Giving and receiving presents at Christmas are things that adults and children love to do together and it is definitely a tradition for many families around the world. For pet owners, they consider their pets as members of their families, so their furry friends always join in this holiday and even get plenty of gifts.
Sadly, there are many animals at shelters who are not showered with gifts and treats for Christmas like pets with homes. For this reason, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa decided to help their animals join in on the Christmas spirit by letting them choose their own presents from under the Christmas tree and take back to their kennels.
All the gifts and items came as donations from the community for ARL-Iowa’s annual “Tree of Life” program – an event that brings in pet food, supplies, and toys for the new year. Thanks to this program, these shelter animals were given a chance to pick out their Christmas presents from within the giant pile of goodies.
Stephanie Filer, manager of special gifts and partnerships for the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL-Iowa), told The Dodo that it was like “seeing kids on Christmas morning after Santa has made his deliveries.”
If you need something to get you into the holiday spirit, just take a look at the video of shelter pets picking out their presents from underneath a giant Christmas tree below. Their reactions are so pure that it’ll warm your heart to the core.
Shelter Pets Pick Out Toys From Under the Tree
CHECK THIS OUT! It's not quite Christmas yet, but we let some of our adoptable cats and dogs pick out a toy from our Tree of Life to take back to their kennel a few days early- and they loved it! You can donate to our Tree of Life through the end of the month, but what these babes are really wishing for is a new home – so adopt today!Wish List: http://www.arl-iowa.org/get-involved/fetch-list-items-needed/default.aspxAvailable Pets: http://www.arl-iowa.org/find-a-pet/(Update: Jango, Snoop, Hemi, Boss, and Luanne have all been adopted!)
Posted by Animal Rescue League of Iowa on Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Some of them grabbed the first toy they saw, while others sniffed around a bit before making a choice. Meanwhile, the cats were too busy playing on top of the toys. “The cats mostly “enjoyed playing ON the donated items,” said Filer.
No matter what happens, we believe that shelter animals deserve a little holiday love, too. However, the best gift this Christmas season was all these adorable animals ended up getting a loving and forever home.
The animal shelter noted that what these babes really wish for is a new home. If you are interested in adopting other shelter animals, you can take a look at the ARL-Iowa website to do so. If you can’t adopt, you can make a donation or give something to the animals’ welfare this Christmas to help shelter animals have a very special holiday season.
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