There are three ways to donate:

Giving Back to our Animal Friends

There are so many ways we can give to our animal friends. Since I have listed three ways to donate for human causes in "Making an Impact", I'm listing three ways to give back to our animal friends.

1. A loving home!
   The ultimate "give back" is a loving home!  If you are a loving and responsible pet owner, kudos to you!  If you want the unconditional love and joy that being a pet owner can bring, adopt or rescue a pet.  If being a permanant pet owner isn't feasible, consider temporarily fostering a pet from an over-crowded shelter.
   
   
2. Volunteering time and/or skills!
   Other ways we can show our love is volunteering time at a local shelter, rescue or clinic.  If only for a few hours a month, every animal will appreciate your efforts.  Seeing the wags of tails, hearing the soft purrs or feeling sloppy wet kisses can turn even the worst day into a joyful one--for you AND the shelter animals!
   
   Do you have technoology or organizational skills?  How about talents in marketing or event planning?  It's not just cleaning kennels, walking dogs and playing with kittys that keep a shelter running.  The behind-the-scenes efforts that help these animals find good homes is critical.  Check with a local animal shelter or rescue to find out if you can offer assistance.
   
   
3. Donations!
   Of course, every non-profit organization relies on donations of goods, services and money to remain open. All organizations will accept your monetary donations and nearly every shelter, rescue or clinic has a "wish list"--a list of items that are needed to help run the facility.  These items can be anything from pet food to old towels to therapeutic beds for elderly or ill animals.  If your local shelter does not have a list posted, ask them for one.  Most have web sites with the information available at the click of a mouse.

Whatever way you choose to help will benefit all involved; the organization, the community, yourself and the animals. 

The following is a list of some local animal organizations that can use your help:

SPCA Cincinnati                     http://www.spcacincinnati.org/pages/default.asp

Circle Tail
http://circletail.org/

United Coalition for Animals
http://ucanclinic.org/

League for Animal Welfare
http://www.lfaw.org/

Sheltered Paws
http://www.shelteredpaws.com/

Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry
http://www.cincinnatipetfoodpantry.org/

Safe haven Animal Sanctuary
http://www.safehavenohio.com/

Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic
http://www.theanimalrescue.com/

Buckeye House Rabbit Society
http://www.ohare.org/                  
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Happy St. Paw Tricks Day!

Because we're all about paws, we're putting a little twist on this Irish holiday. So whether you have an Irish Wolfhound, an Australian Shepherd, a French Bulldog or an international mix (aka Mutt), we want you to celebrate  this month by teaching your pet a new trick!

Even though you may not think your pet is "teachable", all dogs love to learn!  It can be as simple as "Sit", "Down" or "Stay" if you've just started training.  If you're past basic training, teach "Shake" or "Rollover". Now, if you have the superstar pet, then pick a really fun trick to teach...you know, the tricks you've seen performed on David Letterman! Ok, maybe not that outrageous!  Teach your pet to fetch something for you, like the leash when you're ready for a walk.

The trick is to keep it simple, be consistent and have fun! 

If your dog really has star quality--you taught him to pour green beer--then you need to audition for the Late Show's "Stupid Pet Tricks" and prove how smart your dog really is!  Your chance to audition will be here in Cincinnati on Saturday, April 10th at the Everything Pets Expo.  http://www.everythingpets.org/index.php?page=ShowSchedule&MONTH=2010-04#event_7_

Paw Joggers wants you to share your tricks with us!  Please post a video or picture on our Facebook fan page or email us.  Links are at the bottom of this newsletter.

Wishing you all lots of luck and a very happy "St. Paw Tricks Day"! 
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The Last Great Race on Earth!