Do you remember the sad-eyed shelter dogs that starred in television commercials not so long ago? With Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel" playing in the background, the commercials showed dogs running to the front of their cages and looking directly into the camera in an appeal that could only be interpreted as "please get me out of here." One of the commercials was especially heart wrenching, for it showed a border collie mix being passed over by prospective adopters.

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The commercials were for PEDIGREE, a company that is in the business of selling dog food. But the commercials were part of The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive.

Dog lover's flooded the dog food company with questions and concerns, especially about the border collie. Many of the callers wanted to adopt a shelter dog featured in the commercial, especially that border collie.

Here's the good news: The border collie has been adopted into a great home, and so have the 11 other dogs featured in commercials. And dog lovers have donated $750,000 to the company's adoption drive, which will benefit shelters.

The company has started running television commercials titled "Resolution." Look for them. They feature happy adoption endings for the border collie and other dogs.

Usually I ignore releases from pet food companies, but I thought people would enjoy reading updates on the dogs from the commercials.

The border collie mix was in a Los Angeles shelter, where the staff called her Echo.

"She was confused but there was hope in her eyes," said the follow-up release. "Every time someone walked by her cage, it was as if she ran up to audition. She smiled, her ears perked up, she came in close for a belly rub -- leaving everyone wondering how a dog like this, or any dog for that matter, could end up in a shelter."

Echo, who is now 1 year old, "is thriving in a beautiful home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif." Her family takes her on long walks on nature trails. She has a large back yard and shares her new home with another dog, a bird and two cats."

King, 2, a German shepherd dog, "found the shelter confusing and spent most days staring off into the distance. During the filming of the television commercials, one of the crew members fell in love with King and adopted him."

Others in new homes include a terrier mix, American Staffordshire terrier, pug, Australian cattle mix, poodle mix, cairn terrier mix, German shepherd mix, Chihuahua-corgi mix, boxer, shepherd mix and a high-energy Parson Russell terrier mix.

This is the fourth year for the company's adoption drive. In addition to making donations to the drive, if you purchase dog food, T-shirts and other PEDIGREE items, the company also will donate money to the adoption drive. Go to the company Web site, www.dogsrule.com, for further information. The site includes video clips with updates on the dogs that starred in the commercials.

Anyone who adopts from a local shelter or breed rescue during 2008 is eligible for a free one-month supply of food "as a thank you from PEDIGREE Brand," the release says.

About 4 million dogs per year end up in U.S. shelters "and nearly half of those canines never find a place to call home," the release says. I'm not sure who counts the number of dogs that go to shelters, but 50 percent is probably about the right percentage of dogs that don't get adopted.

So if you're thinking about adding a dog to your home, consider taking a look at dogs in shelters or rescue groups near you. Most have Internet Web sites, and most of those feature pictures of adoptable animals.

But think before you act. The adoption or purchase of a pet should never be done on impulse, because if you end up taking a pet to a shelter when things "don't work out," you're part of the problem. If you adopt an animal and care for it until the day it dies, you're part of the solution.