Have you ever lost money playing slot machines at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino? A small percentage of your losses are going to help homeless dogs and cats, if that makes you feel any better.

A $25,000 check has already been given to the Washington Area Humane Society, which is in North Strabane, as is the casino. The check came from the North Strabane supervisors, whose share of gaming revenue was $2.3 million this year.

"Two cents of every dollar wagered at the casino goes back to the community," said board chairman Brian Spicer. Other beneficiaries include the Greater Canonsburg Public Library, which recently received a $25,000 check from elected officials.

"I don't think the public fully appreciates" how much work the Washington Area Humane Society does, Mr. Spicer said. "I am very happy we can help them."

And it just gets better.

"We'll be giving the shelter $25,000 a year for three years in a row," Mr. Spicer said.

An extra $75,000 will go a long way for a nonprofit, no-kill shelter that struggles mightily to raise enough money to meet its yearly operating budget of $650,000.

"We're very proud of the fact that we have operated in the black for the last three years," said WAHS board member Pat Sphar of Upper St. Clair. "We used to have deficits."

The money will be applied to the shelter's $850,000 capital campaign to build an addition, she said. Construction is expected to begin in 12-18 months.

"We're not looking to expand our capacity," Ms. Sphar said.

The Cat Castle will be demolished this month because it has repeatedly been flooded and is no longer usable.

Current shelter capacity is 100 cats and 80 dogs, and space is a bit tight.

In addition to taking care of homeless animals, the shelter also employs humane agents who investigate reports of animal cruelty and then prosecute the cases in court. About 800 cruelty complaints come in each year. Go to www.washingtonpashelter.org for further information.

The Washington shelter finds new homes for dogs like Jessie James, a basset-beagle mix I met last month at a blessing of the animals service at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon. The well-behaved spotted dog sat quietly in a pew during the hour-long service, occasionally hanging his head over the side to check out other animals in the church.

I met Jessie James at the reception after the service. He wagged his tail and touched noses with Pablo, our family's cocker spaniel. Jessie's owner turned out to be Pat Sphar, who said Jessie James came into the shelter as a sad, shy, underweight stray. Shelter workers initially thought he was very old because of the way he looked and moved. Tender loving care and good food restored his weight and his friskiness. A veterinary exam indicated he was only 3 or 4 years old.

He went home with Ms. Sphar, where he is healthy and happy and gets along very well with her other pets.