Turn Sad to Glad

You may not know this but Paw Pals Boutique (my company) has a FaceBook page and I spend lots of time online.  Mom thinks I spend too much time there but I need to keep up with what is happening to all my dog and cat friends. (Like us at Paw Pals Boutique)

Social Media is a great way to get humans to help lost pets find their ways home and for shelters to let peoples learn about the animals that are looking for forever homes.

I read a story about one of Mom’s friends from where we used to live, who drove his car a long way to adopt a senior dog whose human died.  It was sad enough for this dog to not have his human anymore but no body wanted him so he had to go to a shelter and we all know that senior dogs have a harder time getting adopted.

He found a great forever home because the shelter told his story on FaceBook.

DixieLee and I were both adopted because Mom saw our faces on Social Media but this post isn’t about Social Media.  It’s about shelters and pets looking for good, loving homes and what you can do to help.

When Mom sees a dog on FaceBook that needs a good home, she wants to adopt her but we live in a small house that is really full with two humans and two dogs

.

Maybe there are reasons you can’t ADOPT but maybe you could FOSTER. 

Shelters are so crowed, FOSTERING gives an animal a nice place to live while waiting to get adopted.

If you can’t FOSTER, maybe you could SPONSOR.  Sponsoring means giving money to go toward the care of a specific pet until they can be adopted.  Sometimes animals need surgery or expensive medical care and sponsoring can really, really help.

If you can’t SPONSOR, maybe you could VOLUNTEER.  Volunteering means you give your time to a shelter.  It could be helping care for the animals, like walking dogs or cleaning cages or it could mean giving your time stuffing envelopes for a fundraising campaign.

If you can’t VOLUNTEER, maybe you could DONATE. Donating means giving money to a shelter.  It doesn’t have to be lots, every penny helps.  And Mom says that donations are tax deductible, which I guess is a good thing.

If you can’t DONATE, you maybe could EDUCATE.  Educating is what I am doing now.  If you don’t write a blog, maybe you could share this post or you could find good animal pages on FaceBook and other Social Media sites and share their posts.

There are so many animals that need humans to help them find good, safe, loving homes and now you know so many ways that you can help.

Thanks from all the animals looking for forever homes.

Love,

Zeva

P.S  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe go to pawpalsboutique.com

Bad Luck For Black Cats

I love humans but sometimes they are very confusing creatures. Take for example what they think of black cats. Lots of people think that black cats bring bad luck. Witches, the bad kind in spooky stories, always have a black cat as a pet so black cats must be evil too.

Even when people say they don’t really believe that black cats are bad luck, there must be a part of them that does because when they go to find a new pet at an animal shelter, they don’t even look at the black cats.

I read a study that said black cats are two-thirds less likely to get adopted than white cats and half as likely to get adopted as tabbies. It is so unfair that just because they have a black coat, they stay in shelters almost two times longer than other color cats.
Some shelters spend lots of effort to get black cats adopted. They take really pretty pictures of them and put those pictures in newspaper and television ads.

There is one time of year when some shelters don’t want to let black cats be adopted. That time is around Halloween. A black cat, like any animal that gets adopted should be part of the family.  They should be loved and pampered.  A black cat is not an accessory to a Halloween costume.

Worse yet, there are really bad people out there who want to hurt black cats at Halloween time! I think those peoples should be put in a cage and only be let out to pee twice a day.

I know the people who read my blog are super good people so if you are thinking of adopting a cat any time soon, please think about adopting a black cat. They are just as loving as other color cats and they purr just and loud.

Have a happy and safe Halloween,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com 

Who Rescued Who (or is it whom?)

5 to 7 MILLION companion animals (pets) are relinquished (dumped) at shelters every year. 3 to 4 MILLION of these "companion animals" are euthanized (KILLED) within 60 days of being admitted. I was very lucky.  My six brothers and sisters and I were in a shelter in the south where there are lots and lots of homeless dogs.  We were tiny babies when some nice people drove us far away so we could be adopted.  My Mom saw me on line and came to get me.

My Mom would love to be able to take every one of those 5 to 7 MILLION pets home too but she says that is not practical. We don't have lots room or lots of money so in order to make sure I have good food, medical care and other things that make my life good, my Mom and Dad need to watch their pennies. They are trying to convince me that I should have a brother or sister but I am THE DOG and am not looking forward to having to share my family or my toys with another dog. Mom said since I was so against having another dog live with us that we could maybe foster dogs until we found them their own fur ever homes. That could be okay since I would only have to share with another dog for a short time. It would be like having a friend come to visit, not move in.

Mom says there are lots of ways people can help shelter animals in addition to outright adopting them cuz like us, adoption may not be an option. For example, a human could volunteer their time to help out at their local shelter. Shelters need humans to help to do lots of things. A human can volunteer time to walk dogs, play with pets, represent the shelters at events where pets are being adopted or even stuff envelopes or hand out fliers sometimes.

