Underdog!

This brings back childhood memories! They have remade the cartoon Underdog into a movie. This is what the email had to say about the film, and here is a sneak peek as well!

“There’s no need to fear. Underdog is here!” The superhero canine with a gift for rhyme returns in an all new live-action re-imagination of the classic cartoon, UNDERDOG.

After an accident in the mysterious lab of maniacal scientist Dr. Simon Barsinister (PETER DINKLAGE), an ordinary beagle unexpectedly finds himself with unimaginable powers and the ability to speak. Armed with a fetching superhero costume, UNDERDOG (voiced by comedian JASON LEE) vows to protect the beleaguered citizens of Capitol City and, in particular, one beautiful spaniel named Polly Purebread (voiced by Academy Award® nominee AMY ADAMS). When a sinister plot by Barsinister and his overgrown henchman Cad (PATRICK WARBURTON) threatens to destroy Capitol City only UNDERDOG can save the day.

UNDERDOG stars Jim Belushi, Peter Dinklage, Alex Neuberger, Taylor Momsen with Amy Adams and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. Utilizing state-of-the-art CGI special effects mixed with live-action, UNDERDOG flies into theaters on August 3, 2007.

Reader question.

I got an email today from a reader who needs some help. Here is what they wrote:

Help!!!! I have 4 rescued dogs that are 10 years old. My daughter recently (one year ago) moved back in with us and also has 2 rescued dogs. Our city ordinance stipulates that we can only have 4 dogs at our residence and a neighbor has complained that we have too many dogs. Are there any laws that can help us? My daughter intends to move out to her own place within the next year but what do we do in the meantime? I am desperate!! These dogs are our babies and I can't imagine getting "rid" of any of them. Help!!!! Anybody!!!! We live in Galveston County Texas. Can anyone help?????

As far as I know, there aren't really any laws to get around this. The laws in my state are actually stricter than in Texas, as we are only supposed to have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Other than talking with the neighbors and letting them know the situation I can't think of anything. Any ideas?

Steps for your pet

The folowing is a paid review for Dog & Cat Steps.

I have often thought about getting our pup a dog step so she could climb into the window seat in the living room. I think she would love to look out the window without having to get one of the humans to put her up there. She would probably also love an easy way up onto the bed too, but maybe it's best that she doesn't figure that out.

The site called Help Your Pets sells Dog & Cat Steps in a variety of colors and sizes. Their pet steps are built with wood and covered in carpet, and are offered in sizes from 2, all the way up to 5,  steps. So, even if you had a really high bed or couch, they should have something that would work well for your dog or cat.

What I liked was that they had a variety of colors, and that they also offered storage lids and wheels and handles that can be added to the steps. The color I would pick would be the ivory, I think that is a nice color for the room it would be used in.

Now, our pup is nowhere near 200 pounds, but their steps can actually hold up to that wieght! Another cute thing, for the cat lovers, is that they offer a step with two cut outs below the steps that a cat could play or sleep inside. I can see a ferret enjoying something like that as well! So, if you have ever considered getting steps for your pet, be sure to check their website!

Photo contest entry!

The theme is humor! If you want to enter and to vote visit Write from Karen.

For Father's Day

Why not do something totally unique? Give your dad a virtual fish! The great folks over at Shelter To Home are doing a fundraiser in honor of Father's Day. When you make a donation in your dad's name he gets a virtual fish. They are calling it "Dad's Big Catch"!

So, if you dad is an animal lover who already has everything, why not make a donation in his name?

Pet Grief Saturday

This is a wonderful event, it's not often that grieving for a beloved pet is recognized. Here are the details:

SPCA of Texas hosts Pet Grief Counseling Group

WHAT: The SPCA of Texas’ Pet Grief recovery program is designed to help those who are grieving the loss of a beloved companion animal.

Diane Pomerance, Ph.D., an SPCA volunteer and certified Grief Recovery Specialist, along with trained volunteers, administer a program incorporating telephone counseling and one-on-one and group guidance in a safe and supportive environment.

Free and open to the public, the SPCA’s Pet Grief Counseling Program meets at 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month at the SPCA Headquarters located at 2400 Lonestar Drive in Dallas.

WHERE: SPCA of Texas
2400 Lone Star Drive, Dallas, TX
Location: conference room

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2007, at 1 p.m.

WHY: It can be difficult for most of us to openly discuss loss of any kind, and even more uncomfortable to discuss the loss of a pet. Until now, there has been little opportunity for grieving pet owners to express and recover from their grief.

