Sadie is SAFE! Proof of the Power of the "Post"

Sadie is going HOME!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, or if you read Houndsgood, you're familiar with Sadie's story.

She had been dumped at Heard County Animal Control, a very small, rural shelter in Franklin, Georgia. Her owners claimed that she had nipped another small dog in the home in a squabble over food. For this, Sadie was abandoned and labeled as "dog-aggressive." Heard Co. AC does everything in its power to place pets before they are forced to euthanize for space, but things weren't looking good for Sadie. After a couple weeks at the pound, no one had expressed any interest in her, despite everyone's efforts.

Chris at Houndsgood has been keeping the blogging world updated on her story. After a week or so at the pound, it was apparent that Sadie didn't have dog aggression issues. Most likely, her previous owner blew the incident way out of proportion. Yet, Sadie still had no place to go and she was long past her "times up" date.

Amazingly, one of Chris's readers has stepped up and offered to adopt Sadie!!! She is going to a happy new life! Congrats Sadie!!

This story is TRULY a testament to the power of the internet. I've seen it happen several times now! Simply posting the photo and story about a pet in need on your site can indeed save lives!

Tips for Online Giving to Make Sure Your Money is Being Put to Good Use

I give tons of money online to various animal rescue organizations. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a rich person...I'm just a sucker for a cute fuzzy face in need.

Thus far, I have been fortunate enough to avoid giving money to an organization that I later find out is not legitimate. That's because I do my homework BEFORE I donate! Just a few extra minutes of your time beforehand to research the organization will pay off when you feel secure knowing your money is going to a good cause. The first thing I do before giving money to an organization that I haven't worked with before is to do a simple Goodsearch search.

Chris at HoundsGood has some other wonderful tips. From HoundsGood:

"Stay away from mass (print) mail and telemarketing. If you feel strongly about the organization, give in another way.

Large charities like the ASPCA and Humane Society of the United States send out mass mailings soliciting donations at various times of the year. The truth is that much of this is sent out by a third party and the charity only gets a small percentage. A telemarketer representing an organization contacted us and when pressed, we found out that the charity was only getting 10% of our donation, so we declined.

Please don’t get me wrong, there are many great organizations that send out mail to remind you or update you as not all of their supporters are tied to a computer. Some have had the fortune to have a benefactor who pays for their mailings or other fundraising that is earmarked clearly. But if you receive a letter with free mailing labels, think twice about sending something in the reply envelope."

This great tip is just one of Chris' ten great tips for smart giving. Be sure to check out Houndsgood for the rest of her tips!

The Thinking Blogger Award

I'm very honored to announce that The Dog Log has awarded Saving Lives One At A Time with the Thinking Blogger Award! Thank you so much!

There are rules attached to this award
1. You must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2. Acknowledge this post
3. Proudly display the Thinking Blogger Award with a link to the post that you wrote
**Of course all of these things are optional...it's just a nice way to recognize your favorite blogs.

Without further ado, here are the blogs that Saving Lives One At A Time selects as recipients of the Thinking Blogger Award:

Houndsgood
Paws Awhile
AnimalShak
Nearly Dr. Ferox
Rescue Me

If you are a pet lover, these are definitely "must see" sites. They all actively promote helping needy animals.