The Today Show visited the Pixie Project, a nonprofit website based in Portland, Ore., that specializes in pairing rescue pets with loving families.

Amy Sacks & Karli Covington, the founders of The Pixie Project are committed to changing the image of a “rescue” or shelter animal. While some animals come to the Pixie Project seeking medical or behavioral attention not accessible in a typical shelter, many Pixie Project “kids” are professionally trained, family friendly pets whose circumstances have left them in need of a new home.

With a fully stocked non-profit pet supply store and a knowledgeable and supportive staff trained in the art of “pet matchmaking” adopting a pet through the Pixie Project feels more like a personalized dating service than your mom’s blind date set up.

The Pixie Project also serves a unique support function working tirelessly to connect pet owners with the resources they need to keep their pets with them. No situation is too big or too hard. “Nothing is impossible’” is their motto.

With over 1000 successful adoptions, an inexhaustible staff armed with expert animal knowledge, a whole lot of humor and an ever-changing cast of fantastic animals, The Pixie Project gives animal rescue a fresh and flirty facelife.

Donna Straub and the employees at Pueblo Animal Shelter are doing great work to leave their mark.

They have started a program called “Home for the Heroes.” It is a foster pet program for the military that places the pets of soldiers in foster homes while they are deployed. And then they pick them up and take them back to their forever home once they return. The foster families often send the soldiers photos and updates about their pets while they are deployed.

Only about seven or eight dogs and cats of deploying men and woman the shelter has been able to hook up with foster parents. They’d like to be able to do more, but readily acknowledge it’s difficult for a family to give that kind of time commitment. Straub would like to see other shelters in the United States try similar programs.

“It’s our way of supporting the troops and saving another animal from coming into the shelter,” she said.

To find out more about Pueblo Animal Services go to www.Puebloanimalservices.org or for information about Home of the Heroes call 719-544-3005 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              719-544-3005      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

San Antonio, TX., has a huge population of stray animals. Often, owners intentionally allow an unwanted pet or its litter to stray or “dump” them somewhere instead of accepting the responsibility of attempting to find them a good home where the pet will be loved and taken care of for life. These animals often become under socialized, ill, or injured and end up undergoing euthanasia. About 65% of all dogs picked up by the city are put down. That’s about 350 animals a week or 1,500 dead animals every month.

Ashlea M. Denton, a graduate of the University of Texas-San Antonio, has a plan to help all of these stray animals. She wants to build a dog kennel on her ranch in order to house more dogs. Especially dogs recovering from surgery, illness, or dogs that are combative toward other dogs. She has taken in strays at her ranch for the last 20 years and has also ran a free pet vaccination clinic for her rural low-income neighborhood. By building this kennel she could Save the lives of these dogs and give them a forever home.

You can help make this plan a reality by voting for her ideas on the Pepsi Refresh Project and you can follow her progress on Facebook.

A three-legged dog beat out a three-legged cat in the race for mayor of Divide, Colorado, a town on the north slope of Pikes Peak. Twenty-five dogs and cats entered the race, with each vote they received bringing in a one dollar donation to the local animal shelter, KKTV in southern Colorado reports.

In the end, elections officials report, it came down to a race between Spright, a small female mixed breed, and Walter the cat. Spright received 4,755 votes; Walter racked up 4,213. Combined with other votes cast, the election raised $14,084 for the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter.

Mayor Spright’s official inauguration ceremony took place on Sunday, April 11 at 12 p.m. at the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter at 308 Weaverville Road in Divide. There was a BBQ cookout for all candidates and the public.

If you have ever wondered what you can do with your old, scratched CDs and DVDs, then we have a great option for you. Don’t throw them away just yet because you can donate your used CDs and DVDs and help dogs and cats.

Discsfordogs.org will take your used CDs and DVDs, which are sometimes too scratched to sell to stores. They will then sell the items in their online store for just $1 each and donate 100% of that money to the local SPCA.

According to their site, they will even reimburse you for the cost of shipping or donate those funds to the SPCA as well.

Here is how it works.

