Dog photos with Santa for a good cause
What’s the nicest thing you could do for dogs this holiday season? Aside from taking on another four-legged family member, the best way to reach out is to help pets in need find loving homes. The ways to do so are as endless as the stream of abandoned pups pouring through shelter and rescue-organization doors.
Dozens of benefit events scheduled in Northern California over the holiday season offer ways to have fun while contributing to the cause. They range from silent auctions and holiday parties held in conjunction with “Home for the Holidays” adoption drives, to photo sessions, pet-food drives, craft sales and even a night of stand-up comedy benefiting Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation.
Pet Food Express, with dozens of retail outlets in Northern California, is known for its programs supporting shelters and rescue groups. This season, it’s sponsoring in-store pictures with Santa events with 100 percent of proceeds going to regional pet nonprofits.
Consider, too, buying a calendar from a rescue organization: They make practical gifts that can be referenced all year long. Northern California Sled Dog Rescue and the Sacramento SPCA are among organizations that have published calendars for 2014.
No time to get out? Shop online for gifts that give back and make you feel as warm and fuzzy as your pooch at the same time.
We’re partial to the indestructible Orbee-Tuff toys made in the U.S.A. for Planet Dog, a socially conscious company that donates 2 percent of its profits to support the training, placement and support of service dogs. At the Animal Rescue Site, a partner of Petfinder.com and the Greater Good Network, you’ll find tons of dog-themed merchandise and be gratified to know that 3 to 50 percent of every purchase goes to pet nonprofits. Visitors also can give directly through the site to a variety of causes, from help for pets impacted by Typhoon Haiyan to food donations for domestic shelters.
Two more give-back retailers with four-paw ratings are Kuranda.com, where you buy dog beds to donate to charity; and Earthdog, a Nashville, Tenn.-based manufacturer of quality hemp products for dogs that donates 10 percent of profits to Kody’s Fund, a foundation supporting organizations with active spay/neuter programs.
