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Dear Friends,
Ten million pets adopted, ten million adoption partners,
and now we have one more thing to celebrate during our
10th birthday year! The publication of Petfinder.com
Presents: Second Chances, Inspiring Stories of Dog Adoption
by Joan Banks.
The book includes over 50 true tales of rescued puppy
mill dogs, strays, pets relinquished by their owners,
dogs who were adopted and returned several times, and
pups left on shelter doorsteps. At last they found their
forever homes, and many have changed the lives of the
people around them. Be prepared to get choked up as
you read about these dogs and the wonderful folks who
took them in. The true spirit of Petfinder comes through,
which is no surprise because the author is none other
than my mom, who is our editor, a writer and a true
animal lover.
Buy it for yourself and the dog-loving folks on your
holiday gift list. The royalties for each purchase will
benefit homeless pets through the Petfinder.com Foundation;
those made at our
store will also provide 14 bowls of food for animals
living in sanctuaries or shelters. The book is also
available at bookstores and discount stores.
Your purchase is one more way you can help us in our
mission to end the euthanasia of adoptable pets.
 
Betsy Saul
Founder and President, Petfinder.com
photo courtesy
of Laura Bergerol
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Rescued!
How do you spell hero? Laura Walters of Kingston,
Georgia spells it C-h-i-a-P-e-t. This dog's known story
begins when he turned up homeless after Hurricane Isabel
in 2003. He became a resident of the SPCA
of Northeastern North Carolina in Elizabeth City.
When he met Laura Walters, who first saw him on Petfinder,
he seemed to know she was his ticket to a forever home.
 "He
kept looking at me and going to the door as if to say,
'Hel-l-l-o-o-o, let's go already,'" she relates.
So go they did--to his new home with her. The first
order of business was a name for the senior dog. "My
mother and I started saying different names that we
liked, and he never acknowledged us. Then I said, 'How
do you name something that looks like a ChiaPet?' His
ears went up and his tail started wagging."
ChiaPet wiggled his way right into the family's heart
and soon became an assistance dog for Laura, who is
hard of hearing. "ChiaPet barks at the door, car,
phone ringing, as well as my children calling, 'Mom!'
He has become my ears."
And then one night, he really showed the stuff he was
made of. "He woke me up, lying across my head,
body stiff as if he was shielding my face," she
says. "He was barking and growling. I had to peel
him off. I set him on the floor and asked, 'What is
wrong?' He ran to the living room with me two steps
behind. There I found my living room on fire. An electrical
outlet had shorted out."
The alert ChiaPet had saved the day. "I rescued
him, and he, in return, rescued me," Laura says.
Today, ChiaPet is 13 years old and takes medication
for several medical conditions. Laura knows that he
won't be with her forever, but "when his time comes,
at least I know that he was a happy, loved dog in the
last years of his life."
Enter to Win
We love to hear about heartwarming pet adoptions. Send
us your happy "tail." Each month we'll
choose one lucky family to receive a gift from The Animal
Rescue Site.
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 Jon
Katz's latest, A GOOD DOG, is now available in bookstores
everywhere.
"Lifetime dogs are dogs we love in especially
powerful, sometimes in explicable ways."
--Jon Katz
In this deeply touching book, Jon Katz tells the story
of his lifetime dog, Orson: a beautiful border collie--intense,
smart, crazy, and unforgettable.
Do you have a lifetime dog? Tell us about your
dog and you could win a complete set of autographed
books by Jon Katz. Visit www.katz-dogs.com
for details.
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Protect Your Pet and Help Support Pet Disaster Relief
Efforts
You know the importance of using a heartworm preventative,
like
HEARTGARD® (ivermectin), and a flea and tick control
product, like FRONTLINE®. Now, each time you purchase
HEARTGARD and FRONTLINE brand products with a valid
coupon to help maintain your pet's health, Merial will
donate to the Paws to Save Pets campaign to help
animals affected by future natural disasters.
 Paws
to Save Pets will provide up to a total of $1 million
in funding for the pet disaster relief efforts of
Petfinder.com Foundation and American Veterinary
Medical Foundation (AVMF).
Now through Dec. 31, 2006, each time you redeem a HEARTGARD
$5 rebate or FRONTLINE Buy 6 Get 1 Dose Free coupon,
Merial will donate $.50 to the Paws to Save Pets campaign
(in 41 participating states).
Caring for your animal by purchasing these products
will directly benefit pets that need aid in the future.
