Animals enrich our lives in so many ways. They are a source of comfort, inspiration and enjoyment. So what can we do to thank them?

In honour of Be Kind to Animals Month this May, the BC SPCA is encouraging people to make a difference for animals – starting with adoption. By making the BC SPCA your first adoption option, you can give a homeless animal a second chance.

Last May, Meghann Cant, animal welfare educator for the BC SPCA, decided to adopt two rats from the Surrey shelter. “Adopting Ian and David was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” comments Cant. “I can’t imagine my life without them. They were found abandoned in an apartment, hungry and scared – it feels good to see them trust again.”

Adoption is just the beginning. Here are some other ways you can give back during Be Kind to Animals Month (and all year):

1. Support a BC SPCA campaign. The BC SPCA advocates for animals, but we can’t do it alone! Our Pets in the City campaign allows you to quickly and easily send emails to your city council, encouraging them to pass bylaws that create safe, humane communities for animals and people alike.

2. Surprise a young animal lover with a membership in the BC SPCA Kids Club. The BC SPCA Kids Club empowers kids 13 and under to become ambassadors for animals and animal welfare issues in their homes, their schools and their communities. For just $15.00 a year, kids receive four issues of Bark! magazine, monthly email newsletters and posters focusing on pets, farm animals and wildlife.

3. Volunteer. Become a BC SPCA volunteer and join a compassionate and committed team of nearly 4,000 animal lovers! Whether it’s cleaning cat cages, walking dogs, staffing a display booth or following up on adoptions, our volunteers keep us up and running.

4. Make a donation. When you make a donation to the BC SPCA, your gift supports a wide range of BC SPCA services, from cruelty investigations to wildlife rehabilitation, from sheltering animals to humane education.

5. Send a child to summer camp. Week-long summer camps are held throughout the province, giving kids a chance to play games, make crafts, create skits and listen to great guest speakers – all animal-themed, of course. Registration is now open for BC SPCA Summer Camps at Lower Mainland and Victoria locations; registration for all other locations opens May 11.

6. Make your next meal an SPCA Certified one. The SPCA Certified program was created to ensure farm animals are raised to a higher standard of animal welfare. Look for the SPCA Certified red barn logo on cage-free eggs, meat and dairy products.

7. Attract the birds and the bees. Don’t forget about wildlife! Each and every day, wild animals are impacted by human actions, often negatively. So why not take action by creating a wildlife-friendly habitat in your backyard? Plant a diverse selection of native vegetation to support butterflies, bees, song birds and mammals.

8. Invite a friend or family member to join our online community. Members of the BC SPCA online community are the first to learn about current animal welfare news and issues, events and ways to take action. They’ll receive our monthly Anim@ls eNewsletter, have member login access to update their contact information and preferences and socialize with other passionate animal lovers across the province through our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites. Invite them to become a member today.

The BC SPCA provides care and protection to more than 34,000 animals each year. Your gift can help give a homeless, injured or abused animal a second chance. Please donate today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.