Author: Katya

Free pet food pantries are popping in cities and towns across the nation by people concerned about the recession’s effect on pets. We’ve all seen it or read the stories about people having to give up their animals due to financial trouble. Many people don’t know that most states and many cities have pet food banks available to help those going through a rough patch.  These food banks are designed to help keep pets in homes and out of the animal shelter.

Pet food banks are often run by a group of animal loving volunteers or a local animal shelters or rescue groups.  Most of the food is donated from retailers who have to get rid of their damaged bags of food or dented cans.  Some banks have pet-loving sponsors who make it all possible or they solicit donations in order to fill up their pantry.  There are compassionate veterinarians who also often donate extra food to their local bank to help support this cause.

Most food banks require the recipient of donated food to do their part, too.  It is common for pet food banks to make sure that pets are for companionship and not for breeding or illegal activities, see proof of spay/neuter for each pet receiving food (many of the pet food banks will help you make that happen!), and expect proof of income qualifications along with photo identification.  A one month supply of food for each pet is a standard amount, and recipients are asked to maintain a healthy environment for all their pets, not to tether or chain them, and to give their animals fresh water daily.  Some pet food banks also offer other supplies, and most have a list of low-cost resources and other support services to share. Animal-loving volunteers will likely know about organizations that provide financial assistance or medical services to pet owners in need.

Most pet owners discover the whereabouts of local pet food banks by contacting their local animal shelter, traditional food banks or other social service organizations.  There are a few websites such as Save Our Pets Food Bank, Pikes Peak Pantry , and Petco’s Food Bank Program  that list as pet food pantries from all over the country.

And if this article doesn’t apply to you directly, maybe you or someone you know can volunteer at a local pet food bank!  Getting involved at your local pet food bank is a terrific way to help animals.  Usual volunteer duties range from calling about donations, distributing food pick-ups, sorting pet food types, writing thank you notes, returning calls and emails, and sorting through applications requesting food. Want to do something less administrative?  Organize a pet-food drive at your local school or house of worship and involve your community!  Gathering pet food donations and helping refill those pantries just might make you volunteer of the month.  Lastly, donating money or food yourself is a great way to give back.  If you do not have a local pet food bank in your area and you want to help homeless pets, perhaps you can start one of your own! (Visit www.animalsheltertips.com/pet_food_bank.html for how to start a pet food bank.) This would be an amazing way to improve the lives of both animals and people in your area.

If you or someone you know needs a hand feeding their animals, please use support services and keep your pets in your home.  Spread the word in your community – a local animal shelter should be the last option for your pet (or better yet, not an option at all).  We at Adopt-a-Pet.com want to help both people and animals.  We want to help you stay together, stay safe and stay loved.  We all deserve that.

This is a story about how one dog went from a Death Row at an Animal Shelter to having his own scrapbook of heroic achievements. German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County (GSROC) learned of a male 1 year old German Shepherd at the Devore Animal Shelter in November 2006. Jambalaya, who quickly became known as Jambie, came into that shelter listed as a stray. He lay there, a very depressed and forlorn Shepherd languishing in on the shelter floor. Shepherds are extremely sensitive and intuitive, and they know when their families have cast them off. There was no doubt that this dog had lost hope of being rescued. But GSROC came to his rescue and proved him wrong! He was worth saving and they were committed to making him a happier dog.

Jambie was small GSD with good markings and a rumpled coat. Once out of the shelter, personality wise he was like a highly alert teenager who had never been given any boundaries or direction. He was a handful but in a cute “Dennis the Menace” kind of way. GSROC enrolled him in a basic obedience class, but his handler had to stand at the back of the class with him because he was frequently misbehaving. Much later on, they figured out that Jambie has just been plain BORED with the basics!

