13 Nov How to Help Animals This Holiday Season

The winter holidays are fast approaching, and it’s a busy time of the year for almost everyone. That includes animal shelters! Dallas Animal Services is always in need of volunteers to help out around the holidays, as many staff and volunteers head off to visit their loved ones. If you want to make a difference this holiday season, here are some of the biggest ways you can help animals.

Holiday Volunteering

The halls of Dallas Animal Services can feel a little lonely on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s when the shelter is closed to the public. Thankfully, we always get a handful of volunteers who give their time and love to our pets on days when they could be cozy in their homes. Some don’t celebrate these holidays, or simply want to enjoy the day giving back to their community. DAS has opportunities for volunteers of all ages and abilities, and one activity everyone can enjoy is enrichment! We always need volunteers to put together little treats – like “pup-kin” pie – or cardboard puzzles hiding yummy treats for the pets to tear apart.

For the holidays we love to decorate, hold pet photo shoots, and make videos promoting our adoptable pets on social media. Whether you can walk dogs, play with cats, clean kennels, or fold laundry, your help is always needed here at Dallas Animal Services. Learn more about volunteer opportunities at DAS and sign up now to get started.

Holiday Fostering

We have an incredible team of fosters here at Dallas Animal Services, but we never have (and never will have) enough foster homes! The benefits of fostering are endless for the shelter pet, but they are also a great way to bond as a family and give back to the community without committing to hours outside of your home.

During the holidays, many of the regular DAS fosters travel out of town and have to either return the pet to the shelter or find them a new foster. That’s where you can help! If you only foster for a few weeks once a year, the months of November, December, and January are the best time to open your heart and your home to a shelter animal. You’ll give the pet the experience of a loving home, create opportunities to meet potential adopters in your neighborhood, and get lots of photos of them happy in a home environment – all of which boost their chances of getting adopted! Learn more about fostering and sign up today.

Pet Food Pantry

With inflation still putting a strain on households all over the nation, families that have lovingly cared for their pets for years are finding it more and more difficult to budget for their pet’s care. That’s why Dallas Animal Services is proud to run a pet food pantry that provides supplemental food supplies to pet parents who need a little help making it through the month. We always need volunteers, but a steady supply of donations is what keeps the pets in our community with full bellies and in their loving homes. You can donate to our wish list to make the holidays a little easier for pet owners in need in our community.

No matter how you are able to help, your gift of time, a space in your home, or a food donation can change a pet’s life this holiday season.