12 Days of Giving: Dearborn Animal Shelter

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Website: www.dearbornanimals.org

What they're all about: Each year, the Dearborn Animal Shelter helps nearly 2,500 animals find warm, loving homes.

It's an effort they've been working toward under the auspices of Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter since 1996, which is under contract with the city and works in conjunction with the .

The shelter takes in stray, unwanted or lost animals and helps find them homes, or reunite them with their owners. They mostly handle dogs and cats, but also rabbits, gerbils, pigs, turtles, or other creatures as need arises.

Staff and volunteers at the shelter provide medical care, behavioral training and assessments, and lots of attention to the animals in their care.

How to help: Money, time, love–all three are valuable to the staff and the animals at the shelter.

The shelter is hosting a Holiday Fund Drive, asking people to give monetary donations.

"Right now, the Friends have 70 dogs and 345 cats," the shelter reports on their website. "That’s twice as many dogs than we should have and three times
as many cats!"

Additionally, supporters can donate funds to have a photo and story of a shelter animal, as well as a personalized holiday card, sent to an animal lover of their choosing.

Want to donate helpful goodies to the animals themselves? The shelter needs cat and dog toys, food, treats, collars, crates and more. For a full list of needs, visit their website.

The shelter is also always in need of more volunteers, whether it's to clean cages, walk dogs, or become a foster home. Click here for a list of opportunities.

But as always, the best way to help is by adopting one (or more!) of the many dogs and cats at the shelter, looking for a new home this holiday season.

Call the shelter at 313-943-2697, or visit their website for holiday hours.