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| OUR CURRENT PROJECTS | VOLUNTEERING |
| Animals who end up in shelters have usually gone through terrible and tragic experiences such as being being starved, beaten, abandoned, neglected or taken from their mothers far too early. Because of the horrors they have gone through they are poor, traumatised (very upset) creatures and need as much love and care as possible to help them recover - both physically and mentally. All of us who have pets know that animals have distinct personalities and feel emotions just like us. Feeling scared and lonely is a terrible thing and what we want most of all is to be comforted - and so do animals. Animal shelters and sanctuaries are wonderful places. The people who dedicate their lives to helping the animals back to a happy (hopefully re-homed [pets] or rehabilitated back to the wild [wildlife]) existance deserve a mighty cheer (Hooray!) and a lot of help from us. But the job that the shelter/sanctuary workers do is very difficult. It is so hard because there are huge numbers of abused, injured and/or neglected animals that need to be taken care of. And to take care of them requires a lot of money and people power. Sadly, the funds that these organisations receive is limited to charitable contributions - which means there is never enough to go round. But that doesn't mean that only big contributions are welcomed - every penny counts for them, and no donation is too small. That's a really important thing to remember - if you are only able to donate a few pennies that will still go towards buying a can of food,or some worming powder, etc...and as we say in Scotland, "many a mickle maks a muckle" (many small amounts turn into a lot!). Right now we, at the Critter Club, have joined the international Snuggles Project We are collecting donations of wool to knit or crochet 'snuggles' for animals at our local shelter. Snuggles are cosy blanket/bed pads for the animals to sleep on, and as well as being comfortable and warm, a snuggle is very comforting too (did you ever have a favourite 'blankie' to cuddle when you were little?). This project is one most everybody can help with - even if you are no good at knitting or crocheting, you can help by collecting donations of wool or making posters for your school to advertise the project. We are also collecting Used Stamps to send to the Bransby Home of Rest for Horses (Bransby, Saxilby, Lincoln, LN1 2PH, England) where they will turn them into funds for their sanctuary. This is such an easy thing to do - just clip off the stamps from envelopes and save them up to send! to help remember, I have a jar and a pair of scissors near the letter box so I can clip my stamps immediately. If you and your family and friends all start saving stamps you'll have a huge pile really quickly! And how about a Copper Jar? If you empty your pockets/purse at the end of the day and throw in your small change the coins will soon mount up and you won't even notice you've been saving! |
There are many ways to help out by volunteering. The first thing many people consider doing when they want to volunteer is to contact their local animal shelter. And this is a great way to go about helping! However, some shelters have age restrictions when it comes to their volunteers, i.e. you have to be 18 and over, or accompanied by someone of 18+. If you haven't quite made it to 18 and your services aren't required, please don't take it personally - it most likely has to do with the shelter's insurance policy. But there's nothing stopping you from asking if there is anything you could do from home or school to help out till you're old enough to get 'stuck in' . But there are many other ways you can go about helping animals too. If there is no Animal Aid club at your school, you could ask a teacher if you could start one up. You may think that that is no big deal, but remember that one of the most important aspects of Animal Aid is educating people! You could use your new club as a forum to teach like-minded students all about pet care and other animal issues, and also find out causes you could become involved in such as letter-writing, petitions, raising money for charities,etc. - the list is endless! A great way to find out about campaigns and such is to contact Animal Aid organisations (check out our Links page for lots of addresses), and they will be happy to pass the details on to you as well as giving you the information you need to write good letters, who to contact, and suggestions for practical projects like making blankets for shelter pets, etc. Another excellent way to help is to give elderly or infirm pet owners a hand. You may have some older relatives or family friends who are finding it increasingly difficult to take their dogs for a walk - why not volunteer to take their 'best friend' out for a good run several times a week? And cans of pet food are heavy to carry if they don't have a car - you could ask them if they would like you to go shopping for their pet supplies too. For those of you who are about to embark on 'Work Experience' at school, you could ask if you could spend your time at a shelter, a vet's surgery or a reputable pet shop. Joining Animal Aid/Environmental Groups and Organisations is also a great way to help out . Many organisations have clubs for younger members, and you will find out lots of ways to help from them. Rubbish! Yep, that's right! Collecting 'trash' can be a super way of raising funds for Animal Aid groups. At the Critter Club we are collecting used stamps for the Bransby Home of Rest for Horses. Aluminium foil is also a popular 'collectable' for many charities - get details on how to raise cash from aluminium trash at this site, Alufoil Recycling We are always on the look-out for new suggestions on ways to help, so if you have a light bulb flashing over your head, please share your idea with us! Thanks! |
| LETTER WRITING | DUMP BINS |
| Letter writing is an extremely effective way to get your message across, and you'd be amazed at the variety of people who can help make changes once they have been alerted. Usually their motivation will be financial - for instance, the threat of losing customers (therefore profit) due to the boycott (not buying) of their goods, or advertising sponsors who do not wish to be associated with a company that makes money through animal cruelty. Or perhaps their motivation will be political - they may want to please their animal loving public so they get voted into office again! But at the end of the day it's not important why organisations involved in animal cruelty stop or why politicians pass laws to protect animals - just that they do! You may feel that one little letter from you won't make any difference, but that's just not the case! When enough people send just 'one little letter' the Big Cheeses sit up and take notice! For instance, pro-hunting campaigners in Scotland have just (February 2000) lost a second court bid to block a Bill that would outlaw foxhunting in this country. So here in sunny Scotland we are well on the way to having happier and safer foxes - and that is thanks to ordinary people expressing their disgust at this barbaric 'sport'! But the way we are heard is very important: we must be careful that we don't come across as aggressive or ill-informed, for that is a sure way to have our mail tossed in the trash! So when we write we must come over clearly and politely, explaining our views and, where possible, offering alternate suggestions. There is no point in writing a rude, blustering letter - you and your company stink and I'll never buy your rubbishy products again - for all that will do is offend the recipient who you want to see your point of view and act on it. The following link is an excellent guide PETA's Guide to Letter Writing |
WHAT IS A DUMP BIN ? Picture a small building with three ramps with signs above them saying 'Cats', 'Small Dogs', Big Dogs'. In several states in the USA that have poor, or no, animal control these bins are built so people can dump their unwanted animals off. I mean DUMP; they are pushed down a ramp from a hole in the building where they land on a concrete floor with all the other animals that have been dumped. It is sometimes days before they are picked up. They have no food, no water...no anything. Their certain fate is death when they are eventually collected. HOW CAN YOU HELP STOP THIS BARBARIC PRACTICE? You do not have to be an American to make your views known on this issue. Write to President Bill Clinton to voice your opinion at White House Correspondence for Kids or White House Correspondence for Adults Contact the media Already the American TV programme 20/20 has highlighted this dreadful situation. Contact Animal Rights organisations Find out what they are doing about Dump Bins and join their campaigns. If the organisation you contact does not have a campaign about this issue, you should e-mail them with details. |
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