Support Shelter and Rescue of Homeless Pets
Get a Cool T-Shirt AND donate to animal shelters and rescue organizations!
Greetings and Welcome!
Greetings and Welcome to the best internet resource to find great t-shirts and gifts, proceeds from the sale of which go to animal rescue.
If you are an animal lover, you are well aware of the serious pet overpopulation problem in our country. Every day thousands of perfectly healthy, happy dogs and cats are euthanized because there are simply not enough homes for all the homeless animals.
The pet overpopulation problem is the result of many factors such as:
1. Irresponsible pet ownership - too many people don't take the responsibilities of owning a pet seriously. They dump them if they become an inconvenience, they don't teach them manners or work on problem behaviors, they don't consider them part of the family, they leave them chained up in the yard or let them roam at will, and they don't view their responsibility as a lifetime commitment to that pet. Irresponsible pet ownership is typically a symptom of a larger problem - too many people think pets are disposable.
2. Failure to spay and neuter - There is virtually no reason whatsoever NOT to spay or neuter your companion animal. While people often think "just one litter" will not make a difference, when you multiply that times thousands, that equals thousands and thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens. Yes, even cute baby puppies and kittens get put to sleep on a daily basis for lack of homes. Out of an average litter of seven puppies in an accidental litter, it is unlikely that even ONE will live out its life in a single, good home. The average for kittens is even worse.
3. Puppy mills - Mills mass produce puppies purely for profit without consideration for the well-being of the mother and father dogs. The dogs that produce the cute puppies in the pet stores are little more than livestock to millers. Purchasing a puppy from a pet store, which invariably came from a puppy mill, directly supports this disgusting industry. Leftover or sick puppies, and dogs that simply can't produce puppies anymore, are often killed or dumped into shelters. Even dogs that successfully survive the mill to be purchased by an unwitting owner often end up in shelters because they develop health or behavior problems...or worse. Pet stores don't do a reference check, and neither do millers.
4. Backyard breeders. Yes, your boy dog is cute. Yes, my girl dog is cute. That does not mean that we should have a litter of puppies. Responsible breeding is a labor of love and takes a huge commitment of time and finances. Are you willing to do background checks on each person that is interested in purchasing one of the puppies? How else can you be sure that they won't go to bad homes? Can you offer a lifetime guarantee to take back the dog if the purchaser cannot keep it? What if the new owner dumps it in a high-kill shelter? What if mom dies during labor? Then you've lost your pet. What if the dog develops serious congenital health issues that are detrimental to the dog's quality of life? Are you going to pay for its arthritis medicine or pay for surgery for a luxating patella? What if the people who bought your litter of puppies would have gone and adopted a doomed puppy from a shelter? Your puppies guaranteed the death of the shelter pups. Most importantly, however, and most commonly, what are you going to do if you cannot find a home for all of the puppies? Are you willing to commit to that leftover puppy for its lifetime? Or are you going to dump it in a shelter?
Approximately 9589 dogs and cats are killed in shelters every day. Please don't be a contributor. Spay and neuter your pets and be a responsible pet owner.
The pet overpopulation problem is the result of many factors such as:
1. Irresponsible pet ownership - too many people don't take the responsibilities of owning a pet seriously. They dump them if they become an inconvenience, they don't teach them manners or work on problem behaviors, they don't consider them part of the family, they leave them chained up in the yard or let them roam at will, and they don't view their responsibility as a lifetime commitment to that pet. Irresponsible pet ownership is typically a symptom of a larger problem - too many people think pets are disposable.
2. Failure to spay and neuter - There is virtually no reason whatsoever NOT to spay or neuter your companion animal. While people often think "just one litter" will not make a difference, when you multiply that times thousands, that equals thousands and thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens. Yes, even cute baby puppies and kittens get put to sleep on a daily basis for lack of homes. Out of an average litter of seven puppies in an accidental litter, it is unlikely that even ONE will live out its life in a single, good home. The average for kittens is even worse.
3. Puppy mills - Mills mass produce puppies purely for profit without consideration for the well-being of the mother and father dogs. The dogs that produce the cute puppies in the pet stores are little more than livestock to millers. Purchasing a puppy from a pet store, which invariably came from a puppy mill, directly supports this disgusting industry. Leftover or sick puppies, and dogs that simply can't produce puppies anymore, are often killed or dumped into shelters. Even dogs that successfully survive the mill to be purchased by an unwitting owner often end up in shelters because they develop health or behavior problems...or worse. Pet stores don't do a reference check, and neither do millers.
