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 The holidays are a time of giving!  People tend to be a little kinder, smile a little bigger, and hopefully do a little more to help homeless pets.  Are you looking to adopt a pet as a gift for your family  (or yourself!) this holiday season? Many shelters and rescues use this time of year for super fun adoption fairs at holiday-themed events around town. One really spectacular one to check out if you are in Southern California is the annual Grinchmas celebration at Universal Studios Hollywood. Who doesn’t love the hero dog of the class Dr. Seuss story, not to mention all the adorable little Whos? The pet adoption part of this event is called the  Have a Heart Pet Adoption Fair and is presented by Universal Studios Hollywood and L.A. Animal Services. It takes place Noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11 — and as it is located just outside the theme park’s main entrance, it is totally free for everyone to enjoy! For potential pet adopters who aren’t nearby, check out your local animal shelter and rescue for special holiday adoption events. Or make your own holiday celebration by adopting a pet and saving a life. Happy holidays!

Losing a pet is one of the most difficult parts about sharing our lives and hards with our four-footed friends. This beautiful poem about pet loss was submitted to us by someone who wishes to remain anonymous: “I wanted to pass along Blue’s Poem. I wrote this last night, after my beloved, sweet rescue dog passed away at a young age. We only had a short time together, but she changed my life for the better. I would love for her to be able to help other dogs be rescued. Below is Blue’s Poem, and her picture is attached. In her honor and memory, I’d love if this could be shared somewhere for potential adopters and dog-lovers to see. If not, hopefully you will enjoy. Thanks for all the work you do.”

Blue’s Poem

I haven’t had it easy
I know that you can see
Life can be so very cruel
As it has been to me.
I don’t know how I got here
A dog without a home
But all I want’s a master,
And a place to call my own.
I’ve been abandoned and abused
But through it, I’ve been brave
I still have so much love to give
If my life can be saved.
Of course, I’ll need some training
I might get out of line
Like you, I am not perfect
But together, we’ll be fine.
If you give me a second chance
I promise I’ll love you.
In saving my life you will find
I might just save you too.

– Anonymous

We love the Way of Cats blog almost as much as our cats love the holidays! So you can imagine our delight when we saw another of their amazing blog articles exactly on that topic – why do cats love the holidays when they get to spend them at home with you, even if you might be feeling some of the seasonal blues? Way of Cats reveals it’s not just any extra treats they might get. It’s our company. You can read more about this intriguing feline-omena at http://www.wayofcats.com/ and then…

While you’re at it, you might like to check out The Way of Cats tips for cat sitters, tips for how to leave them, how best to feed them, and even have tips about Christmas trees!

Thank you Way of Cats!

Image credit: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The wonderful pet-loving folks over at PeoplePets.com are celebrating Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month this month by introducing their readers to extraordinary canines who need homes throughout December, including the adorable pair of once neglected dogs Kade and Shoes, two lifelong companions who overcame horrible circumstances together. It’s hard to believe that this sweet pair was given up by their previous owners because they no longer wanted them – but their surrender to the North Central Los Angeles city shelter may have been the best thing for them.

When Tails of the City Rescue group founder Mary Ann Lagana first met them at the kill shelter in July, they were in awful shape. Both dogs’ fur was matted and they looked terribly unhealthy. Kade, 10, could barely walk without collapsing, and Shoes, 6, was emaciated. Thankfully, Lagana and her team were able to save them from euthanization and take on the expensive challenge of getting them healthy again.

A few months later, both dogs are thriving in a foster home. Kade, a cocker spaniel, was treated for anemia and kidney issues and he’s now active and happy. Shoes, a shih tzu mix, has put on some weight and eight of his infected teeth were pulled.

Friendly, affectionate and very well-trained, these guys love to be cuddled and are very young at heart – a far cry from the sad, neglected dogs they were this summer. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve a place to comfortably live out the rest of their lives.

“They are just doing so well,” says Lagana. “The dogs need to stay together because they’re amazingly bonded.”

The perfect owner for this duo would be capable of funding their continuing medical care and have the time to give them extra attention. “They need a yard,” she says, “because when they have kidney problems they need to pee a lot.”

Read more about Kade and Shoes and how to adopt them on their Adopt-a-Pet.com page at http://www.adoptapet.com/pet6382653.html

You may have read our series of interview articles here on this blog about a great idea to increase shelter pet adoption: adoption centers in a mall near you! We thought what potential pet owner wouldn’t like a bright, fun, one-stop-shop conveniently located in their local mall, with helpful pet adoption counselors, adorable adoptable pets from their local shelters, and all the supplies a pet owner could need? And 7 months later, we have a happy update: the first Adopt&Shop  is such a huge success, Found Animals is opening a 2nd location soon! In its first 6 months, Adopt&Shop found homes for over 450 pets – an average of 65 animals a month! You can see what the store looks like inside in their video tour at http://www.foundanimals.org/pet-adoption/adopt-shop Speaking of videos, we’d like to mention one more…

Found Animals just released a year-end recap of Found Animals’ efforts and the state of homeless pets in California. You can watch the video here on YouTube: http://youtu.be/TZxMmKxqp-Q — be prepared, it starts out with some saddening statistics, such as that shelter intake has increased 15% over the last 5 years statewide, 1 million dogs and cats enter California shelters, and over half of them are euthanized simply because there are not enough homes. To put that in perspective, they point out that is 1 out of every 3 dogs, and 4 out of every 5 cats. Thankfully Found Animals and many other organizations are working hard to reduced California’s pet overpopulation through many different types of programs. Adopt&Shop is just one success story that we hope will inspire and lead the way to a brighter future for all homeless pets.

