Dear Friends,

Back to school in the autumn isn't just for human kids—classes for pets often start in the fall, too. If you've recently adopted a dog, I encourage you to enroll him or her in a puppy manners or an obedience class. First of all, it's so important for your dog's safety that he or she responds to your commands. The bonus is that going to classes together is a great way to bond with your new best friend.

Maybe you're someone who prefers home schooling or who doesn't have any classes nearby. If so, check out some of the great videos on training both dogs and cats at www.petvideo.com. You can see my dog, Kobie, in the training video, "Barking at the Door." He made me so proud because he learned so quickly. Training can be fun, so give it a try!

And, once again, thanks for helping us in our mission to end the euthanasia of adoptable pets.

Betsy Saul
Co-Founder, Petfinder.com

Happy Tail: The Dream Dog

Shannon Melendez of Deland, Fla., emailed UnderDog Rescue about a dog listed on Petfinder.com, asking about his personality. The shelter told Shannon there was good news and bad. The dog was easygoing and even liked cats. The bad news was that the pooch was deaf. Shannon also learned that at some time he had been shot in the right thigh, and the same leg had suffered an unrepaired injury that had healed wrong. She knew his chances of being adopted were slim and went to sleep worrying about him.

"That night, I dreamed that this white dog that I called Jacob was sleeping next to my bed," she says. "I even remember thinking, in my dream, 'Wow, this dog snores loudly.' When I woke up, I knew that this dog was meant to be with me and my family."

Her feeling was confirmed when she and her family arrived at the shelter to adopt him. Jacob was looking out the glass door and, when they went in, he walked right up and leaned against her. After the seven-hour drive home, Jacob was quite ready to sleep in the crate that Shannon put in her room. That night she awoke to a most interesting sound: Jacob was snoring. Loudly. "It was my dream!" she says. Jacob is her dream: the perfect dog in every way.

Jacob was adopted from UnderDog Rescue of Florida.

Do You Have a Happy Tail?

Send us your Petfinder pet's happy ending story. It will be entered in our monthly Happy "Tail" drawing, and you may win a Man's Best Friend Fun Pack and a baseball cap from our friends at The Animal Rescue Site.

Homeless This Week

Timber

Timber is a young male German Shepherd Dog. He is a gorgeous, glossy solid black color and is eight months old. He had a rough start in life and had never had a collar or leash on before coming to the kind people at Trinity Acres Rescue in Dimondale, Mich.

Where Sleeping Dogs Lie: Dog Bed Donation Program

In the past nine months the Foundation has given 198 free dog beds to 26 rural shelters in a pilot program called Every Dog Deserves a Bed. This program provides homeless dogs a comfortable and durable Kuranda dog bed while they wait to be adopted.

Dogs are more comfortable with these beds because they are kept off the hard kennel floors when they want to rest, which lowers their stress levels. Lower stress means an improvement in their physical and mental well being during their stay—however long or short—in an animal shelter.

Thank you to Odie's Fund, Kuranda USA and Petfinder.com for making this pilot program possible. We hope to secure additional funds to continue the program into 2008. If you are interested in providing beds to shelter dogs, please let us know at foundation@petfinder.com.

Purina's It's a Dog's Life

Calling all dog lovers—celebrate the wonderful world that we share with our dogs at Dog's Life, Purina's online magazine all about healthy, happy living with our canine companions. Dive into articles, read and share comments, and post pictures of your dogs!

Become a Certified Dog Trainer at the Animal Behavior College

Become a trainer and help save lives! Animal Behavior College (ABC) is an in-home study program that will match you with a mentor trainer for hands-on instruction and help you become a Certified Dog Trainer. Are you ready to make a difference?

Adopting Deaf Dogs

September 23-29 is Deaf Awareness Week, which is a great time to focus adoption efforts on behalf of deaf dogs. Many deaf dogs are not considered for adoption programs in shelters because of the myth that they are inherently aggressive or untrainable. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Read more about deaf dogs and see some of the many deaf pets available on Petfinder at our Deaf Pets Awareness Week page.

Take the Dog Adoption Pledge

Every dog has his day, but with over 123,000 listed on Petfinder it means they have to share. Ready to give a dog like Monday (pictured here) some of his very own days? Search Petfinder.com for a new best friend and take the Pledge for New Dog Adopters to make sure every day is sunny.

Spread the Word about Adoption in Style

Comfort meets style for only $12.95 in this lightweight cotton baseball cap from Petfinder.com.

Sponsor a Homeless Pet

We know you can't adopt them all, but you can make donations to help shelter animals through our Sponsor-a-Pet program, which provides opportunities to help homeless pets at over 90 participating organizations. Your donations help with housing and food costs for the animals, veterinary bills and staffing costs for the organization.

Sponsorships are easy, safe and appreciated! If the animal selected has already been adopted, your donation is directed to another homeless pet.

Visit Sponsor-a-Pet today for more details.

What's Your Favorite Training Tip?

This month kids head back to school and many canines head to obedience and training classes as the weather cools off. Let us know your favorite tips for dog training, and we'll feature some of them next month.

Petfinder.com Foundation News

Your gifts, no matter what size, will make a difference. Together we can have a tremendous impact on the number of homeless pets finding new homes.

Thanks to Paws to Save Pets by Merial and GreaterGood.org Foundation for their support.