I just got a copy of the “official” press release for the art show I posted about earlier today. Thought some of you might be interested in the auction.
Category Archives: Shelters
Dogs in the Art World
My local paper, the Canton Repository is reporting today that 2nd April Galerie (a local non-profit gallery featuring local artists in the downtown arts district) is holding a benefit for Friends of the Pound, a volunteer advocacy group that promotes shelter dog adoptions in Stark County, Ohio.
I’m not sure what the connection between the two is, but I thought it was a neat idea. You know I always harp about taking your dog everywhere you go to socialize him, and it seems this event follows that theme – who’da thunk about connecting dogs to an art gallery?
The show, called “The Art of Kindness”, opens this Thursday and runs through September 19th. At tomorrow night’s opening, they will have appetizers, wine, live entertainment, a 12-hour paint-a-thon by a local artist (Vicki Boatright) and adoptable dogs. I’m assuming the wine is for the people, but there’s no word on whether the appetizers will be for the people or the dogs.
I actually know Vicki. She is also a children’s counselor and has treated some of my foster kids. She did a fabulous exhibit called Jesse’s Journey a few years ago, featuring artwork by clients showing the effects of abuse – it was very moving. The poem that ran around the top of the exhibit was written about human bullies, but I think it applies equally to those who would abuse their dogs:
ADDRESS TO BULLIES
by Brenda Calhoun
Why do you pick on me and make me feel bad?
You make me so angry, you make me so mad!
On the outside I sigh and pretend it doesn’t hurt,
While on the inside I cry and feel like dirt!
Didn’t the same one who made me make you?
Then why do you try to make me your fool?
Does it make you feel better to put me down?
Or is it part of your act just being a clown?
You don’t realize the damage you do.
How would you feel if it happened to you?
Being put down for the way you look, feel, and act!
Always the brunt of someone’s attack?
If you tried your very best to fit in,
No matter what you did, you just couldn’t win.
Now that I told you how I feel,
Couldn’t we please just make a deal?
If you are passing my way, with nothing good to say,
Please pass me by and have a nice day.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Hilary Swank promotes dog adoption
The Associated Press is reporting that Academy Award winner Hilary Swank will partner with Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays Pet Adoption Campaign. Their goal is to send 1.5 million shelter pets home in time for the holidays.
Although I never think pets under the Christmas tree are a good idea, I applaud this campaign because they are targeting the dates from October 1st through January 4th, so it’s not specifically targeted at giving pets as Christmas presents.
Swank who lives with a cat, rabbit, several parrots, and a mixed-breed dog named Karu, points out that the older animals often found in shelters have “already gone through a lot of the training that cam be challenging for people.”
Kudos to her for getting involved!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Help Homeless Pets
I received a couple of e-mails last week with information on a new website that allows visitors to “obtain valuable pet care information, interact with fellow pet lovers in an online community, and shop online to raise money for homeless pets.” What I like is that you get to choose which shelter your purchases will support, so you can keep your money local.
Although we’d rather you got all of your dog-related information from us, we felt obligated to pass this information on because it does help raise funds for an important cause: reducing the number of animals left to live out their days in shelters. Anyways, below is the press release, and I’ve added the site to our blogroll as well.
Dog Adoption
When we ran a poll about dog adoptions earlier in the year, the response was overwhelming. Most of you indicated you had at some time adopted a dog froma shelter. How’d that work out for you? Editor Kyla Duffy of Happy Tails Books wants to share your story with the masses.
Help out animal rescues and dog shelters
(This button is not a valid link – read below for how you can help.)
Come on, admit it…you’ve clicked on ads on your favorite websites before. Now, you can do so to help out a cause near and dear to all of us. If you go to this website and click on the “Click Here to Give” button, their sponsors will give a little over half a bowl of food to an animal rescue organization. You can only click once a day, but if all of us work together, we’ll make a dent in animal hunger. It’s easy. It’s free. What more can you ask for?
Best of all, the site is part of the PetFinders network, so it is legitimate. The site also features some success stories of dogs who have found homes.
If you look at the very top row of tabs, you’ll notice that you can do similar FREE good works for other causes such as breast cancer, literacy, and the rain forest. Not a bad deal!
I look at it this way: I have to look at ads all the time when I surf. (I know. I know. They make it possible for many sites to exist, but sometimes they’re annoying.) By clicking on these “Give” buttons, the advertisers have to give something back to the community. Seems like divine justice!
If you don’t have doggies.com set up as your home page, consider having TheAnimalRescueSite as your home, so you see it every day when you log on. That will help you remember to click the button every day and provide food to our needy 4-legged friends.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Magnum the dog needs a home
I just received this from a friend, and I have to admit, I expected the dog to have curly hair and a cheesy mustache when I saw his name, but he’s a great looking dog! Help if you can. Thanks. Continue reading Magnum the dog needs a home
Tuesday’s Top Ten: Ways to Prepare Your Dog for a Natural Disaster
We are getting into storm season here in the Midwest. Have you ever given any thought to what you would do with your dog if you had to evacuate your home due to flooding, a tornado, or some other natural disaster? One of the other hats I wear (besides blogger extraordinaire) is Red Cross volunteer. One of our campaigns for this year is to encourage people to be “Red Cross Ready,” and for those of us with pets, it means having our pets ready, too!
Continue reading Tuesday’s Top Ten: Ways to Prepare Your Dog for a Natural Disaster
Too many Portuguese Water Dogs!
The editorial cartoon in my newspaper today showed a couple going to a movie theater. The poster outside, showing coming attractions was for a movie called “101 Portuguese Water Dogs”, and the lady says to her husband, “I knew this was coming!”
Shout Out to the Greg Biffle Foundation for Animals
Kudos to Nascars Greg Biffle and his wife Nicole on their foundation to help companion animals. According to their website, the foundation was created in 2005 “to create awareness and serve as an advocate to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motor sports industry. Financial support for the foundation comes from a variety of sources including individual contributions, NASCAR Pets calendars, and the sale of various racing and other sports memorabilia. ”
The calendars look really neat – I’ll have to remember to buy one for 2010. They also offer other merchandise such as T-shirts, caps, and dog dish holders made of granite – very attractive!
The foundation makes grants to animal shelters and humane societies around the country to represent the best interests of animals.
Greg and Nicole have four dogs – Foster and his daughter Gracie, a pair of Boxers who are very familiar to race fans across the country. Foster even graced the front of a Milk Bones box in 2004. The latest addition is Savannah, who was rescued from a Georgia shelter. Not sure who the fourth one is.
They both serve on the board of Iredell Friends of Animals, trying to increase the number of pet adoptions and decrease the number of animals that must be euthanized each year.
What a worthy cause!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!