Joanne Lefson adopted Oscar from the local shelter in her hometown of Capetown, South Africa. He was one day away from euthanization. After a short period of falling in love with her new best friend, Joanne realized that there were way too many potential companions locked up in shelters around the globe.

To help make a difference in the lives of animals throughout the world, Joanne took it upon herself to sell her home and take Oscar on a $40,000 trip around the world to help bring attention to the plight of shelter pets. To the left, you can see Oscar at Machu Picchu.

During their trip, Joanne and Oscar fell in love with another pup in Romania, and their new friend Zara will soon join them at their permanent home in South Africa.

Puppy Bowl VI went off without a hitch this year, and the animal shelter stars were absolutely spectacular –like always. This year’s MVP was a delightfully rambunctious chug (chihuahua/pug) mix named Jake. This little devil not only won MVP, but also took first place in the online viewer poll. Way to go Jake!

To see Jake in action, be sure to watch the video on Animal Planet.

California has been suffering from an overpopulation of chihuahuas this year, in part thanks to idiotic things like Legally Blonde, Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Paris Hilton. The shelters are loaded up with the little guys, but there is hope. A number of organizations have been taking chihuahuas to other states where they will have better odds of being adopted.

The sweetie seen above is one of fifteen to be flown for free on Virgin America a few weeks ago in order to find them new homes in New York. Passengers on the flight were offered a free round of cocktails to celebrate the event. Now there’s a plane I wouldn’t mind being on.