Girl makes and donates blankets for animals in need

Sick animals at the Best Friends clinic now have special blankets to snuggle, made especially for them. And it’s thanks to 11-year-old Ali Gates that they have this extra hug!

Blanket donation for the animals

Ali was about to celebrate her birthday, and asked her parents if she could spend it at Best Friends. So Joan and Bob Gates took their daughter to stay at the sanctuary cottages and visit the animals. But that wasn’t all Ali wanted! Ali had cut out special soft blankets out of fleece for the animals at her local shelter back in Eagan, Minnesota. They were so well-received that she wanted to do it for the animals at Best Friends too.

So Ali picked out fleece and cut blankets in all sizes – dog size, cat size, and rabbit size. She made 20 in all, and brought them with her on her birthday trip to the sanctuary. It was hard to grab one for Ali’s photograph, because the minute she dropped them off, they were already being used by the animals! They’ll give new or sick furry friends something to snuggle while they’re at the clinic.

Sick animals get extra TLC

A big thank-you from all of them for their birthday gift. The animals who come to the clinic needing surgery or extra checkups are always a little unsure at first, wondering where they are. And now they have an extra soft friend, made just for them, to get them through the scariest part before they’re off to bright new futures.

Photo by Molly Wald

Here are a few creative ways to help the animals.