Do You Shop at Petland?

With almost 8,000 dogs and puppies rescued from puppy mills in the U.S. just since February of this year, I would have thought that the atrocities inflicted in these operations would by now be nationally recognized and condemned, especially by companies devoted to selling products for pets. However, a recently completed, eight-month long investigation by the Humane Society of the United States has revealed that the national pet store chain, Petland, is selling dogs from cruel puppy mills to unsuspecting customers. The investigation into Petland stores in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio and other states showed that many of the puppies sold at these stores came from massive commercial breeders in Missouri and other Midwestern states where hundreds of breeding dogs live their lives packed into filthy, crowded cages. These dogs spend their lives birthing litter after litter, with minimal human contact, no exercise, and never knowing the love of a family.

Please take the time today to ask Petland to stop supporting the puppy mill industry. You can do this by clicking here to send them an email through the HSUS's "Stop Puppy Mills" campaign, by contacting your nearest Petland store, or by calling their corporate headquarters at 740-775-2464 or toll-free at 800-221-5935.

OR... why not do all three! The more we bombard them and let them know we will not shop in their stores until they are no longer selling puppies the more important the issue becomes to them!

Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves!

Scotty Goes Home

Well, Scotty left last weekend... Saturday morning I took all three dogs to the research park one last time together and then I went home, dropped off the girls, brushed Scotty, and headed out to the drop-off location for his Homeward Bound transport. I talked to him all the way out there and told him he was going to live with his new family and to be a good boy and that we would miss him. I wished he could understand.

I didn't think I was going to cry but when we got to the girl's house I couldn't leave him. I asked to sit there with him for a while and I just sat on her couch hugging on him and rubbing his belly and breaking down intermittently. Luckily, all the Homeward Bound people are animal lovers too and they totally understood. They let me stay with him as long as I wanted while they got everything ready and I did... for an hour and a half. :-) I just couldn't overcome the (probably irrational) feeling that he would think I was abandoning him.

So, I finally pulled myself away from him and walked, crying, to my car, then drove, crying hysterically, home. I felt like I was giving away one of my own dogs... and, in a way, I was. The experience I've had with him has meant so much to me.

So, where is Scotty now, you ask? Well, after a short stint with a family who, due to unforseen circumstances, decided that they were no longer in a position to have a dog, he is now at the home of the owner of Luke's Place, the New Jersey rescue he was adopted through. I spoke with Pat, the owner, last night and she just raved about how great a dog he is! She said he and the other dogs she received from the transport were all a little shaken up after the 15-hour van ride, but that he was doing wonderful now and can already heel and shake. She said he is great with her three-year-old granddaughter, which is a relief because I had never seen him around children. As I was talking, she said his ears were perking up so she let me say "Hi" to him, haha :-) She also said if he didn't get adopted in the next day or so, she really just wanted to keep him! I am just elated over how well this has worked out for my sweet Scotty and I feel really grateful for having been a part of it.
Fostering has been such a fulfilling experience. Really, it is saving a life, because in most cases you are helping shelters keep more animals and give them a better chance at adoption. As long as people continue to neglect spaying and neutering their pets, we will always have an overabundance of animals and shelters will never have enough room for all of them. Four million dogs euthanized each year is a tragic, sickening number. You CAN help though!

• Spay or neuter your pet! In just six years, a female dog and her offspring can multiply to 67,000 puppies! And you can often qualify for discounted or free spaying/neutering, so there's really no reason not to! Check with your vet or local animal shelter.

• Be a hero - Adopt your next pet! With a homeless dog being killed every nine seconds in American shelters, why wouldn't you?

• In fact, you can quite literally save a life by going to Dogs In Danger and entering your zip code. It will show you adoptable dogs in your area who are soon to be put down, most often due to space limitations.

• Foster a dog or cat! Contact your local animal shelter to find out about their foster program and see just how rewarding it can be.

Baking = A Fantastic Workout!

I have been baking dog treats all weekend and my muscles are SO sore!! I am making three flavors -- cheese, peanut butter, and sunflower/mint (breath fresheners) -- and each $5 bag includes all three flavors. I had, at first, aimed at producing 100 bags... but, after my first couple of batches, I realized what a huge undertaking that was. So now I have cut it down to 25 and I'm hoping to sell all of them on Saturday.

I never knew how strenuous baking is though! Maybe it's because I've never been one to exercise, but all that kneading and rolling, etc. just exhausts me! I have found it very therapeutic, however, and would love to eventually turn this into a real business. I would be in perfect shape then!

I have really thrown everything I have into this. I think about it all the time and it's fun to have something to work on. Plus, it's a way to get the word out about the Humane Society. I have printed up information flyers to go in each bag and I have a "Did You Know?" sign with information for people who are just browsing and not buying. I also have pictures of some of the animals at the shelter and I am going to paste one to the front of each bag. Now, I'm just crossing my fingers for good weather and a big crowd at the Market!

