Top 10 ingenious ways to help out your local animal shelter

Whether you live near a New York animal shelter or reside in a rural area, your local rescue groups are typically non-profit organizations that need all the help they can get from the community. While the best way to help out one of these facilities is to adopt one of their animals, there are a variety of ways to volunteer if you can't accommodate another pet in your home.

1. Bake homemade dog biscuits. Do a bit of online research to find a few healthy snack options that would be a tasty treat for the shelter dogs. This is a vast improvement over standard dog biscuits and can provide a boost to the canines' quality of life.

2. Donate to a pet food bank. According to DogChannel.com, many shelters rely on pet food banks to feed their animals, so this could be a quick and easy way to support these establishments and pet parents in your community.

3. Donate bedding. Old towels, bedsheets, pillows and other products you have lying around the house can make great bedding options or cage liners for the shelter animals.

4. Volunteer your media skills. If the animal shelter has a website, volunteer your time to take a few pictures or video clips of adoptable. This may be a catalyst for the animal to find  a forever home of his or her own.

5. Donate your old media equipment. Better yet, if you have an old scanner or digital camera you aren't using, give these to the shelter so they can improve their media capabilities.

6. Grooming supplies. According to Paw-Talk.net, grooming supplies like combs, hair dryers, nail clippers and brushes are always in short supply and make for worthy donations.

7. Host a dog park party. Send out flyers to pet parents who have adopted from the shelter and host a charity fundraiser at your local dog park. This will allow the dogs and their parents to mingle with one another and could provide a boost for the shelter's budget.

8. Pet first aid kits. First aid supplies are a huge expense, so consider donating a kit found at your local pet store to help the shelter's bottom line.

9. Volunteer your car. Vet visits and other excursions can be expensive, so volunteer your time to transport some of these animals to help the shelter save on transportation costs.

10. Cash donations. When in doubt, donating a bit of money to your local rescue group will always be appreciated and will help the workers continue their great work for the community.