It's easy to love your own pet, but what about the castaways, the endangereds, the homeless cats and dogs out there? Make you sad? Bideawee wipes away the tears and actually takes action, living up to its slogan as "animal people who love animals." Operating three facilities—in Manhattan and on Long Island in Wantagh and Westhampton—this century-old privately funded organization that is always in need of contributions runs myriad services, including adoption and vet care. Thanks to some smart planning, Bideawee opened its doors to the Pet Safe Coalition emergency-shelter crew a couple of months before Hurricane Irene. As a result, scores of pets rode out the storm in loving care while their owners sought human shelters. Meanwhile, Bideawee's staff and volunteers were undaunted by their own woes—their facility in Manhattan was in extreme danger of flooding, but everyone emerged safe and loved. bideawee.org