The Greatest Gift

A Home, A Family, and Love

Dear Santa,

"Please help me make it out alive from this shelter because I don't want to die. Please grant me one wish. All I want for Christmas is my very own family, a nice warm bed to sleep on, some food, and a mom or dad who will promise to take care of me!

In return, I promise to love my family unconditionally, I will protect them, and remain faithful to my family forever - I will never forget who rescued me in my time of need. I truly will be the most loyal and loving dog, I will make them laugh, and snuggle at night to keep them warm. My whole world will revolve around my family, and for me, that would be the greatest gift in the whole world."

Sincerely,
Every shelter dog looking for a home

What Every Dog Wants!

With the holidays just around the corner, it's a great time to think about adopting a dog from your local animal shelter or rescue group; not only will you be saving the dog's life, but you will also be providing that dog with a forever home - what every dog wants! Just like you, a dog wants to be a cherished member of the family and know that they have a permanent home (your house!), and they want to be loved, and patted, kissed, and get some belly rubs once in a while too!

Think about it - if you had one opportunity to save a life, would you do it? Could you foster a dog or add one more canine kid to your family? Would you have some love to spare for a special-needs dog? There is no greater feeling of happiness than to experience the unconditional love from a dog that you rescued. The idolization, adoration, devotion and desire to please you"¦is priceless!

It is that simple. If every one of us could donate to an animal shelter, adopt a homeless dog, spay or neuter our pet, and teach kindness, respect and responsibility for animals (to children and some adults!), then the world truly would be a better place.

Please consider making a small difference in your city - for a dog. Whether it's donating a small percentage of your time to volunteer, contributing a little bit of your paycheck to a shelter, fostering a dog for a rescue until a home can be found, or making room in your family for one more canine kid, that one small act of kindness can save a dog's life!

There are thousands of worthy animal charities that help homeless animals and make an impact every day. Slowly, but steadily, laws are being changed to protect animals; the euthanasia rates are going down, more animals are being spayed or neutered, and many dogs are being adopted into loving, permanent homes. Many of these shelters and amazing rescue groups work tirelessly to provide shelter, food, medical care, and hopefully, homes for all the dogs and cats that pass through their doors. Please support your local animal shelters and rescue groups in your town and consider granting the greatest gift of all to a homeless dog - a home, a family and some love!!