10 Great Dog Charities Worth Donating to

For those experiencing this "volunteer's dilemma", Petside can help. Here is a list of 10 dog-specific charities that we love, and that would welcome your help!

1. Animal Adoption Center

The Animal Adoption Center has a simple mission: to rescue and lovingly support the local community and all of the animals that enter the center. Since the founding of the Animal Adoption Center in 1990, they’ve fulfilled their mission with devotion to the furry friends they’re trying to service every day.

2. Canine Partners for Life (CPL)

Founded in 1989 by Darlene Sullivan, a former special education instructor and animal trainer, Canine Partners for Life (CPL) is dedicated to training service dogs, home companion dogs, and residential companion dogs. CPL devotes as much time and energy as possible to improving the quality of life for those living with disabilities through the use of specialized dogs.

Over more than 20 years, CPL has provided upwards of 400 service dogs to individuals in need and in that time, has become a leader in the service dog industry. CPL dogs receive customized training programs to meet the unique needs of their human partner. Their goal is to pair up the perfect match of man and man’s best friend to create the perfect partnership.

3. Brown Dog Foundation, Inc.

The Brown Dog Foundation is a public charity that helps fund veterinary bills for the families who just can’t afford them. The founder, Carol Smock, had personal experience with the heartbreak that this brings. It all started because of her dog Chip, a chocolate Labrador who was diagnosed with brain cancer, heart arrhythmia, and a condition that caused his liver to begin to fail. Like many, Smock could not afford Chip's treatments, and seeing no other alternative thought it best to let him go.

Smock and others decided to start the Brown Dog Foundation so that unfortunate events such as the one she experienced do not happen. Money should never have to be the choice between your pet’s life or death, and the Brown Dog Foundation aims to see that it isn’t.

4. The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, Inc. (AKCHF)

The Canine Health Foundation’s mission is to help dogs through funding scientific research and making health information to prevent, treat, and cure canine disease readily available. The CHF has become the largest funder of solely canine health research in the world since the foundation was founded in 1995.

Over 15 years, the CHF has made dramatic discoveries in dog health care. They’ve also been associated with research that has improved various disease treatment including cancer and heart diseases. Visit AKCHF website for more information.

5. Dogs Deserve Better

A national nonprofit organization, Dogs Deserve Better speaks up for chained and penned pets. In 2003, they were the First Place Winner of the ASPCA/Chase Pet Protector Award. Recently, they made news when they purchased Michael Vick’s infamous Bad Newz Kennels in order to transform the horrific habitation into a loving shelter for rescued dogs.

Dogs Deserve Better firmly believes that pets shouldn't be chained up like prisoners. If you desire to donate to a charity that takes a stand against the mistreatment of four-legged companions, then this is the organization for you. By supporting this charity, you can liberate a dog from abuse and give them a new lease on life.

6. Leader Dogs for the Blind

For over 70 years, Leader Dogs for the Blind has provided guide dogs for blind or visually impaired individuals. Through the training and distribution of guide dogs, those people are given independence, their mobility is enhanced, and their quality of life gets better.

Through donating to this foundation, guide dogs are provided to those in need free of charge and Leader Dog was recognized as a “Best In America” Charity by the Independent Charities of America (ICA).

7. Last Chance for Animals

In 1984, Hollywood actor Chris DeRose founded Last Chance For Animals (LCA) to fight and expose the inherent cruelty of vivisection, a.k.a. operating on live animals. DeRose and LCA activists dedicated their time to employing non-violent, peaceful protests to raise their voice against animal testing.

As time went on, LCA has expanded their goals and now it’s not just vivisection they’re concentrating on, but many animal rights issues like farming, fur, and pet theft.  LCA is a national, nonprofit organization that ultimately aims to eliminate all animal exploitation. Visit the LCA website for more information about the organization.

8. Canine Companions for Independence

Canine Companions for Independence is an organization that provides assistance dogs to adults and children alike, free of charge. Now the largest assistance dog organization in the world, they continue to provide dogs for people in need.

Canine Companions for Independence employees over 100 volunteer puppy raisers, over 100 volunteer breeder caretakers, and over 3000 volunteers nationwide. The organization’s goal is to enhance the lives of both the individuals and their four-legged companions.

9. Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends (RUFF)

RUFF, run completely by volunteers, isn’t just about helping abandoned animals in the southern California area. The organization is dedicated to getting animals’ veterinary assistance, no matter where they come from or how much help they need. If owners cannot afford health care for their pets, RUFF will try as hard as it can to be of financial assistance.

RUFF volunteers help an average of more than 1000 animals each year by providing financial support. Veterinary care has become so costly, that many owners struggle to afford proper health care for their pets, but RUFF does its best to help both the owner and their furry friend. Check out more about the non-profit organization here.

10. Animals Abused & Abandoned, Inc.

All across the country, animals have been discarded onto streets, struggling to fend for themselves after they were left for dead. Animals Abused & Abandoned is a charity striving to end animal abuse by funding the cost of medical and surgical emergencies, paying for food, medicine and operating supplies, and funding spay neuter surgeries.

If you’re looking to help the helpless animals that are struggling to survive after being abandoned, this is a charity that is right up your alley. Visit the Animals Abused & Abandoned website here.