A new survey released by Bark Busters, a world wide dog training company, found some surprising data: you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks! What matters most isn’t age or breed—it’s the owner. That’s right, it’s all about who’s training. Another interesting conclusion: this survey found that Pit Bulls are actually easier to train than many other breeds! The majority of the participating trainers stated that they see more Labrador Retrievers than any other breed, followed by Pit Bulls. They found that Pit Bulls came in a very close second in terms of easiest to train, meaning they are the “least time- and effort-intensive to train” next to Golden Retrievers. Given the high numbers of Pit Bulls in shelters across the county, and the difficulties we face adopting them out due to unfair stigma, we hope the results of this survey can help when adopters come your way. The 155 trainers from across the nation who are responsible for this data represent collectively 750 years of experience and 200,000 dogs trained. Click here: http://www.barkbusters.com/page.cfm/ID/457 to see the full results of the survey with all the questions and graphs of the answers!

So if you want a well-behaved dog and you’re willing to invest the time and effort to train him, that 3-year-old Pit mix waiting for a forever home at your local shelter might not be a bad idea after all—and you could put the money you didn’t spend on a purebred puppy toward training to start you both out on the right paw. All dogs need positive training, regardless of where they came from, so please choose to adopt and save a life while you’re at it!

As a volunteer foster parent for many litters of kittens, I have gone through more than my fair share of cat and kitten toys. Aside from the invisible kitty gnome that must have a huge stockpile of cat toys under her bridge (couch) somewhere, I like to send a newly adopted kitten off with their favorites to play with in their new home. That habit can be costly! And even my adult cats just so love getting a new toy, even if it is identical to one they already have – it just smells new, and they know it and find it oh-so-exciting! So over the years I’ve figured out many free or almost free DIY cat toys to supplement the fancier ones I buy at pet supply stores. I also have tons of them, so I can rotate “new” ones in each week, and put a bunch away for a month or so. Here’s a list of  creative ideas to inspire you!

Note: please use common sense and do not leave anything that could be ingested with kitty when you are not there watching – especially the ones we’ve * starred * below. Take those toys out only for supervised play. 

• empty cardboard boxes (you can cut holes out for more fun, or use soda boxes)
• wine corks
• balled up tin foil*
• balled up paper*
• pipe cleaners (fun to twist into different shapes)*
• baby socks tied in a knot
• large water bottle caps
• bendy straws with the bendy ends cut into boomerangs*
• bottle caps
• toilet paper or paper towel rolls cut into rings and/or pulled into cardboard squiggles
• empty plastic pill bottle, scrubbed out with hot water, put a few bits of cat food in it, cap back on
• cat toy-size twigs from outside*
• paper grocery shopping bags (with any handles cut off)
• milk jug rings*
• empty thread spools
• ping pong balls
• baby carrots
• brussel sprouts

Update #1: Here’s a great idea for making DIY toys out of cardboard cut-outs, thanks to Roland for sending this to us! He says his cat loves the ball shape one as it rolls.

Update #2:  Thanks to Jenny for this almost-free great idea! “I just read your article, and thought I’d add one to your list of inexpensive cat toys. I get the largest pom-pom I can find from a craft store (usually about 2 inches), they come in a pack of four for 99 cents. I put them in a sealed baggie with cat nip, give them out one at a time, and my kitties love them. They are light weight, glide across the floors and my kitties get plenty of exercise. When they have licked and batted it around long enough to get tired of it, one of my four thoughtful kitties put it in their food dish and I replace it with a new one in a couple of days!”

We are very excited about the new Unexpected Pit Bull 2012 Calendar! Since 2004 this professionally photographed calendar highlights the love and spirit of Pit Bulls. Created by The Unexpected Pit Bull, a not-for-profit organization that develops and markets merchandise celebrating Pit Bulls, 100% of the calendar’s net profits are donated to deserving Pit Bull charities (mostly rescue, education, and advocacy organizations) in need of support. And we find that pretty awesome! Since launching, The Unexpected Pit Bull’s signature product has been their annual calendar, which has even been featured on The Rachel Ray Show. The nonprofit’s goals are to keep Pit Bulls with the people who love them (and away from the ones who don’t), to fund specific advocacy and education initiatives for the breed, and to create beautiful calendars that communicate the delight of that comes with having a Pit Bull! We stand behind their mission and that is why this year, Adopt-a-Pet.com decided to support their calendar and their efforts to help more Pitties everywhere. If you love these dogs, want to help them overcome unfair stereotypes, and promote more appreciation for these beautiful animals, hanging The Unexpected Pit Bull calendar in your office might be a great way to help spread the message.

This year the calendar was made in creation with HE(ART)S SPEAK – an organization that pairs photographers around the world with animals who need attention. Animal lovers and artists coming together – I mean, how cool is that?! The 2012 calendar edition features gorgeous photography and design, and we think they make terrific holiday gifts. There are a few promotions going on right now designed to make your holiday presents more affordable, which you can find out about by clicking here. This is truly a gift that gives back! And for anyone who’s ever enjoyed some Pittie kisses, you know how grateful these dogs are for your help.

You’re ready to get out of town for a little R & R, but you’re uncertain whether traveling with your dog in tow will provide either of those Rs. For the well-prepared dog owner, traveling with a pet is a fun and rewarding experience. If staying with friends at your destination, don’t assume your dog is welcome in their home. Ask your hosts if the dog may tag along, and if so, where he’ll be staying so you can better prepare. If pets are a no-no, consider finding a kennel in the area so you can still spend time with Fido while being respectful of your friends’ wishes. Click here to learn more tips for traveling with your dog.