MORE
INFO: Maura Davies, 214-461-1814 or 214-742-SPCA (7722)
Alicia Brown, 214-461-1815 or 214-742-SPCA (7722)
Pet Grief Hotline: 214-461-5131

Furry Friday-- baby seal

The pup has that beautiful white fur for only 3 weeks!

Feeling crafty?

Want your kitty to give you the stink eye? Make a kitten bonnet.

Pooch Prance!

This is an event for Paridise Animal Rescue, if you are in the area, be sure to check it out!

Pooch Prance
Saturday June 9,2007
12:00pm(est) to 4:00pm(est)

Rowden Park (Across from lapeer Hospital)

*Pet Photo Booth *Best pet trick contest
*Microchip your pet *best Costume Contest
*Sponsor giveaway's *longest sit Contest
*Canine Agility Demo's *Pet?Owner look-a-like-
Contest

FREE T-SHIRTS
*Minimum donation of $15.00 for your pet,
$5.00 for each add'l pet

Proof of Rabies vaccination *Required and all dog's must be on a leash. Paradise Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization, and all donations are Tax-deductible.*

* IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR PLEASE CALL MILO'S PET SERVICES (810)-614-0455


Paradise Animal Rescue
265 Howard Street
Lapeer,Mi 48446
www.parpets.org

A quick note about promotion

A big part of this blog is promoting animal welfare, by spreading the word for rescue groups, wildlife groups, and other animal lovers. So if you are part of an animal welfare group, send me your events and rescue stories to help spread the word. I am happy to pass this information on in the effort to promote animal welfare, and it also helps your website gain exposure.

Another thing that I am happy to do is to help promote companies that make great products for pets and pet parents. Every now and then you may see a product or website review on this blog, hopefully you will find them helpful.

My goal in doing this blog, and my website, is to help get the word out about the many homeless pets waiting for a second chance. You help me do this by sending in your stories, photos, and events.

Maui Pet Therapy

This comes from Shannon of Maui Pet Therapy! I wish I could be in Maui right now! It would be fun to visit the therapy bunnies, and enjoy the beach a bit too.

MARS on the planet Maui? Are you wondering if I have lost my mind? Maui is sometimes like another planet... (a day in Paia... Maui friends know what I'm talking about)... and after all, we are an island. But though we are distanced from the mainland... we still reach for the stars!!

Our pet therapy program has created an affiliation with MARS - Maui Animal Rescue and Sanctuary! Several of their rescued rabbits work in our program and we decided it's about time we work more closely together. I will be bringing back our animal education program in the fall (yes, with an already full pet therapy schedule) and want Maui's children to see that we just don't talk the talk, but we walk the WALK! We agree that spaying and neutering of animals is paramount, and this includes rabbits. MARS will be assisting us with all spay/neuter/microchip costs for our working rabbits in exchange for a $25 (per altered rabbit) donation to their organization. While this doesn't seem to be a big deal, hold on to your socks my friends, the cheapest neuter price on Maui for a rabbit is $150!!! Average spay... $200!!! While some of our rabbits are already spayed/neutered, imagine if I had to start from scratch to alter 30 rabbits. Top end price... it would cost $6000 dollars. They would shut down my program.

Our own humane society does not spay/neuter rabbits leaving it to the private vets to handle it (which is why they've price fixed their services... yes, sometimes it hurts to live in paradise).

$25 for spay/neuter and microchip through MARS is a SWEEEEEEET deal!

I am ecstatic about this! MARS rescues, rehabilitates and adopts out many of their bunnies. We're happy to endorse their outreach program to find the bunnies good homes and use them in our program when positions are available.

Mahalo (thank you) MARS for all of your kokua (help, support and assistance!). We're still in need of donations to keep our program going. I don't ask for much, every little bit helps. :) Donation button and info is on our main page.

Warmest aloha,
Shannon and all of the fuzzy, feathered and furry, pet therapy animals (Shannimals!!!)

Furry Friday-- Feathered Fun!

Another little movie for furry friday.

Pet Photography

Most pet owners love to take photos of their pets. I know that I sure do! It's always so much fun to catch them in action, especially when they are doing something cute or funny. Plus, we like to have fun sharing our photos on Furry Friday!

