150 Ways to Save the World: #1 - Spring Cleaning

From farmsanctuary.org

 It's that time of year when we throw open the windows and let the fresh spring air flood into our homes that have been in hibernation mode for the past several months. I love seeing the bright flowers peeking from the earth, all the adorable little baby animals playing at Farm Sanctuary and all the birds singing as though they are heralding the arrival of warm winds. Max and Bella especially love it because this is when the ponds thaw, mud pits abound and squirrels start emerging from their homes for romps around the neighborhood. Spring is like my New Year's celebration, a fresh start wrapped in tulips and farmers markets and what better way to begin anew than clearing all the clutter from your home and life.

What you may not have realized is that this cleansing can help out a lot of little critters in your area. This year when you are making that pile of clothes (why did I buy pants that are obviously too short and not in a good capri way?), extra dish racks (seriously, how many does 1 person need?) and dog toys (we could open our own Pet Smart with this amount of inventory!) why not use it all to hold a good ole garage sale with all the proceeds going to your favorite shelter or rescue. Even better invite friends and neighbors to participate to make it an even bigger affair. When you are sorting through everything, remember to clean all the items prior to your sale (who wants to buy a shirt covered in dog hair?) and throw away items that are ripped or damaged. Also, if you have any sheets, towels or pet items like beds, bowls, leashes, collars (all in good condition of course) that you were looking to get rid of, save them for the shelter, they are always in desperate need of extra ones.

Another good idea is to let your charity of choice know that you are having a sale in their honor. They will help spread the word and may also have items they wish to donate or volunteers that want to help out. Have brochures and information about your charity where people pay and also on a nice display at the front so everyone attending the sale can learn about the cause. You could even put a donation jar at your cash area for those that want to help even more. For even more fun, see if the shelter is willing to send some volunteers with a couple of little ones looking for homes. Who knows, maybe someone might fall in love with your New Kids on the Block cd and that beautiful 8 yr old shepherd looking for a home. Now, that would be a great day! Just remember to have shade and lots of water bowls around for your furry guests and patrons.

Happy cleaning!

We're helping Noble find his Forever Family. Is it you?

My friend just recently did an amazing thing and rescued a dog from an abusive situation! Woo hoo! Now we're on a mission to help find this super handsome guy his forever home.  And trust me, this guy is HANDSOME,  she gets stopped on the street all the time so people can tell her that. :)  Please help us out by sharing his story. PS - transport can always be arranged, so if you're interest just email or call and we will get it all figured out. So without further delay, here's Noble!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Noble. I am a neutered, two and half year old Rottweiler mix. I am up-to-date on all my shots, I have a microchip and I have my whole tail! I love to give kisses galore and have lots of fun (except when I’m modeling, I’m very serious about my modeling career). Right now I think snow is about the greatest toy ever invented. I am also pretty small for my age and only weigh 66 lbs. Most importantly, though, is that I am quite a handsome chap. I know self - praise is no form of recommendation but my rescue mommy says this all the time, so it must be true! I am a very active dog and I enjoy structure; it keeps me balanced.
Boy do I love the outdoors! So many smells and new experiences, it keeps a guy like me wanting more! I really wish I had a yard, it must be amazing to just be able to run freely for a long as I wanted. I do have a fascination with these little furry black things that scurry up trees. Foster mom calls them squirrels but never lets me play with them – what a party pooper! My foster mom says I’m really smart and in a few short days I learned how to walk nicely on the lead. I occasionally will get a tug but that’s only because she doesn’t seem to understand I just want to leave my scent everywhere – sheesh.
Right now I am totally living the good life but I have not always had it this good. I was in a shelter and when I thought I found my forever home I was passed off to someone else. I have been severely neglected and when my foster mom found me I was not being properly fed, I hadn’t been to a vet in a couple of years, and my foster mom and the vet figured out that I was beaten. I am not a fan of other dogs – I feel really insecure and guarded but only because I have never been exposed to them so I get scared. I was never properly socialized which my rescue mom calls a “tragedy” – wonder what that means.
All I know is that I have to have hope. I dream of the day I find a dog savvy pup parent who can build my confidence and show me how to be respectful because truthfully I really do want to have friends. I really want to trust but I am scared. Since I spent a lot of time in fear during my old life and I am insecure because I do not know what to expect. I am not sure if I will get a next meal or be hit – I just am not sure how to act sometimes but I'm learning super fast. My foster mom says the funniest thing I do is that I hide my treats. Getting treats is something so new to me that I like to hide them under shoes and between the couch cushions. I’ve never gotten such amazing snacks like this before – what if I want one next Thursday! I do have some manners that I am very proud of – I can sit, lay down, stay, up, shake paw and I can take treats you hold in your teeth! Typical to my breed I am highly intelligent and aim to please. I am very, very loyal and want more than anything to find a special someone to appreciate me. I have huge crate but am a bit of a Houdini – can’t hold a guy like me down! I want to feel the wind in my ears! I would be great in agility and am always eager to learn I just need the right person to show me the way. I may not be perfect but I can promise you this – I will ALWAYS try my best and do whatever it takes to show you I am devoted to you – please give me a chance. Just remember, to the world you may be one person but to me you would be my whole world.

