animal shelter

Dogs

Foster a Dog Virtually, Help Feed Them in Real Life

If you've ever wished you could give a homeless dog a forever home (or could foster a dog until the lucky pup found a permanent family), but don't have the time or space, now you have an easy and fun way to pitch in with the help of Facebook.

If you've ever wished you could give a homeless dog a forever home (or could foster a dog until the lucky pup found a permanent family), but don't have the time or space, now you have an easy and fun way to pitch in with the help of Facebook. The Save a Dog Facebook app allows you to virtually care for an actual shelter pup, and by getting friends to co-sponsor or foster their own canine online, you'll earn points that will translate into real food in the mouths of shelter dogs.

DogTime and Rescuegroups.org teamed up to produce the charitable app, and the best part is that it costs you nothing to help out. Just install the app on your Facebook page and you're off and running. Aside from donating a few hours at your local shelter, this has to be the easiest way to help thousands of needy pups.

Martha Stewart

Pledge Your Time and Be a Shelter Pet Hero!

Even if you can't spare a few bucks, one thing you can always donate is your time.

Even if you can't spare a few bucks, one thing you can always donate is your time. And what better way to spend a few hours over the weekend (or if you're lucky, during the week) than playing with a few furry friends at a local shelter? Purina's Be My Hero program helps you do just that.

And it's not just about playtime with a few pups — when you pledge to spend time volunteering at one of the 7,500 participating shelters across the country, Purina will donate $5 dollars to pets in need. Hey, if Martha Stewart can do it (that's one of her first kittens), I think you can to.

Advice

Give Back: Kuranda Dog Beds

You may recognize this Kuranda from visits to animal shelters in your town: chewproof with no corner gaps to bite (all fabric's encased in a poly-resin sleeve), these beds are built to last.

You may recognize this Kuranda from visits to animal shelters in your town: chewproof with no corner gaps to bite (all fabric's encased in a poly-resin sleeve), these beds are built to last. I'm thinking another reason they're so popular is how easy they are to clean and keep clean, raised off the ground in case of "accidents."

Which brings up my latest Give Back suggestion – purchasing this product for your local establishment. Kuranda’s “Donate A Bed” program lets you buy at 30 to 35 percent off retail prices, and send directly to the rescue organization of your choice in your name. It's super easy, too, as they've created an extensive, searchable database to pick and ship the bed directly to a shelter near you!

Humane Society

How You Can Help Furry Victims of Hurricane Ike . . .

Thankfully, there were improved plans in place before the recent hurricanes hit, but I'm reminded that plenty of pets still need help in the storms' aftermath.

Thankfully, there were improved plans in place before the recent hurricanes hit, but I'm reminded that plenty of pets still need help in the storms' aftermath. Shelters including the Houston Humane Society and the Galveston Island Humane Society are working around the clock to photograph all the arriving animals to help keep track of the pets, and locate their owners. Much of the area is still without running water, electricity or gas . . . but the stray and injured animals keep on coming!

In addition to accepting monetary donations online, if you're local to these areas (or any place affected by the storms), don't be shy about stopping in to volunteer or bring by some much-appreciated goods. To see the items on the shelter's wish list, read more

Cats

The Scoop: Feed Shelter Pets Just By Clicking

Have you ever walked into an animal shelter and wanted to take every single one of those little guys home with you?

Have you ever walked into an animal shelter and wanted to take every single one of those little guys home with you? It's so sad knowing that a lot of them won't make it to a forever home. Becoming a foster parent can help by taking the animals out of the shelter and increasing their chances of survival but, because of monetary constraints, it's just a fact of life that shelters can't always get the food and vaccinations they need. So what can we do to help? In addition to donating money to your local shelters or volunteering to be a foster parent to an animal until they can find a permanent family, now all you have to do is click.

The Animal Rescue Site has set up a totally cool and easy way to get involved. Just by clicking a button on their main page, you can help shelter animals get the food they need to survive. To see how, just read more

Fashion

Adam Lippes Adoption Extravaganza

Seems like another designer wants to lend a helping hand with dog adoptions!

Seems like another designer wants to lend a helping hand with dog adoptions! Adam Lippes will partner with the ASPCA from April 4 to 6, and host an adoption event right in his Manhattan boutique! Representatives will be on hand to facilitate adoptions of these needy doggies, about 20 of various breeds and sizes will frolic in the windows of the store. What's more is that any shopper choosing to give one of these pups a forever home will receive this limited edition "ADAM Loves Dogs" tee. Adam himself will even be attending on April 5 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and has said, "I can only hope that all of these dogs will find loving homes and will be surprised if I don't walk away with one of them myself."

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Cats

Out and About: Arizona's Hermitage Cat Shelter

Founded by a Russian Orthodox nun in 1965, The Hermitage Cat Shelter started out with about 50 cats as lifetime residents.

Founded by a Russian Orthodox nun in 1965, The Hermitage Cat Shelter started out with about 50 cats as lifetime residents. When Sister Seraphim entered a nursing home in 1989, a board of directors took over the management and began adopting out the cats. The shelter is now both an adoption center and a sanctuary for special-needs cats, including those who are FIV and FeLV positive and cats with other chronic health and behavioral problems such as partial paralysis, neurological problems, blindness, deafness, missing limbs, and diabetes. This shelter is the state's first no-kill, no-cage sanctuary that helps even those felines that are not considered adoptable by other organizations. It's comprised of 4,000 square feet indoors and an additional 4,000 square feet of fenced-in, covered, outdoor play space for those fresh-air kitties.

Click here to share your own tips with PetSugar's Out and About travel group — and stay tuned as our week of Arizona continues!

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Dogs

Out and About: Colorado's Aspen Animal Shelter

Let's pretend for a moment.

Let's pretend for a moment. You've decided to take a trip to Aspen but . . . sigh . . . Spot couldn't come with you. You arrive to the snowy town and wander around. People with dogs are everywhere. Hiking on Bernese Boulevard. Shopping near Main Street. Sledding at Snowmass. You're filled with regret. Sadness. Jealousy.

Fear not! Head straight over to the Aspen Animal Shelter and get some quality time with one of their adorably adoptable pooches. For the past 15 years, this shelter has offered a plan to have town residents and visitors take a pet out for a few hours, the entire day, or even overnight . . . for (last time I checked) free! It's a great way to get the pups socialized and exercised, and some people even end up adopting their new friend at the end of the trip! If you're not into the outdoor activities, you can come by to brush and play with the cats, too. Picking up a furry snow lover will make you feel like a local and, for those people who don't permanently reside in animal-friendly homes, you can take a vacation from your pet-free lifestyle . . . without spending a fortune!

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Celebrity Pets

Guess Who?

That's certainly not a basketball in his hands .
That's certainly not a basketball in his hands . . . but who's behind the paw?

Guess Who?