Help with Save a Dog

Do the points I earn on Save a Dog translate into real donations for real dogs in need? How do the cups of food figure in?

Yes, your Save a Dog points become real dollars for shelter animals around the country.

Here’s specifically how it works: For every 2,500 points you earn, we donate the financial equivalent of a cup of food – about 15 cents – to our nonprofit partner, RescueGroups.org. This organization provides essential free and low-cost technology services to animal shelters and rescue groups nationwide. Thanks to RescueGroups.org, thousands of homeless animals get the crucial exposure they need to get adopted.

(For more information about RescueGroups.org – and their work in the rescue and shelter community since 2002 – check out their website and the testimonials from their members.)

For the purposes of playing the game, we use “cups of food” to represent these real monetary donations. To date, our users have earned tens of thousands of dollars for animals in need. (For the most current total, check the number on your Save a Dog or Save a Cat profile page in the “My Totals” column under Donations raised by members.)

DogTime.com, the makers of Save a Dog and Save a Cat, is committed to improving the lives of companion animals. Please check out all the ways we are making a difference:

• DogTime grant program
• Road to Rescue
• Community support
• Adoption
• Petties donations

How do I earn points on Save a Dog?

How do my visits to Save a Dog help save real shelter dogs?

For every 2,500 points you score, we donate the financial equivalent of a cup of food directly to animal shelters and rescues via monthly DogTime Grants, annual DogTime Grants, and the DogTime Media Pet Blogger Awards. We also work with RescueGroups.org, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides essential technical services that allow rescues and shelters to post their pets on the Internet, thereby greatly increasing their chances of adoption.

What are Rescue Friends?

Rescue Friends can be any of your fellow Facebook friends who use Save a Dog -- all you need to do is invite them to be on your Rescue Team. Having a Rescue Team is a great way to earn additional points.

For example, invite a Rescue Friend's foster dog to a play date and earn 25 points. You can send up to 6 invitations per day -- it's easy, fun, and a terrific way to help even more dogs in need.

Where does the money DogTime donates come from?

The money comes from DogTime and its Save a Dog advertisers and publishing partners.

Where is the money donated and how is it spent?

The money helps non-profit animal rescues and shelters nationwide. We donate directly to animal shelters and rescues via monthly DogTime Grants, annual DogTime Grants, and the DogTime Media Pet Blogger Awards. We also work with RescueGroups.org, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides essential technical services that allow rescues and shelters to post their pets on the Internet, thereby greatly increasing their chances of adoption. Through donations, RescueGroups.org is able to provide its services free or at a low cost to animal welfare groups that could not otherwise afford them.

Where does Save a Dog get its shelter and animal data?

Save a Dog gets its listings from RescueGroups.org, a nonprofit organization which provides data management and communication services to independent rescue groups across the U.S. Ultimately, shelter staff and volunteers – the individuals who manage these rescues – are responsible for creating and maintaining listings for their individual shelters. Please keep in mind: Rescue workers are often volunteers, busy people who hold down fulltime jobs while helping animals in their spare time. We ask for your understanding should you encounter any data that has become outdated. If you notice information that needs updating, we encourage you to visit http://www.rescuegroups.org/contact to report the error. We'll do our best to reach out to the rescue and request they make the required changes.

How can I add my own rescue group's dogs to the Save a Dog dog listings?

All of our Save a Dog listings come from data that DogTime receives via RescueGroups.org. Visit their website to sign up for their free Pet Adoption Portal, Data Management, or Website service to begin listing adoptable dogs on Save a Dog.

I can't add a foster dog to my profile, and my current foster no longer shows up. Why is that?

The Facebook administrators are doing away with the Facebook profile box. For easy access to Save a Dog, Bookmark us instead! Due to this change, you can no longer add your foster pets to your profile. If you currently have a foster pet showing on your profile, the points have stopped updating and the pet will soon disappear. You can read more about the Facebook administrators changes here: http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Roadmap_Profile

Is there a limit as to how many animal suggestions we can send per day?

