Super Smiley on Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

Super Smiley, shelter dog, here with the breaking news: October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! And, there are more than 7 million ways to celebrate! By adopting a pet from a shelter or spreading the news that shelter pets rock, you can actually help us move toward a world where all the pets have forever homes!

Have your doubts?

Jacksonville, Florida, is a big city, and all of their stray and abandoned dogs and cats are finding forever homes! With the help of my pawsome friends at First Coast No More Homeless Pets and Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services, Jacksonville has been “No Kill” for over a year!

Best Friends has the largest animal sanctuary in the United States, and their mission is to “Save Them All.”

With around 13,600 shelters across the country, and with amazing businesses like PetSmart and Petco sponsoring adoption events, and, with mega sanctuaries like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, your newest best friend is out there just waiting for you! Need more convincing?

Imagine a line of dogs and cats sitting next to each other that goes from Florida, through Georgia, through South Carolina and all the way up to Canada! Then back down again! That’s how many pets are left at shelters each year! Around 7.6 million! In two years that line would stretch from the Atlantic Ocean in Florida all the way to the Pacific Ocean in California! From that huge line, I know you could find your perfect pet match! Or maybe two!

I was left at a shelter two times, and my German Shepherd “sister,” Angel, was abandoned four times! We both are therapy dogs and turned out pretty good! So spread the word! Shelter pets rock!

Right on, Super Smiley! Megan, Smiley’s person, here now with some things we humans can do to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

1. Spread the word that shelter pets rock! They are service dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, and war dogs! They are literally saving our lives!
2. Adopt a pet! If your lifestyle can support a pet, go adopt one! Some pets land in shelters as bonded pairs or littermates, so you might even find two!
3. If you are getting a pet, visit the places with the biggest selection: shelters! There are sooo many shelter pets to choose from! This way you are giving homes to pets who are already here rather than supporting making more by buying them.
4. If you can’t commit to a lifetime pet, consider fostering. Contact your local shelter or rescue to see how you can foster a pet.
5. Use your special talents at your local shelter. Volunteer! There are so many things you can do there for the animals.
6. Ask your local shelter what items they need, and make up a list and share it with your friends and community. They may be simple things like blankets, bowls or soap.
7. Share “Adopt a Shelter Dog Month” on Facebook, Twitter and on all your social media! Share this blog!! Donate a tweet a day!
8. Donate your Facebook status by adding “Celebrate Adopt A Shelter Dog Month” to your page.
9. Write an article about your wonderful adopted pet for your local newspaper or community newsletter.
10. Add a banner or widget for your local shelter or Petfinder Foundation to your web or social media pages.

Each year shelters save approximately 5 million pets. PetSmart Charities alone has found homes for around 400,000 pets a year totaling over 5 million saved! Join the mission. Join the celebration. Check out Super Smiley’s Flash Mob 4 Pet Adoption Tour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHG83GnJafg&list=PL8B8EBF56B687EB9C&index=5 There’s a lot to celebrate, and with all this positive energy, a lot more can be accomplished.

Until Next Time,
Woof and Super Smiles from
Super Smiley and Megan Blake, The Pet Lifestyle Coach®