I recently got an email about a great new technology just for pet parents. HP has come out with cameras that feature pet-eye fix built in. If you click the link you will see great examples of what this can do for your photos. In the email it said:

The best part about this new HP digital photography technology is that Pet-Eye Fix is an in-camera feature. You do not need to buy any new software for your computer, nor worry about your computer and its current running software being out of date. And because it is an in-camera feature, Pet-Eye fix is as easy to use as Red-Eye Removal and many other features that we use frequently when taking digital photos.

It's nice to see that a company is recognizing pets and the important role that they play in our lives by creating technology geared for pet owners. Pretty neat stuff if you ask me!

Crafty Animal Lovers

One thing that I love is all the great indie artists out on the web (especially on Etsy). So, when I visited Mandypants shop and saw that she was donating part of her sales to benefit an animal rescue group I asked her to write a little something about it to share here.

There is very little more that I love to do besides craft if up, except helping animals. I decided recently to start donating 10% of my sales to a local animal shelter here in West Texas called The Haven. The Haven is a no kill shelter and they're always needing some help. After I posted this on my site (www.mandypants.etsy.com) some others saw what I was doing and invited me to join EFA (Etsy For Animals). EFA donates part of their profits each month to a different animal charity. It's so cool and I'm really excited to be a part of it! So far, I've gotten a decent chunk of change to donate, and that's always a great feeling! I love craft for causes, and animals are always in need, it's great to do my part. I wish I could house and feed every animal that needed it, but I've already got 3 cats, 3 fish and I'm babysitting a rabbit, I think my husband would move out if I tried to move any more animals in, ha! Check out my site at www.mandypants.etsy.com!

Thank you Mandy! I totally know what you are going through with the animals, my hubby thinks I want to live in a zoo with all the animals I would like to adopt. ;) Good luck with your shop, and thanks for letting us all know about Esty for Animals!

Jenna Fischer, animal lover!

If you are a fan of the TV show The Office, then you may have heard about Jenna Fischer's recent accident. What does this have to do with animals? When fans asked her husband (James Gunn) where to send get well care packages, do you know what he said? Send a donation to Rover Rescue in Jenna's name instead! How wonderful!

It's always great to see people spread the word about animal rescue. So, if you love The Office and want to send a little something to wish Jenna a speedy recovery, consider a donation to Rover Rescue!

Furry Friday-- relax

Found this cutie on the web, looks like the little hedgehog is relaxing for the weekend! Hope you have a relaxing weekend too.



*hmmm... apparently the photo is not on the website anymore. pity, it was very cute.

The Happiest Turtle

Every so often I come across an animal website that makes me smile. Luckily, Ralph Wellington (the happiest turtle in the world) added me to his Myspace friends... otherwise I would have missed out on his great webpage. Yes, I do believe that Ralph is the happiest turtle in the world...

Furry Friday-- two legs

This is just one of three pups born with only two legs (all from the same littler). Please click here to read the full story, and click below to see the pups in action.

The New Yorkers

When I was contacted to recieve a copy of The New Yorkers, I was very excited. I always get a bit giddy when people want to send me things, and this time I was especially giddy because it was a book about dogs!

The book arrived just in time for the weekend and the cold, rainy weather; it was perfect timing because I was able to read it all in one day! There are some perks to bad weather, time to read is one of them. It was a book that I had a hard time putting down, I just wanted to see how it was all going to work out.

It was a very fun read, which is something that I really like. The book is about people and their relationships with each other, but it is also very much about dogs and how they can bring people together. I certainly don't want to spoil the plot, but anyone who has ever been loved by a dog knows the kind of changes they can bring into your life.

Click the photo to read more about it, and to visit the author's blog!

Strut Your Mutt

The annual Strut Your Mutt event is coming on May 19th. People and dogs come to celebrate and raise funds for homeless pets. Top fundraising prize this year is a trip for two to the Best Friends 2008 Lint Roller Party in Los Angeles. So, if you are in Utah be sure to sign up to Strut Your Mutt!

Amy love animals

It's great to see videos like this. Best Friends is a great organization!

Live in LA?

Furry Friday-- I love socks!

Mother's Day, the animal way.

This is just one great idea for a Mother's day gift that is unique (and helps animals).

"While daughters and sons make their plans to do something special on Sunday, May 13th to honor their moms, Shelter to Home, Inc. would like to offer you a unique way to pay tribute to her.

www.sheltertohome.com/honormom Click on the donation button to the right Honor Mom-Donate Here. With your donation, your Mom will be given a “virtual tulip” and her name listed on our site. Your donation in your mom’s honor will directly aid in saving the life of a shelter animal. What better way to say thank you for all she’s given or gave you by giving in her honor.

