The organizers of a local charity program seem to have hit upon a great way to get pet owners to donate money, having raised $22,000 in its first six months. The "My Mutt" program, launched in this year, asks donors to put in $250.00, in exchange the donors get to have their pet featured in a large 4-foot by 6-foot poster of their pet to be displayed in Pet Food Express stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area region. If a donor puts in $500.00, they get to keep the poster after it has displayed in stores for one year.

The charity is operated by Virtual Pet Adoptions, a popular pet adoption website. The website was founded jointly by the East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Pet Food Express.

The entire donation is made directly to the chosen shelter or rescue, and goes towards the expenses a shelter or rescue incur when providing food, shelter and medical care for homeless animals. "People love their pets, and this is their chance to turn their pet into a 'supermodel,'" says Gary Templin, President of the East Bay SPCA, "and in return, it will funnel over $100,000 in 2005 to the shelters and rescues in the communities we serve."

"My Mutt" posters can be seen displayed at any Pet Food Express or in the facilities of the East Bay SPCA, in Oakland or in Dublin. For more information on the "My Mutt" program, contact Bill Thompson at 510-346-777 x 1109. To see a gallery of "My Mutt" images and details on donating, go to www.virtualpetadoptions.com.