If you’re thanking your lucky stars you don’t live in southeastern Texas, you might want to consider putting some money where your mouth is. Austin Pets Alive! is assisting shelters in the path of Harvey with getting as many animals as possible to safety. They need your help, including the following.
If you’re local to Texas:
Fosters. Come now to help us clear the shelter to intake as many of these incoming animals as possible. If you aren’t already a foster, please fill out the dog foster application or cat foster application. We will continue to need fosters as we bring in more and more animals.
Volunteers. To sign up and register as an APA! volunteer and be on call and ready to help this weekend, pending further information.
In-Kind Donations. To support the significant intake that is about to occur, below is a list of items we will immediately need:
Large Wire Crates* – We can even borrow these, just include your name and contact information when you drop them off. Our lifesaving will be extremely limited without these.
Cat Litter* – Clumping preferred, but non-clumping is needed as well.
Canned Wet Food (Dog + Cat)*
Litter Boxes – 12×10″ or smaller
Dog Treats – Chew Toys/Rawhides, Treat Logs, Peanut Butter and Milk Bones for Kongs
Cat Beds (No bedding, please!)
Large Metal Dog Bowls
Large Trash Bags
Cleaning Supplies – Bleach, paper towels, general purpose cleaner, latex gloves, and Clorox wipes.
*Most urgent need.
If you’re too far away to help in person, I suppose you could try to ship your donation, but I’m not sure how delayed deliveries will be during the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Instead, consider offering your Financial Support. In order to ensure we can care for animals with medical conditions or injuries, as well as have enough supplies to accommodate a significant influx of pets while we’re already at full capacity, we are asking for funding support. Many of the shelters we are helping have pregnant, sick and injured animals that Austin Pets Alive! will now be caring for. Some of the shelters are also under-resourced, which means their animals are coming to us without vaccines. In order to truly care for these animals, and keep current APA! animals safe, we will need to administer mass vaccinations. The care for these animals doesn’t stop once the hurricane is over, we are considering both short and long-term needs and are in dire need of financial support to be able to do this.
You can make a donation at the bottom of their page dedicated to Harvey.
For those of you directly in the storm’s path, we here at doggies.com and breeders.net are sending prayers for your safety.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!