Thanks for the heads up Kalin (Shelter to Home Inc)!

Lily needs help.

As is the case with a lot of rescues, especially when they are abandoned, things can go wrong. Some rescue animals end up needing a lot of medical attention and care. Some rescue animals are in such bad shape that they are never adopted out, but instead live out their lives in their no-kill rescue/shelter.

Lily is a lucky girl. She found a home, but she needs help with medical bills. Her owner runs a great little shop, so please take a look at this post about Lily, and if you see anything in her shop know that you will be helping a dog have a happy life.

A happy ending for Josie.

Romeojosiemom says:

I also will get rescues from now on. This is Josie - she is now 6yrs old. She became part of my family 3 yrs ago.





If you look close, she has numerous scars across her nose and head from physical abuse. According to the rescue vet, Josie was being trained as a fight dog and was not cooperating. She is a lover not a fighter! She was kept out chained to a garage in deplorable conditions. She is now afraid of everyone and anything that moves. Over the past 3 years, she has come to trust some people and has become more content.

Another happy ending for a rescue dog. Thank you for sharing this story, hopefully it will inspire more people to adopt rescue animals.

Popcorn needs a home.

Popcorn is a beautiful, all white, 7 month old female pit bull. Defenseless, Popcorn's start in life was one of abandonment and abuse. Barely a few weeks old, some caring teenagers found her in a forest preserve with her face "smashed" and immediately brought her to Save-A-Pet.

The chain of events then happened rapidly, she immediately went to a vet emergency clinic, spent some days there and then moved into a foster home, but is now back at our facility. The only reminder of that horrific day is her eye. Popcorn's injuries included permanently damaging one eye which she has no vision out of now, and her skull and face had fractures which have all healed well. Popcorn has turned into an ebullient girl that lives life to the fullest. She loves to roughhouse and roll around with other dogs, but that's not always every dog's cup of "bone".

Sadly, Popcorn is living in a cage at the kennel. For months now Popcorn has watched people pass by her cage day after day...hoping one day someone would stop by her cage, pick her up, hug her, and take her home with them. Popcorn is still just a baby, and very sweet. She longs for human attention. She is very lonely and sad living in a cage at the shelter. Because Popcorn is so sad, and used to being passed by, she seems to have given up hope of ever finding a forever family. Sweet little Popcorn deserves to live in a loving forever home, and to experience love and security.

Please consider changing Popcorn's life! Popcorn will not let you down, she has a lot of love to share!

***Contact Information***

If you are interested in adopting Popcorn, or for more information on her, please contact:

Save-A-Pet Adoption Center, 31664 North Fairfield Road, Grayslake, Illinois 60030

Call and ask for an Adoption counselor at : 847-740-7788, or you may send an email to: adoptions@save-a-pet-il.org, RE: Popcorn

This is cool!

Taylor commented that the Bloggers Choice Awards are going on, and said that this site should be part of it. You will notice a badge on the sidebar, you can vote for this site by clicking on the badge. It would really be neat to win and spread the word about rescue! :)

Penny the Pom

All kinds of dogs can end up in situations where they need to be adopted. Just look at sweet Penny, she found a happy forever home thanks to Ponderosa Pomeranian Rescue Inc and her new family.

Kira's happy ending.

Kira came to us from a shelter at about 1 year of age. She had been a stray they picked up, so they didn't know anything about her. She was very afraid of people and dogs and wouldn't let them walk past us on the street. She would lunge barking and snarling to keep them from getting too close. She taught me an enormous amount about dog behavior and fearful dogs especially. She did go on to compete in agility and do some obedience workshops.

She is now 13 yrs old and has kidney disease, and has come a long way since we intially brought her home. I have three dogs and I never thought I would say this about her, but she is my easy dog. She's very sweet, and a wonderful gentle soul. I'm very greatful to have her in my life.

Thanks for sharing with us Clynch! What a great thing you have done to add a rescue animal to your family.

Happy Ending for Sam and Annabell

AdrianG wrote:

Two stories so far... (there will be more as we will always get rescued dogs from now on).

Sam 'Rufus' Greig- Age 14 years old Rescued 1996. Dumped at the vet, to be put down, in an unloved state. Hair well over grown, dirty, huge tick on his cheek. Previous owners were moving and simply didn't want him anymore. He has had 12 great years with us and we can't imagine life without him.





