We hear people say that they don't know what help they can be since they
can't foster dogs. Here are one hundred plus ways to help a rescue
group, most of which do not require even touching the dog. Let your imagination go wild, you can be assured that we NEED all the help we can get!
We know you can, but will you please help Happy Tails?
1. Transport a dog?
2. Donate a dog bed or towels, blankets or other "bedding"type items?
3. Donate money or food ? Happy Tails uses 50,000 lbs of food yearly, plus many, many other items.
4. Donate a Kong? A nylabone? A Hercules?
5. Donate a crate or dog-run panels?
6. Donate an x-pen or baby gates or fencing?
7. Donate a food dish or a stainless bucket for a crate?
8. Donate a leash?
9. or Collar?
10. Donate some treats or a bag of food or BARF?
11. Donate a halti or promise collar or a gentle leader?
12. Walk a dog?
13. Groom a dog?
14. Donate some grooming supplies (shampoos, combs, brushes, etc.)?
15. Go to the shelter and see if that dog is the breed the shelter
says it is or go with rescue to be a second opinion on the dog? Or go for rescue.
16. Make a few phone calls?
17. Mail out applications to people who have requested them? Answer email?
18. Provide local vet clinics with contact information for educational
materials on responsible pet ownership?
19. Drive a dog to and from vet appointments? Or transport a dog?
20. Donate long distance calling cards? Or pay a phone bill?
21. Donate a scanner or digital camera, or office supplies?
22. Donate the use of a photocopier?
23. Attend public education days and try to educate people on responsible
pet ownership?
24. Donate a gift certificate to a pet or feed store?
25. Donate a raffle item if your club is holding a fund raiser?
26. Donate natural medicines?
27. Donate canine supplements?
28. Donate a canine first aid kit? Or buy something from our WildCraftedFarmacy.
29. Provide a shoulder to cry on when the rescue person is overwhelmed?
30. Pay the boarding fees to board a dog for a week? Two weeks?
31. Be a "Santa Paws" foster to give the foster a break for a few hours or
days?
32. Clip coupons for dog food or treats? Or make a deal with the grocer?
33. Bake some homemade doggie biscuits? Sell them for donations?
34. Make book purchases through Amazon via a web site that contributes
commissions earned to a rescue group?
35. Host rescue photos with an information link on your web site? Or in your office?
36. Donate time to take good photos of foster dogs for adoption flyers,etc?
37. Conduct a home visit or accompany a rescue person on the home visit?
38. Go with rescue person to the vet to help if there is more than one dog?
39. Have a yard sale and donate the money to rescue?
40. Be a volunteer to do rescue in your area? You'd be MORE than welcome!
41. Take advantage of a promotion on the web or store offering a free ID
tag and instead of getting it for your own dog, have the tag inscribed
with a rescue's name and phone # to contact?
42 Talk to all your friends about adopting and fostering rescue dogs?
43. Donate vet services or can you help by donating a spay or neuter each
year?
44. Interview vets to encourage them to offer discounts to rescues? Most DON'T!!
45. Write a column for your newspaper or club on dogs currently
looking for homes or ways to help rescue?
46. Take photos of dogs available for adoption for use by the Club?
47. Maintain web sites listing/showing dogs available?
48. Help organize and run fundraising events?
49. Help maintain the paperwork files associated with each dog or enter
the information into a database?
50. Tattoo a rescued dog?
51. Scan for a Microchip a rescued dog? Don't microchip, migrating chips cause tumors.
52. Loan your carpet steam cleaner to someone who has fostered a dog that
was sick or marked the house?
53. Donate a bottle of bleach or other cleaning products?
54. Donate or loan a portable dog run to someone who doesn't have a
quarantine area for quarantining a sick or injured dog?
55. Drive the fosters' children to an activity so that the foster can take
the dog to obedience class?
56. Use your video camera to film a rescue dog in action?
57. Pay the cost of taking a dog to obedience class?
58. Be the one to take the dog to its obedience class?
59. Go to the foster home once a week with your children and dogs to help
socialize the dog? Take the dog for a daily or weekly walk.
60. Help the foster clean up the yard (yes, we also have to scoop what
those foster dogs poop)?
61. Offer to test the foster dog with cats?
62. Pay for the dog to be groomed or take the dog to a "Do It Yourself"
grooming place?
63. Bring the foster take out so the foster doesn't have to cook dinner?
64. Pay a house-cleaning service to do th spring cleaning for someone who
fosters dogs all the time?
65. Lend your artistic talents to your club's newsletter, fundraising
ideas, T-shirt designs?
66. Donate printer paper, ink cartridges, envelopes and stamps to your club?
67. Go with a rescue person to the vet if a foster dog needs to be
euthanized?
68. Go to local shelters and meet with shelter staff about how to identify
your breed or provide photos and breed information showing the different
types of the breed may come in and the different color combinations?
69. Go to the local businesses and solicit donations for a club's
fundraising event?
70. Offer to try and help owners be better pet owners by holding a
grooming seminar?
71. Help owners be better animal owners by being available to answer
training questions?
72. Loan a crate if a dog needs to travel by air?
73. Put together an "Owner's Manual" for those who adopt rescued dogs of your breed?
74. Provide post adoption follow up or support?
75. Donate a coupon for a free car wash or gas or inside cleaning of a vehicle?
76. Pay for an ad in your local paper to help place rescued dogs?
77. Volunteer to screen calls for that ad?
78. Get some friends together and build/repair pens for a foster home?
79. Keep track of your own pups if you are a breeder, and register the chips,
so if your dogs ever come into rescue, you can be contacted to take responsibility for your pup?
80. Donate a small percentage of the sale of each pup to rescue if you are a breeder?
81. Buy two of those really neat dog items you "have to have" and donate one to rescue?
82. Make financial arrangements in your will to cover the cost of caring
for your dogs after you are gone - so rescue won't have to?
83. Make a bequest in your will to your local or national rescue?
84. Donate your professional services as an accountant, lawyer, housecleaaner?
85. Donate other services if you run your own business?
86. Donate the use of a vehicle if you own a car dealership, or donate a transport vehicle?
87. Loan your cell phone (and cover costs for any calls) to someone driving a rescued dog?
88. Donate your "used" dog dryer when you get a new one?
89. Let rescue know when you'll be flying and that you'd be willing to be a rescued dogs' escort?
90. Do something not listed above to help rescue?
91. Donate a doggy seat belt?
92. Donate a grid for a van or other vehicle? Donate the vehicle.
93. Organize a rescued dog picnic or other event to reunite the rescued dogs that have been placed?
94. Donate other types of doggy toys that might be safe for rescued dogs?
95. Donate a roll-a-treat or Buster cube, or agility equipment?
96. Donate clickers of a video on clicker training?
97. Donate materials for a quarantine area at a fosters' home?
98. Donate sheets of linoleum or other flooring materials fo put under crates to protect fosters floor?
99. Donate an engraving tool to make ID tags for each of the rescued dogs?
100. Donate frequent flyer points so that the rescue can fly a dog from another area to safety?
101. Offer to be a rescued dogs; flight escort, especially if your work requires you to travel frequently or you work in the travel industry?
102. Do something not listed above to help rescue? With a little imagination, couldn't you think of at least a dozen more things?