Donate a Christmas cookie now to benefit the Shelter pets.

It's EASIER than BAKING!

Holidays are a busy time for everyone. This holiday season, please remember the homeless pets at the Sterling Shelter.

They would love a special holiday treat, and cookies are their favorite! It is easy to buy them a COOKIE. Pick your favorite cookie and 100% of your tax deductible donation will benefit the pets and programs at the Shelter.
 

Instead of adopting a family pet as a surprise holiday gift, consider giving a Shelter Gift Certificate instead...

...family members can then pick their own family pet!

The Shelter DOES NOT allow, nor encourages, gift or surprise adoptions for the holidays or any other time of the year.

Every year shelters throughout the United States receive thousands of calls from people looking to adopt a pet for a surprise Christmas present for their family or friends. Who of us doesn't melt at the very idea of cuddling up with a warm puppy or a soft kitten's serene purring? It's an almost irresistible picture, and when the Christmas season rolls around, the image of a child's face upon finding their very own pet from Santa can overwhelm the Scrooge in all of us. But before you pick out a name and hand over the credit card, take a step back and give some serious thought to the weeks, months and years that will follow Christmas morning.

A pet is one of the most rewarding and educational relationships a child or an adult can experience. But pets are not toys or hobbies that can be tossed aside until you are in the mood. They cannot be shoved in to a vacant slot in the garage when the novelty wears off.

Before purchasing a pet or adopting one from a rescue or shelter, do your homework. Make a list of responsibilities and necessary expenses associated with acquiring a pet. One of the most important considerations should be veterinary expense. The average cost of a dog/puppy is $700-$1,000 a year and cats a bit less.

Make sure in your mind as well as your heart that your child is ready for the long term obligation to a pet. A very young child most often does not and cannot truly understand beyond short term gratification. Are you prepared to pick up the slack when and if the kids suddenly lose interest in Spot? Take your child for several visits to a friend or relative who owns a pet. Allow him or her to spend time with the pet and to perform some of the necessary functions of a pet owner, such as feeding and watering, letting the animal outside when needed or walking on a leash, and brushing the pet. As a precaution, keep the pet owner nearby so the pet will feel at ease and your child can get instruction for the tasks. If the child is quickly bored, chances are pretty good that he/she would tire of the daily demands of a pet.

While it may seem that this is an effort to discourage you from becoming a pet owner, to the contrary, it is an attempt to encourage you to adequately prepare yourself and your child should you decide to embark on the wonderful commitment to another living being. Shelters are overflowing with "gifts" that lost their appeal. For the sake of the animal and your child, think it through and make an informed decision. Your family and the animal will be better for it.

National pet studies state that more families bring pets into their homes during the holidays than at any other time of year. What better gift can any of us give during the holiday season than to give a home to an orphaned animal? Nobody wants to think about an orphaned pet waking up in a cage on a holiday morning. In the past some shelters have discouraged families from adopting pets during the holidays, forcing them to support the pet store - puppy mill industry. This year our shelter will work together with adopters to match the needs of the pets with the desires of the families. Everybody wins.

Though the Shelter will allow adoptions this Christmas season, adoption candidates must still meet all criteria for adoption. Most importantly to our Shelter staff, is the entire family including kids and other dogs are present. Proof of home ownership is also required.

Give the gift of love this happy holiday season by donating to the Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling.

The Animal Shelter Inc. is still in desperate need of the many items to keep our lovable pets warm, happy, and healthy.

For our puppies, dogs, kittens and cats:

• Canned food
• Rawhide chews for the dogs and puppies...it keeps them quiet and happy by giving them something to do with their mouth other than bark
• Fun toys to play with - mice catnip, balls, squeaky, plush, nylabones, Kongs (vinyl toys) are always great!
• Cat litter - CLAY unscented (Wal-Mart® sells a 40 pound bag for next to nothing)
• Warm blankets for our lovable babies (we would greatly appreciate it if you would cut down large comforters or blankets to four even quarters so that more pets can benefit from one blanket and they can be easily washed)
• Newspaper for kennels
• Your time, spent socializing a dog or cat can really make a difference (to volunteer please call 978-422-8585 extension 113)

To keep our lovable babies comfortable, the Shelter also needs:

• Liquid laundry detergent and liquid hand soap
• Cleaning supplies such as extra large heavy duty trash bags, bleach, glass cleaner, etc.
• Paper towels and paper plates
• Fire wood (cut, split and seasoned please)
• Help raising money and awareness (through conventional means and through the Internet)
• Stamps, for mailings!
• Of course, your financial donations are always appreciated!

Want to help the Shelter? Have you considered our Recurring Giving system. This convenient system allows you to automatically make a donation to the Sterling Shelter every month via credit card or checking account. This is an extremely powerful fundraising method that can allow the Shelter to save thousands of additional animals every year with a donation as small as $2.00 per month from you. Thank you for your support!