Mimi Ausland, the tween rescue star and founder of Freekibble.com wrote about the wonderful Halo-sponsored Kibble Krusader Kontest on Petco’s blog.

Get the Scoop here (you have to read 12-year-old Keith Webster’s winning entry, one of five to win $1,000 worth of Halo Dinner Party for their favorite animal shelter).

Eight year old Spencer Paige and his shelter dog Cuddles made the news after the boy’s entry was selected among five winners in the Halo-sponsored Kibble Krusaders Kontest run by Freekibble.com. We think there’s no better news to report than a young person working to help protect animals! His essay secured a $1,000 Halo donation for the Glynn County Animal Services in Florida.

See the whole story from our News page.

Tune in to The Ellen Show tomorrow (Thursday, October 22) for a heartwarming segment. Here’s Ellen’s introduction: “Today I’m going to introduce you to a 10-year-old girl who is already making an impact on the world. Her name is ANNABELLE HELD, and she started a dog treat business — but instead of keeping the profits, she donates them to an animal shelter in her hometown of Marietta, Georgia!”

Check here for your local show time.

The shelter, Our Pal’s Place, had this to say, “We have always been so proud of and grateful for Annabelle’s tenacious advocacy for the animals and all that she has accomplished through her volunteer work and business! Annabelle helped fund Dixie’s eye surgery with proceeds from her dog treat sales last year and, in total, has donated almost $900 to the animals of OPP. Now she will be a role model for youth animal advocates on national t.v.!”

Tune in, there may be a surprise!

By Jessica Gulley and Kai Han, Greener Pup, and Ace of Hearts Rescue

Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue is widely respected for the work they do on behalf of animals, garnering the support of celebrity dog lovers like Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen brought this non-profit’s efforts to Halo’s attention after her visit to a recent Ace of Hearts dog adoption. Halo is now generously donating nearly 600 pounds of Halo food and pure protein treats to this foundation, helping feed the hundreds of dogs Ace of Hearts rescues annually.

Ace of Hearts is thrilled to have the support of Halo and an amazing animal lover and advocate like Ellen. Ace of Hearts Founder Kari Whitman, a celebrity interior designer, also created a signature line of eco-friendly dog beds called Greener Pup. Whitman established Greener Pup to raise funds to benefit Ace of Hearts, which saves dogs from shelters and finds them loving homes. 100% of ALL profits from Greener Pup goes directly towards saving the lives of abused, injured and abandoned dogs!

With the holidays fast approaching, Greener Pup will help make the search for the perfect gifts for your favorite pet lovers and their furry friends much easier. Even better, unlike any other dog bed manufacturer, ALL of Greener Pup’s profits benefit dogs in need. So if you purchase a bed for $45, and the manufacturing cost is $20, then the remaining $25 is donated directly to Ace of Hearts.

Greener Pup is committed to making beds that are as earth-friendly as possible, and consumers (and their pups) have fallen in love with these attractive and affordable beds. The eco-friendly bed fillers are actually made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, and each bed contains 70-120 bottles that won’t go into landfills. The removable, machine-washable covers are made from overstock and discontinued high-end fabrics that would also otherwise be dumped in landfills. And Greener Pup beds are available in a wide variety of styles and sizes, with covers you can customize to suit the personality of your pup and your decor.

Greener Pup has already appeared on Access Hollywood and Planet Green, and in numerous magazines including In Style, Modern Dog, Us Weekly and Dog’s Life, and been featured on Envi-Style.com, and on WashingtonPost.com in a special article on “greening” the White House for the Obama administration. Celebrity dog lovers like Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Virginia Madsen, Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Denise Richards, Cheryl Burke, and Shannon Elizabeth already pamper their beloved pets with Greener Pup beds.

Greener Pup’s mission is to create attractive, high-quality beds that not only help save the environment, but also the lives of animals in need. They believe every dog deserves a comfortable, cozy bed and strive to keep their prices as low as possible. With your Greener Pup purchase, you’ll not only help save dogs’ lives, but also save our precious Earth! And what better way to give back this holiday season, than by purchasing a gift that keeps on giving?

For more information on Greener Pup, please visit www.greenerpup.com. To make your pup a Greener Pup and save 25% on your purchase, use the promo code ‘Halo’ at checkout!

Thirteen year old Mimi Ausland of Freekibble.com has been at it again – inspiring young people to make a difference for animals! This time, she created a “Kontest” for kids to nominate their local animal shelters for a donation of Halo Dinner Party. “I think this contest is a great way for kids to get involved with making a difference for their local animal shelter and it shows that kids really care!”, says Mimi.

We thought Halo Dinner Party was a perfect prize for a shelter because homeless animals are often in a state of stress, with highly variable or mediocre diets. And nothing improves a pet’s meal more than a sprinkle of pure chicken, salmon or beef protein!

Well, 335 kids from 44 states and Canada wrote in with amazing stories about hundreds of very special animal shelters. As you can imagine, it was very difficult for our friends at Freekibble to choose! But I think you’ll agree that the winners are just wonderful. We’re very proud to support these five great shelters based on the kids’ testimonials:

Humane Society of Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington
Nominated by Keith Webster, Age 12

St. Tammany Parish Humane Society. Covington, Louisiana
Nominated by Emma Foster, Age 13

SafeHaven Humane Society. Albany, Oregon
Nominated by Alexa Wirfs, Age 14

Glynn County Animal Services. Brunswick, Georgia
Nominated by Spencer Paige, Age 8

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

We’ll post one of the winners’ stories here every week for the next five weeks. Of course, you are welcome to peek at all of them on the Freekibble Kibble Krusaders page.

First up, here is our youngest winner, Spencer Paige, age 8, writing about Glynn County Animal Services in 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.