Because there are never enough foster homes, Jambie had to go into boarding at a kennel that they use regularly. Fortunately, GSROC has a great team of dog walkers who exercise their dogs regularly, helping keep their spirits up and teaching them some basic leash manners. Jambie hated confinement in the boarding kennel but he loved time with the volunteers. He would do anything for a tennis ball – even if that anything meant leaping onto the conveyor belt while a cashier rung up a tennis ball gift from a nice volunteer during a PetSmart outing. People clapped and whistled with glee watching Jambie in action on that thing! Little did they know then that it would be this obsession with toys that would be his ticket to the big time.

It was almost as if Jambie knew he had been saved by GSROC. His spirit soared. He began to prance energetically when he walked. He was relentless and uber focused. He was silly and boisterous. Based on his enthusiasm and agility, German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County rescuers felt that Jambie had tremendous potential that was worth developing. One of GSROC’s favorite training facilities, Sirius K9 located in Yorba Linda, had put out a ‘casting call’ looking for candidates for working dog opportunities. It’s important that in order to be a working dog, rescued dogs must pass both the aptitude tests and a rigorous physical screening in order to make the grade. So they took Jambie to “audition” at Master K9, a facility known for developing top quality Search and Rescue and Detection dogs. Jambie would have to undergo an evaluation, then two weeks of intensive training to see if he was cut out for a “job”. It was here that Jambie tackled the exercises with ease and grace and his knew life as a hero was about to begin.

At the test for working dog candidates, every rescue group was there with high hopes that hey had a dog with that special something needed to be a working dog. When the test started, Jambie’s alert and professional side emerged. He transitioned from a goofy, naughty, distracted pup to the regal Shepherd with a job to do. Jambie passed every test with flying colors….he calmly retrieved every thing that was tossed out or hidden for him, proudly trotting back to the trainer with each new prize. After that, the secret was out – Jambie’s potential seemed endless.

At the very same time the Orange County Sheriffs were looking for a dog for a pilot program, a unit that would be dedicated exclusively to drug detention, particularly drugs coming up through the southern county from Mexico. The dog had to be the best available to handle the drug smugglers that had been virtually unchecked by standard police measures.

Looking at the all dogs available, the prospective handler, Dennis, an OC Sherriff Deputy, kept looking at Jambie who excelled in all venues and who also happened to remind him of his childhood companion, Copper. Jambie was then and there chosen by Dennis to be his partner, and Dennis changed his name to Copper, in honor of his first GSD. GSROC felt like they had a child who got into an Ivy League college! Here was their little shelter rescue dog learning beside pedigreed dogs imported from Germany especially for their skills! The now Copper went to live with Dennis and his family in his Riverside home and service life was about to begin.

The dynamic duo trained to work as a unit in the OC Sherriff’s Department. Copper’s specialty was finding guns, money and drugs; he and Dennis were frequently called in to search homes, businesses and vehicles. He had graduated as a certified K9 excelling every step of the way. Copper was certified in five scents, his nose considered an expert witness in court and “reasonable cause” in the event a warrant was required. But best of all, Copper also had a home with Dennis where he hung out with the family’s toddlers and was loved family life .

Here is some information about two of their search and rescue missions:

In October 2007, only weeks after being in service full time in a black and white, Copper and I assisted another unit on a stop. The handling Deputy conducted a search prior to our arrival and located 1 kilo of cocaine on the rear floor board of the vehicle. I ran Copper around and eventually inside the vehicle and he alerted on the rear floorboard, near where the earlier mentioned kilo was found. Suspecting that he was alerting on the residual odor from the kilo, I aired out the vehicle and ran him again. Copper gave another strong alert in the same place. I began a more intrusive search and found an electronically controlled hidden compartment underneath the center console. In the compartment, we located an additional sixteen (16) kilos of cocaine.

In March 2008, Copper and I were working the Orange County/San Diego County border when we received a call from a regional team. They were calling from the City of Industry and requested a search of a car that they had stopped. Investigators had searched the car for a little over an hour but were not satisfied with the outcome. Copper and I responded as quickly as the law allowed and moments after our arrival, Copper alerted on the passenger rear quarter-panel of a high end European passenger vehicle. I checked a database for known concealments on vehicles of this type and there was only one, the rear quarter-panel. A subsequent search revealed $175,000.00 in U.S. Currency. The investigative team made it clear that without our response, the money would have been lost, so needless to say, I was very proud of Copper.”

