Last week was a tough one. Our vet told my mother and me there was nothing more he could do to help our 13-year-old shepherd mix, Sashi, who suffers from arthritis and spinal problems that make it hard for her to use her hind legs.

Because Sashi's quality of life had deteriorated so much (she could barely walk, and was getting scrapes from falling down and from her paws bending under or "knuckling"), we made the gut-wrenching decision to euthanize her.

But at the last minute, we decided to try something I've heard a number of (smart, skeptical) people swear by: veterinary acupuncture.

A search on the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society's Web site brought us to Christina Fuoco, VMD, an IVAS-certified doctor at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital.

My mother brought Sashi for her first appointment last week and reported that Dr. Fuoco was kind, compassionate and, best of all, optimistic about the potential for improvement that acupuncture could offer Sashi.

Black cats are hard to find homes for. So are pairs of cats. Also, adolescent cats. What happens when all three of those are combined? You get some very long-time fosters.

Friends of Homeless Animals in Hawthorne, NJ (where I found my special-needs cat, Gretel), has been fostering best friends Teddy, a 15-month-old black male, and Duffy, an 18-month-old male tabby, for many months now.

They are handsome and affectionate, bonded to each other and great with other cats, but are passed over time and time again for younger and more stand-out cats.

What suggestions do you have to make Teddy, Duffy and other hard-to-place cats more eye-catching to potential adopters?

Since it's Deaf Dog Awareness Week, here's the story of my deaf (and blind) Great Dane puppy, Keller.

I had always admired the Great Dane's poise and nobility, and last year decided the time was right to add one of these beautiful animals to my home.

The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League had lots of Danes that needed homes, and I got involved with their rescue efforts. One day, they contacted me because a Great Dane puppy was about to be euthanized and needed a home right away.

A breeder who claims he can breed "white" Danes had given this puppy to a customer as part of the purchase of another Dane. With Great Danes, and many other breeds, an all-white dog is the result of a genetic defect. This defect can also result in deafness and, in extreme cases, blindness.

The new dog owner did not know what he had, but took the 8-week-old puppies to a vet for their initial checkup. The vet discovered immediately that one of the dogs was deaf and blind. He recommended the puppy be euthanized because the dog wouldn't have a very good quality of life. The owner left the puppy at the vet's office to be put to sleep. Thankfully, one of the techs took the puppy home and contacted the rescue league.

I wrote previously about my experience adopting my dog Alan, a 2-year-old deaf flat-coated retriever mix who'd spent the past year in rescue. Here's an update, in honor of Deaf Dog Awareness Week.

Alan has been part of the family for about six weeks now and we're settling into a nice routine. He has calmed down significantly and clearly is starting to feel at home. Recently he has begun barking when strangers pull into the driveway, which I think is a sure sign he now views this home as his territory.

His housetraining has come along well -- as long as I'm vigilant about keeping a schedule and listening to him when he asks to go out. Unfortunately, 5 a.m. seems to be a potty time no matter when we go to bed. On the positive side, I've been enjoying the early autumnal sunrises.

His deafness does present some interesting challenges for training. The biggest obstacle, I find, is the inability to firmly establish an ongoing "No" and "Good" dialog. With previous dogs I've relied heavily on this, but with Alan it's difficult.

Meg in Maine sends us this photo of her cat Bono in his tie (which, she swears, he loves!) and writes:

I adopted this little guy at The West Kennebunk Animal Shelter in Kennebunk, Maine. I was there donating my two Pomeranians' surplus of dog toys and food when I decided to walk around and check out the cats.

My intent was only to play with them and to help the volunteers clean, but this little guy latched right onto me. In fact, he lept into my arms and started purring and giving me headbutts. I put him down to go help out in another cat room, and when I returned, he did the same thing.

I put him down to tend to another cat, and he crawled in my purse ... I figured any cat with that good of taste in handbags was SURELY a keeper.

My friend Sandi has made her dedication to pit bulls and animal rescue permanent -- check out this pic of her new tattoo.

Sandi has devoted her life to animal welfare: She works at NYC's Bideawee shelter and, like me, volunteers at Animal Care & Control of NYC (she also runs a MySpace page for AC&C pets) -- and now she's got the ink to prove it.

Seems like there's a link between caring about animals and getting inked -- maybe because one you've realized how much homeless pets need your help, you're changed for life anyway (check out the guys from NYC's Rescue Ink and Atlanta pit bull rescuer Brandon Bond for a few examples).

A rescue-themed tattoo by Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Grimes is after the jump.

Got a great animal tattoo? Send it to me at "blog (at) petfinder.com" and I'll post it here!

Check out this cute photo of The Hills star Lauren Conrad with her adopted dog, Chloe (courtesy of CelebrityDogBlog).

I'm always on the lookout for celebrities who've adopted pets -- especially ones who are popular with young people and can counteract the influence of the Paris Hiltons of the world -- so it's great to see a fashion icon like LC showing that saving a life is always in style.

Conrad, also the proud parent of a rescued cat, adopted Chloe in March, writing on her MySpace blog:

On Monday, I got a puppy from the pound. She is the cutest puppy ever! Her name is Chloe. She is a lab/shepherd mix.

I'm not getting much sleep because she thinks nighttime is play time! Ashes (my cat) is not thrilled with her, but I think they will become friends. (Usmagazine.com)

Congrats to LC on finding such a sweet pet. (Although judging from this photo, she may want to check out our video, Teaching Your Dog to Walk on a Leash.)

In its new cover story, "21 Ways to Serve America," TIME magazine has one suggestion we're all for: fostering a pet!

The magazine notes that, with 1.2 million homes in foreclosure, pets, just like people, are being displaced in record numbers. What you can do:

Sign up to house and care for a pet until its owner finds a residence or the animal is adopted. Use Petfinder.com to find local groups like PetConnect Rescue, which places dogs and cats in foster care.
(Read the article.)

Many thanks to TIME for driving home an important message: Even if you can't adopt, fostering is one of the best things you can do to help homeless pets.

By fostering, you'll help keep pets out of shelters and, if the pet can't go back to her original owner, you'll make her more adoptable by sparing her the stress of living in a shelter and serving as her personal advocate to adopters.

You can sign up to foster through our volunteer database, or find a shelter or rescue group near you using Petfinder. Give them a call -- responsible fosters are always in demand!

On Friday Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of all dry pet food products produced at its plant in Everson, Pa., between Feb. 18 and July 29, citing potential salmonella contamination.

Brands affected include Pedigree, Country Acres, Retriever, Doggy Bag, Members Mark, Natural, Ol' Roy, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Wegman's, Pet Pride, PMI Nutrition and Red Flannel.

To see if a product you purchased has been recalled, look for "17" as the first two digits of the second line on the UPC. For Pedigree products, look for "PAE" on the bottom line.

To see whether a product you purchased is subject to recall, you can also check the UPC code against the chart on the Mars Web site.

Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463.

Read more about the recall.

As of Saturday morning, the International Fund for Animal Welfare had set up the Petfinder.com Foundation's emergency pet rescue van in lower Louisiana and was busily assisting the Louisiana State Animal Rescue Team with pet rescues in Louisiana.