The ASPCA and Pethealth Inc., a provider of pet health insurance, are celebrating October as Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month, to raise awareness of dogs in need of adoption.

If you know someone interested in getting a dog, invite them to visit a local animal shelter, or animal rescue. Offer to buy them lunch, in exchange for visiting a shelter with you. Once they see the anxious faces behind bars, it's unlikely they will walk away without feeling a need to save one of them.

There are shelters and rescues everywhere, and very likely several in your immediate area. All animal shelters are open to the public, don't require any appointments, and allow you to walk past the cages in person. Visit PetFinder or PetHarbor, enter your zip code, and it will show you all the shelters nearby.