More updates later this week...

Be Good to Animals -- Adopt Your Next Pet

I volunteered at the Humane Society again today. Man, they are just busting at the seams... they have so many dogs and litters of puppies that they have had to start housing them in the rooms with the cats. There are so many animals there who need homes. It has really started breaking my heart to go there, but I feel like, if I can't adopt an animal right now, I can at least go help make their lives at the shelter better. My next dogs though are definitely being adopted!

It's frustrating for me to not be able to get the word out more to people about all the great animals who are waiting at shelters for someone to take them home. The dogs are not scary or dirty or wild; they are just so purely joyful at the site of you that it fills your heart. I wish I could do more to help them find loving families. So many people out there are BUYING pets while dogs sit in kennels at shelters and hope every day for that to be the day someone walks in and rescues them. All it takes is opening your heart to being that someone for one dog. Adopted dogs are loyal, grateful, and easygoing and often the human ends up feeling like the one who has been rescued.

Many times people go into shelters and get overwhelmed. There are always a lot of animals and, in the dog rooms especially, the noise can be deafening. Before going back to the rooms with the kennels, you should ask the animal attendants if you can pick out a few dogs to take in the yard. That way you can go through the kennel rooms and point out a few you like and the attendants can bring them out in the yard for you to get to know. You should not feel rushed or obligated to pick one immediately. The attendants are glad to let you play with the animals and can usually answer questions about age, breed, and health.

Some shelter employees may seem a bit gruff and standoffish but I think that is because they see so many animals never get adopted and so many people leave empty-handed that they have stopped getting their hopes up -- a reaction that is definitely understandable. But don't let this turn you off; you are there for the animals and you should focus on finding that special one.

If you are considering getting a pet, please check out your local shelter first. They often have purebred dogs if you are set on that, and they always have great animals who are looking for someone to be devoted to.

You can check out the Oktibbeha County Humane Society by clicking here.

Or find a local shelter near you by clicking here.

A Humane Society Starts With You

I did something today that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I volunteered at the Humane Society in Starkville. I worked from 10 am to around 1:30 and now I seriously want to quit my job and go there every day!

It was such a great experience and it changed some of my preconceived notions about an animal shelter. The dogs are not mangy or mean or downtrodden... just really wanting to have a family and their own bed.

The first thing I did this morning was help another volunteer bathe a couple of tiny puppies that we were going to bring into a humane education class with 5 and 6 year old Girl Scout "Daisies." The shelter really needs a room specifically for this activity where the kids can sit on the floor and let the animals run around. It is such an important thing - to teach little kids (and people in general) about how to handle and treat animals.

Anyway, so all the little girls and their mothers came into the cat isolation room where we were holding the class and they all immediately wanted to hold the kittens and the two puppies. There were about six or seven kennels with cats and kittens and mama cats with kittens. There were two I really wanted to bring home -- two little rambunctious orange and white kittens so we'll see if they are still there the next time I go. Most of the little girls knew how to hold the animals and they were all really sweet with them and it was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Then after they left we cleaned up the cat room and some of the kennels. Those kittens are messy... and fast -- we chased a couple of them around the room for a good 20 minutes haha! For the last couple of hours the other volunteer and I went out to the backyard where there were seven kennels opening up to the yard. There were three to five dogs or puppies in each and kennel by kennel we let them out to play.


In the yard, there were a couple of half eaten shells of tennis balls, one tug rope and one heavy rubber chew toy -- not much to work with, but I will never forget the excited faces of those dogs. Dogs can be so complex and insightful but they have such simple needs -- to be fed and played with and loved. It was such a joy to just run around with them, tug the rope and throw it for them, and love on them. They wore me out but I could have done it all day

At the end of the day, I checked in the office and one of the puppies we had used for the class had been adopted and a cat had also been adopted that morning. It just made me so happy!

Even if you can't adopt a pet, every charitable effort counts. For example, pick up an extra one of the items below when you go to the grocery store. These unexpected gifts are what keep most shelters running and are essential in providing the best possible care for the animals. The Starkville shelter also collects and recycles aluminum cans for extra funds so now I know where to take all these Coke Zero cans I've been saving.

A small effort by a lot of individuals makes a big impact -- be one of those contributing to the good. I promise it will change your outlook on life.

Humane Society Wish List
Bleach
PineSol
Paper Towels
Disposable Latex Gloves
Purina Dog Chow
Purina Puppy Chow
Purina Cat Chow
Purina Kitten Chow
Non-clumping kitty litter
Fabric softener dryer sheets
Liquid laundry detergent
Dishwasher detergent
Dish soap
Dog chews and chewy treats
Assorted sized dog collars
Leashes
Quality flea and tick spray
Germ-X hand sanitizer

You can go to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society's website and read about other ways to help or browse some really sweet adoptable pets.

Or find a local shelter near you and start doing good right where you are. www.hsus.org