OCTOBER IS ADOPT A SHELTER DOG MONTH
According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs end up in shelters every year. With all the chaos and uncertainty that 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic has brought, it would not be surprising for that number to reach much higher this year. October is recognized as National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month to bring needed attention to these animals in need. But what can you, as an individual, do to help???
ADOPT -- Of course the number one goal is to get every shelter dog adopted out into a loving forever home--not only does this help the dogs that are already in our care, but it opens up space to take in more. At OKK9, we don't let dogs sit with us to wither away for years. Because we are a small facility, if a dog has been with us for a while and had no interested adopters, we work with several larger Missouri organizations such as Wayside Waifs in Kansas City, Five Acres Animal Shelter in St Charles and Pawportunities in Blue Springs to transfer them out for a better opportunity to find a family. Most of our transferred dogs are in a home within a week or two!
VOLUNTEER -- If you love animals but are not in a position to adopt, OKK9 has many volunteer opportunities. You can work directly with the dogs and cats at the shelter or at our thrift store, where all the money raised goes to the care of our animals. Stop by either building during regular business hours and talk to us about how you can help!
DONATE -- Financial contributions are always welcome, but we understand that many people are not in the position to just write a check. There are so many other ways you can contribute! If you are cleaning out your closets or garage, drop off those items that you no longer need at our thrift store...and then pop in the store to do a little shopping while you're there. Has your pet gotten picky and refuses to eat the food you bought? Bring that unused food to the shelter for our pet food pantry to help others in need. And while you are running errands, keep an eye out for our donation boxes at many lake area businesses--all that change adds up!
SHARE -- There is one big thing you can do to help that costs absolutely nothing but a few minutes of your time. When you see our posts on social media, give them a LIKE and SHARE. Every comment and interaction with our posts on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM helps increase our visibility. You never know when someone may see the post you shared and meet their new best friend!
