"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet."
- Sidonie- Gabrielle Colette
In the spirit of the holidays we would like to bring up a cause that is very near to us over here at BarkZone. Approximately 6.5 million companion animals are brought to animal shelters across the United States annually. According to the ASPCA about 3.3 million of those are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. With that being said that is only a very rough estimate because no true unified form of keeping track of animal welfare has been implemented at a national level. The work of connecting these animals to new loving families is performed by individuals across the country. In fact right in our own neighborhood is one such group of people.
Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals (OFOSA) has been working tirelessly for years to rescue animals from high-kill shelters. Volunteers gather up animals from these shelters a few times per month and get them back to Oregon. They also receive air transportations from other organizations who bring in animals from other kill shelters, that would otherwise be beyond their reach.
This year OFOSA has two big wishes on their list. They need foster families first and foremost. OFOSA is run through people who actively take these animals into their home until more permanent arrangements are found. The capacity of their group to shelter homeless pets is dependent on how many open foster families they have available. If you are reading this and feel you have some room to spare please reach out to the them and apply to be a foster. The other wish is for more of what they call their Hero Club donors. These are the individuals who contribute money automatically each month and form the backbone of their organization. It allows them the capacity to run their operations and save more animals as well. Please check out the Hero Club membership if you have anything you could give; it's both simple and secure!
OFOSA keeps a list of needs for the year that you can see year round as well over here. It takes a village to do what they do. They rely on the generosity of their local community to drive down the number of homeless animals. Make an impact on some lives today and let's support OFOSA's goals of saving as many animals as humanly possible and finding them loving forever homes.