Donate To Shelter Dogs In Need This Christmas

Hello!

My name is Allison -or as many of you may know me online through my dance work, Buttons. You may not know that I work full-time at an Animal shelter here in New York on the Canine Behavior Team.

At this time of year, we would typically be housing around 50-60 dogs in our shelter, however, right now we have well over 100. Our shelter has never seen this kind of population crisis before and we are not designed or staffed to house this many dogs long term. Lately, it's been so bad that we've been forced to temporarily house dogs in pop-up crates in employee offices. Shelter settings are naturally extremely stressful for dogs, but being as overpopulated and understaffed as we currently are, it makes it nearly impossible to meet the needs of each dog.

While our doggies go on regular relief walks and we do our best to provide them with calming music, scent sprays, snacks, toys, and play sessions to keep them engaged and minimize their stress, we are constantly running low on supplies. The pups spend the majority of their day in a kennel and having things to keep them preoccupied while they wait to be adopted or rescued is absolutely pivotal to their mental health. We have dogs that have been in the shelter for weeks and months, waiting eagerly for their forever home. Over time, they can become increasingly anxious, develop shelter-born behavioral issues or even become medically depressed. Watching this gradual change in their personalities - watching a sweet dog fade away due to stress, fear, or simply boredom- is truly heartbreaking.

This holiday season, I want to flood our dogs with the love and support they so desperately need. My plan is to collect as much money as possible to buy them as many plush toys, treats and long-lasting chews as possible.

***My ultimate goal is to make over 100 goodie bags so that each and every dog can be given a Christmas present this year that helps them cope with the stress of the shelter!*** If we reach our goal, by my calculations, we will have some extra enrichment supplies to supplement our own low resources for a bit and provide our doggies who are struggling the most with some extra enrichment.

So please please please, if you or any animal lovers you know want to help a doggie in need, anything at all is greatly appreciated. Just 1 dollar can help.

Thank you in advance and happy holidays!

With love,

Allison aka Buttons

*Please note, this fundraiser is NOT being ran by the shelter itself- I am a current employee there who spends roughly 45 hours a week with these doggies. I am personally heading this fundraiser/collecting these funds, which will be used STRICTLY to purchase items for the dogs and will be distributed by myself and my co-workers before Christmas. To protect my own privacy, I have chosen not to disclose the name of the shelter but am happy to answer any questions should anyone have any!*