Ask your local veterinarian to become involved with
the program and start redeeming coupons to help animals
in need. For more information, visit Pawstosavepets.com.
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Updates From Our Sponsors
Purina: Listen
in on Animal Advice from Purina
Purina's Animal Advice radio programs are now available
as podcasts. Listen in as veterinarians and pet lovers
like you discuss topics such as animal training, pet surgery,
behavioral theories and pet insurance. Click here to find
out more. Click
here to find out more.
PETCO: Adopt a Senior Dog
Older dogs, like older humans, have special needs and
care concerns. Knowing how to care for your senior dog
will improve the quality of life and the time you have
together. Our friends at PETCO have some great tips
for helping you and your family find the perfect senior
pet. Click
here to view the Senior Dog Care Sheet.
BISSELL: BISSELL's
College of Clean
BISSELL'S goal is to provide you with a complete
education on cleaning your home-- from deep cleaners
for carpet cleaning to vacuums. BISSELL provides you
with the necessary information and guidance to go forth
and clean your home with confidence. For more information,
click
here.
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Your Holiday Shopping Solution Over 50 heartwarming
adoption stories, plus your purchase will benefit
homeless pets through the Petfinder.com Foundation.
Available at bookstores, discount stores and The
Animal Rescue Site.
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Fall in Love with a Senior Pet!
November is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month. Petfinder.com
encourages you to look beyond the world of puppies
and kittens to consider adopting an older pet. With
lots of love left to give, senior pets are ready-made
companions with the maturity to make transitioning
into your home easy.
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Providing for pets after you are
gone. You are never too young or old to think about
preparing a will and determining the distribution of
your personal belongings, property and other assets.
And if you have pets in your family, thinking about
who can care for your animal companions, should something
happen to you, is also an important decision to make
and document with the help of an attorney.
In addition, if you wish your legacy to
help support thousands of animal shelters and rescue
organizations but do not know where to start or if you
want to help thousands of homeless animals through one
source, we can help. The Petfinder.com Foundation, as
a 501(c)(3) organization, can be named as a beneficiary
to cash, insurance policies, stocks and/or property.
These are considered planned gifts and will ensure that
the humane work of the Foundation continues for years
to come.
Maybe you are in the same situation
as one of our supporters: "I have seen the
need throughout my life to care for abandoned, neglected
and abused animals. I have had the opportunity to help
in such cases, with companion animals, across Canada,
as a volunteer in shelters or animal rescue organizations.
Through this experience, I have seen the dedication
and commitment of others who do this sort of work on
their own time, and I realized the need that these organizations
have for funding. There are many animal organizations
that I want to help. It is easier to give to an umbrella
organization, such as The Petfinder.com Foundation,
with instructions for how I wish my gift to be divided."
Always consult with your own professional
tax advisor and attorney regarding your estate plans.
For more information about The Petfinder.com Foundation
and our programs, please email foundation@petfinder.com.
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How You Can Help
Here are a few suggestions on how you can help the Petfinder.com
Foundation:
 Ask
if your employer matches employees' charitable donations.
Fill out the proper form and submit it with your next
donation. In some cases, companies may double, if not
triple, your donation!
Have
your pooch try the new Naturally Complete Purina®
Dog Chow®. Proceeds (3% of pre-tax earnings) will
support our new "Animal Shelter Fund."
Make
a tax-deductible donation for:
Homeless
Pets
Your donation will help support homeless pets.
Disaster
and Emergency Fund
Your donation will help animal victims of disasters.
Sponsor
a Pet
Your donation can be targeted to a specific group.
or mail your donation to: Petfinder.com Foundation
P.O. Box 16385
Tucson, AZ 85732-6385
Our staffing and overhead expenses are kept low to
maximize our ability to make a difference. Your gift
will be invested wisely. If you have any questions,
please visit the Petfinder.com Foundation Web site or
email us. We'd love to work with you!
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| The Petfinder.com
Foundation is a public charity created to assist Petfinder.com
shelters and rescue groups through problem solving, fundraising, and
relief in times of stress or disaster. Petfinder.com provides a searchable
database of animals that need homes from over 10,000 animal shelters
and adoption agencies across the USA, Canada and Mexico, free ads
for lost/found/adoptable/wanted pets, pet-related message boards,
a library of pet information, and pet-related content for kids. Since
its inception, Petfinder.com has helped find homes for 10,000,000
pets. |
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