Top 5 pet food brands that give back

Whether you’re throwing your dog a birthday party or attending a doggy wedding (don’t laugh, people really do that), it's important to celebrate our pets. High Hopes lets your pet celebrate healthily -- with 100 percent natural doggy cupcakes that you bake and decorate yourself! These aren’t just a novelty item, either; they’re really good for Fido, containing organic meat your dog will drool over.

The best part about baking these tasty treats, is that 3.5 percent of every sale is donated to the High Hopes for Pets Foundation -- a nonprofit foundation that helps local shelters and animal organizations find homes for homeless pets.

Now your canine can have his cake and eat it too!

DAD'S has a "farm to bowl" philosophy, believing that cats and dogs deserve wholesome and safe foods just like we do. DAD'S purchases their ingredients from local farmers, which not only supports local businesses but also keeps transportation and retail costs low. So you could say they're kind of an all-around do-gooder business... something we can definitely get on board with!

Wait. It gets better. Through DAD'S Have a Heart Program, you can help homeless animals too. Just save your proof-of-purchase UPCs and send them to a participating local animal shelter that will redeem them for money from DAD'S to help provide food and shelter to animals in need.

We know Paul Newman from the movies, but he is also founder of food company and not-for-profit corporation, Newman's Own. Newman's Own Organics Premium Pet Food contains certified organic ingredients, and get this -- gives away 100 percent of their after-tax profits to organizations that support animals' well-being! This brand is also convenient, as it's sold in stores nationwide.

Nell Newman, Paul's daughter and cofounder and president, explains their philosophy well. "With the rise in the number of cat and dog problems directly related to poor nutrition, we want to offer pets the same high-quality food we buy for ourselves. We're excited that we have come up with an organic formulation that is nutritious and great tasting for our four-footed friends, while also helping those not so fortunate."

The Honest Kitchen believes in giving pets the absolute best diet possible. How do they do that? By making people food -- for dogs and cats. They use only human-grade, minimally processed, whole foods in all their products. If this sounds like something your dog would approve of, you can purchase it at small local pet supply stores or online.

The Honest Kitchen is well-known for their honest ingredients, but also their charitable giving, donating a percentage of the profits from online sales to various animal-welfare, humanitarian and environmental causes. They also donate products to nonprofit events nationwide and offer a 30 percent discount to animal rescue organizations and a 10 percent discount for registered service dogs.

If you have a cat or dog, you've most likely purchased a Purina brand product at one time or another. Wise move! Here's why:

• Purina donates food throughout the year to various eligible animal-welfare organizations.
• Nestlé Purina’s Pets for People initiative helps provide care and adoption for more than 1.5 million pets annually.
• Purina ONE’s pet-welfare mission is to find forever homes for pets by providing them with nutritious food so they look and feel their best, giving them a better chance of being adopted.

Purina is also a premier sponsor of these organizations:

• Adopt-a-pet.com helps to place pets in permanent homes.
• Pet Partners advocates for the healing benefits of the relationship between people and pets.
• The Rally to Rescue^® program, dedicated to raising awareness and support for pet rescue.
• Pets for Seniors provides senior citizens with free pet adoptions.
• Saint Louis Petlove Coalition, whose goals include increasing local pet adoption by 20 percent and reducing euthanasia by 50 percent, promoting spay/neuter programs and reducing intake of homeless animals into crowded shelters.