Blankets for Shelter Animals

Is crocheting, knitting, or sewing one of your passions? Do you want to soothe frightened and lonely animals that spend their lives in austere shelters in hopes of finding loving homes? The Snuggles Project, the brainchild of Rae French in 1996 in Portland, Oregon, might be just the volunteer opportunity for you.

For years, Rae fed and comforted any stray cat that came to her door knowing that she’d inevitably have to bring them to shelters. Even the most humane shelters have limits to what they can provide, and if not adopted, the animals are doomed to short, unhappy lives in dingy, hard-floored surroundings and dismal steel cages. Rae could not bear not doing something to brighten these innocent creatures’ lives.

An avid crochet enthusiast, Rae French had an idea. How about providing these animals with warm, comfortable security blankets? She dubbed these blankets “Snuggles,” and from this brilliant-in-its-simplicity idea, The Snuggles Project was born.

When they arrive at a shelter, most animals are terrified. However, as soon as they receive a Snuggles, they begin to calm down. The blankets perk up the dull cages, and shelter workers started noticing that their presence began to awaken sympathetic feelings that opened people to the idea of adoption.

Snuggles’ soft thickness protects the animal from many stresses caused by standing, sitting, and lying on hard floors and helps relieve arthritis and insulate joints and cartilage as well. They’re needed all year long because comfort and security are ongoing necessities.

Machine-washable acrylic yarn is ideal. Cotton is also a good choice. Wool traps scent, dander, dirt, and is not machine washable, so it’s less suitable. The blanket should be yielding and thick. Tighter stitches provide maximum warmth on chilly concrete floors, and closed stitches prevent animals from becoming tangled in them. The Snuggles Project’s Web site provides simple instructions for creating these treasures.

All Snuggles donations provide comfort and ambiance, brighten the facility, and boost staff morale. Moreover, the animals aren’t Martha Stewarts, so imperfections won’t cause outrage, so Snuggles-making is a perfect project for both the novice crafter and the expert and is every product is a “masterpiece.”

Among crafters especially, creating Snuggles can be contagious. The extra perk of contributing to an unfortunate animal’s well-being makes it easy to involve friends, families, schools, 4-H groups, Scouts, and older adults. It’s caught on in nursing homes whose residents derive renewed purpose in life.

This project connects generations, raises consciousness about the homeless pet crisis, and provides opportunities for community involvement. Everyone from children to the elderly can participate. Retired people who teach children to craft Snuggles forge emotional bonds through a common goal; and many homebound people who enjoy crafts discover that making Snuggles satisfies their needs for recreation and for making a difference.

The Snuggles Project, an exclusive project of Hugs for Homeless Animals, a 501c3 non-profit organization, provides, among other services, a worldwide directory that lists all shelters noting the ones that currently participate in the Snuggles Project.

Actively participating shelters on record with the program readily welcome Snuggles. Asking other shelters if they accept Snuggles security blankets is a potential opportunity to educate them about this program. If they use towels or blankets in their facilities and launder them, they should be delighted to receive your donations.

Since its inception, volunteers on every habitable continent have donated more than 500,000 Snuggles security blankets to shelters worldwide.

Tunstall Enjoys Snuggles Security Blanket

Fudgie Secure in His Snuggles

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