For over 10 years The Belize Humane Society has been sheltering abandoned animals, fighting cruelty and neglect, and working to build a caring, compassionate community. The Belize Humane Society and Animal Shelter (BHSAS) was founded in November of 1996 by a small group of concerned Belizeans and two Peace Corps Volunteers. They saw a need for an organization to protect the animals and provide a sheltering facility within the Belize City area.

BHSAS’s focus is to humanely stabilize the “free roaming” population of dogs and cats within Belize City. The Society works along with the Belize City Council and the Department of Public Health Central Region to address sanitation and health related issues.

BHSAS recognizes that spaying and neutering is the only humane solution to the stray population problem. BHSAS currently offers subsidized pet sterilization and educates the general public at dog shows, rabies clinics and other events to help achieve its goals.

You can help my making a monetary donation or sending them much needed supplies. Or you can get a t-shirt of your own at their online store to help spread the word about the Belize Humane Society.

Annie’s Orphans is a No-Kill dog shelter located in Durango, Colorado which began in 1985 as a home for retired sled dogs. With dogs for adoption in Durango, CO, Annie’s Orphans is the Southwest’s oldest No-Kill dog shelter in the Four Corners.

Even though it started as a home for retired sled dogs, given Anna and Bill Anderson’s compassion for animals in distress, this limited scope was quickly revised to become a more “all-inclusive” strategy. The shelter grew rapidly into a full-fledged, all breed rescue and was incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1997. Annie’s Orphans now has a maximum capacity of 70 dogs and had become a safe-haven for the abandoned, neglected, and abused pet population from throughout the greater Four Corners area. However, due to a number of older dogs in residence with considerable health care needs and those that are hard to adopt because of the hard lives they have had, the shelter remains at perpetual full-capacity and that is where they need your help!

The goal of Annie’s Orphans is to offer abused and hard to adopt dogs a safe haven until good adoptive homes can be found.

Learn more about Annie’s Orphans

Dog Habitat Inc. is a group of volunteer dog lovers whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and ultimately to re-home abandoned, stray and neglected dogs. Their goal is to open one of metropolitan New York City’s largest canine rescue facilities.

Dog Habitat Inc. is the in-house non-profit for Unleash Brooklyn and recently joined the prestigious Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals.

Dog Habitat Inc. works to raise the public’s awareness of the plight of homeless animals as well as realizing the benefits of adopting an animal in need.

All dogs are evaluated by a licensed dog training professional for temperament and personality. All dogs are examined, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and receive any and all medical treatment from Dog Habitat’s Veterinary Clinic before they are placed in carefully screened homes.

Dog Habitat Inc. accept all dogs in need regardless of health, age or breed and partners with other rescue groups and animal shelters in order to assist adopters in finding their new best friend.

For more information visit www.doghabitat.org or you can contact us at rescue@doghabitat.org

When you buy an animal from a pet store or a breeder, you’re responsible for a new member of the family! You’re also responsible for the death of an animal in an animal shelter who needed a home. If you want to bring an animal into your life, always adopt from an animal shelter.

A Christmas miracle is in the making at A PLACE TO BARK. And you can help make more dreams come true for the animals at A PLACE TO BARK by making a donation.

From Nov 29th to Dec 31st, The “Zoline Foundation” will match dollar for dollar up to $23K. So you can help raise the additional $23K so that they can reach their goal and finish the shelter.

A PLACE TO BARK sits on 20 acres with 10,000 square feet of kennels. According to their blog, they saved 600+ lives in one year with an unfinished shelter so just think how much more they could do with a finished shelter.

A PLACE TO BARK is a no kill foster and adoption rescue dedicated to the welfare of animals and was founded by Bernie Berlin. Established in 2001, A PLACE TO BARK works with Animal Control Agencies, rescuing animals from high kill shelters and fostering them until they are healthy. This provides an ideal situation for the animals. They are then placed for adoption through Humane Societies in various parts of the country. A PLACE TO BARK cover all costs for the medical care of the animals with no cost to the Humane Societies and also handles some private adoptions after a strict screening process.

A PLACE TO BARK receives no government assistance and are funded through private donations and the proceeds of Bernie Berlin’s art sales.