Like everything else in the human world, money is important, so giving money to a local shelter would be great cuz money will help buy food and pay the vet and other bills. But money is not the only thing people can give. Mom collects towels and blankets at tag sales and gives them to our shelter. Toys and food are also good donations to make. When the older dogs that lived at my house went to Rainbow Bridge, Mom took all of their food to the shelter so other dogs could have good nutritional food. It's okay that it was only half a bag and it was for senior dogs... every little bit helps.

Towels, blankets and food are not the only other things shelters need either. Shelters are also businesses and homes so they need business stuff like copy paper and postage stamps and stuff to make the home nice and clean like laundry detergent and paper towels.

I know times are tough but whatever you can spare, time, money or good stuff, it  will be greatly appreciated by your local shelter and can make staying in a shelter a little better until a nice fur ever home can be found.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S.   Shameless self promotion To The Rescue gift basket.

P.P.S.  That's a picture of me when I was ado

Harvard, Yale or Podunk State?

So, you’re thinking of getting a dog?  Great… I think every dog should have a good home but that doesn’t mean I think every home should have a dog.

I don’t want to see any dog have to live in a puppy mill or shelter but being adopted by the wrong humans could mean that they get abandoned and end up back in a shelter or worse.

For those thinking of getting a dog, I hope you will think about a few things first.  For starters, what kind of dog do you want?  The most popular dogs in the US today are Labrador Retrievers (I’m part Lab), German Sheppards, Beagles and Golden Retrievers.    All of these are great breeds and have certain characteristics that make them special.

Let’s say you want to get a Lab because we are good with young children.  Do you know we Labs are high energy dogs so we need lots of exercise and we’re also high strung so we need good consistent training?  We’re also very smart so we need lots of mental as well as physical stimulation.  We also tend to like to eat so without a lot of exercise, we get obese.  Like humans, obese dogs tend to have many more health problems like diabetes and hip, knee and joint problems.

When choosing a dog please remember that a dog is not a status symbol, fashion statement or a lawn ornament.  A dog is a living being that needs love and attention.  If you want to buy a pure bred German Sheppard for example, you could pay anywhere from $3,000 to $24,000.  A Pharaoh Hound $2,500 to $6,500 and a Bearded Collie is a steal at $1,000 to $5,000.  The average shelter charges from around $300 to $575.  And shelter dogs often come with all of their shots, spayed/neutered and with a micro chip! 

Having a dog is expensive.  I’m not only talking about how much it costs to buy a dog, I’m talking about how much it costs to keep a dog.  The first year, the cost to have a dog in your household averages between $1,300 for a small dog and $1,800 for a big dog.  After the first year it averages between $580 and $875 a year.  If your dog gets extra special treats like I do, the cost will be more.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  If you are considering getting a dog, please check your local shelters or rescue service and choose a dog that fits your life style.  Consider adopting an older dog if you don’t have lots of time for training.  Many dogs in shelters already know the basics, like knowing to go outside to pee. 

 You don’t have to go to a big name college to get a great education and you don’t need to pay a ton of money to get a great dog.  I didn’t come from a high cost breeder but from a really small rescue organization and I am the perfect dog for my family.

Your Adopted Friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  Your dog doesn't need lots of blue ribbons to deserve one of our Best In Show gift baskets. (shown above)

To The Rescue

My name is Zeva and this is my blog.

July 23, 2012 is Bloggers Unite for Dog Rescue day.    I am a rescued dog. I was born in a shelter in South Carolina.   Some very special people gave a pregnant homeless dog a safe place to have her puppies.  When  my brothers and sisters and I were old enough, they helped us get to another rescue service in Connecticut where we would have a better chance at getting adopted.

It was a very long ride in a car but it was well worth it.  Before we even got to the rescue service our pictures were posted on www.petfinders.com.  That's where my mom saw me.  She said she knew as soon as she saw me, that I was very special and she would be taking me home.

I am a very lucky dog.  I have a very loving home.  Millions of dogs are killed each year because instead of choosing a perfectly excellent dog like me from a shelter or rescue service, people buy dogs from pet stores.  Dogs that are sold in pet stores have sad stories to tell also because lots of them come from horrible places called Puppy Mills.

Many dogs end up in shelters because people don't realize how much responsibility there is to having a dog as a pet. They get tired and frustrated and dump perfectly good dogs at the shelter adding to the over crowding.  Because their humans didn't understand them, many of these animals developed "bad habits" which make it even harder to find good homes for them.

Not everyone who loves dogs can adopt.  If you can't adopt a dog cuz you already have one or two, you travel too much, or live where you can't have a dog.  There are still lots of ways you can help.

•  Volunteer at a local shelter or rescue organization.  A few minutes a week walking a dog or simply spending time with him in a shelter will mean the world to that dog.
•   Foster a dog.  Shelters only have so much room.  By taking a dog into your home,  you may be saving that dog's life.
•  Drop a bag of food into the collection box at your local pet food store or organize a fund raiser to help raise much needed money and supplies for a local shelter.
• Spread the word that we need your help.

We dogs can do lots of things but we can't speak for ourselves. Please be our voice.  Please help me help other very special dogs find forever home.

Your friend,
Zeva

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