Helping Animal Rescues

Aunt Xiao Ping and kittens

It seems like just yesterday my current batch of kittens came home.  They are growing like weeds and getting along well with all of our animals and with the kids.  It is such a wonderful opportunity to help homeless animals and teach my girls about helping.

In four weeks our batch of kittens will be old enough to be spayed/neutered and find homes of their own.  They will go to the vet to have their surgery, recover, then Homeward Bound will place them for adoption.

While not everyone can spare the time or space to foster kittens, there is a lot anyone can do.  Every shelter, vet hospital, and rescue can always use donations.  Old sheets, towels, blankets, and linens are always welcomed to give homeless animals a soft place to lay.  Pillowy items can only be used once as they cannot be sanitized.  Monetary donations are always welcomed as well.  A friend and fellow blogger, Mindy, has an interesting way of donating to rescues.  She is a wonderful artist and donates paintings and drawings to be auctioned or sold for money.

Rescue groups always need help.  There is never enough people assisting them.  Anything anyone can give is appreciated.  Next time you have linens or old towels, consider donating them to a rescue instead of throwing them away.

Purebred Animal Rescue

Before I had Nadia and Nicole, I worked at a retail pet store that did not sell animals.  Often we had customers coming in looking for cats and dogs.  As a big supporter of animal rescue, I always suggest rescues first.  Many people would state they wanted a purebred animals so they would go to a puppy store.

The majority of puppy stores get their animals from puppy mills.  Puppy mills are in the business for money and the conditions are deplorable. Besides being extremely expensive, most animals from mills are sickly, malnourished, and poorly bred.  Many of the animals have chronic health conditions and do not live long lives. 

Fiona, purebred White Persian

Jazz on left, Atrus (ours) on right, purebred Rottweiler

All of our animals have been rescues, coming from shelters and local adoption agencies.  A few of them have also been purebreds.  Petfinder is a search engine for adoption agencies.  You can search by breed, age, area or gender.  For those looking for a specific breed this is a great way to find local adoptable animals. 

Mr. Jinx, Blue Point Himalayan

The ASPCA is another great resource for locating adoptable animals.  Each state has its own chapter of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.

Most breeds also have breed specific rescues.  With a little hard work and patience, it is very possible to find purebred animals looking for a home.


Besides saving an animal's life by adopting, adoption is also cheaper than pet stores.  Most adoption agencies charge small fees (under $200 for dogs, around $100 for cats) for their animals.  These animals have already been spayed/neutered, had their shots, and often come with a free vet visit.  So next time you are looking for an animals, think adoption first.