A very cool fundraising idea

This weekend I went to the Celtic Fling, a great Celtic festival held at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire grounds on the Mount Hope Estate & Winery in Manheim, PA. 

The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League was there with a few of their gorgeous babies. They had a really cool way of getting donations: Each dog wore a vest with a pouch on either side. The public had a chance to interact with the dogs, petting them and spending time with them, and could leave a donation with each dog. 

It turns out the vests are handmade by two MAGDRL volunteers, Jody Cohen and Terry Lanphear. The vests, as well as lots of other donation and "adopt-me" apparel, are available at ThankfulPaws.com.

Jody tells us the vests are a lot more effective than a donation jar or can. "Wearing the donation apparel lets your dog -- and you -- walk through the crowd spreading the word about your organization," she says. "Children -- and adults too -- love to put money into the clear plastic pockets. After all, who could resist a dog asking for donations?"