Unique ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day are hard to come by. Eventually, most resort to the bouquet of flowers, a heart-shaped box of candy, and a nice dinner. All are good options; but, if you want to think out of that heart-shaped box and your valentine loves animals almost as much as they love you, consider a gift or an experience that will involve a furry friend for the day.
Spend the Day with Your Love and Your Pet
This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, so imagine the fun you and your significant other could have spending the day with your own pet. You can get a bit more imaginative with a dog, perhaps dropping by the dog park, going for a long walk, or just spending the day kicked back and relaxing. There are many shopping areas that allow pets to accompany you, so get that ‘Honey Do’ list done with your pup by your side.
Loving Those Who Need It the Most
Unfortunately, our animal shelters and rescues are filled with animals in need of love and positive interaction with people. Taking a few hours or the afternoon to spend with an animal waiting on its forever home is a great way to celebrate the love of animals. Cuddling with a kitty or playing fetch with a pup not only gives you a good feeling, but helps the animal with their socialization and gets them out of where they are being kept. Some local animal rescue groups even allow their pups to go on long hikes for exercise.
A Short Trip with an Exotic Destination
The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC, is a short trip for you and your significant other to spend a day with more animals than you can imagine. Taking the day and a leisurely stroll through the zoo, learning about how to better help wildlife in their habitats a world away can not only be fun, but educational.
How Much Candy Do You Really Need?
If candy isn’t your thing or you’re trying to do better in your dietary choices, take the money that you would spend on candy and go purchase food and supplies for a local shelter or rescue group. Call or visit the group’s website to see what their needs are. From personal experience, cleaning supplies that are animal-friendly are always needed, as is food, but get a “wish list” and go with your sweetie shopping, then deliver and spend some time with those you are helping.
An ongoing need on a global scale is the devastation in Australia to the wildlife. Rescues are being overrun with taking in kangaroos, koalas, as well as other animals whose numbers have been decimated by the wildfires. There are many legitimate sites to donate funds to help those animals affected in Australia. By doing an online search, you can find ways to make a difference on a bigger scale.
Making this Valentine’s Day extra special doesn’t require a trip to the jewelry store or florist when you can show your love for your sweetie by thinking out of the box and showing them that one of the things you love about them is their love for animals.
