Animals: Support a Charitable Cause on a Budget

The issues of homeless and abused animals are causes that many charitable groups are trying to combat, and donations are always needed. But with the rising cost of living, many people find it hard to spare money to give. Fortunately, there are several websites where you can spend a few minutes to help support animal causes rather than spending any money.

Petfinder is an online, searchable database of animals that need homes and a directory of over 9,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the USA, Canada and Mexico. They offer a number of buttons which you can use to link on your blog or website. Additionally, Petfinder has a customizable Featured Pet Module which allows you to pick geographic regions or shelter(s) and even a specific age group of pets, with the results displayed randomly on your site. Simpler versions of the module are the cat and dog Quick Search banners, which are a quick copy and paste of the codes into your site. Find out more on their website at http://www.petfinder.com.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, was founded in 1866 to alleviate the animal injustices including fighting to pass humane laws and sharing resources with shelters across the country. Their website offers ways to lobby for animals by providing forms for visitors to fill out which sends letters to senators and representatives about federal and state action alerts, e-cards for several different occasions, and a toolbar which includes a Google search box and RSS reader. Learn more about the ASPCA and their programs on their website at http://www.aspca.org.

The American Anti-Vivisection Society is the oldest organization in the United States devoted to ending the use of animals in research, testing, and education. The group is affiliated with a number of retailers who donate a portion of sales generated through their links, and offers a free Compassionate Shopping Guide to aid in choosing cruelty-free products that have not been tested on animals. There is also a selection of banners and buttons available for use in linking on your blog or website. For more information, visit their website at http://www.aavs.org.

The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for rescued animals living in shelter or sanctuaries through sponsors who donate based on clicks on their Fund Food for Animals button. Each click a day provides the value of 0.6 bowls of food and care, and gives the total value generated by clicks that day. Click to donate daily at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com.

Care2 is a worldwide network supporting several causes including pets in need. Their click to donate section offers a variety of campaigns to support. Sign up to track your progress through different levels that some of the causes offer, or send an e-card for all sorts of occasions. Care2 also hosts The Petition Site which allows members to sign petitions for various causes or even create their own petition. Explore all their website has to offer at http://www.care2.com.

So if you feel like you just can't afford to help support a worthy animal cause, take a few minutes out of your day and click to donate or link to sites dedicated to environmental issues. It only costs a few moments of your time, but really helps a needy animal.