Playtime just got a lot more fun for our furry friends at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando thanks to our Disney Vacation Club cast members! Over the holidays, a group of cast members came together for a Disney VoluntEARS event to hand make enrichment toys for the shelter’s animals.
The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is a non-profit animal welfare agency that runs two pet adoption shelters and low-cost veterinary clinics. And for more than two decades, Walt Disney World Resort and its cast members have supported the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando through charitable cash giving and Disney VoluntEARS efforts.
“With limited staff, we’re always grateful to receive a ready-to-go gift from volunteers,” said Diane Anderson, behavior and outreach manager for the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. “We could not remain open if it was not for our amazing community support.”
For this special holiday project, Disney Vacation Club VoluntEARS carefully braided together strips of recycled t-shirts to form the perfect chew toy and then delivered more than 150 chew toys to the organization. Everyone’s favorite Disney dog, Pluto, helped deliver the toys and gave some extra TLC to some very lovable dogs – Star, Coco and Bella.
Cheryl Nathan-Weiner, a Disney Vacation Club VoluntEAR who helped with the project, shared that her family rescued a golden retriever named Hannah — or as she explains it, Hannah rescued them. “I was so happy to make the dog toys,” Cheryl said. “It was my way of giving back all the love our girl gave to us over the years.”
If you’re interested in creating a toy for your furry friends at home or a nearby animal shelter, just follow these three easy steps:
- Grab an old t-shirt and cut it into several strips.
- Take the strips and knot them together at one end.
- Braid the strips. Be sure to leave enough space from the end to tie a second knot. Then give it to your pet to enjoy!
Learn more about adopting a pet at PetAllianceOrlando.org.
