Creating a community that loves animals: Ways to help local pets

Whether you are looking to help stray pets at the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter or want to improve the lives of animals in your own neighborhood, here are a few ideas:

Make a difference for the pets staying at the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter by donating money to the shelter or sending a gift to the animals via the shelter’s Amazon Wish List.

Volunteer! You can find opportunities at the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter on our website at www.WashingtonCountyPets.com. If we don’t have what you are looking for, there are many other volunteer opportunities available in the Portland metro area. Not only are volunteers needed in shelter environments, but there are also organizations in need of foster volunteers to temporarily care for adoptable pets in their own homes. Groups such as pet food/supply banks and low-cost veterinary care programs that help keep people and pets together may also need volunteers.

Help lost animals make it back home in your own neighborhood. Make sure your pets have collars with current tags and double-check to make sure their microchip information is up to date. If there is a lost or found animal in your neighborhood, help your neighbors by letting them know they can fill out lost or found reports, view stray animals at our shelter, and find other resources on our website at www.WashingtonCountyPets.com.

Offer to help friends and neighbors with their pets if you can. Can you be the “in case of an emergency” contact if a friend suddenly can’t care for their pet due to an unexpected situation? Or could you be available to help if a neighbor can’t get home to their pet during a natural disaster or another emergency?

Thank you for helping to create a community where so many people care about animals.

Find more information on this topic and more at www.WashingtonCountyPets.com .