Pets.com may have shut down, but the dot-com's final efforts are saving Alaskan sled dogs on the brink of starvation through a donation of 21 tons of food to help animals owned by Alaskan villagers.

John Cummings, former director of investor relations for Pets.com (which has had most of its assets taken over by PETsMART.com), said the animal-loving company felt it had to do something when it heard about the plight of the dogs, which are used for travel between villages, hauling water and firewood and checking trap lines.

A disastrous salmon season left villagers throughout Alaska's interior with so little food that some owners have killed their dogs, rather than letting them slowly starve to death, the Associated Press reports.

The food donation was hatched in secrecy and didn't move forward until the company’s liquidation plans were completed. Pets.com officials said they didn't want to upset shareholders who may have wanted all remaining inventories to be sold, rather than donated, AP reports.

"Even a struggling dot-com still has a responsibility as a company," Cummings told the news service. "Our company is committed to pets, to animal welfare. Most people at this company are passionate about it."

The food was presented to the Tanana Chiefs Conference for distribution to the villages of Anvik, Grayling, Holy Cross, Kalskag, Nikolai, Shageluk and Takotna. Conference officials say about 5,000 dogs in 42 villages need food, AP reports.

Other companies contributing to the aid effort include the Ralston Purina Co., which donated 22.5 tons of food in October, and King Triton Fisheries, which gave 20,000 pounds of sockeye salmon after it filed for bankruptcy.

The U.S. Postal service is allowing more than 200,000 pounds of supplies to be shipped as less-expensive "bypass" mail and the Humane Society of the United States is coordinating delivery efforts.

Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/
0,1367,40453,00.html