According to the ASPCA, 7.6 million animals are placed into shelters each year, and of those, 2.7 million of them have to be put down. That is a lot of animals; therefore, shelters need a lot of help. Here are three reasons why your help is important.

1. Socialization

In the case of abused or feral animals, it can be hard to find them a home because of the animal's anxiety around humans. Volunteers can help the animal to get accustomed to daily interaction with people, and show them compassion in order to form a stable relationship. The first day I volunteered at a shelter, one of the employees had just rescued a feral kitten from drowning during a Nor'easter. After nursing it back to health, the volunteers were needed to show the kitten how to properly interact with humans (for example, do not attack the human); within a week, the kitten was adopted.

2. Save a life.

It makes sense that the more volunteers that are at a shelter, the more people there are to tend to the animals needs; therefore, that means the shelter can take care of more animals. The shelter I had the pleasure of volunteering at, happened to be open admission; this means that they do not turn any animals away, but may have to euthanize some. By volunteering there, my efforts helped to get animals adoptable and out of the shelter more quickly to free up space, and thus not have to be put down. Not every shelter is like this, but is a good thing to consider when choosing a shelter to volunteer at.

3. Give an animal a home.

The most important effect of your help at a shelter is that you can aid an animal in getting a new home. All of the above reasons, socializing the animals and saving their lives, ensures that the animals are capable of being adopted. The more animals that are adopted, the less that are stray or have to be put down.

For information on volunteering, visit your local animal shelter, either in person or online. Together we can save our furry friends!