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Excerpt from Dogs Helping Dogs

by Time for Kids with Associated Press Reporting

1 If man's best friend is a dog, then who is a dog's best friend? That would be Rover. Or Glow, or Ivan, or Raina. These four canines recently donated valuable pints of blood to their fellow pooches. And they did it without having to travel far from home: They visited an animal bloodmobile.

2 Similar to the Red Cross vehicles for humans, the University of Pennsylvania's traveling veterinary lab goes to where the donors are to make it easier to give. The bloodmobile makes weekly rounds through suburban Philadelphia and New Jersey. Kym Marryott is the manager of Penn's Animal Blood Bank. "You don't really think about it until you actually need it," Marryott told the Associated Press. "Just like in people, dogs need blood too."

Helping Paws

3 Like humans, not every dog is eligible to donate blood. The pooches are screened for health first. Dogs must have the correct blood type, weigh at least 55 pounds and be younger than 8 years old. About 150 dogs participate in the program. Each donates three or four pints a year, which can help animals suffering from illnesses like cancer or an accidental trauma like being hit by a car. One pint can save up to three dogs.

4 Owners volunteer their pet for the short procedure, which requires no sedation. That's when a patient is given medicine to calm him or her down. Marryott said it's the dog that ultimately chooses to lie still and give. "It (the dog) wanted to get up and leave, he could," she said. "But they're really good about it, they trust their owner." . . .

5 Just like people, the furry donors get a snack and a heart-shaped "U of P Blood Donor" sticker immediately after giving. In addition, they receive free blood screenings and dog food to take home.