With lots of sloppy kisses and a whole heaping bunch of love,

Noble xox

If you would like to be Noble's family, please email zeroggirl@gmail.com or call 613.709.6025.

A New Leash on Life

If your family is anything like ours, you probably found more presents under the tree for the four-legged family members than the two! :) We love to give presents to our furry kids and often that includes new leashes and collars. Their old ones are still in great condition but it's just nice to have a little change - something new to start the year with. So what to do with the old ones? Any gently used collars and leashes will eagerly be snatched up by any rescue, but there is one in particular that I am boxing up mine to send to this year.

Save A Sato is an incredible organization in Puerto Rico that rescues satos (street dogs) from their very rough and often cruelty filled lives on the streets and finds homes for them through partner shelters along the east coast of the United States. This is truly a group filled with love, who make a huge difference in their country. Did you know that in 10 years, this no-kill shelter has saved over 16,287 dogs! As I mentioned before, this group is important to me. The reason, you ask? Well, it's 47 lbs of pure love and ears! My little Max!

Check out those ears!

I am so grateful every day for the work they do! So if you are looking for a way to help them out, gather up those gently used collars and leashes and send them to Save A Sato at one of the following addresses.

Save A Sato Foundation
P.O. Box 37694
San Juan, Puerto Rico
00937-0694

Yvette Pina
P.O. Box 0737
Chicago, IL
60690

If you want to help gather even more gently used leashes and collars check with co-workers to see if they have any they were planning on getting rid of, check out thrift/second hand stores, or go to Dollar stores (if you live in Canada like we do, Dollarama is truly mind blowing in the amount of leashes and collars they have).

Help Save One, Inc. Needs Some Holiday Magic

When asked what organizations deal with animal welfare, most people will respond with the names of large national groups like the Humane Society and SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), but around the world there are countless small groups working just as hard to help make a difference in the lives of animals. One of these groups is Help Save One, Inc. whose idea was that changing the life of one animal can make a difference. What makes them especially unique is that they focus mainly on finding death row dogs in gassing shelters loving homes. How could you not love these guys??!!
And while Help Save One, Inc. does so much for all those adorable little ones that are in need, they are now finding themselves in that situation. Their transport vehicle has recently broken down making it very difficult for them to fulfill their rescue trips. The repairs for the vehicle will be costly, but in the meantime, someone has stepped up and offered to sell them a much newer vehicle with a lot less mileage for the extraordinary price of $2500.
So let's show our appreciation for the amazing and selfless work that they do by creating some holiday magic for them. Big or small, every donation makes all the difference in the world not just for Help Save One, Inc. but the dogs, cats, puppies and kittens whose lives literally depend on them.

Help Save One, Inc. New Vehicle Chip-In Link - Click here to donate.

Little ones like this senior Chihuahua who was part of an abuse/cruelty case are counting on us.

Photo courtesy of Help Save One, Inc.

Speak Up! of the Week: Romanian Stray Dog Situation

Imagine being forced to give up your home and move into a small apartment that does not allow pets. While this may sound like a story from our current economic situation, this is what actually occurred in Romania during a Communist regime lead by Nicolai Ceausescu in the 1980s. During this time, farmers were forced off their land and made to move into Communist bloc apartment complexes which of course did not allow animals. With no other choice, tens of thousands of people had to leave their pets behind and thereby, as many believe, causing the huge stray population that currently roam about the cities in Romania.

Stray dogs in Romania. Credit to Romania Animal Rescue, Inc.

