Pet-a-thon

This Saturday is The Humane Society of Tampa Bay's annual telethon. We will be on channel WFLA 8 from 1pm-6pm EST. My sister, Jenn, Sara and I will be at the shelter helping out too! Sara will be helping with visits getting our furry friends adopted. Jenn and I will be on-air showcasing the cats available for adoption. Click here for more information. I hope you will tune in to see us and the animals. You can even make donations! It all goes to the welfare of our furry friends. If you're in the Tampa area, come by the shelter and see us!!

Cats

Meet Blanca. She is 11 months old and a temporary resident at my Humane Society. Sara is in love with her and wants to bring her home. Unfortunately there is 1 thing getting in the way of that: Joe. He's "allergic." She is so sweet and beautiful and loving. Then I snap back to reality and I must side with Joe. Not for his reasons but for my own. Having another pet is an added expense. As much as I would LOVE to gain some more fur babies, it's an added responsibility I'm not ready for. So in the meantime we will visit the animals weekly and try our hardest to help find their forever homes.

At my Humane Society we have a "real life" room where cats are open to roam and play in the room. You just got to be careful of the escape artists when entering and exiting. Fox13 has teamed up with the Humane Society and there is now a live camera in the room! You can watch the cats play, eat and sleep. And on Wednesdays between 5pm-7pm you might even be able to see me and Sara in there! Check it out and let me know what you think. I'm proud to say that I volunteer here! I'm even more proud to say my daughter volunteers here and we love it!

Animal Shelter Volunteering

I was reading my weekly volunteer newsletter from the Humane Society this morning which included a link of an article about being burned out on volunteering for animals. I read it and thought it was an excellent article and figured it could probably go for any organization you may volunteer for (even though it focuses on animals.) Check it out here.

The Thing Part Duex

I've lacked blogging lately because life is getting in the way. Over the weekend I brought my Girl Scouts camping. Was fun. Now I'm stuck in jury duty. Fun--kinda not. Judge says tomorrow it should end. I had trouble keeping my eyes open this morning. It's interesting but the bad part is knowing that all my work is piling up back at the office.

So the conclusion of The Thing (aka Sara's crawfish.) We came home Friday afternoon to find him floating. He's not suppose to float. Sara poked him. He bobbled in the water. So I prepared for the crawfish funeral. Sara got his lifeless body from the tank; me and both dogs gathered in the bathroom and as Sara dropped him in the toilet we wished him a better life in crawfish heaven. *sniff, sniff*

The Thing

So this morning a little after 6am I'm in the kitchen making Joe's coffee. The office which is next to the kitchen I see something on the floor. At first it looked like a huge lizard but kinda smooshed on the floor. I couldn't actually walk in the office to turn the light on cuz then it would put me near this thing and I didn't want any surprises. I'm not a morning person so I was sure my eyes were playing with me but I wasn't taking any chances.

Finally both dogs are awake and ready to go outside. To get to the back door you have to walk thru the office. So I let the dogs walk thru first. JayJay stops to sniff the thing and it moved!! Since I was more awake I walked near it and turned the light on. I'm yelling to Joe to get his behind in there because he needs to clean the thing up. He walks in saying "it's just dust." I'm like no it moved. So I took a pad of paper and touched it and it moved! Well to cut this story down it turned out to be Sara's crawfish. It was covered in dust. Here he is rescued:

This thing hopped out of Sara's fishtank from her bedroom, crawled thru her room, under her door, thru the dinning room, thru the kitchen and then found himself in the office. Sara has been keeping the lid of the fishtank off because the filter is so loud. Which I've told her the fish need that filter on. But anyways, this crawfish decided to take an adventure. An adventure that might kill him. When I put him back in the tank he was floating. I guess we'll find out when we get home this afternoon if he makes it.

Bark in the Park

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay's annual Bark in the Park is Saturday. Sara and I are looking forward to it. I will be volunteering at the dog treat hunt area and Sara will be enjoying the festivities with Polly. JayJay has to stay home because he is not a social butterfly. So if you're feeling in the giving mood please visit Sara's site and make a donation. Even if it's only $5 every cent will help. If you are in the Tampa area, come join the fun!

I must remember my camera. It will be a fun day full of a bunch of furry cuties!!

Daily Life These Days

I finally caught up reading the blogs I follow...all 30 posts! I'm beginning to have blogging withdrawls! I am finally better from being sick for 2 weeks.

This week I had to turn into "mean mom" because of Sara and her lack of making good grades. I had to take away many priviledges and now I must stick to my guns. I think she inherited her bad study habits from her dad...as for me I always made A's and B's and still make mostly A's now. Why oh why couldn't she have gotten MY good study habits?

