Pet~Pourri

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Pets for Life

What a wonderful thing this is. Pets for Life is a program sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States and a grant from PetSmart Charities. This program helps low income families keep their pets…for life. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is one of only 10 animal care organizations that received one of these grants. This video is from their recent event on November 11, 2013.

In 2012 the following groups received the grant.

This grant provides each group with $40,000 for spay/neuter clinics, community outreach, and microchips. What a wonderful thing to help people keep their pets when they are down on their luck. With programs like this and groups like The Pet Project Midwest, there are more and more opportunities for people to keep their pets and care for them properly instead of giving them up to a shelter because they can’t afford to keep them.

Studies prove that owning (or being owned) by a pet is good for your health. Research show that dog owners get 54% more exercise that pet-free people. Pets help lower stress, blood-pressure and cholesterol. This Huffington Post article from May, 2013 has a slideshow that explains many ways owning a pet is good for your health. I like slide #3, but have yet to convince my boss on this subject. J

There are so many articles and studies out there to look at. This one from Mental Floss made me smile. And it’s not just dogs. Owning any kind of pet to care for is good for your health. That is why I think Pets for Life is such a wonderful program. As the last quote on the video above states:

“Experience has shown us that when we extend our compassion to the humans as well as other animals and extend resources where needed, we can create long-term and meaningful social change.”

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Friday, November 8, 2013

ASPCA 2013 Dog of the Year

Remember when I posted this blog about Xena the Warrior Puppy? That blog was about the difference between Therapy dogs and Companion dogs. This is what Xena looked like when she was found in September of 2012:

I found out a couple days ago that Xena has been selected the ASPCA Dog of the year for 2013. The story of her rescue and her bond with Jonny has gone international. They are now spokesdog and spokesboy for Autism and are 'spreading the word' about autism to the world.

This photo of Jonny congratulating Xena is just so precious.

I just wanted to take a moment to Congratulate Xena & Jonny and their amazing family. They are such an inspiration for Autism and Animal Rescue.

Be Well & Be Happy,
Pet~Pourri

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Ringing in 2014 ~ With a New Calendar

It’s that time of year once again. As 2014 approaches people are looking ahead to what kind of calendar they want. Do you want mountain scenes, an animal calendar, or a comedic calendar? The list goes on and on.

I would like to recommend you check with your favorite animal rescue to see if they are offering calendars as fundraisers. I know we are. J One of our amazing volunteers creates and prints the Reskie Tails Calendar every year.

The calendars are available to order on our website at www.eskiedog.org or through Paypal. They cost $15 per calendar plus $3 S&H for the first calendar and $1.50 for each additional calendar. Extra donations continue to be welcome. 100% of the proceeds raised goes to the dogs.

Some of our other favorite rescues also offer calendars. There are Giddy and Twinkie’s Tip of the Day calendar from Peace and Paws Rescue. These can be ordered at www.peaceandpaws.org.

Then there is Obie’s calendar. Obie became famous as the 77lb Dachshund who now weighs in at 27 lbs.

Animal Rescue League of Iowa has their Happy Tails Calendar.

If you want to see if your favorite rescue group is offering a calendar, just ask. J It is an awesome way to support Animal Rescue and it pays you back all year long. Plus they make great gifts. Just order one for a friend and ask the rescue group to add a note saying a donation was made in their name.

Get yours today!!

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Friday, October 25, 2013

Pretty Kitties ~ A Walk Through Google

I came across this article today and it really made me smile.

How many of you have kitties that will let you do this to them? Number 15 even has pink toe nails. LOL I think my favorite is number 16. J

I did a search on Google for Pretty Kitties, of course number one was Pinterest. J Most of the rest were for Pretty Kitty hair removal salons. J So I clicked on Images to see what kinds of sites came up.

This one caught my eye. It is from an article in The New Yorker about photo fantasies from Tim Walker. Cool article.

I went on to look for images of dressed up cats. LOLOLOL The photos are hysterical. This one is priceless:

Do you dress your cats up? Not just for Halloween, but just for the heck of it? I found this link for ‘kitty couture’. I know Merlin would never have let me do this to him. Hehe

Just thought I would do a fun blog today. Did it make you smile?

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Sunday, October 20, 2013

2013 Great Iowa Pet Expo

Yesterday we spent about 4 hours at The Great Iowa Pet Expo. We saw a lot of old friends and met a lot of new friends. I went with a group of my best friends and some awesome volunteers for my rescue. We decided that next year, we will be back at the Expo with a booth…so mark your calendars now to come see us in person. J

The expo was very well organized this year and I thought it was even more enjoyable than last years. This year instead of having a “Rescue Row” where all the rescue groups are down one aisle, they were mixed throughout the venue. I think this worked out great because it gave them a better chance to raise funds. This is one of the primary reasons they are there. To promote their rescue and to raise funds to keep up their awesome work. Here are some of the groups that were there:

There were some other great causes there as well. One of my favorites was the Puppy Jake Foundation. They provide service dogs for wounded military veterans. They had some of their puppies in training there. Aren’t they too cute?

There were also a couple groups there helping bring awareness of all the Puppy Mills in Iowa; Iowa Friends of Companion Animals and Bailing Out Benji. These groups are dedicated to educating people on the atrocities of puppy mills and putting a stop to them.

Another group that was there was St. Francis Foundation for Pets. They specialize in prevention of animal cruelty through education, community outreach and legislation. They really do some great work and help prosecute animal cruelty cases.

There were several pet product groups there as well. My old friend Joyce from Precious Petwear, Canine Country Club, Amour, Petsakes, Loving Rest Pet Cemetery and Iowa Pet Chapel, Three Dog Bakery, and many more.

One group I think is wonderful is The Pet Project Midwest. They help reunite lost pets with their families and give food to low income families so they can keep their pets. They also help provide meals to the pets of clients of Meals on Wheels. You should check out their site…and if you go to the Pet Expo before 4pm today, make sure to take a donation.

There was so much more to see. A wonderful artist, Kara Berlow, was there with some samples of her amazing work. And the kids enjoyed A Touch of Color by Jenny. There were many colorful faces wondering around.

Of course Dr. Anderson was there from Anderson Vet Clinic. Abby’s Road Vet Care, and the ISU Vet Tech school were also represented. Today they are having an adoption event, Canine Good Citizen testing, and Neuter a Tom events.

But I can’t close this blog without mentioning Yappy Pet. They specialize in embroidered collars and engraved pet tags. They were making them on site. I asked them about getting tags for my puppers here at the rescue and she made these beautiful tags for me right there. They are based out of Kansas City, but will send their items anywhere. Just take a look at the tags she made for me: