Author: Jennifer

This week we have a story of a local group of folks who used social media tools and word of mouth to save the lives of several animals scheduled for euthanasia. Lewisburg Animal Shelter Adoptions (LASA) was recently “created by local Lewisburg animal lovers wishing to network our community’s homeless dogs,” according to their Facebook page. Eleven dogs were scheduled for euthanasia on Thursday, March 4, but, due to LASA’s efforts, they got a “stay of execution” and many have since been adopted. There are now less than 10 dogs at the shelter that has a capacity of about 25.

Don’t you just love products that are good for the planet, good for our pets, and help homeless pets all at the same time? That’s what inspired one of Hollywood’s most coveted interior designers, Kari Whitman, to create a signature line of dog and cat beds. She was searching for earth-friendly dog beds for a celebrity client who was going entirely green in her high-end home. The products Kari found were either unstylish — or not eco-friendly. So Kari combined her many passions and talents and the result was Greener Pup and Greener Kitty!

The beds are made in the U.S. and the filling is made from 100% recycled plastic. A single pound of filling is made from 10 plastic water/soda bottles. Depending on the size of each of the dog beds, which have 7-12 pounds of filling each, its recycling 70-120 plastic bottles! It makes a soft, durable filler which is breathable, hypo-allergenic and won’t attract insects. All their beds come with one free removable, washable cover in your choice of recycled fabrics. We really like the planet earth pattern!

100% of the profits from Greener Pup and Greener Kitty pet bed sales goes to saving homeless dogs. Kari is the founder of the nonprofit Ace of Hearts Rescue in Los Angeles, California. Ace of Hearts is dedicated to rescuing shelter dogs and finding them permanent, loving homes. Her rescue adopted out over 2,000 dogs in ten years!

To check out all the styles of beds and covers, visit www.greenerpup.com and www.greenerkitty.com

One way to be a responsible pet owner is to be prepared for your pet’s expected and possible emergency vet care costs. So far, there isn’t any discussion of pet medicare or a nationalized pet heath care plan! It’s up to you to take care of your  pets medical costs. Even the healthiest, indoor-only, most “low-risk” pet can have an accident or suddenly develop an illness. With a little planning, and exploring the options below, you can be ready to provide the best vet care possible for your pets, without breaking open your piggy bank!

1. Pet Health Insurance. Yes, there is health insurance for your pets! Plans are often very affordable, and cover everything from “maintenance” care such as yearly checkups and vaccines, to accidents and serious illnesses. Make sure to read the full policy to know what is covered by the plan you select. Ask your vet which pet health insurance they recommend.
2. Credit Card. You can open a separate regular credit card so that you have a card with an available balance in case of an emergency, or if that might be too much temptation for other spending, there is a vet version of CareCredit www.carecredit.com/vetmed/ – check with your vet to see if they accept CareCredit before applying. You will be responsible for paying the full cost of the vet services – it is not insurance. But you can pay it and the interest off over time.
3. Regular Savings Account. How much would you be willing to spend if your pet got sick? If you can, set aside that amount in a regular savings account. If your bank offers a savings account that you can link to your credit card or debit card account, set it up that way, so if you rush to the ER vet on a Saturday night, you’ll still have access to those emergency funds if needed.

Adorable recovering puppy photo thanks to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/625780

This week features a story from CA where a community came together and helped end puppy mill sales of one local pet store. Owners of a Rocklin pet store say they were flooded with e-mails and phone calls, asking them to stop selling purebred puppies. The requests started soon after a Roseville pet store which sold dogs closed last year. “We won’t be selling puppies anymore at the store, we just want to be a good member of the community and it’s clear that people don’t want us doing it,” said Rocklin Family Pet Store owner, Dale Glazer. The store will host an SPCA pet adoption event this Friday.

This week a story about a new program started in Arlington Virgina called Pets2Vets. The purpose is to pair veterans with homeless pets by arranging adoptions of shelter animals. It has made two or three matches a week since its start in October. Veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center are adopting pets from the Washington Animal Rescue League, where staff help make the right match. It’s a win-win situation for the shelter and the vets, Dr. Weitzman said: “We provide them a healing environment, to continue their recovery, but they also help our animals, many of which are recovering from traumas themselves.” Another story includes news from a group of High School students who held a bake sale for homeless animals, read the full story here.

