5 Animal Charities You'll Love

World Animal Day is October 4. Created in Italy in 1931 to bring attention to endangered species, it's since become a celebration of something much bigger — the bond between humans and our furry, finned, and feathered friends. This year, instead of marking the occasion with a cake for your grandson's gerbil, why not reach out further, by adopting an abandoned puppy, sponsoring an otter, or providing a goat to a family in need across the globe?

To give you some ideas, we've rounded up five organizations that assist every citizen of the animal kingdom, from the tiniest sea turtle to the grandest gorilla to Ogy, a stray Staffordshire Terrier who loves peanut butter. Read on, and make an animal's — and a child's — day.