Car Buyer's Notebook

Fans of the "MUTTS" comic strip are familiar with the annual “Shelter Stories,” a week of strips focusing on the plight of shelter animals. This program will, in essence, speed up the message to 160mph.

Life-sized versions of ‘Earl’ and ‘Mooch’ will be making paddock appearances at both races, making for some fun photo opportunities for families.

“When the idea first came to us, we thought it sounded like a fun way to share the important message of adopting shelter animals. The "MUTTS" characters are favorites for many of us on the team. The hardest part was in getting Jeff and Randy to decide who would have ‘Mooch’ and who would have ‘Earl’ on their car,” laughed Craig Nagler, team owner for Tri-Point Motorsports.

“With so much of the recent athlete animal-related headlines in recent months being unfortunately bad news, it’s a delight for The Humane Society to work with Randy and Jeff, who both understand and believe in helping animals,” noted Michael Markarian, Executive Vice President for The Humane Society of the United States.

“In my daily comic strip, MUTTS, I have always promoted the adopting of pets from local shelters. With the help of the Mazda Team, Earl and Mooch are now conveying this important message at top speed!” added cartoonist Patrick McDonnell.

The promotion will not end at the checkered flag. After the season concludes, the hoods from both cars, the Sparco driver suits, and other souvenirs will be signed by the drivers and auctioned off to benefit The HSUS. Details will be posted to www.MUTTSCOMICS.com in late October, allowing plenty of time for holiday wrapping for that special motorsports and/or “MUTTS” enthusiast.

THE KEY MESSAGE: SAVE A LIFE – ADOPT

Animal shelters are the best source when looking for a pet. Not only do they have a great selection of adult animals for adoption, they also have kittens and puppies and purebred animals. National figures indicate that about half of the animals entering shelters are euthanized for lack of homes. Every adoption from a shelter is a life saved.

You can depend on responsible shelters to assess the animals’ health and temperament in order to make the best adoption matches possible. When animals are relinquished by owners, the shelter staff makes every attempt to collect a thorough history of that pet. Then, while caring for animals, staff and volunteers try to learn as much as they can about these animals as well as those who come to the shelter as strays.

In an effort to make good matches between people and animals and place pets in lifelong homes, many shelters provide adoption counseling and follow-up assistance, such as pet parenting and dog-training classes, medical services, and behavior counseling. Or they may be able to refer you to providers of these services.

Another advantage is that shelter adoption fees are usually much less than an animal's purchase price at a pet store or breeder. Your new pet is more likely to be vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed or neutered. To locate your local animal shelter, check the Yellow Pages under "animal shelter," "animal control," or "humane society.”

Many shelters have web sites on which they display the animals they have available for adoption. Some sites allow you to download adoption forms and read about responsible pet care. A growing number of shelters also promote their web sites, and the animals they have for adoption, on sites such as Pets 911.com, Petfinder.com, and 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com.