There are lots of ways to help our local animal shelters/rescues other than monetary donations (although those are always the most helpful). I did a quick review of some rescue “Wish Lists” to compile this list of both common and surprising things that shelters and rescues need. If you have extras of any of these items, please consider donating them! I can think of several items on this list that my staff can donate.
Remember that this list isn’t necessarily applicable to every organization so be sure to visit your local rescue or shelter’s Web site or call them to see what they really need before you drop off a bunch of things. Also be sure to ask if certain items need to be new or if they will accept them gently used.
• Appliances (refrigerators, washer/dryers)
• Aquariums
• Batteries
• Blankets
• Bleach
• Buckets
• Cat and dog beds
• Cat and dog toys
• Cat collars (quick release)
• Cat litter
• Cat litter boxes
• Chew bones
• Cleaning supplies
• Cotton sheets
• Digital cameras
• Dog and cat food (wet and dry!)
• Dog collars-all sizes
• Dog shampoo
• Dog sweaters
• Flea and tick spray
• Food and water bowls
• Gift cards to grocery store, pet store, Target, etc.
• Grooming tools
• Hand/dish soap
• Heating pads/lamps
• Large plastic storage tubs
• Laundry detergent
• Leather dog leashes
• Manual can openers
• Newspapers
• Nylon collars
• Nylon leashes
• Office supplies
• Peanut butter
• Pet carriers
• Pet safe rock salt (for snow and ice)
• Phone books for small animals to shred
• Plastic bags
• Plastic/poop bags
• Sandwich baggies
• Scratching posts
• Surgical gloves
• Tennis balls
• Towels
• Treats
Anything you want to add that rescues frequently need?
xo
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
leather dog collars seems to be the best, they are also very sturdy and last longer `,~
our deg beds are always made from natural fabrics coz our dog hates synthetic fabric-”`
Incredibly helpful. I love the way you write. Do you currently have an RSS feed?
in our local pet shop there are lots of dog beds that are made in china. i don’t know if they are of good quality..`-
Wonderful list! We try to take items to our local shelters that are on their wish list and there’s some things on here that I didn’t think of before. Thanks for sharing!
Nice comprehensive list! I posted it to my AboutVetMed Facebook page – lots of rescues and foster people there. Thanks.
Wow! I didn’t think about some of those things. We’ll see what we can do.
Good list, Romeo. Too bad our local shelter doesn’t have any amenities for the animals. And no use donating them because they’d only “disappear.” But we sure wish the kitties could have scratching posts and toys and the dogs could have beds instead of the cement floor. We feel so sad for all those animals.