The
American organization Dogs Deserve Better, 2003 First Prize
Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, is holding its
second annual national Valentine campaign, entitled "Have
a Heart for Chained Dogs."
From February 7-14 during Have a Heart for Chained Dogs
Week, the organization will mail or personally deliver Valentines
that have been hand-made by school children to chained and
penned dogs, along with a treat for the dog and information
for the dogs' caretakers.
Jackie Fodor, a kindergarten teacher in West Virginia, was
the first to volunteer her class to make Valentines for
chained dogs.
"I checked with my principal to be sure it was fine
for our students to work on the Valentines. She thought
it was a wonderful idea," Fodor said. "Our school
is spending a lot of time with character education and I
told her I thought this went well with the "responsibility"
pillar of character ed. She suggested a school wide project."
The West Virginia school will be contributing as many as
300 valentines.
Other teachers and individuals in states including Indiana,
Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin and Ohio have offered
to participate by making cards, delivering Valentines, and
by getting their local schools involved in the project.
Valentines will be sent to all 50 states and around the
world as addresses become available.
The delivery goal for the 2004 Have a Heart for Chained
Dogs Campaign is 2000 Valentines, which far exceeds the
200 sent last year.
To help with the cost of printing and postage, DDB has set
up a Valentine sponsorship page at www.dogsdeservebetter.com/hearts.html.
Valentine's go for a mere $3.00 for one and up to $20.00
for a dozen.
Individuals can sponsor Valentines to send either to a neighboring
dog or to any dog in need across the country.
Even without financial sponsorship for the Valentines, addresses
of chained or penned dogs can be sent via e-mail to aid
in reaching the goal of the campaign.
Dogs Deserve Better representation can be found in many
states, from Pennsylvania to California and as far away
as Australia.
"We hope this year's event far surpasses last year's,
as we've grown and many more people are now standing with
us," said Tammy Sneath Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve
Better.
"We believe that the handmade valentines by school
children may do a lot to soften hearts and help people see
their pet with new eyes," she said. "This is our
best effort to make that happen for many dogs across the
country. Any additional effort by concerned citizens to
send addresses is much appreciated, and could certainly
change the life of a chained or penned dog for the better."
More information can be found at www.dogsdeservebetter.com
or by calling toll-free 1.877.636.1408.
© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.
