November Newsletter: National animal shelter appreciation week

Jailhouse kitty wants to be adopted

How Will You Celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week in November?

Our country's animal shelters provide a valuable service to pets and the people who love them. Every year, shelters find homes for more than 4 million unwanted animals, according to the ASPCA. National Animal Shelter Week, held from November 6 - 12, is the perfect time to honor your local shelter. Not sure what you can do to help animal shelters? We've got a few suggestions for you.

Take a Pet Home

The next time you're ready to open your home to a pet, pay a visit to the animal shelter. You'll find a variety of breeds and types of animals in shelters, including pure-breeds and even exotic animals in some cases.

Don't overlook older animals during your visit. Older dogs and cats are often the last to be adopted, yet have plenty of love and affection to offer. When you adopt a pet, the shelter will have more space for another animal in need.

Make a Donation

Many animal shelters rely in donations and grants to fund their services. Often, budgets are very tight. An unexpected problem, like a broken furnace or an outbreak of kennel cough, can break already stretched budgets. Your donation will help shelters ensure that they have enough money for food, veterinary care, equipment, and kennel staff. Donations in any amount are always welcomed.

Your shelter may also appreciate donations of supplies, like unopened pet food, old towels, cleaning supplies, toys, and office equipment and furniture. Be sure to check with the shelter regarding their needs before you make a donation.

Volunteer

Have a little spare time? Why not become an animal shelter volunteer? Volunteer duties vary from shelter to shelter, but can include walking dogs, grooming cats and dogs, cleaning cages, feeding animals, and socializing dogs, cats, rabbits, and other small animals.

If you're worried that you'll want to take home every pet you'll see if you volunteer, ask about non-animal volunteer positions. Shelters often need people to help with office work, greet the public, or staff special events.

Foster a Pet

Foster pet parents provide loving homes for animals until they're adopted. Foster parents are often provided with food and supplies in exchange for caring for dogs, cats, or small animals. Although any animal can be fostered, shelters often use this option to provide extra attention for pets with special needs. You may be asked to provide a home for a mother cat and her new kittens or help socialize a dog that's having difficulty adjusting to the shelter environment.

If you have other pets, you may need to keep the foster animal separated from your pets, at least initially. Foster pet arrangements can last days or weeks, depending on how long it takes to find a new home for the animal.

Spread the Good News

Shelters rarely have money to spend on advertising. Luckily, you can help increase their profile with your posts on social media. Let the world know when the shelter receives new pets, needs food donations, or is holding a special event or fundraiser. If you're a volunteer or foster parent, share your experiences working with pets. After all, who can resist a cute pet photo or story?

Spay or Neuter Your Pets

Unlike people, many breeds of animals can reproduce two to three times a year. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough homes for all of these pets. Many of these unwanted animals find themselves in shelters, hoping they'll be adopted.

Spaying (for females) and neutering (for males) prevent animals from having babies and offer a few health benefits. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, spaying provides protection against breast cancer and uterine infections, while neutering protects males from testicular cancer and enlarged prostate glands.

Planning to adopt a shelter pet? A veterinary exam is a must for your new friend. Contact us to schedule your furry friend's appointment.

Sources:

ASPCA: Pet Statistics

Humane Society of the United States: Adopting Pets from Animal Shelters or Rescues

Petfinder: Things to Know Before Fostering a Dog or Cat

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Monday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Tuesday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Wednesday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Thursday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Friday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Saturday:

Open 1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month. Closed 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month.

8:00 am-2:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

Testimonials

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "We have a new 8 week Boston Terrier that we took to Springfield Vet yesterday for the first time. Absolutely pleased with the service, attitudes and genuine care shown to our little boy. The whole team was so professional, but took time to talk to you and explain everything. Dr Cynthia Wiseman is so wonderful, she sat in the floor did Logan's exam and played with him. What bedside manners. I will continue to use them, I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a caring and professional vet."
    Roi W.
  • "We absolutely love this vet clinic and the staff! The facilities are modern and always clean. Everyone is always so friendly and genuinely care for you and your animal- they make you feel as if you are apart of their family.

    Our boy, Samson, is a Rottie (and quite the problem child). We are usually in the clinic almost every other month for something and they are always so helpful and show great care and love for our pup! We are very picky/protective puppy parents, so we were very grateful to have found both Dr. Cynthia and Dr. Heath shortly after getting Samson.

    We have definitely found our "home" in the vet world, and would highly recommend to anyone who is currently looking!"
    Machaelie H.
  • "I have taken my dog here since he was a puppy. The staff are so friendly and caring, a very clean place and they always get us in quickly. When we come in no one passes us without greeting my dog and I and they're never in a rush to get us out of there."
    ShealynR.
  • "We decided to start taking our new kitty here this past fall and we love it! He was not on his best behavior (to say the least) for his first appointment, and the staff was so patient and was still able to safely run his bloodwork and give him his vaccinations. Every service has been reasonably priced, and they did everything they possibly could to make sure that our little guy was off to a healthy start after we adopted him. What I love is that they really seem to focus on the small details, too, like trimming our cat's nails after remembering that I had expressed interest in doing so at a previous appointment, or supplementing his flea treatment with something to safely speed up the process. We will definitely keep coming here as long as we live in Springfield!"
    Megan J.
  • "I have been taking my dog to SVC since 2012 and when I adopted my cat in 2015. I have never had a bad experience. We have seen Drs. Heath & Cynthia Wiseman and I love them both. Always professional, always take their time when looking my pets over, asking questions, and answering mine."
    Katherine P.
  • "We’ve been taking our Moose there for a few years now. After swallowing a toy when he was a puppy, getting fixed, having surgery on his eyelids a couple times, and most recently having a breed specific illness; I can I say I would recommend everyone to go here. They’ve taken the best care of our boy time and time again and went above and beyond."
    Ashley J.
  • "We’ve been taking our Moose there for a few years now. After swallowing a toy when he was a puppy, getting fixed, having surgery on his eyelids a couple times, and most recently having a breed specific illness; I can I say I would recommend everyone to go here. They’ve taken the best care of our boy time and time again and went above and beyond."
    Ashley J.
  • "Pleasant staff.,very informative. Great environment for your pets, including own room for cats to play so as they aren't stressed out."
    Cheryl K.
  • "Dr. Cynthia Wiseman has helped my little Shiba dog with chronic hip problems tremendously with consistent acupuncture therapy! So thankful for this practice and the high quality of care they offer my pets!"
    Lacey M.