Lately, I’ve been pondering what charitable causes I can contribute toward, to help create a better world for us all. My focus this time is on the little angels we call dogs, cats, horses and other animal companions we are blessed to know on this Earth. The immense joy and unconditional love my heart has received from my animal companions over the years is too great to measure. I hope you’ve also been fortunate enough to have your life enriched and enlightened by an animal angel.
It’s been an honor to support the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the no-kill animal shelter in my area. The ASPCA was the first humane society to be established in North America, founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and that our fellow living beings must be protected under the law. The ASPCA is a privately funded not-for-profit corporation, so donations are tax-deductible. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in several key areas: caring for animal guardians (that’s us) and animals, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals, and serving victims of animal cruelty. They also support efforts to find loving families for shelter animals.
In my experience, animal shelters are run by some of the most compassionate and generous people in the world. They need help in many ways, from donations of simple items like pens and paper, to blankets and healthy treats for the animals. The volunteers work day and night to care for the most needy animals while they wait for their new forever families to come find them in the shelters.
Please urge everyone you know to STOP supporting pet stores that use puppy mills and kitten mills, and instead support your local animal shelters. Please choose to save the life of an orphan animal waiting in a shelter. They are dreaming of finding you, and they just want to join a loving family in a forever home. Please educate yourself and your friends and family members about the sad reality of pet mills that stock some of our nation’s pet stores.
There are countless sweet animals sitting alone in shelters whose only wish is to be saved and adopted into a safe place. The love, loyalty, and friendship you will receive from rescuing an animal in need will be your heart’s eternal reward. It’s as if there are rooms filled with gold (the spiritual kind) available now to enrich your life, and all you need to do is go out and say yes to love! Please join me and stand up for the rights and dignity of animal angels in need today. Please look up your local animal shelter and visit the ASPCA website to learn more about how you can help now. You’ll be glad you did!
