Bring Pets Home: Saving Animals Through the Power of Commerce

While you're purchasing holiday presents this year -- whether for human or pet -- there's an easy way to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals at the same time.

At Bring Pets Home, you can shop from approximately 140 online stores, including retail giants like Amazon.com, Macy's, Walmart and Sephora. Do your regular online shopping through Bring Pets Home, and a percentage of your total tab will be donated to the site's foundation, which provides immediate financial assistance to shelters nationwide.

Even better: Sign up for a free account at Bring Pets Home and you can choose the participating animal shelter that will receive your donation. You'll also have a shot at the site's holiday sweepstakes, for $5,000 to you and another $5,000 to your favorite shelter!

Bring Pets Home was started by the microchip pet-recovery company HomeAgain. "We love this program and we're really hoping it hits its stride," HomeAgain marketing director Linda Block told Paw Nation. Besides providing shelter funding, Bring Pets Home -- which you can use year-round -- aims to educate animal lovers about how shelters work. "There's a lot of misconceptions about animal shelters, even with pet lovers or people who work in the animal-health field," Block says.

For example? "A lot of people think shelters receive the majority of the funding from the government, which is not true," Block explains. "And with the economy, shelters are having a really hard time, as donations are down and people in need are relinquishing their pets."

Tags: animal shelter donation, animal shelters, animalsiteswelove, bringpetshome