New subject: So yesterday Sara and I get home after school/work. Joe was already home for an hour and he's in the media room with Polly locked out. As I walk back there I see a big pile of poop in our office. I look at Polly and she knew she was in trouble. Usually the dogs are where ever Joe is so I scold Polly and march into our media room asking Joe why he didn't let Polly out when he got home. His response: "That was there when I got home." Um, ok, and you've been home an hour and why is it still there? Let me just put my maid hat on and clean it up while you sit there playing that stupid &%^$#*@ mock basketball draft online. So I didn't say it like that but that's what I was thinking. MEN!

Adopt!

A dear fellow blogger, Lisa, has a passion in life to spread the word on adopting animals from shelters and rescue groups. She recently made a dream come true by offering merchandise displaying this cause. Check it out here. All proceeds will benefit Winnebago County Animal Services Auxiliary, the shelter she volunteers at. I have put my order in for one of the shirts and will proudly display a picture of me once I receive it.

I never realize just how pro-animal I am until I started volunteering at my local shelter, the Humane Society of Tampa. Each week when I go I find myself de-stressing from everyday life. I receive love from these animals and have plenty to give back. I want to do whatever I can to help them find their forever homes. In fact, Sara has made a mission to get however many animals adopted as she can while there. She focuses a lot on doing the visits, introducing the animal to potential adopters. I'm so proud of what she does there and the amazing thing is she wants to volunteer. I'm not forcing her. Our volunteer adventure started off being a Girl Scout project. Now Sara says "Girl Scouts, mearl smouts. I'm volunteering there because I enjoy the animals and want them to find their forever homes which I will help do." This is coming from a 13yo and I am just so proud of her. When we are at the shelter, sometimes I don't even see her half the night! I'm playing with the animals while she's in and out of visits. If you'd like to sponsor me for their upcoming Bark in the Park, please visit my page.

Feed the Animals

A friend of mine emailed me and I thought it was worth sharing. It's a win-win situation for us and for our furry friends. We get entertained and our furry friends get food. Check it out:


Play Meow Trivia and feed hungry cats: www.freekibblekat.com

Play Bow Wow Trivia and feed hungry dogs: www.freekibble.com



These are fun websites and each time you visit and click (once daily for each) Castor and Pollux natural pet foods company will donate food to shelter dogs and cats for FREE. The more days you visit and play, the more food that is donated!

ASPCA

Happy New Year! Welcome 2009!

This week is the first week in a long time Sara and I didn't make it to the humane society. We dearly miss the animals. But we will see them next Wednesday and catch up on who's still there and who's new.

For Christmas my fur babies got me this shirt:
It's an ASPCA shirt (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). It says 'ASPCA we are their voice'. With the words 'bow wow' making the bubble shape. They support the humane society also. Now I can proudly show my support as well as voice my support.

Here's JayJay and Polly, my fur babies: Aren't they so sweet to get me an ASPCA shirt? They are finally realizing just how good they got it. lol. They also got Sara one that has an image of a dog and says 'Beloved by a dog'. Of course they had help from "Santa" getting these shirts. *wink, wink*

Support ASPCA and your local humane society. Visit their websites to see what you can do. Afterall, we are their voice.

Saving the World One Animal at a Time

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

Yesterday Sara and I took our weekly visit to the Humane Society. We brought a special friend with us. A lady I came in contact with thru my local freecycle group had a kitty that adopted her several months ago that she can no longer care for. I offered to take the kitty to the Humane Society so she can find her forever home. Sara rode in the back seat with her and kept her hand inside the carrier to comfort her. Well she ended up busted out of the carrier (so Sara said) and she wondered around the car then she sat on the seat next to Sara and rode the whole way to the shelter like that. She rode in the car like a dog! When we arrived to the shelter we were told there is a waiting list of over 200 cats (which I was not aware of) and that she would be transported to the county shelter (which is not a no-kill shelter.) We were very concerned but with Sara's sad eyes and the help of the office lady she pulled some strings and was able to keep her there. Yay! So now she's in a good place where someone will pick her and take her home.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! This weekend stop by your local humane society and just visit with the animals. They love the attention and don't forget to throw them a treat! They love those too!! And if you're in a situation you can care for one or two, adopt! Fostering can be a temporary option as well. Animals need love too.

Just Another Big Time Animal Lover

The other day, my fellow animal lover blogger friend blogged about euthanasia. (See it here.) Today I was browsing MSN articles (I'm so busy at work, can you tell? :-) and I find this article:

Crazy dog lady? Woman adopts 27 hounds

A Spanish Springs woman who went to a California dog pound looking for pet to replace her own dog that was hit by a car admits she went overboard when she brought home 27 dogs that were facing euthanasia. But she didn't expect to run afoul of the law.

"I didn't realize I was going to be in so much trouble or that so many people would be so angry at what I did," Colleen Spalioni told the Reno Gazette-Journal on Monday. "But after I lost my dog who gave me so much unconditional love, I couldn't leave these dogs to die."

