The Underdog Club is the first-ever Dog Marketing Agency. They package and promote hard-to-place dogs, you know, the old ones, the ugly ones and the downright unpopular ones, so they have a shot at a better life. These dogs are often forgotten or ignored in rescues and shelters with little hope. The Underdog Club, a not-for-profit organisation, helps these needy characters in creative ways, both online and in print. They fund and seek sponsorship, involve and educate kids on animal welfare, and bring together a community of dog lovers in a totally novel and inspiring way. The club consists of over 500 members and is run by a smaller team of 40 crazy, dog-obsessed volunteers who aren't afraid of getting a little fur on their clothes. To date, they have placed over 100 underdogs from a dozen shelters into loving homes and have raised over USD 30.000 for dogs in desperate need of medical attention. And they just got started a year ago.

We think this is the beginning of something huge for the little guys. It's smart, friendly, and fun and makes you want to come back and do it all over again.

The Club started off very small - it was really just one dog a week in the paper. The website was launched late summer and, because of the amount of care, witty and fresh writing and totally unexpected presentation, became an immediate hit. We then saw the potential to do something bigger by launching the Underdog Gallery to get the dogs out of their foster homes and dingy cages, and put them somewhere where they actually look hot. It was only supposed to last for a month, but the whole idea mushroomed beyond anything we had expected.Volunteers swarmed the place, kids wanted to get in on it... So we created a membership base so that we could effectively communicate with all these dog lovers. We launched the Junior Clubbers and got kids to start promoting dogs. A Charity Case programme was formed to recruit and sponsor hard up cases.

- Strong media coverage (TV, radio, newspapers, blogs).- Recruitment of more than 500 volunteers (TUC Ambassadors).- More than 6,000 visitors to the website per month.- Over USD 30,000 for dogs in desperate need of medical attention.- Hundreds of adopted Underdogs, with a placement rate of almost 75%.

- And above all, public awareness of the plight of abandoned dogs in Quebec.