Yes, and that limit is 200. For example, you can send one dog to 200 people, 200 dogs to one person, or any combination in between. The reason for the cap? Anything higher than 200 tends to clog the system and can result in Facebook spam alerts.

How do I become a fan of Save a Dog and DogTime on Facebook?

It's easy. To become a fan of Save a Dog, just go to the application page and click "become a fan" at the top of the page.

For DogTime, go to http://www.facebook.com/dogtime and click "become a fan" at the top of the page.

Who is DogTime?

At DogTime.com, our mission is to keep pets out of shelters and in good homes by equipping novice and experienced owners alike with the information needed to make them, and their pets, very happy. Our parent company, DogTime Media, is the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners and the 50 billion dollar annual pet market spend. DogTime Media reaches 40.3 million monthly users via its community of pet-focused websites, pet bloggers, and rescue groups. So come find your wag at DogTime.com.

What's the deal with this recruitment drive and how does it help me earn points?

Think of the recruitment drive as your very own points-earning bonanza, and therefore, an incredibly effective way to help animals in need. Here's how it works:

For every new installation of the Save a Dog application that can be traced back to you, you earn 100 points. (More in a second on how an installation is traced.)

On top of that, for every five new Save a Dog installations traced to you, you earn an additional 2,500 points. That's a total of 3,000 points after each time you recruit five new Save a Dog users!

So how exactly do you recruit new users? Very easily – and by doing things you already do:

• Send a co-foster request to a Facebook user who has never installed our application
• Invite an uninstalled user to foster an animal via the Send-to-Friend feature
• Invite an uninstalled Facebook friend to become a fan of a shelter
• Hang a poster of an animal on your wall so that your uninstalled friends will see it in their news feeds

When a Facebook Friend goes on to install the application after clicking on your request, invitation, or poster, you get the credit for recruiting a new user.

We know what you're thinking: Is it even possible to send requests to your non-rescue friends? Folks, for a limited time, yes – so take advantage of the opportunity. The more you promote your Save a Dog favorites, the more it pays.

Like all good things, this points-earning bonanza must eventually come to an end – so start recruiting! Together we can find homes for thousands of animals in need.

But what if I want to recruit people who aren't on Facebook?

No problem.

Link (URL) Sharing is now an option on shelter pages, on individual animal pages, and from your Save a Dog profile page. When you click the sharing link that we've provided on these pages, a unique URL is created for that particular page. You can then paste that URL at just about any location outside of Facebook (email, blog sites, websites, etc.). When anyone who has yet to use our application clicks on that link and installs the application, you will get 100 points for recruiting a new user.

Please note: If you want to get points for the new users you recruit to the application, you must use the link sharing feature that we've provided in the body of the page. You will not get points if you use the address that you see in your browser's URL field because we have no way of tracking this URL back to you!

What is the Food for Five Recruitment Drive?

It's the fastest way to earn a bunch of points... and therefore help a lot of animals. Here's how it works: For every new user you recruit to install the Save a Dog application, you earn 100 points. And for every five new Save a Dog users you recruit, you earn an additional 2,500 points.

This is a limited time opportunity. When you see the Food for Five logo right below the navigation bar the program is available, so act fast!

So how exactly do you recruit new users? Very easily – and by doing things you already do:

• Send a co-foster request to any Facebook user who has never installed our application
• Invite a non-Save a Dog user to foster a dog via the Send-to-Friend feature
• Invite a non-Save a Dog user to foster a dog via the Co-foster feature
• Invite a non-Save a Dog user to become a fan of a shelter
• Hang a poster of a dog on your wall

For every five friends who install Save a Dog – per one of your suggestions (above) – you earn an additional 2,500 points!

I'd like all my Facebook friends to be able to see the animals I'm fostering. Is there a way to feature them on my profile page?

