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The local animal shelter is a God-send to lost, abandoned, and unwanted animals. Laws will vary, but, usually, the organization is limited as to the number and types of animals it can take. Most animal shelters pray and plead for a shoe-string budget, seeing that they are operating on less than that. There are several ways to help. And, help is what they need.

One way to help the local animal shelter is to call, or drop by, and simply ask what they need. Make a list. Share that list with friends, family, vets, anyone and everyone you can think of. Type up that list, doesn't have to be fancy, and post it anywhere and everywhere that you can. Be sure that you have permission and it is legal. Obviously, if you have items that they need, donate them. Please don't take any items off the list. The animal shelter can store them for future use. If their space is limited, they will find someone who can use them. You can also offer to store those items and take them to the shelter as they are needed.

Offer to have a garage/yard sale. Donate the money or a portion of that money to the shelter. Better yet, buy the items that were on the list with the money raised and drop them by the shelter. This will save the organization time and money. Time is extremely valuable to the shelter and any help given to save the organization time is most appreciated.

Local veterinarians are a great resource to the local shelter. Talk to your vet or vet tech and find out what they can do. They can set up a donation center for their clients to leave items and donate money. Be sure to make sure the items are picked up in a timely fashion. If the donations begin to stack up, the vet may run out of space. Of course, as the items sit at the donation site, they aren't being used by the shelter.

Volunteer to spend one day a month helping out; an hour or two would be a great also. Expertise is not needed. Volunteers can walk, bathe, simply spend time with the animals. Offer to do laundry for the shelter and repair damaged supplies. Crates and kennels are often easy to repair. Cleaning the organization's transportation vehicle can be a great help. Get creative. If you a have pet, you know all the details of what needs to be done.

Each time you visit your vet, pay a little extra and ask the vet to apply it to the shelter's account. Mention to, ask, (if your bold, like me, tell) other pet owners to do the same. A few dollars here and there really add up for any shelter. If only five people left $10, depending

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