The first full week of May is Be Kind to Animals Week. Did you know that Be Kind to Animals Week is the oldest commemorative week in US history and the nation’s longest-running human education campaign? Neat, isn’t it?
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Be Kind to Animals Week is an annual celebration that spotlights the crucial importance of kindness and compassion to all animals, pets and non-pets alike.
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Here are a few ways you can participate in this altruistic week year-round:
- Volunteer and/or donate to an animal shelter or rescue group. Walk dogs. Socialize cats. Hold rabbits. Bottle-feed kittens or puppies and give the shelter employees a well-deserved break.
- Foster a shelter animal. You can also pet-sit for a friend so said pet does not have to be boarded.
- Use cruelty-free products.
- Help out feral cats. You can do this by providing food, water, and even a shelter. You can also donate to a catch-spay/neuter-release program in your area.
- Protect the environment. Recycle, reduce, reuse. Don’t litter because (a) it’s gross and (b) animals can get sick, injured, or die from eating or getting tangled in plastic or other materials. Recycle and dispose of toxins safely. Use safe dish detergents and paper instead of Styrofoam. Be mindful that a lot of our waste ends up in the sea.
- Run a 5K or participate in a fundraiser that benefits animals. Ask your animal shelter or humane society for ways you get can get involved.
- Leave wild animals in their natural homes. While it’s tempting to bring home a snail, lizard, snake, or baby bird for the sake of scientific curiosity, instead practice kindness and naturalistic observation (a la Sir David Attenborough).
- Plant a garden. More specifically, plant a butterfly garden or other vegetation that attracts bees, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Bonus: pretty colors.
“No act of kindness, not matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~Aesop
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