Annabelle Greig - Age 4 years old Rescued 2 weeks ago. Product of a divorce with neither partner wanting her. A beautiful dog (with issues). However, in her 2 short weeks with us she has become best mates with Sam and has a light in her eyes that is infectious.

Furry Friday Movie

A new way to celebrate Furry Friday!

Zappa's Happy Ending

Laurel writes about Zappa the border collie... around 3 y/o...

He was found running loose as a stray alongside a busy road near a horse farm south of Tampa. The folks who owned the barn spent nearly two weeks trying to catch him. When they finally did catch him, they were keeping him in an empty stall (to keep their dogs from him) until they turned him over to Skyway Border Collie Rescue in Palmetto, FL, just before Christmas. They called him Nick at the rescue.

In January I contacted Skyway looking for a BC and they told me his tale and evaluated our compatibility. The first week of February, I drove down from Orlando to meet him in person. He was shy and a bit overwhelmed by the several other madly hyper borders in the house, but he warmed right up to me and we took him home that very day!

He's just the sweetest little fuzzball I've ever known! Best thing to ever happen to my life! And while he may not have the extreme herding drive typical of his breed, preferring more laid-back pursuits, he's still a wonderful dog. He may never be a sheepdog, but he's a born trail dog.. he loves nothing more than to get out and explore the woods with me. =)

Cooking at home.

A lot of pet parents cook meals for their pets. After the recent recall of major pet foods, it's becoming more popular. The best way to find out about cooking for your pet is from your vet.

Recently we switched our dog to a homemade diet due to liver failure. She wasn't a fan of the liver diet dog food, and when we asked what else we could do our vet gave us some recipes. It's pretty simple, and she is loving the food.

We use a basic recipe of cooked brown rice, turkey, and cottage cheese. The recipe also calls for broccoli, which she happens to love as a treat, so we often leave it out of the meal and keep it as a treat. It's not too hard to whip up a batch either, and she thinks she is getting the royal treatment by eating "people food".

Anyway, it's worth asking about if you are concerned with the saftey of your pet's food. You can even cook for other animals as well, our bird loves the "birdie bread" recipe (cornbread with veggies cooked into it).

Homeless dog honored.

This is a great story, although it is also a very sad story. The citizens of Moscow banded together after a homeless dog was stabbed to death. They raised funds to create a monument called "Sympathy". Click here to read all about it and see the monument.

Furry Friday!

Another happy ending.

Cody sent in his story about his rescue Kenya. Thanks Cody!

I've been looking for a dog of my own for about 7 or 8 months now. I was pretty desperate to get one because my dog of 15 years had just passed away. I've always been a big fan of arctic breed dogs, and was really looking for a pure-bred husky from several local breeders, but I was also checking the local pound every once in a while to see if one would catch my eye. Sure enough, I went in there one day and not only did they have a husky and a malamute, they had Kenya. Now I was dead set on getting a puppy, but she really caught my eye and I knew she was the dog I wanted. Kenya was a 4-year-old German Shepard hybrid, so the tag said. They were very leary of her being adopted out because of her size and wolf-like appearance, but they eventually let me adopt her. She was clearly underfed (you can see/feel EVERY bone in her body) and her fur is a bit raggedy, but she is otherwise a very healthy and good dog. She's been trained before and listens very well to me. I think the thing that I love most about her though, she is EXACTLY, down to the color and personality, like the dog I had for 15 years.

A must read.

This post came to me via email from a reader, and is a great read for all who love animals. Actually, it's a great post period. Please head on over to Christine's blog and read The Truth about Inconvenience. Thank you for sharing this Christine!

Go Orange Day!

 

Today is the day to Go Orange for animals.

Ready to go Orange??

Tomorrow is the day to Go Orange for Animals. April 10th is ASPCA Day, and they want everyone to go orange in celebration. Click the link to learn more, and don't forget to Go Orange tomorrow!

Hoppy Easter!

Hopefully your Easter holiday was as fun as ours was. Here is a video of our pup trying to get her Easter egg. Enjoy!

Adorable Otters

Even otters hold hands with each other... go hold the hand of someone you love this weekend.

Awww...

Now, I can't say anything about dressing up dogs because our dogs have all loved clothes. This cutie looks adorable, but not too thrilled, in her jacket.



You can see more of Ab at her blog. Thanks Ab for the email, we totally think you are cute!

