your children the responsibilities of pet ownership, such as regularly feeding and cleaning up after them.

Let’s say you have a specific breed of dog or cat and you want that breed. There are rescue organizations for every breed imaginable. Consider first searching online for a local or nearby rescue. If not, use this list to touch base with a national group that can help you find a local organization.

According to PetVR, the top dog breeds, followed by a link to an associated rescue group are:

1.      Labrador retrievers

2.      Golden retrievers

3.      Yorkshire terriers

4.      German shepards

5.      Beagles

6.      Dachshunds

7.      Boxers

8.      Poodles and mixes

9.      Shi Tzu’s

10.  Miniature Schnauzers

11.  Chihuahuas

12.  Pugs

13.  Bulldogs

14.  Pomeranians

15.  Cocker Spaniels

16.  Rottweilers

17.  Boston Terriers

18.  Shetland Sheepdogs

19.  Maltese

20.  German Shorthaired Pointers

Siamese are beautiful, independent and loving.

Some people like their pets to purr or they live in areas where dogs are not allowed, but cats are. If you want a registered purebred cat, visit the Cat Fanciers’ Association website.

According to home fashion maven Martha Stewart, the top 10 cat breeds (and—according to me—associated rescue groups) are:

1.      Persians

2.      Maine Coon

3.      Exotics (shorthaired Persians)

4.      Ragdoll

5.      Sphynx

6.      Siamese (multiple breeds, with some people consider Ragdolls a Siamese)

7.      Abyssinian

8.      American Shorthair (a common breed often found at shelters)

9.      Cornish Rex

10.  Birman

I will not personally vouch for any of these organizations since all 11 of my cats and three dogs are rescues. However, any help you can give any of these animals is greatly appreciated.

Speaking as a life-long pet owner, thank-you for any help you can give.