Last weekend at BlogPaws, I attended a great session by Felissa from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil from Life with Dogs. I’ll be posting a bit more about the session in another post – I have a few more BlogPaws recaps in the queue, after all.
However, at that session we discussed the idea of community – what the word meant and how we as a community could help each other raise awareness and share each other’s causes. From that discussion came the inspiration for today’s Pay if Forward Blog Hop. Today, pet bloggers are sharing one (or more) of the causes that they are passionate about and adding it to the blog hop. Then, those participating in the blog hop or reading through the posts can offer to help out with causes they are interested in or even solicit some guest posts for their blogs. I will definitely be checking out the other causes, and I may approach a few bloggers about doing some guests posts to share their causes with you. I’ve included the list for the blog hop at the end of this post – so I hope you’ll also take a moment to see what everyone is talking about today.
Today, I’m sharing a cause I’ve written about before. I’d like to tell you about a group called Pets of the Homeless. This nonprofit organization provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. For my last birthday, I told all of my friends not to buy me gifts. If they absolutely felt the need to bring something, I asked that they bring a bag of dog food instead. I then donated this dog food to Pets of the Homeless. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift – the chance to make a difference for pets (and their people) in need.
Imagine, if you will, that due to circumstances beyond your control, you find yourself homeless. What do you do with your pet? Your pet gets sick. You can’t afford veterinary care. Where do you go? Or, let’s say you are currently homeless and encounter a stray dog who becomes your companion. The nearest homeless shelter doesn’t allow pets. Do you go to the shelter and leave your companion to fend for himself?
These are tough choices. Choices that I hope none of us ever have to make. However, many people do have to make these choices on a regular basis. Pets of the Homeless notes that the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that as many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless. Between 5 to10 percent of homeless people have dogs or cats – in some areas that number may be as high as 24 percent.
There are many reasons people end up homeless, including foreclosure, poverty, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and declining public assistance. The demographics of the homeless population show that anyone can be affected – young, old, and in between. The homeless population is not just one ethnicity, gender, or age. Their homes may have been destroyed by a hurricane or a tornado. They are veterans, victims of domestic violence, the unemployed, families with children… and so many others.
Pets of the Homeless aims to help this population in many ways. It has established collection sites to accept donated pet food. This food is distributed through partnerships with homeless shelters, soup
kitchens, and other entities. The organization also makes two types of grants:
one to veterinarians that go to where the homeless congregate and
provide veterinary care such as vaccines, spay/neuter and other needed
treatments; the other to homeless shelters looking for ways to allow
pets sanctuary with their owners.
Want to know how you can help? If there is a collection site near you, donate pet food and supplies. (If there’s no collection site near you, find out how to become one.) Pets of the Homeless also provides a list of other ways that you can donate your time (like volunteering at a distribution site) or money to this worthy cause. You can also help by spreading the word about Pets of the Homeless to bring awareness to this cause.
If you have tissues handy, I urge you to read some of the success stories and view the touching photos on the Pets of the Homeless website. I hope you’ll check out this great organization as well as some of the others being highlighted in today’s blog hop:
That is such a good cause — definitely worth barking about!
Great post! I really love the information about the Pets for the Homeless. So many people are losing their homes and it is heartbreaking. The shelters around here are seeing such an increase because people have no where to go and end up leaving their pets at the pound which is not a good place at all but they are hoping they will get a home. Thanks for writing about this. Lots of love, Debbie & Holly
Great post! I have a picture of a man and his dog from Pets for the Homeless on my fridge…so it stays on my mind and heart. Bless you for making that your birthday theme! SO not surprised 🙂
What an amazing post! We live in Chicago where there are thousands of homeless people, pets, kids and families. It is heartbreaking. Thanks for this important post.
Your pal, Pip
I recall reading about this group on another blog, and they definitely do amazing work! I wouldn't give up my pets for anything, either, and it's heartbreaking to think that many people have to face such hard choices in the face of so many other difficulties.
Oh my gosh, this is such a great blog post! It's heart wrenching and so true right now. Thanks for posting this!!
Guess we didn't get the pay it forward memo. Good post. Life can be very hard changing in the bat of an eye. We had a homeless man come in the bank to use the restroom. He had his cat on a leash. Some laughed, some understood that this cat was his family.
What a awesome post. Living in Vancouver, we have a homeless population that is tragic, heart-breaking and over-whelming. I will say this for all of the dogs I have met on our streets, each one was fed, groomed, cared for and loved. Many of the homeless people would refuse help for themselves, but accept help for their dogs. Always polite, respectful and well trained, I have a huge place in my heart for these dog and their owners who care enough to do anything they can to keep their pets from ending up in the shelter. Great cause, I wonder if they operate in my area? If so, I'd like to offer my help in both time and donations. I'll have to look into it.
Great cause! It was Cody, a lab that belonged to a homeless man that actually made me think of starting up the program I want to do. Cody had been injured as a young dog which left 1 of his legs crippled. When his owner lost his car, it was just too hard for him to keep Cody with him so the vet I worked for adopted him and Cody became the hospital mascot. He was a great dog whose owner loved him very much.
Its an important reminder that pets make a difference in everyone's lives.
Good for you guys– using the power of Linky for good and not just self-promotion! 🙂
Look forward to learning about all the great causes out there!
Excellent post, Pup Fan! I wish I had attended that session-but with so many wonderful sessions to choose from…it was always a tough decision. Thanks for explaining the main ideas fo rso many others.
P.S. to "Life Student": Speaking for me only, I want as many people as possible to visit my site, but that is because I am using my site to promote adoption and rescue and to provide a forum for education and discussion of the many issues facing companion animals today. So, yes, I want to promote my site!
Thanks for the profile. They sound like a wonderful organization.
this was an AMAZING post, wonderful cause, I wish I had been there for that session
Thanks so much to everyone for your kind words!
Shawn – That's such a nice idea to keep one of the photos on your fridge… a good reminder.
hondstooth – I know. I can't imagine how people make those choices.
Kolchak Puggle – I hope they do operate in your area. If not, I'm sure there's a way you could get involved. Please keep me posted if you do – I'd love to hear about it. 🙂
dawn – What a touching story! I'm glad Cody's story had a happy ending.
Bocci – I know! It was so hard to choose… great sessions.
Caren – Stupid hurricane.
You've won an award 😀 Stop by Talking Dogs to pick it up!
Fantastic cause, Pup Fan! I was happy to find at the locations link that there are donation spots in areas of California that I will be visiting soon and I know have a significant number of homeless people and pets in need. I'll definitely be donating!
Chandra at Daley's Dog Years
Talking Dogs – Thanks so much! 🙂
chandra – That's awesome! You rock.