To get a dog out of a shelter and to be medically checked, spayed/neutered, given vaccines and possibly a dental takes about $200.

Would you be willing to give up one McDonald's value meal a week to save 1,000 dogs a year?

One day each week instead of having that value meal put that $4.00 in a stamped envelope and take your own dog for a nice walk. I don't know about you but I could stand to skip a meal each week and go for a walk with my best friend.

At the end of 4 weeks mail your $16 dollars to a fine local rescue group and start a new envelope. Do this 13 times each year and you will have paid to pull a dog and get it medically checked (spayed/neutered, sprung from the shelter and given vaccinations) and on its way to its forever home.

What did it really cost you ??? You lost about 50 pounds, probably extended your life and got to share 52 hours of great fun with your best friend.

Are you saying that is only one dog ? That's true but are you the only person involved in rescue ?? Could your partner afford to miss a meal and take a walk with you each week? The time together could make your marriage last longer (hopefully that is a good thing).

Invite a different friend to walk with you each week and get them involved (or don't make them walk, just get them to cough up the $4). I don't have any skinny friends so all of my friends could use the walk as well. Tell your friends that going on a walk with your dog will help prolong their life. They are a captive audience on your walk and they can't just leave. Think of all the great rescue stories you could tell them in just one hour. Get that $4.00 from them and get them involved in rescue as well.

The results??? The only thing getting fatter is that envelope filled with cash.

Get your boss involved (I don't suggest that you tell him/her they could lose a few pounds) and tell them for less than one day's worth of parking each month they could save 1,000 dogs. Bosses typically would rather give you money than exercise any day (Maybe you should ask them for $10 each week to lessen their guilt of not exercising).

Just 13 envelopes saves 1,000 dogs each year. For those of you that might want to say that I don't know what I'm talking about... how would you know if you have never tried ?

Larry Essary (with minor edits by yours truly) ~ 1,000 dogs in 2002