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Showing posts from June, 2013

Support The ASPCA Rachael Ray 100K Challenge And Enter To Win An ASPCA Giftpack

Have you heard about the  ASPCA Rachael Ray 100K Challenge ? Now in its fourth year, this annual nationwide challenge asks 50 participating animal shelters to compete with each other but also against themselves. Their challenge is to use the months of June, July, and August to increase their adoption numbers higher than their own numbers from last year during the very same months. The shelter that increases their numbers the most will receive a $100,000 grant from the ASPCA and Rachael Ray.  Other contestants will vie for a chance to bring home some of nearly $500,000 in additional grant prizes. During last year’s challenge, shelters involved in the  ASPCA Rachael Ray 100K Challenge  over 56,000 cats and dogs, marking an increase of 14,376 from the previous year. For a full list of participating shelters, visit  challenge.aspcapro.org .  You might have noticed that when the challenge began (June 1 st ), many shelters had adoption drives all weekend. Adopting a pet is one

Animals Asia Seeks To End Cruel Dog Eating Festival

As a dog lover, this is a difficult topic to write about. Often as a writer in this field I am privy to cruelty and neglect stories that I wish I had never heard about. At times, I am torn with reporting the barbaric acts and depressing my readers because I know how deeply I am affected when I hear about them, and I don't want to dampen anyone's day. BUT... there are times when because of people learning about what is going on in the world, we, together, can promote change and put an end to allowing dogs to suffer any longer. This is one such time.

10 Most Common Dog Names

When we adopted our black lab two years ago, my husband was really into watching spaghetti Westerns. He had become fascinated with the western  Django , which originally was a 1966 film starring Franco Nero. Now, of course, when you mention Django, most people think about Jamie Foxx. But I just think of my best furry friend who we brought home from North Shore Animal League one brisk November day back in 2010. Although she is a girl, we named her Django. At the time, most people didn’t even know how to pronounce her name. Just drop the D, I’d say. Strange choice for a beautiful female puppy? Sure, but we’ve never been one for convention. Yet once Jamie Foxx’s  Django  took off, there have been quite a few people naming their puppies Django. Who knew?

What Would Be On Your Dog's Dog Shaming List? (Video)

Our dog Django has a thing for olives. I don’t quite know what the thing is… if you give her one, she’ll gladly take it and then throw herself on the floor and roll around on top of it. I’m not sure if she hates them and is trying to steamroll them to mush or if she absolutely adores them so much that she needs to romp around on them. So when I saw what Maymo, the lemon beagle, does in this video with pickles, I was immediately drawn to it. Um, Maymo has some other odd behavior, too.

Good Advice

The Utter Nightmare Of Flea Infestation

Flea preventative is NOT optional. Take it from me. This is a sponsored post. The warm weather brings about special considerations for our dogs. First and foremost, dogs must be provided with fresh, clean water at all times and never, ever be left behind in a car with no air conditioner. Those are no brainers, and vital to our dog’s health and safety. On a positive note, warmer weather also affords us with many enjoyable activities with our pups: park excursions, hikes, swims by the lake, etc.… When we spend more time outdoors, so do our dogs. Since I live in New York City, our outdoor excursions aren’t as woodsy as others. Usually, it’s the yard or the park. Our park is a flat-surfaced one, no high hills or wooded areas, just a clean, grassy surface to run and walk. Our yard is concrete except for a very small space in the back where there is dirt, which measures about a foot long. Given these circumstances, I was surprised, OK, shocked and horrified, when my daughte

Boy Learns Food Is Made From Animals: Moves Mom To Tears

Have you ever had the discussion with your child about where meat and fish actually come from? It is usually around the toddler years, when they get to a certain age and finally grasp that animals are killed for food. And people eat them. This little boy, Luiz Antonio, is captured on video not only realizing this but also vowing to not eat animals again. His reasons are pure, logical, and sweet: "When we eat animals, they die. I don't like that they die. These animals...you gotta take care of them and not eat them." Watch the two-minute video until the end...his mom is moved to tears, just as we are, too.