Copper has saved our community from drugs, violence, and other illegal activities. During his years as a detection dog, Copper had the highest drug bust rating of any So Cal K9, and was the only OC Sherriff K9 to work specifically on drug trafficking.

Copper is still an adventurous dog that amazes his family with antics – but he’s also an OC cop! Dennis and Copper as a team had an impressive record while they worked together. Copper holds the honor of being the first, and to GSROC’s knowledge, the only Southern California rescued German Shepherd to make it into law enforcement. Copper just recently retired and remains with his handler and family. While he still enjoys a rousing game of ball, he can appreciate lying in the sunlit grass almost as much. His hard-earned love and security are here to stay. The moral here is that Jambie wasn’t a bad dog at all—he was a working dog whose talents had yet to be discovered. Once he was in the right hands, he blossomed into HERO dog that he was meant to be.

German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County is a 501c3 all volunteer organization. They were founded in 2005 and boast over 250 volunteers. On average, they place approximately 350 shepherds into loving homes each year. They have no paid staff and receive no government funding. All of their resources come from donations and kind people.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Texan. Originally from a small town in Texas, and now with my parents living in Austin, I admit I pay attention to what goes on there because my family is there, my roots are there. But I’m also paying attention because Austin, Texas is doing great work to help animals. That’s what this article is about: getting inspired to do something, small or large, in our own towns today to help our local shelter animals. Now, it may be hot down there but it’s also a great place to live – especially if you’re a shelter pet. Austin has frequently been named one of the most pet-friendly communities in the country, and not too long ago, they decided to move full steam ahead on path to become a “No Kill” city! The Texas-capital’s accomplishments are in no small part due to rescue groups, animal shelters, leaders, politician and citizens working together to utilize their advocacy, skills, and heart to help their homeless pet population.

There are many fantastic organizations and innovative people doing great work for the animals, but here are various groups I discovered that are helping Austin achieve “No-Kill” status.

Austin Pet’s Alive is a non-profit volunteer organization committed to promoting and providing the resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. It’s hard to believe, but this 501c3 is run almost exclusively by dedicated volunteers who develop innovative and progressive programs to assist Austin and Central-Texas in becoming no-kill. Austin Pet’s Alive both focuses on helping healthy, treatable animals in shelters and helps owners who are having problems with their own pets so as to decrease owner relinquishment. They are their own rescue group and find great homes for the many pets in their care, especially those who have been overlooked, through their various programs including an active foster system, mobile events and the upcoming Adoption Resource Center building they will soon open. Austin Pets Alive also work closely with the Town Lake Animal Shelter so that their city can achieve a save/adoption rate of 90% or more for all pets entering shelters.

Teeny’s Friends collects toys for needy dogs. Their goal is simple: to make sure that no dog ever has to go without the simple pleasure of chasing a ball or snuggling a plushie. They raise money by doing toy drives and their buy-one-donate-one designed toy program. All the toys they gather are then donated to rescue groups, animal shelters, and families in low income neighborhoods – all with pooches who need a little mental stimulation that only a toy can bring. Teeny’s Friends helps promote adoption retention and gives back to homeless pets.

We all know sterilizing our pets is one of the most responsible things we can do to solve pet overpopulation. Emancipe+ offers high volume, high quality spaying and neutering for pets who live in the City of Austin and Travis County. They offer free spay and neuter at their mobile clinic on Thursdays and Saturdays. They also offer a low-cost clinic for those who are can afford to pay for the low-cost services, and all surgeries are performed by licensed veterinarians. The City of Austin/Travis County Animal Funding provides sponsorship for this program and donations are welcome. Emancipe+ will also now be offering low cost, walk-in wellness clinics for dogs or cats who are already spayed or neutered so that local communities can have access to more affordable basic care such as vaccines and preventative medicine.

