We are not happy to hear about all that the people and animals of Haiti are going through right now, but are happy to hear about how many people and animals are going to Haiti to do their part to help. We found this video about Search and Rescue dogs from New York who will be going to Haiti to help.
We also found the American Rescue Dog Association. They don’t say much about Haiti there yet, but it is the central organization in the US for dogs that do a great work to help people.
Almost everyone who cares about animals knows about Greyhounds and dog racing. It’s sad what many dogs go through, and we’ll talk a bit about that, but there are good people doing good things to help, too, so we’ll also talk about that.
We have people in our Town who adopt rescued Greyhounds. I met a couple of very nice Greyhounds at my last appointment to the vet. I’m just a tiny little dog, and these are bigger than me, very fine featured dogs with very strong hind-quarter muscles which probably is why they are fast, and used for racing. They are so gentle that it’s sad to think that they are used this way. Let’s get the sad video over with, then we can move on to the good things people are doing:
Greyhounds, or dogs that look very much like them have been found as part of the artwork on Egyptian tombs over 2000 BC. They were developed for hunting in more recent history. They make wonderful, gentle, loving house pets.
If you think you’d like to learn more about how to help Greyhounds, or would like to adopt on, there are many websites that help, Adopt a Greyhoud is just one that will lead to other helpful sites.
We’re sure sorry we didn’t get this post to you last week when the Home Again Web Site was supporting the American Humane Association’s Be Kind to Animals Week® by donating $1 for every pet that was registered to the program, but that sure doesn’t mean that bringpetshome.com isn’t a site worth visiting.
There are things that you can do to “be kind to animals”, including your pet not only on a week set aside to focus on the subject, but every day of every week:
Make sure your pets are properly identified with something that will last, that will not get lost, and is easy to read.
With hot months coming to parts of the US where seasons change, PLEASE DO NOT leave your pet out in the car with windows closed. This is a thought that gives my owner and I nightmares!
If you leave your dog out for long periods of time in warm weather, make sure they have a shady spot to rest…and not just an enclosed doghouse, they can get warm inside if they are in direct sun, but if it’s not terribly hot, are better than nothing. If it’s very hot, keep you pet inside where it’s cool…treat them like you’d treat yourself.
Also, if outside provide water to drink during the day.
PLEASE make sure that your pets are protected from fleas and ticks.
You can find many things to help you protect and care for your pet at bringpetshome.com and when you purchase, you are benefiting animals in need, animals that are living in shelters waiting for someone to bring them home and give them love. It doesn’t cost you anything extra with your purchase to provide food and medical care to needy animals.
Did you know that HomeAgain.com has helped recover more than 500,000 lost pets? They provide a pet-recovery service that goes beyond microchipping, which, by the way, is an excellent way to protect your pet from getting lost. For a reasonable yearly fee, you have access to pet-recovery specialists and emergency medical assistance 24/7…the program also includes up to $3,000 (- $50 deductible) in medical insurance for lost pets, and more.
Please do visit my sponsors site for so many more wonderful details!
Today I want to share with you a story about two little dogs that belong(ed) to a friend of mine. She shared it in an email a long while ago, and I just stumbled on it, and thought you’d like it, as it shows how two dogs can learn to get along. After I post it, we’ll track our friend down and have her come read it and update on the latest news about these two little furbabies in a comment…it picks up a bit into the story about her adopted Chihuahua mix, Zeena. Enjoy!
We only know for sure that Zeena’s mom is a Chihuahua. (Dad is from a nice neighborhood.) The vet is convinced that her dad is a dachshund, because of her growing features, but we are not really sure. The vet said we could do DNA testing to find out, but I really don’t care. She’s my fur baby and she’s a doll! When I got her at 3 weeks old, she was less than a pound and looked just like a Chihuahua puppy. As she grew she changed a lot. Now, she is 5.5 lbs., completely healthy and loves everyone she comes into contact with. Very smart and very active!
Bernie, (Bernadette) my toy poodle has been with me for 3 years. She was rescued from an abusive home where apparently the young man or teen living in the home kicked her down a long flight of stairs. That was when they took her away—who knows what kind of stuff happened behind closed doors. Bernie has always shied away from men, but she knew she had me tied around her front paws the minute I held her. She needed a lot of medical care for ear infections, bad teeth and is almost toothless now. I wanted to breed her at first, but the vet said she was too old and had her spayed instead. She is not a very bright dog, but she and I are bonded and I take very good care of her, so no one can ever hurt her again. We think she is around 8 years old, but are not sure. She is very loyal to me.
When I brought Zeena into our family, Bernie wasn’t sure what to do about her. I knew she was jealous of Zeena, because I kept her near me, or carried her around most of the day when she was a baby. She had to be bottle fed every 2-3 hrs. the first week. I think Bernie thought she was a squeaky toy—I didn’t notice any mothering instinct at all! I kept them separated for the first two months, except when I was right there to help Zeena.
Now that Zeena is older, the two of them play all day long and only get mad at each other when I pay more attention to one and not the other. Bernie is not lonely when I have to leave for the day and Zeena is just non-stop fun! Geeze, I could write all day about their antics, but I have to stop for now. I like the idea of Aspen’s blog and was thinking about maybe doing one for my babies—they give me so much enjoyment! (Teri, if you still have your fur-babies, doing a blog about them is a bright spot in the middle of whatever life brings your way…luv, Aspen)
Today when my owner was on her twitter account, we noticed that #pawpawty was in the list of trending topics (visit the twitter link to learn more about twitter if you’re clueless) and so she decided to let me twitter. We do that a lot lately. She changes her picture to mine, and I tell her what to type for me. Today I’ll be taking over for the day since it’s a monthly “PawPawty” day.
This is a special day that takes place once a month, here is the information that someone shared on www.examiner.com explaining the event:
So far, these fund raising virtual parties have raised more than $5,000 for organizations such as The Humane Society, Kitten Rescue of Los Angeles and Orphans of the Storm in Illinois. The next pawpawty is scheduled for May 2-3 to benefit the Margaret Green Animal Rescue.
For each pawparty, a theme is chosen and “party-goers” are encouraged to change their Twitter default pictures to something theme-related (see the slideshow below for some cute examples). Prizes are given away for various contests such as trivia and scavenger hunts – all the while people are encouraged to donate even just $1 to the featured charity.
Who can attend the #pawpawty?
The pawpawties are open to anyone with an interest in raising money and getting the word out to friends about the fund raising efforts. Many of the party-goers are animals, or people who tweet as their pets. There are thousands of Twitter Critters online, ranging from dogs and cats to hamsters, gerbils and even a moose!
It is not necessary to be an “animal” to attend these virtual fundraisers, however. Everyone is welcome – the more attendees, the more opportunity to raise as much money as possible for animal charities.
If you decide to join in, be sure to follow us and say hi, I share my owner’s account and we trade off regularly - http://twitter.com/happynutrition. And if you click on this #pawpawty link, you’ll be taken just to the search results for pawpawty, and see only the “tweets” related to the event. See you there, I hope!
