5 Ways you can help an animal this holiday season

Though the holidays offer us a great opportunity to spend time with the people we love, we should also remember to spread some holiday cheer to our animal friends, as they also rely on us to bring a little joy to their lives. Here are 5 ways we can improve our relationship with other animals during the holiday season:

1) Give the give of hope. Donate money (or food, blankets, etc.) to a reputable no-kill animal shelter or other such organization that helps animals. Many of these organizations are severely underfunded and rely on donations from private individuals to keep doing their important work. You don’t have to give a lot. Every little bit helps.

2) Consider adopting a dog or a cat from your local shelter. If you can do this responsibly and can offer the animal a permanent home, this is the best gift you can give, both to yourself and to the dog or cat that you save.

3) Do not give animals as Christmas presents, and discourage others from doing this. A person who receives a pet should be a responsible individual, one who you know will care for the animal forever. Frivolous giving of pets as presents often leads to their abandonment.

4) Think about two of the positive words often associated with the holiday season: compassion and love, and remember that the truest, most honest way to show compassion and love for other animals is by not eating meat. If you eat meat, make cutting down on meat, or eliminating it from your diet, one of your New Year’s resolutions.

5) If you live in cold/snowy area and have stray cats (or dogs) around, consider building a winter house for them to help them survive the cold. Here is how you can do this for both cats and dogs.

Happy holidays!