Keith Webster, Age 12
Shelter: Humane Society of Tacoma. Tacoma, Washington

This shelter is important to me because that is where I adopted my special little dog. He is a Jack Russell Terrier. His name is Nedley. He is white with tan spots on his eyes. I play with Ned every day of my life because I care about him so much. Sometimes I spend all weekend just us together and as I type this I am holding him. I had wanted a dog since I could talk but I got him when I was ten. When I got him in the car for the very first time he crawled on my lap and he laid his head on my hand for the long trip on the road. I feel so happy that when I went to the Humane society I got to look at two little eyes looking straight back at me. Thank you Humane Society.

Emma Foster, Age 13
Shelter: St. Tammany Parish Humane Society. Covington, Louisiana

St Tammany Parish Humane Society happens to be where my family got our dog, Peppi, and the minute he got home, we knew that he was a good dog. Even though Peppi is the best dog we have had, we know that the reason he was so good is because he came from the best Humane Society around... actually, the only one around. Sadly, the area of St. Tammany was hugely affected by Hurricane Katrina. After Katrina, hundreds of sick and injured pets were found and brought to STPHS. Some of these pets still remain there today. Across the country, people no longer want older, more mature dogs and cats, but they want puppies and kittens. Most of the animals lost in Katrina were people's pets, not strays... because of this, most of them were older, and are no longer wanted. STPHS does their hardest to make these pets feel like they are still loved, even if nobody wants them. The vet there is amazing, he knows each of the animals and their specific needs. I am actually about to start volunteering there. I want to be able to say that I won something for the STPHS, but even more, for the victims of Katrina, including the furry ones.

Alexa Wirfs, Age 14
Shelter: SafeHaven Humane Society. Albany, Oregon
 
Shelters are one of the saddest places to walk into, but for really lucky people it can be one of the happiest places to walk back out of. Why? For those lucky people, like me, you find a best friend staring back at you from the inside of a cage.  Chaz, our flame point Siamese, joined our family a couple years ago. We adopted him from SafeHaven. My family was thinking of getting a second cat, so my mom had been looking on SafeHaven's website. She saw Chaz's picture and fell in love. Who could blame her! He is definitely prince at our house. He has stolen my heart (I claim him as mine now).

Shelters, like SafeHaven, are special because of the work they do to help and protect animals. This is only the surface of what they do. By caring for these animals, they make it possible for families to find the furry kind of love. It might be easier to make it out of the house in the morning with clean pants if we didn't have our cats, but it wouldn't be the same home. The friendly staff and volunteers at SafeHaven complete families.

Spencer Paige, Age 8
Shelter: Glynn County Animal Services. Brunswick, Georgia

I found my first dog there. His name is Cuddles. I named him Cuddles because he was a furball when he was a baby. If it had not been for our Animal
Shelter I would not have Cuddles. He makes me feel good when I come home from school. 

I think Cuddles is a lifesaver for me. Sometimes when I come home from school, I feel kinda sad and tired. Cuddles is there to greet me with slobbery kisses and a happy wagging tail.

My shelter is special to me because they keep dogs like Cuddles safe and feed them until they get adopted to families like mine. The people there keep their kennels clean and dry in the dog area.  In the cat area of the shelter they keep the cats warm and safe until they get adopted. All the shelter people wear nice clean uniforms all the time and make sure all the animals get fed the perfect amount of food to be happy while they're staying
for their short stay in the shelter.

Maybe more people need to visit their animal shelter to find a lifesaver like Cuddles. I think shelter animals know they are special and that they can give love and kindness to a person as much as a person can give food and shelter and love to them.

Thank you and I hope I win food for the animals at my shelter.

Max Christian, Age 13
Shelter: Homeless Animal Rescue Team (H.A.R.T.). Cumberland, Maine

Why is my shelter special to me? Everything about H.A.R.T. is special to me, but there are certain things that can really bring warmth to your heart. For instance, when my Dad and I bent over to scoop litter, one of the cats thanked us by hopping up on our backs and purring. Every single cat at H.A.R.T. is different in its own unique way. Some are sweet, others timid, but what sets apart traditionally bred cats from the cats at H.A.R.T., is instead of being picked up when they are just small kittens, the cats at my shelter have lived together, so their true personalities are exposed. Another differentiating factor that makes H.A.R.T. exceedingly special is that they take in unadoptable cats and give them a lifelong place to live. Some spend their entire life in the shelter under the care of the staff and volunteers.  I’ve had instances where I wish I could’ve adopted them all.

When I first volunteered at H.A.R.T., I knew I was going to end up with a kitty. Turns out we ended up adopting two kittens, Smitty and Mojo. That makes three adopted cats from H.A.R.T., because we already had Belly. All of our cats from the shelter have had an extremely positive impact on our life.

The staff and Board of Directors there are just as amazing as the cats. They dedicate 100% of their time to these cats just so they can live happily. It is an understatement to the least to say that they are helpful to the shelter. I’m sure the cats appreciate them as well, along with the incredible volunteers, too. I have volunteered there numerous times and know the procedures, which aren’t always easy. They include scooping litter, cleaning cat dishes, washing furniture, scrubbing the floor, and last but most certainly not least is getting to know the cats. When you are finished with your jobs, there is always a little time to stop by each room and say hi to all of the cats. There are lots of rooms to visit, but one of my favorites would be the FIV room. All the cats that go to H.A.R.T. are FIV tested. What makes the FIV room special is that it is the quietest and the cats in it have great personalities. It’s impossible to pick favorites, though.

With over one-hundred cats that need adopting, it would be the least I could do for H.A.R.T. to send this letter to freekibble.com to help support all the cats and the staff. I believe H.A.R.T. deserves to win and the shelter is incredibly precious and special to me, as well as those with two and four legs in Southern Maine. Thank you for reading my letter and giving the Homeless Animal Rescue Team a chance.