Archive for June, 2010

Pets Surrendered to Shelter due to BP Oil Spill Hardship

Monday, June 14th, 2010

One of the ripple effects of the Gulf oil spill is not only endangering wildlife, but family pets. According to this story, out of work fishermen are surrendering family pets to local shelters, including the Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), because they cannot afford to feed and care for them. PAWS is completely full and has a growing waiting list of pets needing a safe haven. How can you help? Make a donation or offer to sponsor a pet in need. PAWS is also providing free pet food on a first come, first serve basis, in an effort to keep pets and their families together. Please help get the word out of the plight of these pets, especially to pet food companies who might donate pet food to help with this crisis.

Smiling Dog Contest at Greenies.com

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Here’s a fun contest but it ends soon. The Bark Magazine and Greenies are having a Healthy Dog Smile contest. Check out all the smiling, happy dogs entered and vote for your favorite! The dog with the most votes will be photographed by The Bark for its cover, and will win a year’s supply of Greenies. The dog with the most votes at the moment has over 60,000 fans, but there is a cute spaniel among the top contestants that I’m voting for. The dog pictured here is from iStockphoto.com. Don’t you just love his smile?

Funding a hospital pet therapy program

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

I’m back from presenting a workshop on starting and funding a pet therapy program at the American Holistic Nurses Association Conference in Colorado Springs. In future posts I will share some of the fund raising tools that have worked for us at Paws with a Purpose, but I wanted to say a special thanks to the two Delta Society pet partners who participated in our workshop. Both dogs had interesting stories. Lacey, a lovely golden retriever, was originally trained as a hearing assistance dog by a prison inmate, in a program where prisoners teach dogs basic obedience skills. Although Lacey did not become a service dog, she found her calling as a therapy dog and became registered with Delta. She works with American Humane Association’s Animal-Assisted Therapy and the American Red Cross K-9 Therapy programs, visiting a variety of military and health care facilities, and is especially gifted at working with disabled military veterans. The other pet partner, Ladybug, is a cute-as-a-bug Yorkie. Ladybug came from a puppy mill situation and had no idea how to act like a normal dog. She simply froze, if asked to do anything. She spent an entire obedience class standing in one spot, refusing to move or react in any way. Her new family worked hard to bring her out of her shell, and discovered that she loved children and also loved agility work. Through much patience and love, Ladybug learned to trust and love back, and became a registered therapy dog, also serving with the Red Cross K-9 Therapy program. At the conclusion of our workshop, both Lacey and Ladybug were the center of attention as attendees crowded around to meet them. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see these two dogs spreading smiles, comfort and love to a room full of strangers, and to think of the hearts that they heal every day.  (more…)

Be a Good Human Contest helps animal charities

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Here is a clever contest from the folks at Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI). Go to Thatsagoodhuman.com and complete a few simple steps to take the vow to be a good human to your pet. You can upload a photo of your pet to the site, and personalize your vow, such as, “I vow to teach Alex more tricks.” Then vote for your favorite charity, choosing between the American Animal Hospital Association Helping Pets Fund, the Animal Cancer Foundation, Canine Companions for Independence, or the Helen Woodward Animal Center. For every 5,000 votes, VPI will make a $1,000 donation to that charity!