Posts tagged "colleen paige"

Today is the fifth annual National Mutt Day, which celebrates and encourages the adoption of shelter dogs and provides donations to local shelters. This year's goal is to save 10,000 mutts from euthanasia or a lifetime in a shelter. National Mutt Day founder and animal behaviorist Colleen Paige spoke to Paw Nation about why she created the day and ways you can help.

Paige has long invested her time in educating the public about the reality of strays, puppy mills and shelter dogs, and the idea of establishing National Mutt Day came out of her desire to do something on a grand scale. "National Mutt Day has helped save over 50,000 dogs since its inception," Paige explains.

The first goal of the event is to find forever homes for shelter dogs, but that's not your only way to participate. "People forget that if they aren't adopting, they can still help local shelters," Paige says. She suggests donating blankets, food, crates or your time as a volunteer. Of course, simple cash donations are always helpful, and Paige recommends asking your neighborhood shelters for their wish lists.

National Mutt Day is closely aligned with other humane causes -- like the importance of spaying and neutering pets, choosing responsible breeders rather than pet shops or puppy mills, and other issues.

To participate, please contact your local shelter directly. More information is available on National Mutt Day's official site.

Read about another worthy cause at Good News Now.

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Colleen Paige
Title: Owner/Founder, The Wedding Dog

What made you decide to start The Wedding Dog?
After years of designing and planning big events such as National Dog Day, I started being asked to design other events for both kids and pets. I was also being called by people who desperately wanted to include pets in their weddings. They needed help designing a chic ceremony that incorporated a pet theme that didn't make it seem too tacky.

What kinds of animals do you work with?
Mostly dogs, but we've had horses, pot bellied pigs, ferrets, birds and even a turtle. Someone called wanting a whole flock of geese to walk down the aisle, but we couldn't get that cleared with the venue they wanted to use. We also had a taxidermy dog sitting at the altar. That was the most unique.

My favorite request, though, is to help a couple select and rescue a new furry family member to start their new life with. Anytime I can rescue a pet is the best moment in my life. That's the kind of wedding in which you will find me sobbing in the back row. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Love cats? Then boy, do we have a holiday for you -- National Cat Day!

We know you want to celebrate National Cat Day properly, so we went straight to the source to learn more. National Cat Day founder Colleen Paige chatted with Paw Nation about how the holiday came to be, how you can celebrate it, and what she hopes people take away from it.

How did National Cat Day come about?
Really, it was a follow-up to National Dog Day, and I simply wanted to give cats a day to be celebrated. They really do what dogs do in terms of giving us unconditional love and companionship, but don't always get the recognition. And sadly, there are so many more cats out there that need homes than dogs.