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Below is a beautiful note we received from Patricia Chavous about the wonderful experience she had adopting not one, but TWO sweet polydactyl kittens (polydactyls, also known as Hemingway cats, have thumb-like appendages on their paws) from Whiskers in Waiting rescue:

Dear Adopt-a-Pet.com,

I want to thank you for your efforts in saving animals.

I have been in animal rescue for many years, I have lost both legs and can no longer help in this way. All my pets have been rescues, we chose each other through fate and need.

My family has had polydactyls since my great grandmother. For once I decided to chose kitties and go back to my childhood. I felt guilty because I always wanted to help those that had the most need.
Adopt-a-Pet.com helped me do that – I adopted two sibling polys from Missouri, from Whiskers in Waiting ten days ago.

They have fit in beautifully with my feral cats who have been with me for thirteen years. They have charmed everyone and have given my family great happiness.

Even though I am in a wheelchair, they climb the wheels when they are tired and sleep in my lap. They will be with my husband and me as long as they live.

Again, thank you.
Sincerely,
Patricia Chavous

One of the keys to a community’s success rate in helping their homeless animals is for local rescue groups to work together and support one another’s efforts. Los Angeles-based Molly’s Mutts & Meows was actually founded on this principle, so much so that it is inked into their mission statement.

Molly Wootton, founder of Molly’s Mutts & Meows, goes to great lengths to offer support and guidance to anyone in the community who wishes to help animals. Like many rescue groups, Molly’s Mutts & Meows does not have a physical facility, but instead relies on those willing to provide foster homes for animals until permanent homes are found. Molly attributes her tremendous success rate to her innovative methods of engaging volunteers; she allows foster home providers to go with her to the city shelters to pick out the animal they wish to care for.

Molly believes that including the volunteer in this manner fosters dedication, loyalty and a real commitment to the animal in their care. Molly’s dedication and can-do attitude are truly infectious, “We can save lives. People need to make adoption the first option,” says Molly, “We all need to get out there and educate our peer group. Those who have an adopted pet need to make it known and spread the message.” Check out all of Molly’s adoptable pets, or to find out how you can help, visit http://www.mollysmuttsandmeows.org/.

Our friends at Threadbanger, a really cool site for all you DIYers out there, just released an awesome video blog about the beauty of adopting a pet.  AND, we’re proud to say, Adopt-a-Pet.com got a nice little mention.  Thanks for the shout-out, Threadbanger!

Check out the video here.

Sounds too good to be true right? Toilet train a cat? Actually, with a little work, patience and time many cats can be toilet trained. It has to come in steps, the basics are first getting your cat to think of the toilet as the litter box, and then getting your cat to be comfortable so as not to fall in! To accomplish this unusual and hygienic goal you will need flushable litter, an aluminum pan, xacto knife, scooper, and of course one cat and one toliet.

For complete steps and a video of a cat in action visit Toilet Train a Cat

While begging for hot dogs, and picnic scraps might seem like the perfect dog day, what comes after on the 4th isn’t so K9 friendly. At night the bangs, cracks, and screeching of fireworks elevate your dogs drive and can cause them to panic, run, become highly distressed, wet the floor, tear up things, pant out of control hide as well as other behaviors. Some dogs like police dogs are trained to deal with the stress, but more pedestrian dogs can’t handle the excitement. Here are 5 tips to help your dog stay cool this day of independence.

1. Keep your dog inside! Turn on the TV or loud music to minimize outside sounds.
2. If you stay with your dog, don’t coddle them when they are scared. Be strong, talk with a normal voice and be indifferent to the sounds.
3. Give your dog a special toy to play with, a bone or something to keep their mind off of what’s going on outside.
4. Keep doors closed. This is one of the busiest times at shelters for runaways. Even if your dog has never shown a proclivity to run, this may be the time. Be Aware!
5. If at all possible, do not leave your dog alone, especially outside during these events. If you must leave them alone, leave them inside with a TV or radio playing.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

From the brilliant Dr. Pia Salk, who has extensive experience fostering pets: If you can’t adopt a pet but want to get a temporary furry cuddle fix, support the work of your local rescue groups and save lives, then fostering is for you! Fostering is one of the most compassionate and rewarding actions an animal lover can take. The availability of a foster home can make a life-saving difference for a homeless animal. While many people envision rescue groups as having large facilities and a full staff, the reality is more grass roots than that.

