Maybe the holiday season will involve adopting a companion animal into your family, and that’s a terrific way to support your local animal shelter!  But maybe there’s no room to bring another furry forever friend into your home. Or maybe you lost a forever friend this year, and the holiday season may be tinged with fresh heartache. To honor lost friends like Ghostdog, fill a bag (or their unused stockings) with goodies, and deliver them to an animal shelter.

With more than 13,000 animal shelters across the U.S., there are so many ways to show your love for animals (and honoring the friends you’ve lost) Here are just a few ideas:

• Find a small, local shelter, and check out their wish list. Places like the Northeast Ohio Animal Shelter are always in need, and the holiday season is no different. In kind donations of “unglamorous” items like cat litter, towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, postage stamps, cleaning supplies, or laundry baskets can alleviate some of their daily burdens.
• If gift giving is a part of your holiday traditions, consider inviting family and friends to make a contribution to a local shelter in your name.
• Volunteer for an afternoon!
• Donate a box or two of treats to make sure every pup and kitten who falls asleep in a shelter can wake up to find something special to eat.
• Sponsor an animal in need with a symbolic adoption.
• Find out which of your local shelters are part of Amazon Smile,  igive or other online shopping that donates a percent of all purchases to charity.

Love the one you’re with, but don’t forget to love the rest!