4. Backyard breeders. Yes, your boy dog is cute. Yes, my girl dog is cute. That does not mean that we should have a litter of puppies. Responsible breeding is a labor of love and takes a huge commitment of time and finances. Are you willing to do background checks on each person that is interested in purchasing one of the puppies? How else can you be sure that they won't go to bad homes? Can you offer a lifetime guarantee to take back the dog if the purchaser cannot keep it? What if the new owner dumps it in a high-kill shelter? What if mom dies during labor? Then you've lost your pet. What if the dog develops serious congenital health issues that are detrimental to the dog's quality of life? Are you going to pay for its arthritis medicine or pay for surgery for a luxating patella? What if the people who bought your litter of puppies would have gone and adopted a doomed puppy from a shelter? Your puppies guaranteed the death of the shelter pups. Most importantly, however, and most commonly, what are you going to do if you cannot find a home for all of the puppies? Are you willing to commit to that leftover puppy for its lifetime? Or are you going to dump it in a shelter?
Approximately 9589 dogs and cats are killed in shelters every day. Please don't be a contributor. Spay and neuter your pets and be a responsible pet owner.
Show Off Your Cause!
There are lots of ways you can help support animal rescue. One way you can help is to wear your cause on a t-shirt! Not only do you get a cool t-shirt or gift for someone you care about, but you raise awareness about the problems related to pet overpopulation and mistreatment of companion animals. MANY animal welfare organizations, shelters, and rescue groups sell cool t-shirts, mugs, magnets, stickers, sweatshirts, and MUCH MORE to raise money to fund their efforts. The purpose of this site is to gather the best t-shirt designs in one place, as well as to provide a comprehensive list of Cafepress stores that support animal welfare organizations. Here are a few of our favorite designs! REMEMBER, THE SALE OF EVERY ITEM FEATURED ON THIS WEBSITE DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS!
Please also check out the links on the sidebar for pages featuring great designs related to specific animal welfare issues!
Please also check out the links on the sidebar for pages featuring great designs related to specific animal welfare issues!
Looking for Great Gifts for Pet Lovers?
This site is the perfect place to do your Christmas or holiday shopping! The t-shirts on this site make perfect holiday or Christmas gifts for pet lovers, cat lovers, dog lovers, rescue workers, shelter workers, rescue volunteers, shelter volunteers, or anyone who is passionate about animal welfare causes. What better Christmas gift is there to spread to holiday cheer, than a gift that gives BACK to shelter pets, homeless pets, rescue pets, and animals in need? Looking for something different? Check out our index of rescue stores to find a comprehensive list of rescue groups, animal welfare organizations, and animal shelters with online stores. Give a gift that gives back this Christmas! Get a t-shirt that helps support rescue and adoption of shelter pets!
Despite the sad reality of the pet overpopulation problem, things are slowly but surely getting better.
The most important change that has to occur is the perception that pets are disposable.
In the meantime, many shelters and humane societies across the country are adopting no-kill policies, meaning that no healthy, adoptable pet will be euthanized for lack of space. No-kill can succeed, particularly where it is implemented in conjunction with aggressive adoption programs, pet owner support services, behavioral and training services, educational programs, low-cost spay and neuter programs, and ample funding and community support. However, in many areas of this country, no-kill is simply not an option at this point.
Where no-kill is not an option, often grass-roots rescue groups, who typically care for dogs rescued from death row in their final hours in their homes, or through a network of foster homes, have succeeded in saving many, many lives that would otherwise have been wasted. Unfortunately, while saving one dog or cat at a time means the difference between life and death for that pet, it is like plugging the levy with your finger. There are just too many to save. One life at a time. Rescuing in situations like these is heart-breaking and inspiring at the same time.
So what can you do to help? Check out our other pages to find out!
How to Navigate
Got a particular issue you care deeply about in the area of animal welfare? Check out our individual pages for t-shirts, sweatshirts, long-sleeve tees and more to show off your favorite issues! Be a walking billboard to show others how much you care about rescue and adoption of shelter pets, curbing pet overpopulation, promoting spay and neuter, ending animal cruelty, or just loving your pet! The sidebar on the top of this page contains links to individual pages for particular issues or just click a link below to go to the page you're interested in. REMEMBER, proceeds from EVERY shirt featured on this site goes to help animal rescue organizations! Not only do you get a cool shirt to express your feelings about animal welfare, but every purchase GIVES BACK TO THE ANIMALS! Stop back often for more items!
