Posts tagged "shelter pets"

Even to veteran cat owners, cats can seem mysterious at times. But did you ever stop to consider that they find us just as confounding? Cats, despite moments of weirdness, are fairly predictable in their behavior, but we must seem bananas to them. This new spot by the Shelter Pet Project a a "public service ad campaign focused on spreading the word that pets in shelters are wonderful and lovable," posits just one example.

We already knew that Halo, Purely for Pets and Freekibble.com were doing some amazing things for shelter pets -- after all, in December, we reported that they had teamed up to deliver a million meals to shelter pets in 2010.

And the good news keeps coming. Halo, which is co-owned by animal-loving comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, has helped Freekibble.com, which was created by Mimi Ausland (pictured above) when she was only 11 years old, reach the amazing goal of five million meals!

Have you done your part to help? Every day, you can go to Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com to answer a fun trivia question. It doesn't matter if you get it right or not -- either way, your click provides 10 pieces of kibble to animal shelters to feed animals awaiting their forever homes.

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More from Paw Nation: Pet On The Street
In this clip from our weekly video series, we are asking dog owners what celebrity is your dog most like?

As much as this thing we call the Internet has changed the lives of humans all over the planet, it's had perhaps an even greater impact on another, slightly furrier species: shelter pets.

The Internet has connected millions upon millions of lonely shelter puppies and kitties with forever homes, facilitated a boom in pet fostering, and changed the way we look at adopting pets altogether. One of the adoption innovators responsible for this shelter pet revolution is none other than Petfinder co-founder Betsy Saul.

As part of our coverage of Petfinder's Adopt the Internet Day (March 15), Paw Nation got the chance to chat with Saul about Petfinder's humble beginnings, the joy of rescuing pets and the letters she gets about some of the 17 million animals that have been adopted through Petfinder.

Petfinder.com has been going strong since 1996. Can you give us a little history of how the whole Petfinder phenomenon came about?
When Jared Saul, my ex-husband, and I started Petfinder 15 years ago, we never dreamed it would be as powerful as it turned out to be. I remember hoping that we could save at least one life a month. And I remember fantasizing about being able to do it as a part-time job -- and really give it the attention it deserved. This year we expect to help find families for 2.5 million pets and there is a whole team of people working full-time to make sure we meet our goal to end the euthanasia of adoptable pets.

For the past three years, Universal Studios Hollywood theme park has celebrated Grinchmas, a special event featuring Dr. Seuss' classic Christmas characters, which includes snow to play in, Whoville celebrations, and even celebrity readings from the likes of Brandy and Stephen Moyer. This year, Grinchmas, which lasts through Jan. 2, opens with an event sure to make even the grinchiest pet lover's heart grow three sizes.

The park will host pet adoption fairs on Dec. 11 and 12, from noon to 4 p.m., with animals provided by the Amanda Foundation and the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. Presiding over the festivities is Max the Dog, everyone's favorite Seuss canine. We spoke to Eliot Sekuler, vice president of PR Universal Studios Hollywood, about this weekend's Max to the Rescue: Have a Heart pet adoption fairs.

What happens on Grinchmas?
We have events taking place on the original sets where the [Grinch movie] was filmed, a very large Whoville Christmas tree [that] we light several times a day, along with a Whoville playlet. Max the Dog is around the park, along with Whoville characters singing and performing.

How were the dogs playing Max discovered?
Trainers from Birds and Animals, the company that trains animals for us, go to shelters and look for dogs that are spirited. For many people they might be too hyper, but that's a good quality for a trainable dog.

Why is it that some shelter animals have dozens of people clamoring to adopt them, while others are disregarded, leaving these dogs and cats to languish in shelters, often for months at a time? "Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish one feature that makes them less adoptable or why they are perpetually passed over," Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com, tells Paw Nation. Other times, it's obvious.

Why Some Pets Are Left Behind at Shelters
Adoptable pets that are blind, deaf or otherwise have "special needs" are often hard to place, states Petfinder.com. So are pets that are older, shy, have dark fur, are too large or can't live in a home with other animals. Then there is breed prejudice, with pit bulls being the most common type of dog being put down in shelters.

A troubling survey by Petfinder.com -- which has over 13,000 shelters and rescue groups listing adoptable pets on its website -- prompted the organization to proclaim September 19–25 to be "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week."