This week a story about two Pittsburgh native girls who raised $1,200 by hosting game nights, ice cream socials and selling raffle tickets and baked goods around their township to help out local animals. All proceeds benefited a non-profit shelter, Animal Friends. Also, a story from the Daily Wag about one adoption advocate who was able to work diligently to save the life of a dog called Georgie.

It’s the holiday season, one of the most popular times for families to adopt a pet – and for pets to end up in the vet emergency office! Both new and experienced pet owners are unaware of how many common items can be hazardous – even fatal – to household pets. Plus, during the holidays our homes are often filled with family and friends who may not fully realize the dangers. You may think your pet would enjoy a party, but the safest thing to do is keep all your pets closed away in a bedroom or otherwise away from the guests, who may, in the generous holiday spirit and excitement of the festivities, not realize that giving a begging dog “just one” treat could be fatal.  Especially if your home or festivities include any of these pet-toxic foods or decorative items, please be careful they stay safely out of your pets’ reach…  so everyone can safely enjoy the holidays!

If your pet ingests any of these potentially fatal items please CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.

Human Food: Chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocados, Macadamia nuts, onions or onion powder, garlic, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, any type of cooked bones, fish bones, moldy or spoiled food, raw yeast dough, products sweetened with xylitol which is found in chewing gum or mints.

Common holiday items: antifreeze (tastes sweet pets may lick off floor), ice melting products, liquid potpourri, electrical cords, mothballs, Christmas tree water (pesticides used on the tree can leach into the water), ribbons or tinsel which can clog up intestines.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

There’s still time to order some ADOPT collar and leashes, which are uber-hip gifts that help homeless pets! Artist Shepard Fairey and his Obey clothing company created these items, and chose Adopt-a-Pet.com as their latest Awareness program partner. Their Awareness program is their way of raising awareness and support for certain causes. The pet overpopulation crisis and the resulting plight of homeless pets is one they care deeply about and they believe in the non-profit efforts of Adopt-a-Pet.com to get homeless pets seen and saved. As they say on their website, “Dogs, pet owners, and supporters can proudly weart the ADOPT image Shepard created to show their support.” All of the proceeds for collar and leash sales go to help the cause! https://shop.obeyclothing.com/c-126-adopt-a-pet.aspx

Recently Pia has been involved in a super fun campaign — it’s a campaign to end the negative stereotype of the “crazy cat lady” and to be quite frank, we all think it’s long overdue. Pia shares her home with three amazing rescued cats, and many other Adopt-a-Pet.com staff  also have adopted cats, so we can all attest to how off-base the crazy cat lady mythology really is. A recent survey revealed that 71% of cats in homes actually live in multiple-cat households. Yet, while having multiple cats is clearly a way of life for so many Americans, negative and misleading stereotypes still exist. Read the rest of Pia’s fascinating research on this sterotype-shattering movement in Pia’s Daily Wag blog on MarthaStewart.com.

This is Part II of our Hero story about Kelsey & Sunny. You can read Part I here. Karma. This story happened earlier this summer, without much explanation or leads on who the criminal was that threw Sunny off the bridge. When Sunny was rescued she showed physical signs that indicated that she recently had puppies. Many backyard breeders force a female dog to mate, sell the puppies and then dispose of the mother, never facing justice. However this time would be different. Months later, the criminal who threw Sunny off the bridge, was caught when he was throwing two kittens down a sewer while admitting he was the same person who had thrown a dog off the bridge! (Read the full story here). When he was found guilty on 99 charges of animal cruelty (and is currently in custody in Louisville, KY) we couldn’t help but wonder, could he have been Sunny’s former owner, with Karma bringing him to justice?

This is a story of a true animal hero. Heroes are people like Kelsey and other folks that do the right thing and work to protect animals above all odds, even when it’s difficult. After Sunny’s rescue, Kelsey dedicated herself to teaching the community about animal cruelty and responsible pet ownership, including hosting a fundraising event at the restaurant, which she called: “Sunny Day: Shedding Light on Animal Cruelty.” There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on behalf of animals, but for now, this is one story closer that brings everyone hope that there is good in the world. Thanks Kelsey and Sunny!

Reposted with permission – HarleysMission.blogspot.com