The Austin Humane Society is helping feral cats (also known as free-roaming cats) as they are the largest cause of pet overpopulation in Austin. Their Free Roaming Cat Program has already sterilized and vaccinated more than 15,000 feral cats since 2007. They are currently the only program offering free feral cat sterilization in their community and are calling on every-day citizens to get involved and be a part of the solution. The cats are humanely trapped, sterilized for free, and then returned to their colonies safely and effectively. In 2009, the feline euthanasia rate in Austin dropped more than 40% due in larger part to the contribution of their feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return Program!

Love-a-Bull is dedicated to educating and advocating in Austin and beyond, on behalf of the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Terrier, and Bull Terrier (all breeds commonly referred to as “pit bulls”) and pit bull mixes. Their mission is to promote responsible ownership and improve the image of pit bulls in the community. Their strategy is to lead by example and so they started an all-pittie therapy group, The Pit Crew. These pitties and their handlers visit children and adults in need, providing therapeutic interaction that can improve mood, build confidence, and repair hearts.

In some ways, what can help homeless pets most is spreading the word that they are sentient beings with personalities, preferences and individual characteristics. Virtual Petwork is a social networking site catering to pets – it’s a way for Texas pets to connect with their pet pals. Pets can blog, join groups, chat on a message board, discuss [or complain about!] their parents, write on their pet pal’s wall, and support their favorite animal charity among other activities. The Virtual Petwork is giving voices to animals, something us pet owners already do. By helping make sure other people get it too, and including an adoption corner available to members, they’re helping promote adoption and shift perspectives.

These are just some of the many, many resources I found when researching animal welfare and the progress this city is making; there are plenty more terrific groups and organizations out there. There is a lot we can learn from Austin, and I urge other volunteers in other towns to do their part in helping homeless pets near them. It seems when it comes right down to it, what I believe is making Austin successful in their efforts is that people are uniting to make a difference for the animals in their community. I guess it really does take a village – even if it’s a really hot one.

Summertime is full of sunshine and often families like to take a vacation. It can be stressful to know what to do with your animals when you go away, especially if you’d like to try to take them with you. When it comes to small pets such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats and mice, most do not enjoy travel and sometimes keeping them at home with a pet sitter can be the ideal situation. However if you would like to take your small pets with you on a trip, do not fear it can be done! Coordinating and planning the whole process ahead of time will likely make it an easier, smoother experience for everyone. For a few tips on creating a stress-free vacation with your pocket pet click that link! Also make sure you remember to bring your little furry friend’s medical records just in case its needed on your vacation. Preparing the basics is a great way to ensure your small pets can be kept safe and comfortable as you head out of town.

If you’re currently looking for a small pet to adopt click here!

It may not be something we think about too often, but it is important to pay special attention to keeping pet safe around your home windows. As the temperature rises for summertime, many people begin leaving their windows open for ventilation not realizing their animals can actually fall out. What if Fido sees another dog walks by and presses up against your screen to get closer? Or a squirrel is torturing your cat from a branch just outside? According to the Home Safety Council, tens of thousands of preventable injuries occur in the home each year, and many involving windows. Click here to read some simple window safety tips that will help keep all your pets safe and prevent unpredictable accidents from happening.

It’s one thing to know it, but another to prove it! A recent study focused on shelter dogs in Vienna, Austria. Their goal? To find out what would increase the chances for long-term shelter dogs to get adopted. It turns out they were able to conclude and actually prove that socialization and basic training were found to significantly improve the chance for adoption however time constraints often does not allow most shelter staff to engage in additional activities Person walking dog on leash with the animals. Yet the Vienna Shelter knew they could come up with a way to help their animals! They created a ”sponsors of care” program designed for each shelter dog to be matched with a sponsor who would be responsible for taking the dog on regular walks. The shelter even created a training program for sponsors to attend, and offered supervision when difficulties arose.

