- Listen to the quiet..Ranking for signal to noise ratio http://t.co/GN7JmQea
- These are all GREAT! 7 Of The Most Shared And Innovative Marketing Youtube Videos From 2012 http://t.co/DdQah0GT via @zite
- New Blog Post: Does Your Cat or Dog Need a New (and Unique!) Companion? Check This Out! http://t.co/ZwJEWWfB
- Yummy food comes with a price..Nearly All Restaurant Entrees Exceed USDA Nutrition Recommendations http://t.co/voUkpa7x via @zite
- If you buy large bags of pet food, pour the food into a storage bin, then throw the bag away, take a picture of... http://t.co/85glCiz6
Finding Homes for “Tornado Pets”
Jessie, ever the philanthropist and activitist, even if she is a dog: Ever since our neighbors in Joplin, Missouri suffered so much tragedy with the torandoes in May, I have been worried sick about the pets there that endured such a devastating event. Luckily, I came across an article on zootoo.com today that assured me that all of the “tornado pets” have found homes!
After the tornadoes in Joplin, 745 animals needed a home. Over 5,700 people from 24 states arrived on the scene in Joplin for the adopt-a-thon event there the last weekend in June. Wow! The animals left homeless by the tornadoes found homes!
Thanks to the ASPCA, the displaced animals were provided with emergency shelter immediately after the storms. Nearly 1,300 animlas were taken care of by this amazing organization during the month-long sheltering period. About 500 animals were successfully reunited with their owners. Isn’t that amazing?
Be sure to go to the ASPCA web site for more information! They are an amazing group of individuals dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of pets everywhere! I am glad our buddies in Joplin are sleeping soundly at night now.
If you are considering getting a pet, PLEASE consider adopting one from a local shelter. There are so many pets out there who have so much love to give! It’s be the best thing you could do for BOTH of you!
If You’re a Tortoise, Don’t Adopt a Hare
A few months ago, a friend of mine contacted me saying he wanted to adopt a dog. Based on his lifestyle: works 8-5, lives in an apartment, not extremely active, I checked Petfinder.com for some pets I thought might be a possible match.
I got an email from him a week or so later telling me he’d fallen in love with a great little dog and adopted him. Toby was not quite a year old, a border collie blend with a lot of energy. My friend hired me to walk Toby twice a day to help burn some of the little guy’s energy. By the time Toby’s owner got home from work, though, Toby was ready to play.
I made suggestions of different activities that would help keep Toby busy, but my friend didn’t move forward with them. This continued for about three weeks, until the day I got an email from my friend telling me he’d returned Toby to the rescue group.
Toby was a great dog, but not a great dog for my friend. We’ve all fallen in love with dogs we’ve seen at various adoption events and our hearts scream for us to take them home. Although it would be great for the pet to have a home, it needs to be the right one for him and his owner.
Do your research before embarking on adopting a pet so you won’t have a story that ends like my friend’s did. He learned a lesson through all of this, but it wasn’t easy for him or Toby.
If you have a more relaxed, less active lifestyle consider adopting an adult or senior pet. They still have lots of life left, are great companions and appreciate someone giving them a chance for a forever home. Fancy, a senior dog currently residing at the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City would be a great companion for the right home. Check out her bio below and consider giving her a chance. Let’s be the change for Fancy and other adult/senior dogs and cats looking for a good home! #bethechange
Let’s Be the Change for Pets!
This week is Petfinder.com’s Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, a week dedicated to spotlighting those pets that are most often overlooked in shelters. It’s all about getting people to take a second glance — and give a second chance — to those pets whose only crime is being a little older, the “wrong” color, or otherwise “less adoptable” — but who have just as much love to give.
So BlogPaws Be the Change for Pets and I are taking up the cause for the next Be the Change Challenge! We’re spreading the word about the many great adoptable pets who sit in shelters for weeks, months, and even years waiting for their forever home while the cute and cuddly kittens and puppies get snapped right up.