Spalioni said she was trying to find another dog who looked like Barney, her 2-year-old pointer that was struck and killed by a car in November.

Browsing DogsinDanger.com, a Web site that posts photos of dogs in shelters and the number of days until they are euthanized, she found what she was looking for at shelter in Delano, Calif., outside Bakersfield.

But when she arrived, her heart took over, and she ended up bringing home 27 dogs that were about to be killed, including 10 Chihuahua mixes, one purebred Chihuahua, a Jack Russell, a poodle, two shepherd mixes, two miniature pinschers and an Australian cattle dog mix.

"I didn't realize so many animals were dying every day until I saw it with my own eyes," she said.

She said animal control officers helped her and her traveling companion load the dogs in her pickup. Some fit in the cab, the others rode in the truck bed with a down blanket and a tarp over the top.

But once home, neighbors complained of the barking, and she was told local ordinance prohibits more than three dogs per household.

After her story was posted on a newspaper blog, Spalioni said she had found homes for all but four of the dogs as of Monday.

She's hopes to find homes for the remaining dogs before her husband, who is out of town, returns home Wednesday.

"I learned my lesson. I promise I won't do this again," Spalioni said.


Last night my sister and I were just talking about euthanasia and how if we could save them all we would. How ironic I find this article. It's so nice to know there are other crazy animal lovers out there.

My Stress Therapy

Last night was our Humane Society night. Sara and I absolutely love Wednesday nights to go play with all the dogs and cats that need a home. Just look at this cute face:

This is Eggnog. She is a 5 month old beagle mix. Sara so wanted to take her home. She tried hiding her in her shirt but it was too obvious.

Here's another cutie that I wanted to take home and I know Joe would have totally approved but JayJay wouldn't have. Meet Dasher:

Dasher is a 3 month old German Shepherd mix. He was so soft and cuddly!
If you are in the Tampa area, stop by The Humane Society of Tampa Bay to visit the animals. They love the attention, you can give them treats and who knows maybe you'll find your next best friend.

"I rescued a human today"

"Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them. As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I
would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one." ~the dogs at The Humane Society

Today was my and Sara's weekly visit to our Humane Society. I absolutely LOVE volunteering there. This past weekend was the pet expo and 114 pets were adopted. The kennel was almost empty tonight! What a great sight it was. But more will be on their way there awaiting for their new home. The above poem was in our volunteer newsletter and it brought a tear to my eye. Yes I'm a softy, a big softy. I hope that anyone out there who wants to get a pet for their children or family will think adoption first. Just say no to puppy mills!

Pet Masquerade

This morning Sara and I volunteered with the Humane Society's Pet Masquerade. OMG was it soooo cute! All the dogs dressed up! Check out these pictures:

Santa Paws


Ladybug


Dracula (this is a guinea pig!)


Chick-Fil-A Cow (no ruffin the cows!)


Fruit Basket (here are grapes and strawberry)


Army


The army dog won 1st place for most original. He actually sat in the truck while his owners pulled him around. Is that cute or what? The santa paws had a white beard on. Too cute! Other costumes we saw were Yoda, quite a few bubblebees, Snow White & the Prince, scuba diving dog (he won 2nd in most original), cannibal (he had skulls hanging on him and was wearing a straw skirt--he won 1st place most scariest), devils and so many other ones. It was the cutest things I have ever seen! Polly would have LOVED to go in her witch costume but golf was more important to Joe since Sara and I were working the event. Maybe next year.

R.I.P. Mouse

It wasn't even 3 minutes Joe and I were in bed last night and we hear SNAP! I immediately said a prayer for our furry friend. Joe jumped up and headed out to the kitchen where he met Joey. I yelled "I don't want to hear any details! None!" As much as I wanted the rodent out of my house I wasn't crazy about kiling him. I overhear the boys talking how the trap didn't kill it so Joey wants to shoot with a gun. He took it outback and shot it. May the little rodent rest in peace now. I'm sorry he found our house as his home. If he would have just picked the shed instead of the house he could have stayed out there. Now to get rid of the squirrel party in my attic...

No Animal Testing on Halloween Candy

I received my weekly PETA newsletter and one of the articles caught my attention: Mars Inc., the maker of M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Three Musketeers, Starburst, Skittles, and other candies, has funded deadly animal tests.

I can't even begin to tell you the horrible stuff about animal testing. There is a video that highlights this I was going to post here in my blog but after watching half of it I had to turn it off. Yes I'm a sap for animals and this just breaks my heart. I love animals and I am for animal rights. Please visit this site to see for yourself.

This holiday season and forever please do not support Mars. Mars' top competitor, Hershey's, has pledged not to fund or conduct experiments on animals. So stock up on Hershey's to pass out on Halloween night.

Other major food corporations—including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Ocean Spray, Welch's, and POM Wonderful—have also publicly ended animal tests after hearing from PETA.