Nearly all of the shelters and rescue groups that Petfinder surveyed reported having "extreme difficulty" finding homes for some of their animals. More alarming, 33 percent of Petfinder.com members had pets listed on Petfinder.com for one to two years. Another 27 percent have had pets listed for even longer than two years. By bringing attention to the plight of these overlooked animals, Petfinder hopes to find permanent homes for pets considered less desirable.

Reasons to consider adopting a "less adoptable" pet
- Older dogs have already gone through the hyperactive puppy or kitten stage and have fully formed personalities, which means you know what you're getting.

- Many of them are already housebroken or know how to walk on a leash.

- A deaf dog may be less likely to bark at your loud neighbors.

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: Seth Casteel
Age: 29
Job: Pet photographer, owner of Little Friends Lifestyle Pet Photography

Tell us about your job!

Many animal lovers are already familiar with Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com, the trivia game sites that donate to shelters ten pieces of kibble for every answer (right or wrong) you give to their questions. You can visit every day (and really, you should!), but on special days sponsors will donate five times as much kibble. Today, Feb. 5, is one of those days.

The sites and the concept are really cool, no doubt, but what's even cooler is that our friends at Tonic scored an interview with the girl behind the site, 13-year-old Mimi Ausland! She shared lots of fun facts, including how she was inspired to start these sites and -- something we're all itching to know -- how much kibble has been donated since she started nearly two years ago.

Check out the full interview at Tonic!

We love stories about people finding new ways to help needy pets, so when we were contacted by Clarissa Jones about the Save the Dogs From the Chill Project, our tails got to wagging.

The Save the Dogs From the Chill Project takes donations of old sweaters and repurposes them for dogs in shelters, something that's particularly important this winter when temperatures all across the country are reaching record lows. Even the southern states are seeing below-freezing temperatures, and not all shelters have indoor areas for all their dogs.

You can keep tabs on the project's progress on their blog -- at the present moment, Jones tells Paw Nation, "We have received so many donations that boxes are starting to pile up to the ceiling. It's crazy! We want to try and have everything mailed out by the end of next week."

And, of course, you can send your own used sweaters (or check your local Goodwill to scoop some up on the cheap) to the address in this post. Come on, you're never going to wear that ugly Christmas sweater again, are you? Lend a paw to a dog in need!

In honor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, we've asked our bloggers to share their stories of shelter animal adoption.

On a warm fall Saturday in 2002, my fiance and I stopped in a Petsmart to buy cat litter. While he searched the aisles for the right brand, I wandered over to one of the pet-rescue groups, Puppy Hill Farm, that sets up shop in the store each weekend. I'd grown up with dogs, but my fiance hadn't, and I had yet to talk him into adopting one.

As we were about to leave the store, we both stopped in our tracks. A young couple was bringing in a black Labrador mix puppy, and we overheard something about it being their roommate's dog, for which they couldn't provide care after the roommate had dropped out of school and moved home. It took my husband about five seconds to fall in love with this puppy. It took me less time.

We named the dog Yuki, and she quickly became an enormous part of our lives. Yuki exhibited typical puppy behavior, but was eager to please and very smart, so although she was large (about 60 pounds), she went everywhere with us. We took her tailgating, to outdoor restaurants, up to Canada for vacation, and she was even in our wedding. She was the perfect running buddy, but was gentle enough to take on visits to my grandmother's nursing home.

Hilary Swank took time out of her busy schedule (she's currently promoting her latest film, "Amelia") to attend the Iams Home 4 the Holidays event. Along with her mom, Judy Swank, the Oscar winner posed for pictures and helped raise awareness for shelter pets. This definitely is our kind of red-carpet photo -- precious!

Helping shelter animals definitely is no acting gig for Swank; this actress walks the walk. She currently lives with two rescued dogs: Karoo, a Jack Russel/Corgi mix she found as a tick-infested stray while working on a film; and Rumi, a Golden Retriever mix she adopted from the East Valley Humane Society. Throughout her life, she's also rescued other dogs, cats and birds.

Swank says in her Iams profile, "Every day when I look at Karoo and Rumi, I know they're thankful I've adopted them into my family, and I'm just as thankful they've adopted me." Finally, a celebrity with whom we can really connect!