Military pet charities

(This post is sponsored by Purina. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Not only is today my favorite date (11/11--my favorite number is 11), it is also Veterans Day--a day to honor those who served in the military. As you may know if you've been reading my blog for a while, Veterans Day means a great deal to me. It wasn't until I experienced my brother's deployment that the sacrifices veterans make really sunk in for me. I'm always in awe of the veterans in this country and how much they've sacrificed for us. I can't begin to express how much I appreciate them!

My boys at the airport waiting for Nathan to come home from Iraq in 2007

So, when I heard that Purina was going to be donating $100,000 to two military pet charities, I was thrilled. I honestly wasn't even aware that military pet charities existed! The two they've teamed up with are Dogs on Deployment and Pets for Vets. Here is a brief rundown of each:

Dogs on Deployment- Dogs on Deployment (DoD) provides an online network for service members to search for volunteers willing to board their pets during service commitments. Their mission is to give military members peace of mind concerning their pets while unable to care for them during their service. This way, their pets won't have to be surrendered to a shelter! As of early this year, nearly 900 pets had been placed in foster care for these service members.

I was checking out the Dogs on Deployment website, and out of curiosity, I searched for pets near me that need fostering. It's so tempting! If I didn't have three cats and a dog already, I would love to foster for a service member. If you're interested in fostering, you can go to the DoD website and enter your city in a search bar. It will list pets nearby that are looking for foster care. You could also register as a potential boarder, so that the service members can search in their local area.

Pets for Vets- Pets for Vets provides a second chance for shelter pets by rescuing, training, and pairing them with America's veterans who could benefit from a companion animal. Animal-assisted therapy has been very helpful in fighting PTSD or combat stress. Over 5 MILLION dogs and cats are euthanized every year because they don't have homes--and Pets for Vets gives a lot of animals a second chance by training them to be great companions for veterans who need them! There are plenty of ways to volunteer for Pets for Vets as well (including fostering, dog training, fundraising, event planning, and several other opportunities).

Both organizations do excellent work for great causes. Purina is going to be donating $100,000 to the charities--$75,000 to one of them, and $25,000 to the other. They are asking for public votes to determine which charity gets each amount; to vote for the charity you prefer, you can do so at Pure Love for Pets.

Personally, I love the Pets for Vets idea. When my brother came home from Iraq after serving four years in the Army, he adopted a black lab named Bailey. I really think that she helped him establish a feeling of being "home" again. A lot of war veterans come home feeling like they just don't belong anywhere, and it's a difficult adjustment. Adopting a pet to care for can give them a new "purpose", as well as be therapeutic while they adjust to civilian life again.

Anyway, please make sure you take a moment today to thank our veterans for their sacrifices and service! xo

I'll end with these cards that my kids made for Uncle Nathan on Veterans Day a few years ago. They make me smile every time I look at them!

"You are a great Army man" --Eli

"Thank you for saving our country" --Eli

--Noah