Helping an animal sanctuary..

Dorato

We got our dog this year from a rescue centre. The centre is pretty small and unknown and we'd like to make a few hamper sort of things for both the people who run it and for the animals there as well. However, we don't know exactly what we should include to make things easier over the Christmas period for them? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Little_Otter

Thats a nice thing to do! Any blankets/bedding/towels to make them warmer/cosier.
Dog food (obv) chew toys, treats, cuddles?? - I wish I could adopt a dog but still living at home and parents wont let me! :-(
I collect every year £1 off all my friends and family for Manchester dogs home give a dog a Christmas dinner appeal

foreign_correspondent

that is kind of you - in cold weather most rescues will be grateful for towels, blankets, or even dog jackets for poorly and underweight dogs...

I would say warm, washable bedding would be most versatile - apparently Asda have some fleecy blankets on offer - £2 each, or two for £3! - I just spotted it here - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=531601&page=168

Alternatively, you could send some dog food or treats - most rescues are happy to receive anything (except bakers, which is known for causing behavioural problems due to the colourants!!) - however, you could ask them if there are any varieties they prefer to feed, or to avoid.

The staff may well appreciate some nice biccies for tea break time too!

Hope the new doggie is settling in well - what is s/he like?

Dorato

Little Otter - I should think blankets and food would certainly help. It took me 3 years to convince my mum to adopt a dog but now she says she wouldnt live without him!
Collecting £1 from all of your friends and family is a great idea! I might have to borrow that idea from you..

Foreign Correspondent - £3 for 2 blankets its pretty good so I'll see if I can get there any time soon. Thanks for letting me know about that!
Sending food would be a good idea too. I did wonder whether volunteering to walk some of the dogs would help them out but I live about 50 miles away from the sanctuary so it wouldnt really be practical.
I did think of sending some biscuits for the volunteers but then theres so many types of biscuits and some people dont like certain types, etc. Maybe chocolates instead?


What could I send for other animals? They have cats, dogs, horses, pigs, ferrets, birds, that sort of thing. I dont know exactly what they have at the moment but I do know thye have 60+ kittens. (So I'm trying to convince mum we need a kitten... LOL)

borders_dude

Dorato wrote: »

We got our dog this year from a rescue centre. The centre is pretty small and unknown and we'd like to make a few hamper sort of things for both the people who run it and for the animals there as well. However, we don't know exactly what we should include to make things easier over the Christmas period for them? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Well done. Thats a good thing to do.:T

Dorato

Thanks. I like trying to help them out.

foreign_correspondent

Dorato wrote: »

What could I send for other animals? They have cats, dogs, horses, pigs, ferrets, birds, that sort of thing. I dont know exactly what they have at the moment but I do know thye have 60+ kittens. (So I'm trying to convince mum we need a kitten... LOL)

well, I think anything will be appreciated - but again, for cats and kittens, warm blankets and towels are probably really handy! Dont worry too much, I think anything they can use will be appreciated, and I am sure they will be delighted you have thought of them!

Dorato

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

well, I think anything will be appreciated - but again, for cats and kittens, warm blankets and towels are probably really handy! Dont worry too much, I think anything they can use will be appreciated, and I am sure they will be delighted you have thought of them!

Yeah, I guess anything would be appreciated. I dont want to just overload them with something they dont want though.. :rotfl: I really should start looking for some bits for it now, I think.

foreign_correspondent

Dorato wrote: »

Yeah, I guess anything would be appreciated. I dont want to just overload them with something they dont want though.. :rotfl: I really should start looking for some bits for it now, I think.

Yes, that is a very good point - where I used to work we sometimes got very kind donations that we just couldnt use, often for health and safety or practical reasons... it may be worth asking them what they could use - I know it stops it being a surprise, but may be the most practical way to proceed!

You could always make some dog biscuits / treats and send them! There are recipes on the internet, but you would need to look for a reipe for crunchy biscuits, which will store, rather than things like liver cake which need to be frozen!

Dorato

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Yes, that is a very good point - where I used to work we sometimes got very kind donations that we just couldnt use, often for health and safety or practical reasons... it may be worth asking them what they could use - I know it stops it being a surprise, but may be the most practical way to proceed!

You could always make some dog biscuits / treats and send them! There are recipes on the internet, but you would need to look for a reipe for crunchy biscuits, which will store, rather than things like liver cake which need to be frozen!

I know they always appreciate things like leads and blankets and collars so those shouldnt be a problem. I mean they need things to walk the dogs with, after all. And I'm sure they could use things like scratch boards for cats? As we have an old one that's now too small for our cat (he's grown to about a metre long when he tries to scratch on things and its far too small now!).

rocking-horse_2

We got our dog from a home this week too. They want old blankets and towels. Whilst they appreciate new, the blankets get fouled very quickly and have to be thrown away as it is hard to clean them. we are asking our friends for old blankets, rugs and sheets etc to give them. I am sure the staff will apreciate anything you give them.