Contest update

For those of you who entered and won the Steve Irwin Wildlife Warrior contest, never fear! There has been a delay in getting the prizes out, but they will be out by the first of next week.

For those who missed the contest don't worry, there may be more contests in the future! :)

Why pets are great therapy!

Pets have been proven to lower blood pressure, helping people live longer, healthier lives. Anyone with a pet knows that they are great therapy, they all do quirky things that you can't help but chuckle over. Here is our dog, she is totally in love with computers... no, she isn't actually upset by the tray. She is barking for joy! Click the link to see the video!

Murphy and Max

Another happy ending! Thank you Leslie for sharing.



"Murphy and his pregnant mate were dumped at the SPCA a couple of years ago when he was around 1.5 years old. We now believe it was because of some of his behaviors - he's an obsessive marker, and it's now pretty clear that we need to just accept him as he is and work around that, since we've found no training or therapies that have put a dent in that habit. It's sad in a way that it means that he's confined to a fairly small area in the house, other than the times when we can get his wiggly butt into a "belly band" and watch him like a hawk to make sure that he doesn't work his way out of it, but we spend as much time as we can with him, though we know he'd love to just be at our feet all the time. We love him to pieces.

Max was rescued way back in '94 when he was also (the vet guessed) about 1.5 years old, so he's now a very old man. You can see the pit in him (head-ridge and some other characteristic features) but you can also see whippet, which makes for a VERY interesting combination! Before I brought him home, the rescue group who took him in had him treated for his fight wounds -- he'd apparently been used as pitbull fight bait -- and to have his too-small chain collar surgically removed from his neck, where it was starting to grow into the skin of his neck. When I first brought him home, he would cower and growl if I lifted my hand to pet him, but it wasn't long before he became the biggest lovebug out there."

Furry Friday!

Triumph gets her legs.

This story is both heartbreaking and wonderful. Triumph the dog was found on the side of the road, both of her legs had been cut off and she was left to die. Luckily some wonderful people stepped in, and through a series of many events, Triumph has become the first dog ever to have permenant artifical legs.
You can read the full story here, and also see video clips of Triumph in action.

Luck o'the Irish

Happy St. Patricks to you all! The contest for the Wildlife Warrior wristbands has ended, and the winners will be recieving their prize soon!

Remember, you can change a homeless animals luck by thinking of adoption first. If you are looking for a new pet, be sure to check with your local shelter and rescue groups, you will be saving a life!

Furry Friday!

ASPCA

April 10th is ASPCA Day. This means that you can help support the great work they are doing on behalf of our animal friends by "going orange".  NYC buildings, as well as other cities across the nation, will be lighting up with orange lights. People and pets can join the fun by wearing orange, or even lighting their homes with orange lights (I know we have some orange lights from Halloween we can put out).

Click here for more fun ways to "go orange" in support of the day. Be sure to take photos of your orange creations, then bring them on over to the  Flickr group I created for ASPCA Day.

Furry Friday!

A rescue story.

This story comes from Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing. It's always wonderful to see what can be done.

"I first heard about J.R., Goldie, Mama Calico, Abby, and Marisol when a person from the congregation where I am an intern minister told me that they were going to be euthanized. It was a Sunday in January, and they were scheduled to be caught on Thursday and taken to a shelter where they would be put to sleep. A woman from our congregation had left town rather quickly and not managed to make arrangements for her five cats to come with her or to find a new home for them. They were left outside about October, after many years of human companionship, and by January it was bitterly cold out and friends of the woman who abandoned them didn't know what else to do with them but to take them to a shelter (where they most certainly would have been put to sleep due to their serious health care needs).

Because they were so scared and traumatized, they came across as somewhat feral, although we later found out that all were as sweet as can be. Mama Calico was at least 12, and her two sons, J.R. and Goldie, were not much younger. It turns out that Marisol had been abused as a kitten, and was thus very aggressive - she scratched and bit when you tried to touch her, and growled if you even got close. Only Abby was considered very adoptable - although at six, she was already getting older than many people will consider.

It took a week and a half to catch all five - they were scared, cold, and, as it turns out, also very sick. Goldie had frostbite, and Goldie, J.R. and Abby all had infected gums and needed teeth pulled. They all had fleas and earmites, matted hair, weak immune systems, and poor Goldie was allergic to fleas and so he also had scabs and sores all over him.

