… wag! wag! … whew… It sounds like Gustav was not as bad as it could have been… that’s a relief…   both for all the people along the Gulf Coast but also for their animal companions. 

… Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the US is through with Hurricanes yet…. you may have noticed that Hurricane Hanna is on a path right for my Beach in South Carolina…

Also Tropical Storm Ike is not far behind and I think there’s even another storm brewing behind Ike…  and we can’t forget about our friends in Florida who are just getting started cleaning up after Hurricane Fay…

… my person has been through a couple of hurricanes and I heard him say that even though the hurricane has passed a lot of hard work now has to happen to get everything back to normal….  … it also sounds like a lot of houses were damaged or flooded so there will be people and pets without a home for possibly a long time…

So, I am encouraging all my pet (and people) friends to consider joining me in supporting some great organizations that help out people in need like the Gulf Coast residents….  as I’m sure they would say, every little bit helps…

BARK! BARK! WARNING!  My person just asked me to make sure my readers are aware of the large numbers of email and website scams that pop up after a disaster like Gustav.  BE VERY, VERY suspicious of any emails you receive asking for donations.  Make sure you sniff them out reeeeaaallllll good before giving out your credit card number. 

Generally, legitimate organizations don’t solicit contributions through email or SPAM unless you have previously donated to them.  If you receive an email asking for donations make sure you confirm the charity first.  You can check a potential charity through the Better Business Bureau’s site.  If there’s even a little doubt you should probably find a different charity.

Here are some legitimate Organizations you to which you may be interested in donating:

American Red Cross

The Salvation Army

Gulf Coast Humane Society

Pasado’s Safe Haven / Pasado Rescue

The Humane Society of the US

Find an Organization through Aidmatrix Network - FEMA and the Aidmatrix Network provide an online portal that lists national and local organizations that provide humitarian relief.

… circle, circle… jump, jump!  I hope we can all show the power of pets as we help out our friends and our friends we haven’t met yet… (even the cats) in this time of need.

Keep On Wagging!