Yep, it's easy – all you need to do is create a new "tab." Here's how:

• Go to your profile page, where you'll see the row of navigation tabs ("wall," "info," "photos," etc.) right under your name.
• Click that last tab – the plus sign – and a drop down menu will appear.
• In the search bar at the bottom, type in Save a Dog and select it by hitting "enter" or "return."

Voila – all your Save a Dog info, including images of your foster animals, will appear there, visible to your Facebook friends.

Doesn't giving people the option to upload photos of their own dogs take the focus away from animals who really need our help?

Our goal in allowing users to post profiles of their own pets is to entice even more people to use the Save a Dog application, and therefore, help an even greater number of homeless dogs and cats. The focus of the app will continue to be generating awareness around shelter animals, and opportunities to earn points will remain exclusive to activities involving foster animals (walking, arranging playdates, etc.). But by allowing proud pet parents to show off their own dogs and cats, our hope is to increase exposure for the shelter animals who are sitting right there beside them on their Save a Dog profile page.

Just who can see my Save a Dog profile, write on my wall, and read my updates?

Any Facebook friend who has installed the Save a Dog application can see your Save a Dog profile, including your update wall. Only your Rescue Friends, however, are able to write on your wall, accept playdate and co-foster requests, or participate in any other point-generating activities.

My foster dog is now listed as adopted on Save a Dog but I did not receive my 250 points.

Often, shelters will mark a pet as adopted but leave the dog on their available pet list so that anyone interested will know that he or she has found a home. The shelter usually removes the pet from the list within a week or so of adoption. When a shelter notifies our listing partner, RescueGroups.org, and removes the pet from their available listings, you receive the 250 points.

If your foster dog is listed as adopted but not removed from the adoptable pet list after a week, please send an email to us at editor@dogtime.com with a link to the pet's profile page on Save a Dog. We will contact RescueGroups.org who will contact the shelter and ask them to remove the pet from their list.

My foster dog is listed as adopted on the shelter's website, or I called the shelter directly and they verified that my dog was adopted, but he or she is still listed as available on Save a Dog and I did not receive my 250 points.

If you see your foster dog listed as adopted on the shelter's website or, if you have verified in another way that he or she has been adopted but is still listed as available on Save a Dog, please send an email to us at editor@dogtime.com, let us know how you learned of the adoption and please include a link to the pet's profile page on Save a Dog. We will contact RescueGroups.org who will contact the shelter and ask them to remove the pet from their list.

What is Save a Dog Shopping and when I shop through Save a Dog Shopping how are dogs helped?

We are very excited to introduce Save a Dog Shopping. For more detailed information (CLICK HERE)

How quickly should I expect answers to technical questions/issues I send to editor@dogtime.com?

Save a Dog and Save a Cat customer service representatives answer emails between 9 am and 5 pm PT Monday through Friday. We strive to respond to all messages within 48 hours of receipt. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Just who can see my Save a Dog profile, write on my wall, and read my updates?

Any Facebook friend who has installed the Save a Dog application can see your Save a Dog profile, including your update wall. Only your Rescue Friends, however, are able to write on your wall, accept playdate and co-foster requests, or participate in any other point-generating activities.

My friend co-fostered the dog I sent him/her but he did not receive any points for it?

Co-fostering a dog with friends is one of the easiest ways to earn points in Save a Dog. To send a co-foster request to a friend go to your dog's yard and click on the "Invite your friends to co-foster this dog!" button. Choose the friend you want to send the dog to and click the send button. Once your dog is sent your friends will be notified of it via Facebook, in one of the following ways:

• Installed users will receive an invite to foster the dog under Save a Dog in their application dashboard, found by clicking the "Applications" link on their Facebook home page.
• Uninstalled users will receive an invite to foster the dog in their Facebook Requests page. A link to this page is found on the upper-right side of their Facebook home page.

Your friend should click on the dog's name in the invite, access the dog's profile page, and click on the foster button. He/she will then get 100 points* for fostering your dog.

