I generally hate this kind of stuff so I won't blame anybody if they
trash this right now, but it's worth a try.

There's a dog social network (i.e., facebook) called zootoo
(http://www.zootoo.com). And if you sign up on zootoo, you get "points"
which can be designated to go toward a specific shelter. Points are
accumulated through March 13, and shelters then get a chance for a $1
million makeover. Signing up is free.

My local shelter, the Central Missouri Humane Society,
(http://www.cmhs.org) is in danger of closing. They take in over 6,000
animals per year and serve over 53 Missouri counties. They turn no dogs
away, because there's literally no where else for animals to go; the
next nearest shelters are over 100 miles away each direction. They work
extensively with foster homes and breed rescue; they really are good
folks. But their building is literally falling down. It's old. Dogs are
kept in small runs where the floors have been cleaned so many times that
the concrete is rotting, so now they can't really *get* it clean and
kennel cough and other canine diseases are becoming endemic. The
old-fashioned design leaves runs facing each other, so dogs are in a
constant state of stress and agitation.

CMHS gets very little money from the city to operate and their
non-profit fundraising has fallen far behind their needs. A few months
ago they almost had to close their doors. They're still limping along,
but with restricted hours.

Anyway, some of us are really trying to help the CMHS win this contest.
I certainly understand if people *don't* want to do this, but zootoo is
actually a pretty decent site, and if you sign up and designate the
Central Missouri Humane Society in Columbia MO as your shelter, it will
help us. Or maybe your own shelter needs help.

TIA if anyone joins.