7 ways you can help dog charities this Christmas
With everyone feeling the squeeze right now, sadly, more and more people are struggling to afford to care for their dogs and are, unfortunately, looking to rehome them. This year, Dogs Trust received almost 50% more rehoming enquiries than last year.* This heartbreaking reality means that dog charities are feeling the pressure and need our support.
So far, you’ve already helped us to donate over 2 million meals to dogs in need through #NourishEveryDog, and we’ve put together a list of other ways you can help out.
There’s no pressure to offer a financial contribution, there are free ways you can help. Anything you can do will help spread Christmas cheer to dog charities and their four-legged residents.
1. Give your time to a pet charity
Most dog charities rely on teams of dedicated volunteers and with more dogs arriving, they need all hands-on deck. If you love pets and have a little time to spare, reach out to a local charity to volunteer your time.
From working directly with dogs in rehoming centres to volunteering at a pet charity shop, you can make a real impact and it’s likely to be the most rewarding and beneficial thing you can donate.
Pets In Need Herts Animal Food Bank and Rehoming Organisation and Blue Cross are charities you’ve helped us support via #NourishEveryDog and are both wishing for more volunteers this Christmas so are a great place to start.
2. Shout loud and proud about your local pet charity
Talking about the services your local dog charity offers (as well as the stories of the dogs they’ve helped) is a powerful way to create positive attention. And it allows people to know that there’s help available for them, should they need it – or want to give it!
You can do this the good old-fashioned way, via word of mouth, or post on social media, tagging your chosen charity.
3. Donate toys and bedding to dog charities
If you have dogs at home and have extra in terms of toys, treats or bedding, consider sending them to your local pet charity. Similarly, if you have a clear out of your ‘hoo-man’ stuff and find yourself with unwanted clothes, homewares or Christmas gifts, donate these to a pet charity shop for them to sell for additional funds.
Any donations will always be very welcome, but to help, we spoke to a few of our #NourishEveryDog charities to see what they desperately need this Christmas.
Dogs On The Streets need large dog beds, blankets and vet bedding. They are also looking for treats, but no rawhide. DOTS runs weekly stations across London, Oxford, Kent and Milton Keynes so if you’re local to any of these places, please bear DOTS in mind.
Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue also needs bedding. After all, we all know how important having somewhere cosy to sleep is. If you have any spare duvet covers, sheets, towels or throws (ideally at least 2000m wide), please get in touch with them to arrange delivery or collection.
If you don’t have any spares but would still like to give, check out Woodgreen’s virtual gifts. Starting at £5, donations go towards providing pets with everything they need whilst at Woodgreen. It would make a great present for the fellow dog lover in your life too as each virtual gift order receives a thank you email with a certificate.
4. Take part in a fundraising event
Grab a cosy Christmas jumper and encourage your colleagues to do the same or get the local dog walkers together for festive walkies, all in the name of sponsorship.
Not only will you raise money and awareness of the pet charity, but fundraising is a rewarding experience where you’ll meet new friends along the way.
Check out charities’ websites for fundraising ideas (Blue Cross, for example, have a whole heap of activities to get involved in) or come up with your own idea and get in touch with your chosen charity so they can support you every step of the way.
5. Donate to a dog charity
If you are looking to give a financial contribution, your help would go a long way. Blue Cross have shared how monetary donations can make a direct impact:
- £5 a month could help pay for a dog to be microchipped each and every month.
- A single donation of £10 could help to pay for emergency veterinary care for a sick or injured pet.
- £10 a month could help towards the cost of a long-staying pet struggling to find a new home.
- A one-off £30 donation could pay for a dog in our care to be vaccinated against life-threatening diseases.
For Pets In Need Herts Animal Food Bank and Rehoming Organisation, donations are needed to cover costs such as petrol, food and to help them buy much-needed additional storage. They are also looking for new homes for their donation boxes if any local businesses reading this can help.
Alternatively, you could opt to buy something from a charity shop, like Woodgreen’s where all proceeds go towards funding their important work. Not only will you have offered a financial contribution, but you’ll have a keepsake for your good deed or a gift for a loved one.
6. Foster a dog in need
If you’d love to welcome a pup into your pack but now isn’t the right time for one of your own, opting to be a fosterer is a great option.
Welcoming a foster dog into your home can help them recover from abuse or illness, for example, and get them ready for finding their forever home, making it a really rewarding experience. As Linda from Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue says: “fostering really does save lives”.
Woodgreen and Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue are two of our #NourishEveryDog charities that are looking for local fosterers to temporarily take in a pet over Christmas because, after all, there’s no place like home! Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue ask that foster homes have a fully fenced garden, no young children, cats or small dogs and fosterers are at home for a good chunk of the day. If this sounds like you, click here to learn more about fostering a dog with them or here to find out more about the process with Woodgreen.
7. #NourishEveryDog – help Butcher’s donate food to dog charities
Shelters, rescue centres and charities across Great Britain rely heavily on donations to feed the dogs in their care and we’re happy to help.
Since launching our #NourishEveryDog campaign in 2019, you’ve helped us donate over 2 million nourishing meals to dogs who need it most. We’re so grateful for your support.
Help us keep donating our meals to dog charities in need by simply commenting #NourishEveryDog on any one of our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter posts. Every use of the hashtag means another meal donated.
If you’re able to, you can also donate food via pet food banks. In fact, Blue Cross have partnered with other organisations across the UK to provide pet food at human food banks across the country too, making it easier for those who need it to access their essentials in one go.
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