Events
On Tuesday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 13 (from 10 am to 10 am), The Columbus Foundation will present a 24 hour opportunity for Central Ohio non-profits that are part of their PowerPhilanthropy to receive donations from the public. Those groups receiving donations will also be able to get money from The Columbus Foundation’s bonus pool of funds–up to 1.3 million dollars!
From 10 am on May 12 to 10 am on May 13, credit card donations of $20 will have the fees covered by The Columbus Foundation. That means 100 percent of donations will go to the charity you choose!
To participate, just visit Columbusfoundation.org.
Click on the BIG GIVE banner.
Select the non-profit of your choice from among 600 plus organizations that are part of PowerPhilanthropy. To see all of the groups, go HERE.
There are 26 organizations that are listed under “Animal Welfare and Conservation.” To see all of these groups for animals, go HERE. Click on “Program Area” and select “Animal Welfare and Conservation.”
I highly recommend that you donate to our friends at PetPromise. We do a lot of collaborative work with PetPromise and we love them and all the great things they do. Your money will go to help with Trap Neuter Return projects through their City Kitty Program or to help find homes for abandoned and neglected cats and dogs.
Secondly, I would ask you to donate to Sunrise Animal Sanctuary. This super organization in rural Marysville provides lifelong sanctuary to abused and neglected farm animals.
I am also recommending that people donate to Columbus Dog Connection. Columbus Dog Connection has a new Mobile Spay/Neuter Truck and to ease the burden of fundraising for other rescues, they also write for and share grant money to help save more cats and dogs. We have used “The Andy,” the mobile clinic, over the past two years for spay and neuter days in Buckeye Lake and rural Champaign County and the staff and clinic are super!
Additionally, a group I am suggesting is the Ohio Wildlife Center. Any donations that are made to the Ohio Wildlife Center will be used to help wild animals that have been injured and to support their work in the hospital and in their educational programs. They are a great place and I have taken rescued baby birds, bunnies, and other wildlife in need to them on many occasions.
Another group I love is Pet FBI Pets found by Internet. Pet FBI helps to reunite lost pets with their owners by allowing people to post photos and information on pets that have been lost and pets that have been found.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue. After fostering a bunny that was dumped at my parent’s house out in the country, I have a special love for Little Bunny Foo Foos and all those special people who save these soft, gentle babies.
We use SOS of Ohio, Shelter Outreach Services for many of our feral kitties. They have a wonderful program where they will allow you to bring a trapped cat in without an appointment from Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 2 pm. They’ll fix the kitty and send it back home with you by 5 pm the same day. Plus, they are one of the few vet hospitals in Columbus that will not declaw. Love that! Our vet, Dr. Kim West and her partner, Dr. Evelyn Tannhof at Health and Harmony Animal Hospital are the only other office besides SOS that I know of that refuses to declaw.
Additionally, you can pick these other great organizations:
1. Friends of the Shelter which provides funding for the Franklin County Dog Shelter.
2. Cat Welfare Association is a shelter dedicated to finding homes for cats and kittens.
3. Cozy Cat Cottage is another wonderful shelter that cares for cats and kittens until they can find permanent, forever homes.
4. Colony Cats also helps numerous kitties in the area. They are also premiere trappers, doing Trap-Neuter-Return projects all over the county.
5. Almost Home Dog Rescue provides homes for homeless Collies and other dogs looking for their families.
6. Capital Area Humane Society fights animal cruelty throughout Columbus and advocates for animals in the county.
If you want to help with Environmental Conservation, put that in when you search HERE. There are 30 organizations working on Environmental Conservation, including these that I like:
And the final groups I am putting a good word in for are not animal related, but are still favorites: WCBE, 90.5, and WOSU our local public radio stations, and Friends of the Drexel, supporting the independent movie theater in downtown Bexley.
I am an NPR junkie and my views of the world come directly from WCBE and WOSU. I don’t watch the news on television (too depressing), so the only real world news I get is from my public radio. I also love seeing the lesser known and usually award-winning films at the Drexel Theater in Bexley.
Pick one of these non-profits or one of the other 600 plus that are involved in The Big Give on May 12 and 13 and help many great causes. Believe me, most charities can use the extra help right now!
On Saturday, May 9, join Central Ohio rescue groups and tons of vendors for the first Fetch A Friend Adopt-A-Thon at the Lausche Building located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds Expo Center in Columbus.
The event will run from 10 am to 7 pm and takes place the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, encouraging mothers to bring a new furry baby home. And if you are not currently a mother, become one by adopting on this Saturday!
Volunteers are needed to help with the event. If you would like to find out about volunteering, please go .
