Spiffing up Shelter Dogs

Last Sunday I volunteered at the local park with our city's homeless dogs, helping them find their Forever Homes.

I met a beautiful, vivacious young woman named Rayne who was volunteering there, too. She was taken by the dog I was handling that day, and loved the little plaid bow tie I put on him.

Here is Rayne and McTavish ("McT," for short):

photo: Pick Out Artists

Rayne has a wonderful blog that I encourage you to go see. She and her partner run "Pick Out Artists," doing makeovers for people, helping them weed out their wardrobes, identify what clothes work best for their body type, etc. They will also accompany you on a mall crawl or work as a personal shopper if you don't have the time to do it yourself.

In her April 5 post, Rayne writes about doing makeovers on shelter dogs. It's true; a bath and a cute bow or kerchief around the neck can really help "sell" a dog to the public.

So, here's my suggestions:

1)If you have any kerchiefs lying around, consider donating them to your local animal-rescue group. (I had tons left over from a Western-themed party we threw once. When I brought them to the adoption event, the dog folks were ridiculously happy.)

2)If you are a knitter, you can whip up a simple little sweater for a teeny dog who needs to keep warm while waiting for his or her new family.

3)And if you are a sewer, you can fashion adorable doggie bow ties out of a little bit of elastic, some scraps of fabric, and some stiff interfacing.

Donating, knitting, or sewing up doggie duds for your local animal-rescue group: it's a sure way to earn your gold halo and wings.