Who are these “less adoptable” pets? According to a survey of Petfinder member shelters and rescues the hardest to adopt out pets are senior or older pets, those with health problems (even minor ones), victims of breed prejudice (like Pit Bulls), shy pets, and those that need to be only pets. But that’s not all! A lot of people overlook black and brindle dogs and cats as well. (Not convinced? Check Why Less Adoptable Pets Rule.) So next time you or a friend are looking to adopt, give these pets a second chance, a little more time and you never know, a less adoptable pet might just be the purrr-fect pet adoption for you!
Meet Toffee. Toffee is a super sweet and friendly Golden Retriever/Chow mix. He’s a senior citizen, probably around 9 years old, and the poor guy has spent most of his life living on a chain. He’d been neglected and had no food or water when he was picked up by animal control. We’d like to find him a good home where he can live out his golden years in comfort and the love of his new family.
Toffee is available for adoption through the Humane Society of Greater KC. For more information and how to apply to adopt Toffee, please go to
Writing a Post to Help Dogs
At the Blogpaws conference I attended this week, there were hundreds of individuals and many pet companies in attendance that are dedicated to helping animals in a variety of ways.
One of the corporate sponsors, Pedigree, leads an adoption drive each year to help the more than 4 million dogs in shelters and rescue groups find permanent homes. A majority of those dogs are over the age of three. To help these pets, Pedigree has offered to donate a 20 lb. bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide for each blog post that mentions their annual PEDIGREE Adoption Drive.
If you’re thinking of adopting a dog, consider an adult dog. Adult dogs are very often housebroken, are not quite as active as a puppy, and they’ve finished growing so you don’t have to wonder how big they’re eventually going to get. These dogs are often overlooked, so when they do find a forever home they are very grateful.
Adult dogs rule! #dogsrule
Positive Aspects of Pet Adoption
Many potential pet owners are not aware of how many pets are available at shelters. They might also have the misconception that pets are shelters might be there because there was a problem with the animal. In some cases animals are lost and never found by their owners. These animals are healthy and very eager to please.
Some people are seeking purebred animals or puppies and think these are not available in shelters. In fact, nearly a quarter of all animals in shelters are purebred. Often someone buys an expensive purebred animal and then attempts to breed that animal to recoup their money. If these puppies or kittens are not placed in homes, and end up in the shelter.
Often, potential pet owners are looking for a kitten or puppy, but when an owner adopts an adult animal, they can see his/her size and temperament. Adult pets are very often housetrained and past the behavior issues associated with kittens and puppies.
Adopting a pet can be an important lesson to teach your children– both about the value of life, and also about civic responsibility and even recycling- in this case recycling a living and loving animal into a new home.
When looking for a pet to add to your family, consider a shelter or rescue pet. My pets (and regular bloggers here) Bo and Jessie were both adopted from area rescue groups.
For more information on pet adoption, check out http://www.adoptapet.com
Why People Relinquish Pets
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, behavorial issues are not the main reason pet owners relinquish pets to an animal shelter. Following are the top ten reasons pet owners in the US relinquish cats and dogs:
Cats
- Too many cats in house
- Allergies
- Moving
- Cost of pet maintenance
- Landlord issues
- No homes for littermates
- House soiling
- Personal problems
- Inadequate facilities
- Doesn’t get along with other pets
Dogs
- Moving
- Landlord issues
- Cost of pet maintenance
- No time for pet
- Inadequate facilities
- Too many pets in home
- Pet illness
- Personal problems
- Biting
- No home for littermates
Since landlord issues appear on both lists, be sure to check on any limits (size/weight of pets, type of pets, number of pets allowed) that might apply before adopting. Most apartment complexes also have a deposit and additional monthly fee per pet.
Another item on both lists is cost of pet ownership. Adopting a pet is a commitment of time and money. The ASPCA estimates the first year costs of dog ownership range from $810 for a small dog to $1,580 for a large dog. First year costs for cat ownership average $715.
After the first year, dog ownership costs range from $420-$780 annually. Cat ownership costs average $575 annually.
Pet ownership can be very rewarding, but having to relinquish that pet can traumatize both owner and pet. Although circumstances may change after you adopt, doing your homework before adopting a pet can prevent problems down the road.
Information for this post from Pets Gone Green by Eve Adamson and Pets and the Planet by Carol Frischmann
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