Through the generous help of members of the Unitarian Universalist organization for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.uua.org/ufeta/) who I emailed, some other generous folks who heard about the kitties through my blog (www.elizabethslittleblog.com), and two shelters in the Greater Boston area (Second Chance Shelter http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MA77.html and Animal Umbrella http://www.animalumbrella.org/) we raised over $700 to get the kitties all the shots, tests, and treatment that they needed (deeply discounted care was offered by Animed Pet Hospital, Dedham, MA). We discovered that Mama Calico, J.R. and Goldie were very attached to each other and yowled and cried if they were separated very long, so we hoped against hope that we could find all three over age 10 cats a home together, along with a home for Marisol who, even though she clearly had a very good heart, was somewhat of an attack cat.

The first night we had Goldie, before we were able to catch Mama Calico and J.R., he was so upset all night that I eventually went in and slept on the floor next to him in order to comfort him. As soon as we brought Mama Calico and J.R. the next day (we were extra motivated to catch them after Goldie was soooo upset) Goldie immediately licked them, purred, and was as happy as could be to have his family back.

After just a month and a half, all five cats have loving homes - and Mama Calico, J.R., and Goldie have one together! A kind couple decided that they had the patience and love to work with Marisol to try to deal with some of her aggression and anger issues, and a young college student looking for a chill, well-adjusted cat gave Abby a home.

It took lots of love, lots of generosity, and lots of patience to find homes for these sweeties, but we did it - and couldn't have done it without so many organizations and individuals coming together to help them. Some people, even well-meaning animal lovers, initially suggested that the most humane thing to do would be to put them to sleep, and I'm so glad we decided to be patient and have hope because it paid off. Three families have lovely companion animals and five kitties have many happy years ahead of them."

Furry Friday!

Don't forget to enter the contest before it's too late!

DNA to the rescue!

This is a great use of modern forensics on the behalf of our animal friends. The use of DNA is helping people track elephant poachers. Yes, ivory is beautiful, but so are elephants. This is hopefully a step in the right direction to stop poaching of elephants for ivory. Here is a story about it with a lot more detail.

Speaking of elephants, come visit my shop and buy an Ellie product to help spread the word!

K.C. The African Grey

This story illustrates why rescue groups are so important, and why you should always be sure that your home is well suited for a pet before you buy.

"K.C. had a breakthrough today. It made me so happy I cried...

K.C. is a little Congo African Grey who came to live at The Oasis about two years ago. His story was a true rescue situation. A couple came upon him in a home where the teenaged boys were beating him and his cage. K.C. was terrified and although the couple knew nothing about birds, they recognized the seriousness of his situation and bought him from the owners."

Click the link to find out what his breakthrough was!

Those crazy sharks!

Every so often I learn something about our animal friends that just shocks and surprises me. Animals are truly amazing creatures, and I think that we are just starting to scratch the surface.

Anyway, did you know that whale sharks can push their stomachs out of their bodies. They do it so they can wash their stomachs, then they pull them back in once they are clean. Wild!

Recycle, for animals.

The harvest mouse was losing suitable housing, so the clever folks from The Wildlife Trust in Avon, Glamorgan and Northumberland came up with a great way to give them a home, while at the same time finding a use for used tennis balls. See the full story here. Way to go!

Another Contest!

This time around, there will be 9 winners. Each of the winners will recieve one Wildlife Warrior wristband.

If you aren't familiar with the cause behind the wristband, here is what the website has to say about them:

"Show your support for the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife with this commemorative wristband. Help in the fight to raise awareness of wildlife issues, educate the public and support biological research.

Wildlife Warrior programs include:

• Australian Wildlife Hospital


• Species and Habitat Conservation (Asia)


• Crocodile Rescue and Research (International)


• Community Education (International)


• Emergency Wildlife Response (including Tsunami project)


• And more!

Share and support the dream of our favorite, beloved mate, Steve Irwin."

So, be sure to leave a comment (and email so I can contact you if you win) for your chance to have a wristband of your own! If you want to get an extra entry in the contest, all you have do do is write a quick post on your blog about this blog, or submit an animal story to be shared on this blog. :) The contest will end on March 17th, with the winners announced on the 18th. Good luck!

Say no to dog fur!

It amazes me that people would do this, but some of the big name designers are actually using dog fur in their clothing lines. The worst part, the dogs are usually skinned alive (as proven by hidden camera footage) and it's often passed as "faux fur".

There is something you can do if you think this is wrong.  Help pass the Dog and Cat fur prohibition act by clicking the link and then contacting your represenatives.

