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Inspired by Patrick McDonnell’s heartwarming comic strip MUTTS featuring Mooch and Earl, the Mutts Adoption Event – brought to you by the Petco Foundation – celebrates the love that can change the world for pets without a home. And your life just might be changed too! During this national event, thousands of pets will be waiting for you at Petco and Unleashed by Petco stores across the country, waiting for a home… waiting for the love that will change their lives. Who knows—you might find your very own Mooch or Earl and fall in love!

Why MUTTS in May? Recently award-winning artist and animal advocate Patrick McDonnell, creator of the MUTTS comic strip, turned a visit to New York City’s public open-admission animal shelter, Animal Care Centers of NYC, into a week’s worth of MUTTS comics called ‘Shelter Stories’. He focused on not just the animals in the shelter, but the selfless volunteers, the incredibly caring staff, and future pet parents that came in looking to fill their heart with love. Patrick captured the essence of love in not only the animal’s eyes, but also in their new pet parents and families hearts.
Patrick’s journey is featured on Shelter Me, an inspiring series that celebrates shelter pets by telling positive and uplifting stories, proudly supported by the Petco Foundation. Check your local PBS station or visit shelterme.tv for airtimes then visit your Petco store to begin your own story.

Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell’s Experience at New York City Animal Shelter Inspires his MUTTS comic strip, “Shelter Stories” from Steven Latham on Vimeo.

The Petco Foundation believes love has the power to change everything. How has love changed you? Share your stories on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #lovechangeseverything!

Some of the following plants can be toxic to your dog. Check with your veterinarian before having them in your home.

* Aloe Vera
* Apple (seeds)
* Apricot (pit)
* Autumn Crocus
* Baby’s Breath
* Branching Ivy
* Buddhist Pine
* Calla Lily
* Ceriman
* Cherry (seeds and wilting leaves)
* Cineraria
* Cordatum
* Cornstalk Plant
* Cuban Laurel
* Cycads
* Daffodil
* Dieffenbachia
* Dragon Tree
* Easter Lily (especially cats!)
* Elephant Ears
* English Ivy
* Fiddle-leaf Fig
* Foxglove
* Geranium
* Giant Dumb Cane
* Gold Dust Dracaena
* Hahn’s Self-Branching Ivy
* Hurricane Plant
* Janet Craig Dracaena
* Jerusalem Cherry
* Lacy Tree Philodendron
* Madagascar Dragon Tree
* Marijuana
* Miniature Croton
* Morning Glory
* Narcissus
* Nephytis
* Oleander
* Oriental Lily (especially cats!)
* Peach (wilting leaves and pits)
* Plumosa Fern
* Poison Ivy
* Pothos
* Primrose
* Red Princess
* Rhododendron
* Saddle Leaf Philodendron
* Satin Pothos
* Silver Pothos
* String of Pearls
* Sweetheart Ivy
* Taro Vine
* Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem and leaves)
* Tropic Snow Dieffenbachia
* Yew
* Amaryllis
* Apple Leaf Croton
* Asparagus Fern
* Azalea
* Bird of Paradise
* Buckeye
* Caladium
* Castor Bean
* Charming Dieffenbachia
* Chinese Evergreen
* Clematis
* Corn Plant
* Croton
* Cutleaf Philodendron
* Cyclamen
* Devil’s Ivy
* Dracaena Palm
* Dumb Cane
* Elaine
* Emerald Feather
* Eucalyptus
* Florida Beauty
* Fruit Salad Plant
* German Ivy
* Glacier Ivy
* Golden Pothos
* Heartland Philodendron
* Indian Rubber Plant
* Japanese Show Lily (especially cats!)
* Kalanchoe
* Lily of the Valley
* Marble Queen
* Mexican Breadfruit
* Mistletoe
* Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
* Needlepoint Ivy
* Nightshade
* Onion
* Peace Lily
* Pencil Cactus
* Poinsettia (low toxicity)
* Poison Oak
* Precatory Bean
* Red Emerald
* Red-Margined Dracaena
* Ribbon Plant
* Sago Palm
* Schefflera
* Spotted Dumb Cane
* Striped Dracaena
* Swiss Cheese Plant
* Tiger Lily (especially cats!)
* Tree Philodendron
* Weeping Fig

The weekend is upon us! So many options for fun things to do, yet somehow we just want to stay in and snuggle with our furry babies. Do you ever want to ditch the big outings in favor of a warm couch and a cuddle?

