Supporting Animals Throughout the Summer

Hello! I am Myra Stanfield, your 2020 Connecticut’s Kid Governor, and I would like to share with you a few ideas on how you, your family, and your community can help animals in need this summer during social distancing!

Believe it or not, animals can actually help you during this virus. If you’re feeling stressed (which is totally understandable), animals can help with that by cheering you up and making you feel much better. Some animals can also help older people deal with isolation and social distancing. I think this is really cool.

Now would be a great time to adopt or foster a pet from your local shelter! You would help yourself and bring the excitement of a new pet to your family. You would help your local shelter out, too, by making their jobs much, much easier! A new pet friend would also be a great idea around this time so that you have someone to play with while social distancing.

My family adopted a new pet before the pandemic and I am grateful for that! His name is Mateo and he is a chihuahua. I have someone else to play with when I get bored, and someone to cheer me up when I miss my friends and family. I think it is a great idea to adopt or foster a pet because they might need a friend, too!

Me with Mateo that day that my family adopted him!

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a virtual meeting hosted by Senator Blumenthal on the topic of animals and how we can help them during this time. It was such an eye opening experience! I got to meet many animal advocates from Connecticut and I was given the opportunity to speak and share information on the Kid Governor program, my platform, the process of getting elected, and so much more! It was truly amazing.

One important thing I learned during the meeting is that donations to shelters are really needed during this time! Even a small amount would be greatly appreciated. Most shelters will accept food, cleaning supplies, treats, litter, and more. Contact your local shelter or humane society to see what items they need! They will also accept money to purchase items they need if you would like to contribute.

If you have any extra time this summer, a really fun idea is to make crafts to donate to your local shelter for the animals staying there! The Connecticut Humane Society’s website has ideas and instructions HERE for pet bandanas, pet beds, and even cat scratchers! Some shelters will also accept dog toys made from old t-shirts. Watch this video HERE from 2019 New Hampshire’s Kid Governor for step-by-step instructions. These handmade crafts would be really thoughtful, and I’m sure the animals would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you’ll take one of my suggestions for helping animals in need this summer, and maybe even give a new pet their forever home!!