The "September Challenge" is on! Thirty percent of Melody Lea Lamb's miniature animal art sales will be donated to Old Dog Haven, a charity that finds homes for abandoned senior dogs. Helping dogs has never been so easy!

Take the September challenge! Buy affordable miniature animal art to help rescue old abandoned dogs through the charity Old Dog Haven, a small nonprofit group that finds foster homes for abandoned senior dogs.

Many old dogs find themselves terrified and confused, left at shelters, where their chances of adoption are almost nill. Artist Melody Lea Lamb has created theSeptember Challenge. Her goal is to raise $2000 for Old Dog Haven (ODH) in the month of September. For every artwork sold Melody will donate 30%.

Helping a sad, old dog has never been so easy.

By purchasing affordable miniature animal art through Melody’s website you can change lives.

Dogs are abandoned by their owners for countless reasons. This past week,ABC News told the story of two hikers who found an abandoned German Shepherd on a 13,500-foot Colorado mountaintop. Scott Washburn and his wife Amanda discovered Missy whimpering and wounded. In addition to having cuts all over her, the frightened dog hadn't eaten in 8 days. The couple organized eight rescue volunteers to carry the dog to safety by creating a Facebook page and reaching out on hikers’ forum 14ers.

The owner, who left the dog to die, has reappeared and wants Missy back but the Washburns are fighting for custody. This story was highly publicized because it is so unusual but dogs are abandoned every day. Their futures are bleak and they need people to fight for them. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 6–8 million dogs and cats enter shelters every year. The estimated number of dogs and cats euthanized by shelters each year is 3–4 million.

Old dogs are desperate for a new home. Their owners left them due to a myriad of reasons: a move, working longer hours, incompatibility with young children, a death in the family, or financial dire straits. Many of these dogs are in poor physical condition which makes them even less appealing to adopt. ODH’s goal is to make the last years of an abandoned dog’s life happy and knowing they are loved.

Be sure to check out Melody's painted portraits of ODH rescue dogs: Paloma the Chihuahua and Dawson the Labrador.

BONUS: If you can guess the final total raised by this September challenge for ODH you’ll win a free unique animal art pendant.

Visit Miniature Animal Art for more details. If you'd like information about how to raise money for animal charities please be sure to post a comment.

Written for Petside