RedandHowling: Musings on Dogs, Cats & Other Bundles of Love.

Black cats are always the last to go at adoption shelters – especially around Halloween. Until now. October 29 is a new worldwide holiday: National Cat Day!  a holiday to celebrate cats for their unconditional love and companionship, and to welcome those in need into our lives through animal rescue. Remember, however, that black cats need extra protection around Halloween. Here are a few simple tips to keep your kitty safe. And adoption shortfalls don’t end with black cats. More cats than dogs are euthanized every year, mostly because they usually arrive at shelters without any owner identification. The Animal Miracle Network estimates that approximately 4 million cats enter shelters every year, and 1 to 2 million of them are euthanized.

The primary goal of National Cat Day is to facilitate 10,000 incremental adoptions of shelter cats nationwide on October 29. This will be the first year that the Animal Miracle Network attempts to track the numbers for cats, but similar National Dog Day initiatives in the past have exceeded the goal by more than 12,000 dogs.

National Cat Day founder Colleen Paige explains, “We put a lot of manpower into communicating with our affiliate event promoters and shelters around the country that signed up to participate. We’ll only take credit for the numbers we directly receive from our adoption sources.”

You can still help homeless cats on National Cat Day if you’re unable to take on another pet. Visit a local animal shelter and offer to volunteer by cleaning cages or playing with the cats. You could also host your own event such as a bake sale and donate the proceeds to a shelter in honor of National Cat Day.

If you’re already a proud cat owner, take some time on National Cat Day to show your pet how much you appreciate her. Paige recommends spoiling her with treats or a new litter box, or simply showing her some love. “In this difficult economy, if all you can afford is time, spend some of it with your furry feline,” recommends Paige. “That’s more important to them then all the catnip in the world.”

If you’re looking to give a homeless cat a loving home, visit Petcentric’s Adopt-a-Pet.com-powered pet search tool to meet your new best friend. With pet adoption, you’ll find that National Cat Day will be the first of countless great ones to come.

Colleen Paige is the Editor-in-Chief of Pet Home magazine. Visit www.nationalcatday.com and www.colleenpaige.com for more information.

This post is brought to you by…

Does your dog have selective hearing?

RedandHowling: Musings on Dogs, Cats & Other Bundles of Love.

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We’re so excited about Adopt-a-Pet.com’s new partner site Purina ONE.com! Beginning in a couple of weeks, adoptable pets posted on Adopt-a-Pet.com will be seen by people visiting PurinaONE.com, without any extra effort by the 10,000 shelters and rescue that post their pets on Adopt-a-Pet.com already.

The people at Purina ONE have been committed to supporting shelters and pet adoption for years, and we thank them for helping to get your pets seen and adopted!

If your organization already has  an Adopt-a-Pet.com shelter/rescue account and do not want your pets to be displayed on the PurinaONE.com site, all you have to do is login to your Admin area, visit the “My shelter/rescue info” page and uncheck the box in the “Partners” section. Otherwise, your pets will appear on PurinaONE.com automatically.

If you don’t have a free Adopt-a-Pet.com shelter/rescue account and would like your pets to appear on PurinaOne.com, you can sign up here: http://www.adoptapet.com/signup

This past weekend, at a brand-new event called the Purina Pet Project, the folks at Purina once again showed their enormous commitment to supporting not only homeless animals, but the shelters and rescue organizations that care for them.  I had the pleasure (and it was!) of attending this event, along with Adopt-a-Pet.com’s director of animal shelter outreach, Jennifer Jacobsen.  We were both so impressed with what we saw, and absolutely inspired.

Here’s a little background: every year, Purina employees participate in a day of volunteerism to help St. Louis-area animal shelters, taking part in a variety of projects like assembling dog and cat beds, doing shelter makeovers, and making blankets to keep shelter pets warm .  These projects really make an impact on the animal welfare community in St. Louis.  This year, our friend Caroline Holke at Purina had an amazing, big idea, which began with a simple question: If the employees of Purina could make such a big difference in a single day, how much more could be done if the general public were given the opportunity to volunteer as well?  Caroline’s idea was embraced by her colleagues, and presto! The Purina Pet Project was born.