Many rescues groups are only able to take in as many needy animals as they have fosters for. Rescue groups work tirelessly to find homes for the animals in their care and to network the ones in municipal shelters, but all too often the time needed to find a home exceeds the time an animal has left. Foster homes provide the critical time needed to connect the dots between an animal in need and an adoptive home.

Foster homes help not only by saving lives, but in other ways too. By getting to know a pet’s personality, a foster helps the rescue group properly place that pet into a suitable home. A brief stint in a safe environment can also help provide the socialization needed to facilitate a smoother transition into a new home.

And let’s not forget the fun part! A foster parent gets to have a furry fix for a stint without the life-long commitment that may not suit their lifestyle.It’s like getting to spoil your niece and nephew when they come to visit!

Anyone interested in exploring foster should contact a few rescue groups in their area (click here to find rescues near you). The rescue can share info on their requirements and schedule a time for a home visit. Ask them to help you establish the kinds of animals you can accommodate and a time commitment that meets your lifestyle. If you’re partial to a certain breed, you can also consider fostering for a breed rescue.

You can also sign up to volunteer on Adopt-a-Pet.com’s volunteer registry, and select “Fostering” as one of your interests.

What a great way to advocate for the animals!

Happy fostering!

If you like drinking root beer and supporting pet adoption, have we got a combo for you! Margo’s Bark is an all-natural root beer from a family-owned company who donates 100% of their profits to help shelter dogs. In the Spring of 2008, it occurred to Tim and Jessica Youd while helping his son with a school science fair project, that it might be fun to buy a root beer kit to study carbonation and the process yeast undergoes when it interacts with sugar and heat.

Oscar (the son) soon developed a knack for tasting and perfecting the process of brewing root beer. After rave reviews, and a science fair award, Oscar and his family wanted to expand their new found talent and share not only the taste of the new root beer, but also the proceeds. Fittingly they named the beverage after their black lab-pit bull rescue dog named Margo.

Margo is proud that her legacy as the official spokesdog for Margo’s Bark Root Beer will be that of benefiting her four legged friends who need help finding homes.

Made from all-natural cane sugar, molasses and a hint of vanilla, Margo’s Bark is a full bodied and earthly tribute to an American classic. This root beer recipe has undertones of clove, cassia, nutmeg and wintergreen to give it a spicy kick and yucca extract finishes off the recipe to give it a thick and foamy head. Replacing corn syrup with cane sugar in Margo’s recipe allows Oscar and his pals a cleaner and healthier rendition of what is usually a very sweet and sticky carbonated beverage. Margo’s Bark is currently available in Los Angeles at Tender Greens, Larchmont Larder, Potato Chips, The Urban Pet and LA Dogworks. This summer, Margo’s Bark will be available in all Whole Foods locations throughout Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii and all Southern California Bristol Farms locations. For updates on additional availability, please visit www.margosbark.com.

One story this week. After many years of planning for a new facility a local shelter is able to raise enough money to begin constructing a new shelter.

Stories from 6/05 – 6/19

“I have worked on it (new facility) almost 20 years,” Ms. Hollowell said. “It has been a dream for a very long time and that is what kept us going and encouraged us when we were fundraising and weren’t sure were going to hit our goal.

Petsummary.com is a website where you can keep all your pet records handy. This makes it much easier for vets to access pet information whether its a routine checkup, or emergency.

Just like Google’s new online health record service for people, PetSummary makes it easy for pet owners, vets and caregivers to access your dog’s important health data, anytime, anywhere. So it’s perfect for unexpected vet visits while your traveling or away from your pup. Even better, PetSummary makes you less dependent on your busy vet’s office to keep you up to date on vaccines, sparing you the cost of redundant tests or shots. Read more at woofreport.com

Wish you could take home every pet in every shelter, but just don’t have the space? There are lots of other ways you can help. Pet over population is a big problem, and while not everyone can adopt, you can make just as big as impact by finding other ways to help out homeless animals. Here are five ways you can help.

For more information check out our complete Ways to Help Homeless Pets Guide.

5 Ways to Help Homeless Pets Without Adopting

• Donate supplies to your local shelter or rescue group
• Use your special skills- The shelter may need help with computers, book keeping, or building a better shelter. Get creative about the ways which you can help
• The shelter can be an extremely stressful atmosphere for a dog or cat, go and keep a furry friend company for a day
• It may sound simple, but the greatest gift you can give homeless pets and those who take care of them is simply to keep your own pets for life. Don’t give up on a pet, they inevitably will end up in a shelter.
• Take responsibility for your own pet and have them spayed or neutered