Last week’s winner of Halo’s Dog Days of Summer Pet Photo Contest is Jag, a dog who sits in a hilarious position while riding in the car. Her owner, Julia, says that Jag usually is a “classy lady,” everywhere except in the car.

Send Ellen your funny pet photos by clicking here for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for Halo products. Each week there is one lucky winner.

In an RV on the streets of Monrovia, California lives a 90-pound dog named Jack and his owner, Brian Blundell, who always made sure his pup was fed, either by sharing his food or finding some dog food at the 99 cent store. In the three years he’s been homeless, Blundell never imagined life without Jack.

“You can’t give up your dog,” said Blundell, 54, who was in the window covering business for 30 years before a variety of circumstances left him homeless three years ago. “I wasn’t going to give up what I don’t have to.”

Blundell, who works one day a week, began receiving weekly food from the Foothill Unity Center, a busy food pantry. In March, Foothill began distributing dog and cat food to its clients with pets, some who had to give their dog or cat to a shelter because they couldn’t afford to feed them.

When animal lover and Halo co-owner Ellen DeGeneres visited the center on April 19th as part of a segment for American Idol’s ‘Idol Gives Back,’ “she said, ‘Oh, we need to get them a donation from Halo,’” recalls Joan Whitenack, Foothill’s executive director.

In May, Halo sent 5,000 meals for clients’ cats and dogs; Jack is one of the lucky recipients. “Yeah, he does like the Halo, he eats that right up,” says Blundell. “(The donation) really helped me out.”

Last year, Foothill distributed 4 million pounds of food to 4,000 different families. “Many of our families have lost their jobs, are going through foreclosures,” says Whitenack. “We became aware that the pet shelters were literally overflowing because people couldn’t feed their pets. The pet food bank is a beautiful thing because families are now not having to make a choice between spending the little bit of money they have on utilities or feeding their kids or feeding their pets.”

The Halo food is being distributed at the centers’ two sites, in Pasadena and Monrovia. “Our motto is serving people with love and dignity,” says Whitenack, “and allowing people to be able to feed their pets and keep their pets.”

A calico cat named Calico and a dark chocolate kitty named Meeko owned by Ellen Cotacachi, 48, are enjoying their Halo. “Having the cat food available has been a huge help,” says Cotacachi, 48, a married mother of three. The food she bought from the 99 cent store made one of her cats sick, so she cut back on other items to buy better quality cat food. “I would not give my cats up,” she says. “We would just buy it and struggle.”

But thanks to the pet food bank, that worry no longer exists. “We couldn’t do anything nicer for them,” says Whitenack. “People are thrilled with it, they’re very grateful. Where else can people go who are low income to get help to feed their animals? I see it as something that is very special.”

Click here to see the American Idol segment with Ellen and the Foothill Unity Center.

If you are new to our blog, you may be wondering why animal advocate and award-winning entertainer Ellen DeGeneres chose Halo.

First, just to be clear — Ellen is NOT a paid spokesperson. She began as a customer, and then became a co-owner of the company a little over two years ago.

Here’s what she said:

“One of the things I really believe is that if you’re going to have pets you should treat them like you’d treat yourself. I don’t mean you should treat them to new shoes or a fancy car – I’m talking about the basics; a nice bed, fun toys and good food.

“Anyway a few years ago I was looking for some pet food for one of my dogs who was allergic to everything…honestly, even his own fur. I tried everything, our vet tried everything and finally I found a little company that had the perfect food for him. It’s called Halo, Purely for Pets.

“So, because I think Halo is incredible, I decided to become part owner in hopes that all animals have the chance to be the healthiest they can be. And I’m anxious to spread the word so that everybody knows about Halo. ”

Click here to read the rest of Ellen’s letter to Fellow Pet Lovers.

It’s the second time Ellen and Halo have been the subject of a Tails cover. The new article, entitled, “Special Delivery,” is written by Tails Editor in Chief Amy Abern, and touts Halo’s philanthropy, Ellen’s commitment to animal welfare, and the new Tails Letters for Pets program.

You can pick up Tails magazine at pet stores throughout Boston, Florida, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Louisville, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Jose, St. Louis, and Washington, DC.

Click over to our news page to see the whole story.

Have you seen the Adopt a Pet animal rescue stamps in the media? Seems like we’ve been everywhere, from ABC News 10, NBC Philadelphia, Petfinder.com, The Huffington Post, and over 100 more — and that’s just since my last update!

Our sincere thanks to everyone in the media who is helping spread this crucial message to everyone — Adopt a Shelter Pet!

Click over to our News page to see all the latest.