Black Friday Alternative to Consumerism Suggestion

So, with the holiday shopping rush officially underway as of today (GL's goal is to do almost everything online) and a sad reminder about pet stores earlier this week, we thought this would be a good time to pitch for a worthy cause: Adopting a pet from a shelter or contributing to one as someone's holiday gift.

One of our local favorites is the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC), which is based in Williamsburg. They have a bunch of great holiday options including adoption, BARC Gift Certificates that can be used to purchase pet supplies or to use toward and adoption fee, pet photos with Santa (December 16 & 17 from Noon-Five), sponsorship and shopping for supplies at BARC's store, which is located with the shelter at Wythe and N. 1st in Williamsburg.

Another great option is the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network. You can make a donation and they even have a wish list if you want to give a gift that will mean something.

And, of course, there is the North Shore Animal League, they offer a ton of adoption options, plus multiple ways you can make a donation on someone's behalf. They're not strictly Brooklyn, but they do good work all over the tri-state area.

(The cat above is up for adoption at BARC and is named Bushwick. He's described as"a very sweet orange tabby male who was found...Guess where? He wants to leave the street life behind and cozy up with you!" The dog is Marvin, a ten-year-old who was given up by his owner who could no longer care for him. "He is a sweet senior dog who would like a quiet home and gentle pampering." We're guessing he's kinda' sad and could use some love and attention.)