Furry Friday!

Wordless Wednesday- swallowtail butterfly

Spay Day USA

Spay (and neuter) day is February 27th. This event is hosted nation wide by the Humane Society of America. There are many things that you can do to help, including spreading the word, raising funds, hosting an event, or helping at an event in your area. This is a great cause in the fight for homeless pets, so please click the link or logo to find out more.

Happy New Year

I'm a bit late with this, but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. It's the year of the pig! Scroll down to learn more about what that means.



The Chinese new year follows the lunar calendar, and the actual new year celebration was yesterday. However, most people celebrate for a full week leading up to the day. The pig is associated with ferility, and it is considered very lucky to bear a child in the year of the pig. People born under the sign of the pig are known to be honest, shy, and happy.

Dolphin gets artificial fin!

A dolphin in Japan recieved the worlds first artificial fin. This video shows the dolphin in action, using the new fin like it was her own. The fin was made by the tire company, Bridgestone, and was donated to the dolphin.

With a little help from my friends!

If you know of a good story, organization, or anything animal/wildlife related that needs to get some exposure, let me know and I will make a post about it here. I do this work because of my passion for animals, but I sure could use the help from other animal lovers! :)

This blog is actually the companion blog for my animal rescue site. The newly designed site is (fingers crossed) launching in the summer, but if you are interested in seeing the old site it can be found here.

The purpose of my work is to help rescue groups gain traffic in hopes that more animals will find forever homes. I also have a love for wildlife, so you will find posts related to pets as well as wildlife here on my blog, although the actual website is mainly aimed at pets.

So, if you have any animal related stories please send them my way! Let's get the word out together.

Kaos needs a home

One thing that I am more than happy to do here is to help get the word out about pets seeking forever homes. Here is a great story about a dog who is in need of a foster, or even better, a forever home. Please visit the link and consider Kaos for your pet if you are looking.

Furry Friday!

 See more Furry Friday photos here! Remember to post your animal photos for Furry Friday, you can post on your blog, and/or, join the Flickr group.

2007, Year of the Dolphin

Someone has declared that 2007 is the year of the dolphin. This is something that was already taking place at my house (dolphin calendars, dolphin themed trips I want to plan). However, after reading the awful news that the white dolphin is now extinct, I think it's great to declare a year focused on these amazing animals.

So, what can you do to help dolphins? Visit the site above and you can adopt a dolphin. There are also some amazing trips that you can take through Earthwatch that involve dolphin research. Or take a trip to a local aquarium or someplace like Sea World, support their research and breeding efforts.

Here is my favorite movie about dolphins, it features music by Sting.

Valentines Day

It was three years ago for Valentines Day that a cute little pup came to play. She has filled all our lives with happiness and joy, here she is with her favorite toy! Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine Doggie-mail

Click here to see a fun Valentines message, and create your own too! What could be better than doggie-mail?!

A Monday morning laugh

I just saw a funny post about mind tricks dogs can play on their human. There are many funny "tricks" such as drying off on the bed instead of letting your human use a towel after a bath, and being sure to take forever when your human is waiting for your to do your business outside. Click the link for the full list of funnies!

Wildlife gardening

Want to do something to help wildlife and make your yard look good at the same time? Why not plan a backyard habitat?

We have a lot of wildlife, mainly various birds, that come and visit our yard. I plan to make our yard more friendly towards them this coming spring by setting aside a space just for native plants and such. There is more information about making a wildlife friendly garden here, you can even certify your garden area as a backyard habitat.

Furry Friday and a winner!

I would also like to thank everyone who entered the contest and for helping spread the word about this blog!

Thanks to the ever popular hat draw we have a winner. Congrats go to Chelle who will be recieving a horse calendar pack! There will be more contests here in the future, it was just too much fun not to do it again. :)

Make your shopping count.

There is a great way to shop, and help animals at the same time, the Animal Rescue Site Store! For each purchase you make you fund food for animals living in sanctuaries and shelters. They have a lot of fun items, like the cute good luck pig at the top of this post! They also offer a lot of handmade and fair trade goods as well. It's a great place to find Valentines gifts too, they have a lot of special items for the holiday.

So, next time you are looking for something a little more unique, be sure to check the Animal Resuce Site store first. :)

Wordless Wednesday

This wasn't staged, she looks at herself in the mirror all the time. We just got lucky enough to capture it with the camera.