HSTB Telethon Update

The humane society's telethon was a success! Last I heard we adopted 44 animals and raised over $160,000! WOOHOOIE! It was a lot of fun participating too. Sara, Jenn and I arrived at about 11:30am. We got the quick run-down of how things were going to go and the schedule of what times we'd be on-air. In between our on-air times, we just helped out in the shelter where ever needed and we also watched some of the telethon on tv. I did a few pet visits and played with some of the cats. We had to get to know some of the cats that we were showcasing so we can properly introduce them to the viewers and have them say "adopt me!" Jenn and I were on tv and Sara helped out with adoptions. We were there till about 5:30pm. A long day but well worth it. A friend of mine DVR-d the whole 5 hours of the telethon and is going to try to put it on DVD for me. Then I will try to see if I can put my clips in a short video for you to see. =) I had several people tell me I looked like a natural. Maybe I found my true calling?!

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!

Kenny or the Animals?

I finally put my last book of checks in my checkbook the other day. I don't write checks too often as it took me 2 and half years to use 200 checks. I will need to order more checks soon but I have a dilima. I am a huge fan of Kenny Chesney. I love his music and he is sooooo hot! I saw a newspaper ad for Kenny checks about a year ago that I held on to just for this situation.



I also am a huge animal lover and supporter of the Humane Society. And here's those checks:


Even though check designs are more just for your personal opinion and who really cares what the check looks like as long as its worth the money that is written on it, right? Especially for someone who rarely uses them. But I've decided I want design. I'm a creative person. (hence going into graphic design; duh) So what do I pick? Hot Kenny or the cutie animals? Decisions decision!

*Humane Society checks image from Classic Checks.
*Kenny Chesney checks image from Styles Checks.

Bark in the Park: 2 Paws Up!

Saturday was Bark in the Park. What a great day it was! The sun was shining (was a little hot but thank goodness for pavilions and tree shade!) and there were tons of dogs with their humans. Faithful pet owners and animal lovers helped raise $72,000 for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay! There were many sponsors and vendors booths set up advertising their pet-friendly products and services. Lots of freebies given away too! Polly racked up on treats and a bunch of new toys and I scored a few coupons. Sara even got a free t-shirt! The mobile adoption van was there with several dogs from the shelter that volunteers walked around with "adopt me" shirts on. There was a costume contest (cutest outfit and owner look-alike); dog bathing station, dog treat hunt station and so much more!

I helped out at the dog treat hunt station. We spread hay down and buried treats all in it. The dogs loved it! And once Polly realized there were treats in the hay that's all she wanted. I'm surprised she didn't get sick that afternoon with all the treats she ate. She didn't even eat dinner that night! Polly was so well behaved that day. She sat on the picnic table without her leash attached just chilling. She was VERY attached to Sara. If Sara moved more than 3 feet away Polly would stand up and start crying. Polly is usually a social butterfly wanting to make friends with everyone. At first she wasn't too sure what was going on. Once she realized that all the humans were trying to give her treats she opened up some. She wore her shirt that says "Cute on the outside, psycho inside." Everyone loved her. It took her half way thru the event to sniff other dogs. Sara and I were so proud of her. I still can't get over how well behaved she was. No one will ever believe us now that she really is a psycho dog at home. lol.

Dogs hunting for treats

(Lisa: Sara wore your shirt there!)



This is Polly and Monte. Monte is a Basset Hound owned by a lady from the shelter. He hung out with us at the dog treat station. Both of them were being camera-shy.


Dog bath station: Polly was not thrilled about this one.


I even ran into a friend I haven't seen in a long, long time! She happens to volunteer at the shelter too and got put in the same station! It was a wonderful day and am already looking forward to next year!

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!!

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.

True Love Awaits

True Love Awaits.
Find true love for Valentine’s Day. Stop by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay on Wednesday, February 11th between 4 and 7pm to “smooch a pooch” at our canine kissing booth, frolic with our furry friends in the play yards and maybe even find true love. If you are not able to adopt, you can still make a difference in an animal’s life by making a donation of pet food, supplies or much needed funding. (Click here to make an online donation.) You can help keep The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, the place Where Dreams Come True.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay
3607 North Armenia Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607 (813) 876-7138
Adoption Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday: Noon-7:30pm; Thursday-Saturday: 10-4:30pm; Sunday: 12-4pm (Closed Mondays)
www.humanesocietytampa.org

I Am Important!

