We know many of you are stressing and feeling overwhelmed with all that is happening with the Coronavirus. First, we want to send our thoughts that each of you stays safe and healthy during this difficult time.
CharityPaws has been a little quiet during this – but we did not want to share anything that would cause harm or misinformation to be spread so we wanted to do our due diligence to get you the most accurate information we could find. Sadly at this time there is a lot of that going around and we do not want to contribute to that.
What we are hoping to do is provide you with a complete COVID-19 list of resources to help you care for your pets and for shelters – to help you navigate this and still keep adoptions up and animals healthy.
One of the most recent CDC articles states that if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 that limited contact should be made with pets! We do feel this is great advice – and should be share with your supporters.
Of course the primary goal is to educate everyone so pets are not dumped because owners think they can get it from their pets – this has NOT AT ALL been shown to happen and we need to stress that!
We know we have some challenging times ahead – and if CharityPaws can help in anyway – please contact us at [email protected] and we will see what we can do – TOGETHER!
This post will be updated daily with new resources and COVID-19 animal news!
Resources For Pet Parents
CDC – Animals & Coronavirus Disease
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/animals.html
Important information to help you determine if animals in fact can transmit or get COVID-19. But there is also this article that states a dog did receive a weak positive after owner was infected – he ultimately passed away after being released, but it should be noted that it looks like he was 17 years old! Every shelter, rescue and pet parent should read this.
Petco – COVID-19 Information for Pet Parents
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/c/covid19
A great resource for pet parents with lots of helpful information from Petco as well as a statement from a 25-year veteran veterinarian outlining his thoughts on COVID-19 and pets.
Resources For Rescues/Shelters
Best Friends – COVID-19 Resources for Shelters & Rescues
https://network.bestfriends.org/lifesaving-library/covid-19-resources
Some really great ideas and resources to help you manage all the craziness that will happen as a result of COVID-19.
American Pets Alive – Facebook Group For Shelters & Rescues
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmPAConference/
This group offers support for shelters & rescues – ask questions, share ideas and get some support to help you navigate these choppy waters.
Animal Sheltering – COVID-19 Resources for Shelters & Rescues
https://www.animalsheltering.org/COVID19
Additional resources for shelters and rescues to help them make disaster plans, help their communities and assist with pet adoptions!
University of Florida – COVID-19 For Animal Shelters
https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2020/03/15/new-important-covid-19-information-for-animal-shelters/
They are actively monitoring the situation and are offering information related to findings as they relate to animals. Several ideas for being cautious to ensure pets and people are at their healthiest are included!
HeARTsSpeak – COVID-19 Marketing Guide For Shelters
https://heartsspeak.org/communications-marketing-guide-for-shelters-amid-covid-19/
A full resource of marketing communications resources to help shelters learn how to best communicate with their community during COVID-19.
Other Articles of Interest
Below are some general articles about COVID-19 so you can stay informed.
https://time.com/5793363/china-coronavirus-covid19-abandoned-pets-wuhan/
Below are a few articles that talk about how COVID-19 may have started. And the theory it was created in a lab is 100% unfounded.
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/conservationists-set-the-record-straight-on-covid-19s-wildlife-links/How We Can All Help Our Shelters & Rescues
First – stay informed! Read the news, keep an eye on your favorite rescues and shelters to see how you can help them directly. While times will be tight for everyone – even a $1 from every person in a shelter/rescues support group can make a huge difference!
- Foster! This is the singular one thing we can all do to help. By getting animals out of the shelters and into homes – we are helping keep the shelter staff safe and allow the animals a place to get some stress free fun.
- Donate! Like we said – even $1 can make a difference! Use resources like our list of ways to earn Amazon gift cards that you can donate or drop off blankets or food to your local shelter or rescue.
Some Good News
As we find good news happening – we will share it, because I think focusing on the positive is the way to go right now when everything seems so dark. This is one bright light happening and we would love to see this happen everywhere!
Foster Dogs NYC Exceeds Foster Expectations During COVID-19! As noted on their banner on their website they have more fosters than dogs available!!!!! – https://www.fosterdogsnyc.com/
Norfolk Shelter Finds Homes For All Animals Before Closing! Amazing news – and proof that people care!
https://www.pilotonline.com/news/health/vp-nw-animals-adopted-out-20200317-mv4d6ggtgnefngwrxs36t6lsui-story.html
Kern County Animal Services Floored By Response To Their Rescue Drive-Thru!
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/county-animal-shelter-floored-by-response-to-foster-drive-thru/article_3a08ab94-6955-11ea-8b97-cf8b05b472c7.html
We hope some of this makes your life a little better or answers some of your questions. Remember we are all in this together! So let’s help each other, be kind to each other – and keep doing what we do to keep all animals safe.
Take care of each other and stay healthy!
Have A Resource For Us To Add?
If you have or find a resource that should be added to this list – please let us know! We are continually using our sources to find new resources to help all animal lovers during this time and will update this post often.