My friend co-fostered a dog I sent him but I did not receive any points for it?

Once you're friend has co-fostered your dog he will receive 100 points* for his new foster and you will have 100 points to claim on your claiming page.

You can access your claiming page through the green message that will display whenever you have any new points to claim. The message will display on top of any Save a Dog page under the top navigation bar.

I sent a number of dogs to my friends but they are not receiving them?

Once your dog is sent your friends will be notified of it via Facebook, in one of the following ways:

• Installed users will receive an invite to foster the dog under Save a Dog in their application dashboard, found by clicking the "Applications" link on their Facebook home page.
• Uninstalled users will receive an invite to foster the dog in their Facebook Requests page. A link to this page is found on the upper-right side of their Facebook home page

Your friend will have to click on the dog's name in the invitation text, access the dog's profile page, and click on the foster button to foster any dog you send to them.

Every day I send my friends an invitation to join me in Save a Dog; however, no one is receiving my emails.

When you send a dog to a friend, your invite is not delivered email. He/she will receive the invitation in Facebook. This notification can be found in one of two places:

• Installed users will receive an invite to foster the dog under Save a Dog in their application dashboard, found by clicking the "Applications" link on their Facebook home page.
• Uninstalled users will receive an invite to foster the dog in their Facebook Requests page. A link to this page is found on the upper-right side of their Facebook home page

Your friend will have to click on the dog's name in the invitation text, access the dog's profile page, and click on the foster button to foster any dog you send to them.

How can someone really adopt a dog on here? I found the cutest dog ever and would love to find out how to adopt her.

Adopting a dog through Save a Dog is really easy. Go to any dog profile page, you'll find the rescue organization's name and address. Clicking on the name of the rescue organization will link you to their website where you will be able to find more contact information if needed.

Make sure to send Save a Dog a note after you foster your dog, we would be glad to hear your story.

How do we get our rescue's dogs listed on Save a Dog?

If you are a rescue organization and want to have your dogs listed to Save a Dog, you should sign up to the rescuegroups.org web site services. It is a free service for Shelter organization and will allow all your dogs to be seen and promoted in Save a Dog.

I am fostering 2 dogs currently, why can I only see one photo?

Each one of your dogs has its own yard. To see your second dog's yard click on the "Visit your other foster" button below your dog's picture.

What does it mean when it says foster ends on a specific date? What happens then?

We've set a limit to the number of days in a foster period for a couple of reasons. The first is that we hope to encourage people to check out the vast array -- breeds, ages, and personalities -- of dogs around the country who need a home. And we want users to fully appreciate the sheer number of animals who need our help. The other reason is that we here at DogTime/Save a Dog believe that caring for a dog is a serious responsibility. Even though the fostering is taking place in a virtual setting, it's our way of giving the dog the opportunity to remind you, "I'm still here, and I need your care." That said, however, even if you receive a notice that your fostership with a particular dog is ending, you always have the option to foster that dog again. In other words, you're never forced to "virtually" part with any foster dog unless he or she leaves the shelter in real life.

I was fostering a dog and now he's not on my profile for a few days. Did he get adopted or rescued??? Where is he?

Our data feed of adoptable dogs comes from a group that aggregates listings from shelters and rescue groups across the country. Unfortunately, we don't receive updates or adoption information for any individual dog -- we can only tell when they are added to or removed from the system. When a dog is removed from the system, there's a very good chance he or she has been adopted. Sometimes it means that their foster family decided to keep them, and in a few cases, it may mean the dog was transferred to a different rescue organization. Not all the shelters whose data we list are no-kill facilities, however, so euthanasia is sometimes a possibility. That's the sad reality of pet overpopulation and one of the reason we decided to create this application. For now, our fingers are crossed for every animal, and we trust that rescue/shelter staff and volunteers are doing everything possible to ensure happy outcomes for their dogs.