Estimated in 2000 by the city of Bucharest, there are said to be over 200,000 stray cats and dogs roaming urban areas with that number continuing to exponentially grow. For these street dogs, life is terrible if not downright scary. In misguided attempts to control population dog catchers have tried to cull the numbers, often through horrific means such as clubbing, poisoning, electrocuting and slashing their throats. In some cities such as Harsova, citizens are encouraged to kill dogs, cut off their ears and bring the ears to the city for a reward. This only adds to the trials already facing streets dogs such as abuse, illness, starvation, cars and freezing temperatures (during the winter). To get an idea of the stray situation, watch this video: Romanian Stray Dogs.

However, with so many dogs roaming free, people feel they are a nuisance and a safety risk leading to growing violence towards them. To counteract this trend, in 2007 the Romanian Parliament ratified several new animal welfare laws including a new and improved version of Romania's Animal Protection Act which bans euthanasia of animals unless there is illness. At this time, the Parliament also passed legislation to protect dogs from the violence of the dog catchers and get animal populations under control, by instituting a Catch/Neuter/Return program. While at first glance this appears to be incredible progress, the problem lies in the fact that none of these laws have been implemented. To make matters worse there are amendments now up for approval that will hand over the fate of stray animals to local officials which animal activists are saying will result in mass slaughters.

Statistics continue to show that the current method of culling the dogs is not working. When a group of dogs have been removed from an area, another group just comes in and they continue to increase their population. Groups such as Romania Animal Rescue, Inc., however, are working hard to control the animal population through education and free spray/neuter programs. They sponsor numerous Spay-a-thons throughout the country and are approaching 10,000 funded spay/neuter procedures. They need your help though and today there are two ways to Speak Up! and make a difference.

The first is to sign a petition to the Romanian Parliament asking them to implement and enforce the animal welfare laws they passed in 2007. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/do-not-kill-strays/?z00m=19973115

The second way is to help Romania Animal Rescue, Inc. win funding for much needed spay/neuter programs and veterinary training. Simply "Like" Dr, Marty Becker, the resident veterinarian on Good Morning America, at his Facebook page and post the name and city of the shelter (Romania Animal Rescue, Livermore, CA). They will then be entered to win prizes ranging from $1000-$20,000.

Have a great day and thank you for Speaking Up!

Wanted: A Forever Family

Every Friday Sit. Stay. Speak Up! will feature some wonderful little ones who are in search of their forever families. These dogs will be from around the country and come from rescues, shelters and animal control facilities. This also means that some of these animals unfortunately are up against a clock. Most of us don't like to think about this, but just over 5,500 dogs are put down EVERY DAY in the United States so every extra opportunity of exposure can help save a dog's life. All dogs will be listed with their picture and a link to the site where all their information is. If those puppy dog eyes draw you in and you would like to adopt but are hesitant about them being in another state, please do not let this detract you from adopting. Transportation is actually extremely easy and in some cases (such as on Pet Pardons) there are people willing to donate towards transportation and adoption fees. I am working on putting together a list of groups, volunteers and companies that assist in pet transportation and I will post that next Friday. If anyone has worked with any groups or has recommendations, please let me know so that I can make sure they get on the list.

Without further ado, here are the lovable adoptables for this week.

This is Libby, a 2 year and 3 month old lab mix, available for adoption from the Black Dog Animal Rescue. She is absolutely brimming full of love and energy. Her story and adoption information can be found here: http://bdar.org/adoptable_animals.html

This is Trucker (named this after being thrown from a semi-truck at a truck stop) and he is a 1 year old lab mix. He is very friendly and loves everyone. He can be found on Karma's Black Dog Rescue page at this link:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17820219

Geisha is our Pet Pardons featured dog. At this time her PTS (put to sleep) date is unknown but it could be at any time). She is a 2 year old lab mix with one blue eye (so beautiful!) and all her information can be found here: http://apps.facebook.com/petpardons/pet-view/id/2920

Our final featured dog is Kira who is a 9 year old pure bred husky. She has had a hard past which consisted of spending her entire life up until now chained outside in the woods in New York state. She is very laid back and just enjoys watching everyone while snuggled in her bed. She is also a huge fan of anything remotely connected to bones. If you are interested in learning more about Kira, please follow this link:
http://www.blackdogsecondchance.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=3003785#animalOtherPictures

Thank you for taking the time to look at these little ones. If you have any friends or family that you know are looking for a new family member, please share these guys with them and always suggest that they adopt instead of buy.

If you know of any dogs that you would like to see featured, please send a picture, brief description and/or web link to bringhearttotheworld@gmail.com.