The event was held on Saturday, October 1st at Purina Farms.  Before the doors opened to the public, we took a look around. More than 30 different projects were waiting to be completed. More than 30 rescue groups and shelters were there with adoptable pets on display.  There were empty troughs waiting to be filled with donated items from a wish list Purina had provided to the public, things that shelters really needs like toys, bleach, and other supplies.  An empty volunteer sign-up sheet sat at a booth dedicated to the biggest project of the year: a complete makeover of the Five Acres Animal Shelter, which was to be completed the following weekend, if enough volunteers could be recruited.  So many opportunities to help…but would anybody show up?

The doors opened, and we got our answer: a resounding YES!  The folks at Purina were really hoping they’d get 1,000 people to come out and help.  Instead, they got about 2,800!  People poured in the door, many carrying items to donate, and all ready and willing to lend a hand.  It was a beautiful thing to behold.  It was especially wonderful to see so many parents and children working together.  Kudos to those parents for teaching their children the spirit of volunteerism (and kudos to the children who taught their parents, of course)!

The results?

15 dog houses were beautifully decorated

200 Kuranda dog beds were assembled

40 Kuranda cat towers were assembled

220 pet blankets were made

600 pet bowls and 550 bandanas were decorated

$2,000 raised from games and raffle tickets –the winner of the 50/50 raffle donated the cash back to the animal shelters

Approximately 20 pets were adopted and MANY other leads were made (most organizations reported receiving at least 4 applications)

12 troughs were heaping with donated items

27 volunteers signed up at the to help with the Five Acres Animal Shelter makeover

Fabulous, in other words.  Thank you, Purina, for caring so much about homeless animals (and the people who take care of them)!

And here are some photos of the event:

We usually cover very serious topics here on our blog, important stuff about helping homeless pets, rescuing dogs, cats and other creatures, ways volunteers and shelters are working hard to save lives… and then… there’s doggie-mail and kittie-mail. Step into the petcentric online gallery here: http://www.petcentric.com/Fun-Games/Doggie-Mail.aspx and you’ll see what we mean! It’s some very silly talking pets that invite you to customize your online message by either choosing one of the three dogs or three cats, or making it even more silly fun, uploading your dog or cat from your computer or Facebook.  Then you choose a painting from the gallery… well, I don’t want to give all the fun away! If you’re looking for a little diversion in your day, or a unique and creative way to add your voice to your pet’s photos and send out a birthday or other greeting to your friends or post a very important message on your Facebook page!

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This is just one of the many reasons why Adopt-a-Pet.com is so extremely proud to work with Purina. They are doing amazing things for the pets affected by Hurricane Sandy. Today they posted a photo of destroyed homes on their Purina ONE Facebook page along with this caption:  “Hurricane Sandy has taken a huge toll on the East Coast. Reports of deaths, extensive power outages and widespread damage are very distressing to hear. Many pets were also displaced as a result of the devastation. At Nestlé Purina, where pets are our passion, we want to do our part to help the four-legged victims of this disaster. As part of this effort, we’ve coordinated several donations of pet food, litter, and Purina Veterinary Diets FortiFlora® to animal welfare organizations, veterinary clinics, and hospitals in the affected areas. Our company is also making a donation of $20,000 to North Shore Animal League America, whose Emergency Response Team was on round-the-clock call throughout the storm with their Mobile Rescue Units to safely evacuate and care for animals in distress. They have organized an Emergency Pet Shelter in New York and are currently caring for more than 150 pets whose owners were directly affected by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. We will also be making a contribution of $15,000 to PetSmart Charities, which has set up a temporary distribution center to hand out food, litter and supplies to animal welfare organizations across the entire northeastern United States. Many have been voicing their support and sympathy for the victims of this disaster. We appreciate your compassion and caring, and we will keep you posted on all Nestlé Purina PetCare efforts.”

From February 10th through February 14th, Adopt-a-Pet.com is holding the “Great American Pooch Smooch & Kitty Kiss” kiss-a-pawlooza! Spread the love of your pets to homeless pets by sharing your purr-fect and paw-some pet-kissing photos on the Adopt-a-Pet.com Facebook page here. For each pooch smooch or kitty kiss photo posted from February 10th through February 14th, 25¢ will be donated to Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Veterinary Care Fund grant program, originally funded with a donation from Purina Veterinary Diets®. The maximum donation is $5,000! Despite the name of the event, photos of all kinds of pets are welcome! Don’t have a pet of your own, or just want to give some extra kisses this Valentine’s Day? Consider visiting your an animal shelter or rescue (find your local shelters and rescues here) to give a smooch or two to some adoptable pets waiting for permanent homes. Or, better yet, make the relationship permanent and adopt!

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