Over the years since this program began in 2003, the number of sponsors working with dogs has increased, many sponsors ended up adopting their shelter dog, and best of all as a result of this program, the number of long-term stays was reduced from 26% to 12% by 2009! This study proves that taking shelter dogs for walks significantly increases their quality of life as well as their chances for adoption.

Dog walking has health benefits for the humans too! If you’re a volunteer at a shelter or rescue that doesn’t yet have a dog walking program, feel free to share this article with them and let them know you’re interested in dog walking! Passionate tennis-shoe -wearing folks are needed who are willing to hoof it and woof it can help shelter dogs become more adoptable!

Guinea pigs are gentle, sweet pets who have a docile nature – not to mention are totally adorable! They respond to being handled, fed, and pet, and are also relatively easy to take care of making them a popular and fun pet for families. Guinea pigs thrive in groups and are social animals who love to bond with others!

If you’ve never had a guinea pig before you might wonder what they eat. Grass is the guinea pig’s natural diet and it’s also good for them to feed on fresh grass hay (called timothy hay) as well as food pellets. Interestingly enough, unlike other mammals yet similar to humans, guinea pigs need vitamin C in their diet and rely on getting it from their food sources as their body can’t make it. They require about 25 mg of vitamin C daily, which can be obtained through fresh, raw fruits and vegetables or supplements.

Making sure your guinea pig is getting sufficient Vitamin C is key, and there are specific signs to look for in order to tell if your he or she is Vitamin C deficient, to learn those click here. For more information on how to make sure your guinea pig is getting enough Vitamin C and how to tell if they’re not! Also, check out the many fabulous guinea pigs we have listed for adoption on Adopt-a-Pet.com by searching here. Make sure you have enough Vitamin C for two – you just might  find your furry friend to adopt today!

Does your dog get crazy excited when you come home? Does he jump all over you and, though its adorable, would you rather he took it down a notch? Next time you come home, try coming into your house playing ball with him right away so that it gets the excitement and dog playing ball eagerness off of you and onto the game! Keep a basket of tennis balls right outside your front door so you’ll be ready for a toss as soon as the door enters. This way, you’ll have an activity for him to focus on when you come home, and you can help burn off a little of his energy, too (he’s been waiting all day for you!). Take it outside to the back yard if he seems like he needs to run!

When he’s calmer after a few tosses, you can then pet your pooch and spend some quality time. Remember, every time you talk to or touch your dog you’re reinforcing behavior, so if you play ball as you can home you can reinforce the behavior you want and not the jumping up on you! Hey, you might even like playing ball at the end of your long day – so who’s helping who here? That’s exactly why we love our pets – they help us laugh and relax more every day!

– Written by Katya Friedman, Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Director of Partnerships and Promotions and a certified dog trainer

Care2.com is hosting the 2011 America’s Favorite Animal Shelter contest, and helping to promote Adopt-a-Pet.com and pet adoption.  You can vote for your favorite animal shelter that is listed on Adopt-a-Pet.com and help them win!  If you know about, volunteer with, or support a shelter and would like to see them win the 2011 America’s Favorite Animal Shelter contest, just go here to vote!  If your favorite shelter or rescue is not yet listed there, they’ll need to sign up for a free shelter account on Adopt-a-Pet.com here.

The Grand Prize is $15,000, the Second Prize is $7,000, the Third Prize is $3,000, and a weekly Random Prize of $500 will be selected.  We are so excited that Care2.com is helping us support our shelters, as we know how much these funds will help their life-saving efforts.  Tell your friends, your family, your family friends – tell them all to vote!  The top 20 vote recruiters will get a $50 gift card each, so you stand to win something, too!

America’s Favorite Animal Shelter contest is running until July 10th and shelter winners will be determined by the number of supporters voting on the contest page. So please, get on those computers and vote!  Your furry friends will thank you for it and they’re definitely worth voting for.