This pup was saved in her final hour before euthanasia. While the authorities thought it was aggressive, it turns out the poor dog was just scared. It’s now a happy rescue success story.

To raise awareness about the plight of rescue animals, the United States Post Office has released a series of stamps celebrating once homeless animals. Of the ten animals included, four cats and four dogs, all but one have already found homes and with a his face on a stamp, I doubt the last kitty will have any trouble finding a new home.

To read more about the specific dogs included in the stamp series and the entire set of pictures, see the article on Ohmidog.

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.

Saving Shelter Pets is one of my favorite charities and right now, you can buy this very cool painting of a mutt on eBay to support their cause. Only 6 days left, so hurry.