By Susan Koenig
Perhaps the best New Year’s Resolution is to bring happiness to others, including animals. Kudos to those volunteers who spend thousands of hours every year caring for cats and dogs, finding homes, saving them from lives as strays, training and loving them, and more. Help out these fur babies with donations or adopt a pet, vetted and chipped. Try fostering, thus helping to find permanent homes.
Safe Paws
Safe Paws is a small, non-profit, all-volunteer staff with neither buildings, employees, nor benefactors. Their compassionate mission is “to rescue, help, rehabilitate and re-home needy pets.”
FLUFF Animal Rescue
This nonprofit organization out of Seminole seeks to help find homes for homeless pets and to educate and create community awareness of the plight of strays in our area.
Humane Society of Pinellas
The Humane Society, based in Clearwater, aims to prevent animal homelessness in our community and provide care and assistance to animals in need, including help for terminally ill pets and animals recovering from traumatic injuries.
Save Our Strays
Save our Strays is a no-kill registered 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is rescuing and finding homes for homeless cats and kittens in the Tampa Bay Area.
Get Rescued
This popular and festive free annual event will be held on Feb. 25 and represents rescue groups from throughout the region. Gulfport’s Get Rescued is one of the largest animal rescue events in the state, with all profits to benefit participating non-profit rescue groups. Beach Boulevard is closed to traffic as various animal-related vendors, artists and crafters raise money and awareness for their causes. Activities will include pet care education, pet services, a pet food and supplies drive, free samples, training demos, food, music and especially animal rescue groups. There is ample parking in Gulfport.
VIP Rescue of Central Florida
VIP Rescue, located in Maitland, rescues, rehabilitates, and facilitates adoption of small breed dogs that have been surrendered or abandoned. Their mission is to educate the public on the homeless and over-population pet issues and to find safe homes for small dogs.