You Can Help Shelter Animals!--Friday Journal

If you love pets, but are unable to adopt a shelter animal, or volunteer at your local animal shelter, the Post Office, along with Ellen Degeneres, has created an easy way for anyone to help these creatures, with a great campaign called  Stamps to the Rescue.

Ellen is a devoted animal advocate who is passionate about finding homes for sheltered animals.  Co-owner of Halo: Purely For Pets, a holistic pet food company, Ellen helped create this campaign to raise awareness of the almost 8 million cats and dogs that stay in shelters; sadly, almost half of these are euthanized every year. 

The stamps will officially go on sale at Post Offices nationwide on April 30, following an official stamp dediation ceremony in Hollywood.  Leading up to the launch, stamps are available to pre-order, with Ellen and Halo donating one million meals to shelter animals across the country.  

Veteran Stamp photographer Sally Anderson-Bruce found these beautiful, adopted pets in her hometown of New Milford, Connecticut. Each of these animals was given a good home thanks to animal rescue shelters and the families who adopted them. --click this to learn more about each of these animals pictured on the stamp series, all of whom were successfully adopted in New Milford.

Postage stamps have been used many times to raise awareness of and support for many philanthropic causes. From the United States Post Office Web Site:

"Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet is the Postal Service’s 2010 social awareness stamp. Past social awareness stamps have highlighted important issues such as children’s health, literacy, breast cancer awareness, organ and tissue donation, philanthropy and Alzheimer’s awareness."

Dogs and cats have appeared in previous campaigns as well.  This is the first time Animal Shelters have received the benefits of this campaign.

Believe me, it is worth it.   I wish all of you could join me at the Buddy Foundation each week as I feed, soothe, medicate and walk the dogs. Not only would you be amused at how easily these canines have trained me, but you would also find a bond, the warmth of which is hard to describe, and I know you would help these creatures. 

I am happy to be able to ask you to help shelters in an easy way by purchasing something most of us still use.  Won't you help feed some cats and dogs who are waiting to find their new homes?  CLICK HERE

My new Buddies will thank you......