Last night was our weekly visit to the humane society. Lookie what I got:
Yup that's right. A permanent name tag! Sara and I have been volunteering there almost 6 months. I even might be close to another upgrade to the gold volunteer shirt (we have purple shirts now)! Then I'll be able to work with the animals in holding and exam (the ones that aren't adoptable yet.) Another volunteer who's been there over a year says I'm ready for that. I just need to get permission then he'll train me. It's pretty cool! I'm siked that I have a real name tag. No more paper in a plastic holder that stays at the shelter. I get to bring mine home! Cool!!

Bark in the Park

The humane society I volunteer at is having their annual fundraiser: Bark in the Park. It's a great time for the whole family, including our furry kids! There is a 1-mile walk, pet costume contest, vendor booths and more activities. All money raised goes direct to The Humane Society of Tampa Bay to provide shelter, food, spay/neuter services and medical care for the thousands of animals that are relinquished to the shelter each year. Won't you consider helping? I know today's economy finances are extremely tight but every dollar helps. If each of my readers donated just $5 I would have....well, I guess that depends on how many readers I really have! But you should get my point. Please visit my Bark in the Park page for more information or to make a donation. If you are local to me and like to join in the festivities please do so!

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.

Christmas with the Animals

Went to the Humane Society yesterday. It's always so much fun! We brought toys in for all the dogs for Christmas and also donated to get paw prints for JayJay and Polly to hang on the wall around the shelter. Here is a poem I received from JayJay's friend on Dogster:


CHRISTMAS AT THE SHELTER
author unknown

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost but not found,
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.

They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!
But now we sit here and think of the days..
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways.

Once we were little, then we grew and we grew -
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?

We jump on the children, don't come when they call,
we bark when they leave us, climb over the wall.
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...
we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse -left to roam-
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.

We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads..
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears --
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.

If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn --
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year --
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat...
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

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.

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.

Having Pets

I am a huge animal lover. To the point that some think I am crazy. One time Joe and I were driving down the road and there was a lizard on the windshield. Joe's first thought was "turn the wipers on and watch it fly!" I scream "NNNNOOOOO!!!!!" In the end he ends up pulling over into a gas station and carefully removing the lizard by hand and putting him in the bushes. I was happy. Am I too animal crazy? Now when it comes to bugs, they are bugs not animals. Certain bugs could die especially roaches. EEEWWWWW! I will absolutely not go near one or touch one with a napkin. Even if it's dead. Another reason I have Joe.

This is one of my dogs, Polly. She's a Boston Terror. Yes terror, T-E-R-R-O-R, not a terrier. She is our psychotic dog. I also have a Jack Russell Terror. He is our crazy dogs. But I love them and they are great company and entertainment.

Last night was Sara and my weekly visit to the humane society. We volunteer there and help with the animals or where ever else is needed. We can take the animals out of their cages so they aren't cooped up all day. It is a lot of fun. Can be tiring cuz some of those dogs have some energy! There was this one little black Chihuahua that was so cute and loving. I stopped to see him every time I passed him. Except when I already had a dog with me. Then this little Chihuahua was so mean! He had split personalities! He definately has to be the only dog in the household. You know how they say the little dogs think they are big dogs but they are stuck in little bodies? Well, this Chihuahua definately thought he was a big dog!

So if you are ever in the market you want a pet please visit your local humane society first. Most the dogs that I've met there are all so nice and just want to be loved. In the 2+ months we've been volunteering I haven't met a mean dog. They are all just greatful to have someone take them out of their cages and play with them. Now the cats on the other hand....they are cats. Some want to play others just want to be catered too. But all in all, my point is adopt. Don't buy a pet from those pet stores. Many of them get their puppies from puppy mills which is bbaaadddd! Let's not support them. Oh yeah and yes I'm a supporter of PETA. Not necessary all of PETA because I'm not a vegetarian. But I am a firm believer in animal rights. My 2 dogs are part of my family. They are my kids. They get special dinners, treats and have a basket full of toys. They sleep in our beds and I talk to them like I would talk to Sara. The best part is they don't talk back! Except when JayJay (my JRT) is in his mood and growls at me. He's the devil. That's another story for another day.