Discussing The Importance Of Animal Shelters And The Week-Long Holiday That Honors Them
Animal shelters are a very important part of our society. They are responsible for taking in stray animals, providing them with shelter, veterinary care, food, water, and love. This is a huge responsibility considering the high volumes of lost or stray animals that enter animal shelters every year. Animal shelters are so important, that the entire first week of November is celebrated as National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week! This article will take a look at why animal shelters are so important, how you can help them, and how to observe this amazing week-long holiday.
A Holiday About Animal Shelters
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week takes place during the first full week of November. This year (2023) it will take place from November 5th to November 11th. This holiday aims to recognize and honor the various animal shelters across the U.S. that provide care for millions of animals every year. But, it also acknowledges the hard working people of these animal shelters too. Caring for all of these homeless animals isn’t easy work. This holiday gives thanks to the employees and volunteers who work tirelessly to give shelter animals a better life.
What Do Animal Shelters Do?
Additionally, National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week serves as a reminder of all the amazing services that animal shelters offer. Animal shelters do much more than just finding new homes for pets. They also provide veterinary care, rehabilitate injured animals, educate pet owners about proper pet care, and help reunite lost pets with their owners. Animal shelters are a necessary part of society and provide invaluable services to their communities. That’s something worth celebrating!
Animal Shelter Statistics
The A.S.P.C.A. reports that 6.3 million animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year. Out of those 6.3 million, 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. While many of these pets will be adopted, not all of them are so lucky. It is reported that out of those 6.3 million shelter animals, 920,000 of them will be euthanized. These are absolutely tragic statistics that truly reflect the gravity of the shelter animal overpopulation problem.
How You Can Help Animal Shelters
Although the aforementioned statistics are tragic, they can be changed. Through the efforts of pet loving people like you, we can lower the number of shelter animals that are euthanized every year. The biggest contributor to why so many shelter animals are euthanized every year is lack of resources. Most animal shelters are non-profit and rely on donations to keep their operations running. That’s why we encourage you to donate to your local animal shelter in honor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.
Donations such as towels, blankets, dog/cat toys, pet food, and other pet supplies are always appreciated. You can also donate money if that is an easier option for you. Additionally, you can also observe this amazing holiday by volunteering at your local animal shelter. Most animal shelters operate off volunteer work, so any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Spread The Word About The Holiday!
In honor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, we encourage you to spread the word about the holiday. Many people don’t even know about this amazing awareness-based holiday. But, you can change that. By making a simple post on social media, you can help educate people about the importance of animal shelters and the people that work there. Be sure to use the handle #nationalanimalshelterappreciationweek and share this article too!
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