Help shelter pets take over Facebook!

What if you could reach out to 500 million people and tell them just how great shelter pets can be -- without spending a penny or even getting up from your computer?



That's what The Ad Council's  Shelter Pet Project is doing tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 30, with "Celebrate Shelter Pets Day" on Facebook, the social media network with so many users that, if it were a country, it would be the third largest nation in the world.

Every year, millions of people consider adopting shelter dogs or cats, but many don't follow through because they assume there’s something wrong with shelter pets.



Those of us who share our lives with adopted and rescued pets .... know that shelters and rescue groups are full of great pets – dogs with one ear up and one ear down, senior dogs content to cuddle on the sofa and watch TV with you, and frisky young kittens with a passionate interest in your computer keyboard.



So on Nov. 30, we're asking you to do something very, very simple: Post to Facebook telling the world about a great shelter pet who shares, or has shared, your life:



- Post the pet's name and story.

- Share your favorite memories.

- Tell everyone the best story of all: How you met and fell in love.



You can post any way you like:



- Make a status update.

- Share a photo.

- Link to a blog post or website about the pet.

- Send a Tweet to your followers (suggested Tweet below!)

- Just be sure to tag The Shelter Pet Project in your post, or come over and post it to our wall, or both.

The Shelter Pet Project doesn't accept donations and isn't asking for anything more than a few minutes of people's time to let their friends and fans know about a wonderful shelter dog or cat.



There's a lot more information, including sample Tweets and ways you can help spread the word about the event. Please help get the message out by clicking here!



Note: I do freelance consulting for The Shelter Pet Project.

Comments

[Ericka Basile]

I just sent this, with links, to all my FB friends and emails. Great idea- I can't wait to see all the Facebook activity tomorrow this campaign will produce.

[Christie Keith]

Thanks, Ericka, you ROCK!

[Michelle]

Though apparently I can't type very well today.

[Erika Klemm]

Oct. 26th we adopted two 5-yr-old cats, Nippy and Jade, from the San Diego County animal Shelter. We bonded instantly. They are loving and love sleeping on the bed with us. In fact, last night Jade decided my neck made a great cushion to lie on. We couldn't be happier with them.

[Khyra and Her Mom]

We just posted a link to FB and have changed our profile picture to the one I took with my cellphone on the first day we saw each other!



Rescues Rock!



Khyra and her very grateful mom

[Carol V]

Just finished my status updates on FB...hope others follow...now tears are running as I remember my Missygirl...♥♥♥

[Susan Daffron]

Updated my status and posted pics on my wall and their wall.

[Original Lori]

Posted in my status and on their wall. Thanks for alerting us!

[caroline]

HOPE Animal Shelter in Tucson,AZ has shared with our friends on Facebook!

[Donna B. Russell]

I have shared my shelter pet stories on my blog, Creative Muse Journal (http://creativemusejournal.blogspot.com) and shared your link on my FB page. All three of our companion animals are shelter alumni.

[Michelle]

This is a fantastic idea! LOVE it!!!

[Gina Spadafori]

I updated my FB status. Go Shelter Pet Project!

[Christie Keith]

It's AMAZING, I can't keep up with the posts!

[Michelle]

Oh dear, I believe there is another Michelle. I well, I love it too :)

[Karen Fishler]

Posted about our cats. The FB page is a tsunami of beautiful stories -- what a great idea! Christie, can the project team count the posts? It would be interesting if you could tell us how many people did this. (I'm a first-time commenter here . . . thanks for the great blog.)

[Liz Palika]

Wrote about my first adopted dog, Watachie, on Facebook.

[Christie Keith]

Hi, Karen. Yes, we're counting them... it's hard because they're coming in so fast! But we'll post a count. :)

[Mary Mary]

I posted one about Foo Foo, who was a shelter rabbit. I am blessed to live in a city with THREE shelters that admit rabbits and, to my knowledge, have never euthanized bunnies for space. Still, most people don't know that our shelters have them!!!!



Reading all those Shelter Pet Project posts ... wow. Makes my heart sing.



So much love!

[Susan Fox]

Posted a Note on my Facebook page with photo about how our black kitteh Eowyn, aka Mistress Mayhem and The Critter, came to join our family.

[Tom]

Christie, the best effort of all is Chris Dignan's Chicago group called Life's Ruff. It is an entertaining effort to show people how great shelter pets are.



Please feature him to help get the word out. Here's his group on MSNBC = http://www.dogsavingnetwork.org/videos.html



Chris is also a lead dolphin trainer at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

[Pippa]

We saw it on Facebook last night, so added a post on there and a blog post today :)



http://pippadogblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-new-raincoat-and-other-stuffs.html

[Mary Mary]

Christie, what was the final count?

[elaine]

Can someone participating in publicizing this effort please put out the word that the Minnesota Valley Humane Society (Burnsville MN, a Minneapolis-St Paul suburb) is closing on Dec 31? They have animals that need homes, and the more that find their way to families in the next few weeks, the fewer that will be dispersed to other shelters where they may have less opportunity for placement. There is a news release on their web site (mvhs.org)explaining their decision to fold - a true loss to the community, as they have had excellent programs to promote owner retention of pets. The closing has been announced on local news broadcasts, but person-to-person information might get more attention. There are about 50 animals available (cats, dogs, rabbits, birds). Thanks for any assistance in recruiting new homes for these animals.

[Christie Keith]

We're still counting, but the day before we had 145,000 page views!