Frequently Asked QuestionsIf you have any questions about this project, please email me. 

Where do I send my postcards?

New address coming soon!

Can I send my postcards in envelopes or send them one by one?

Please send your cards in one envelope or box to save paper and stamps!

How do you choose the shelters that will receive the food?

I generally allow a monthly Spokesdog or Spokescat to choose the shelter and help run the campaign. The shelter must be a 5013c, be able to use the brand of food I'm sending, have room to store it, and be willing to promote the campaign.

How do you know that my postcards will be counted toward the shelter that I like? 

Please include a note with your cards with the name of the shelter or write it on the back of the cards, but it has to be a shelter that's running a campaign on the site at the same time. Check the front page to find out what shelters are running at any given time. 

How many postcards have you gotten?

Many thousands! I wish I had a firm count, but I lost count a while back. Definitely well over 35,000 at this point!

What do you do with the postcards when you receive them?

I open the envelopes and stack them according to month. I then scan them and they are posted to the site and scheduled to appear there. After that, they go lovingly into Ziploc bags and then into large plastic bins for safety. I treat them as my most prized possessions!

Does every postcard come in get posted to the site?

Most of them do get posted. Sometimes, if the words are a random caption rather than advice, confessions, wishes, excuses, or "you know you love your dog/cat when" then I usually won't post the card unless the pet on it is too darn cute not to post. In general, I prefer if the cards follow the guidelines of the site. 

I sent in my cards a while ago - why don't I see them on the site?

The cards go to NYC and I'm often in Miami Beach (or elsewhere), so my mail only gets sent to me a couple of times a month. Then, I have to process each envelope and scan the cards, which takes a lot of time. Next, I give the volunteers galleries of the card images to post and I post some as well. All of this adds up to some delays in getting the cards up - but they do get posted! I love and respect each and every card that comes in. 

How many people run this organization?

One. Me, a laptop, three dogs, and a scanner. Luckily, there are several generous volunteers who help post cards after I scan them.

When did this project start?

I launched the project on Valentine's Day, 2007, at the Westminster Kennel Club show by handing out 10,000 blank postcards asking people to send them back with a "Dogfession" on it. It worked!

How do the shelters get the food?

The food companies send the food directly to the shelters. Nothing comes through me. No money is exchanged whatsoever.

Do you make any money from this site?

No. The food sponsors donate merchandise to shelters, not to me. See past food raising campaigns here. 

The site is dog-heavy. What about cats?

Until the summer of 2010 I only had dog food sponsors -- now there are cat food sponsors as well, so you will see many kitty cards on the site. 

Can I send cards with my other pets on them? What about my bird, horse. hamster, and fish?

Sure! It's just that right now I don't have any bird, horse, hamster, and fish food sponsors to donate to homeless birds, horses, hamsters, and fish. When I do I will be sure to make a big deal out of it. Fun!

How many hours a week does The Pet Postcard Project take to run?

It's like a parttime job, but some weeks it's more than that. Luckily there are volunteers to help me with posting cards, which gives me more time to work on getting food for the shelter animals. Scanning and corresponding with people take up the bulk of the time. 

What kinds of cards are your favorite?

I like the handmade cards that have a deep or funny sentiment on them. But even the computer generated cards can be great if the sentiment is right.