1. Put a donation box out in your
office for gently used collars, dog toys,
towels, and other pet items, as well as any newitem
donations your co-workers care to make.
At the end of two weeks, drop off the donation
at your local shelter or rescue group. We guarantee
they’ll be thrilled.

2. Share through social media, Check out Petfinder.com and share an adoptable
dog in your area through your Facebook and/or Twitter account. Even if
you’re not directly responsible for finding that dog a home, it helps remind people of
all the wonderful animals out there in need of a home. Even better? Vow to share an
adoptable dog once a week.

Or are you a marketing/social media wiz and want to make a slightly larger commitment?
Reach out to a local rescue group (breed specific if you have a passion for a
particular breed) and volunteer to manage their social media efforts or write the profiles
for their adoptable dogs. Words are powerful and a descriptive entry accurately and
compellingly “selling” the dogs can help them stand out and find a home.

3. Have decent (or down right
great) photography skills?
Volunteer to take photos of the dogs up
for adoption at your local shelter. It is
amazing what a good photo can do to
help boost the odds of adoption. Don’t
worry if you’re not a professional photographer.
Compared to a dismal kennel
shot, any decent photo is a vast improvement
and an immense help.

4. Start a Knitting/Crochet/
Blanket-Making Circle.
Shelters are almost universally in need of
blankets to cozy up their cages and kennels
and provide a bit of comfort to the
dogs they’re housing. Not down with the
knitting needles? Purchase fleece from a
discount remnant fabric store and cut it
into 3’ x 3’ squares. And voilà, instant
blanket! To get fancy on it, tassel the
edges by cutting a fringed edge. Fast,
cheap, but still cozy.

5. Bottle Drive. Help your local
cash-strapped rescue continue doing
their good work by collecting the returnable
bottles from your condo/apartment
building/office and donating the redeemed
deposit to a rescue group. Simply put out
a bin to collect the bottles (if you’re in a
condo, check with your strata first) and
put up a sign noting what rescue the bottle
deposit will be donated to. Increase your
haul by spreading the word in advance—
employ your office photocopier to make
flyers explaining your fundraising effort.
You can amass a couple hundred dollars
in bottles amazingly quickly.

6. Feeling crafty? Make bandannas.
Shelter workers attest that
the presence of some flare (a bandanna,
nice collar or cute toy) can garner a dog
the attention it needs to find his forever
home. Studies have shown that all-black
dogs in particular have trouble standing
out and are often overlooked. Fight “black
dog syndrome,” as it’s known, with fun
DIY bandannas. Get some inexpensive
coloured cotton twill and cut it into triangles
of varying sizes to accommodate
different neck sizes. No need to finish the
edges. Then drop off your handiwork at
your municipal animal shelter. The perfect
Saturday activity, and one that kids can
get involved with, too.

7. Walk Dogs. Volunteer
to walk the dogs, play
with them, or clean their
cages. Volunteer help is greatly
needed in many overcrowded
shelters and your smiling face
can make a big difference to
both the morale of the dogs
and the staff.

8. Toy Drive. The next
time you’re having a big
get-together, like a block party
or your annual open house or
summer BBQ, suggest your
guests bring a toy to donate to
homeless animals, if they feel so inclined. It’s a great way to do some good while you’re
socializing and most people are more than happy to contribute a little something as it
feels good, costs hardly a thing, and takes hardly any effort.

9. One word: Cakewalk. This is great fun at a larger
fundraising event. Get your friends, neighbours,
church group or book club in on it, and prepare to
have a ball. Nostalgia, baking, and the fun of decorating
your masterpiece, plus a charitable component?
What could be better?
For those unfamiliar with how a cakewalk works,
it’s a bit like musical chairs, but without the chairs.
Tape numbers on the floor in a circular pattern and
set up a table to display all the donated decorated
cakes. For each round of the game, be sure you have
one person participating for each number taped to the floor.
Each person playing buys a ticket (usually, the cost is a dollar or two) to enter the game.
Everyone walks around in a circle as the music plays, stopping at the closest number
when the music stops. Once everyone is stopped, a number is drawn out of a hat and
the person standing on the number that’s been drawn gets to choose a cake. Then start
all over with new players. This is frequently the most popular game at any fundraising
event and a whole lot of fun, so don’t be surprised if your cakewalk is mobbed by participants.
At the end, donate the money collected to “walk” in the cakewalk to your local
rescue. Pretty sweet, right?

10. Foster. Why not open your house and heart to a homeless dog that needs
temporary shelter? The time commitment is often as short as two weeks, but it
is a tremendous help to rescue groups, allowing them to take in more dogs in need of
homes, dogs that in some cases would be euthanized if the rescues weren’t able to pluck
them from an over-capacity kill shelter. And, of course, fostering is a godsend for the
foster dogs, allowing them to know a home rather than a cage, so their true personalities
can shine forth, helping them to find their forever home. In short: small time commitment,
huge reward.