The December holidays are quickly approaching and our Twelve Days of Dewey campaign has already covered eight ways to help homeless pets, but the Dewey countdown still has a few more ways to get involved.

Dewey helped to change the people in Spencer, IA, and the next items on our Twelve Days of Dewey list are ways you, too, can help animals in your community.

4) Thank FOUR shelter staffers or rescue group volunteers for all they do. Though Dewey couldn't exactly say "thank you" to Vicki, there is little doubt that he
found ways to show her how much she was appreciated. In the spirit of giving back, find your own special way to thank four shelter staffers or rescue group volunteers for all their hard work on behalf of pets.

3) Ask THREE pet-related businesses to display local adoptable pets on their Web sites. Not only will you be helping pets find a home, you'll also be helping the businesses in your town expand their customer base. You can find free adoptable pet widgets here.

We've already covered six great ways to help homeless pets in the Twelve Days of Dewey countdown.

Here are two more easy, fun things you can do to help shelter pets and spread the word about pet adoption.

6) Donate SIX towels or blankets to your local animal shelter. Shelters always need towels and blankets to make the animals more comfortable in their cages -- and don't you deserve to treat yourself to some new linens?

5) Read and share FIVE books about rescue animals including Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library and Dewey's Christmas in the Library, both from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Welcome back -- we hope you had a great Thanksgiving! We at Petfinder were giving thanks for YOU, the wonderful people who care about pets and support pet adoption, and all the hard-working shelter and rescue-group staff and volunteers who give so much to help homeless pets.

Days 8 and 7 of the Twelve Days of Dewey offer easy, fun and incredibly effective ways you can help shelter pets find homes. Read on to learn more!

8) Photograph EIGHT shelter pets for their profiles on Petfinder. Photos are the first thing potential adopters notice about a pet on Petfinder, and can literally save a pet's life. Staff at crowded shelters often don't have time to take great photos of their adoptable pets, so this is one of the most important things volunteers can do to help -- not to mention one of the easiest and most fun! (Check out our tips on photographing shelter dogs and cats.)

Last week we introduced you to Dewey the library cat and the Twelve Days of Dewey, our campaign around the new children's book Dewey's Christmas at the Library. Today we're offering our suggestions for days 10 and 9.

Dewey's story and the way it inspired the people of Spencer, Iowa, is proof that, not only can people help pets, but pets can also help people and, in some cases, entire communities. The next two activities in the Twelve Days of Dewey have you engaging your community to help pets.

10) Organize a TEN-day food drive for your local animal shelter or rescue group at a business in your town such as a grocery or bookstore. You'll also be raising awareness about your local homeless pets and, by bringing people into the store, supporting your local economy.

9) Tell NINE people you know about the Twelve Days of Dewey and encourage them to participate. You can also download a Twelve Days of Dewey poster here.

With the holidays just around the corner, we've partnered with the publishers of the new children's book Dewey's Christmas at the Library to count down 12 easy ways to help homeless pets.

If you haven't heard of Dewey, he's the star of the bestselling book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron, about an orange kitten abandoned in the book-return slot of the public library in Spencer, Iowa, on a freezing winter morning.

Myron, then the library director, found the kitten, named him Dewey Readmore Books and made him the mascot of the library, where he was beloved by staff and patrons for 19 years.

In Dewey's honor, Petfinder and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will be counting down the Twelve Days of Dewey each week until Christmas (see the full list and download a Twelve Days of Dewey poster here). Here are the first two:

12) Commit to donating to a shelter for TWELVE months. Help homeless pets year-round by making a promise to donate money or supplies to a shelter or rescue group once a month for an entire year. It doesn't have to be much -- every little bit helps pets in need. Find an animal shelter near you.

11) Tweet ELEVEN adoptable pets for Tweet a Pet Tuesday. Love Twitter? Use it to help pets! Just post a link to a pet's profile on Petfinder with the hashtag #TweetAPetTues. You could be responsible for helping a pet find his or her forever home! (Learn more about #TweetAPetTues.)