Additionally, vendors and sponsors are also needed.
To sign up as a sponsor, go .
To set up the day of the event as a vendor, go .
If you know of a rescue group or shelter that would like to attend, please pass this information on to them and ask them to sign up .
And finally, you can help make this event AMAZING by donating .
To find out more about this mega-adoption day, which we hope will occur annually, visit the Fetch A Friend web site .
To Like Fetch A Friend on Facebook, go HERE. You’ll be updated on all the exciting news if you are a Fetch A Friend Facebook Friend (wow, say that three times fast!).
We’ll have more news about this first of its kind event in Columbus as May 9 gets closer. So check back often.
Send Valentines to chained dogs. February 7-14 is Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week.
I’d like to encourage you to participate in a really neat event that Dogs Deserve Better does each Valentine’s Day. For the Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Valentine Campaign, Dogs Deserve Better (DDB) sends out Valentines to chained and penned dogs. Mailed along with the Valentine is a brochure about bringing dogs into the home and freeing them from their chained existence. This is the 13th year that Dogs Deserve Better has been sending out Valentines to neglected canines.
Dogs Deserve Better, whose mission focuses on freeing dogs from chained and penned lives, wants to send out 10,000 Valentines this year. They are focusing on quality rather than quantity this year (in the past, they have sent out over 20,000 Valentines!). In order to send that many Valentines, DDB needs you!
First of all, they need you to make Valentines for the dogs. If you are a teacher, a student, a group leader (4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts) or someone homeschooling their children, this is a great service project to teach kindness to animals. The Valentines should be no larger than 4″ by 8.5″ so they can fit into an envelope to be mailed. Again, DDB is stressing Quality over Quantity–they want really neat Valentines that will make people think. You can visit their web site to see some of the cool Valentines people made in previous years and also to download high resolution chained dog images to use on your own Valentines. All Valentines must be mailed to Dogs Deserve Better, 1915 Moonlight Road, Smithfield, VA 23430 by February 5–yes, we are running out of time.
DDB also needs to know who to send these Valentines to. If you know of a chained or penned dog in your area (we have all seen them–the poor dogs that look miserable in summer heat and bring tears to our eyes when they are covered in drifts of snow), please find the addresses for those dogs and either email them to info@dogsdeservebetter.org, call the info in at 757-357-9292, or go online and fill out the information via a form on the web site: HERE. YOU WILL REMAIN ANONYMOUS!
You can also sponsor the cost of sending the Valentines by making a donation to Dogs Deserve Better online or by mailing a check to the address listed above. You can also purchase really neat Valentine merchandise when you visit the site to learn how to participate in the 2015 Valentine Campaign.
To find out more about the 2015 Valentine Campaign, go HERE.
To read the official press release, go HERE.
Like DDB on Facebook HERE.
Since 1992, the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) has been celebrating International Homeless Animals’ Day with candlelight vigils around the world. The thought behind these vigils is to “bring people all over the world together to shed light on pet overpopulation and the spay/neuter solution.”
This year, International Homeless Animals’ Day will fall on Saturday, August 16.
Cat Welfare will be celebrating International Homeless Animals’ Day with a candlelight vigil on Saturday from 6:30-7:30 pm. The vigil will take place at their shelter, 741 Wetmore Road, Columbus, OH 43214.
Besides the vigil to focus on the plight of homeless animals, there will also be guest speakers. Kerry Manion, chief humane agent at Capital Area Humane Society will speak, as will Paula and Jay Mathew, feral cat experts.
To find out more about the event, go HERE.
To find out more about ISAR’s International Homeless Animals’ Day, go HERE.
For more information on ISAR, go HERE.
Join the awesome SOS (Shelter Outreach Services) of Ohio this coming Saturday, July 26 for their Open House from 11:30 am to 3 pm to celebrate the Grand Opening of their new location on the Hilltop at 3121 West Broad Street in Columbus.
When you stop in, you can take a tour of the facility and learn more about the veterinary services that SOS offers to the community. SOS is a non-profit organization that provides low cost, high volume spay and neuter services for cats and dogs, as well as feral cats in traps (you can take cats in traps in without an appointment between 7:30 am to 2 pm, Monday through Friday!).
There will also be kids’ crafts and light refreshments during the Open House. Make sure to find out more about the services they offer for free roaming and feral cats. You’ll be glad you did!
Like SOS of Ohio on Facebook HERE and keep updated on all their events and activities.
With the Fourth of July fast approaching, I want to remind people that their pets don’t enjoy fireworks and loud festivities as much as we humans do (actually, I don’t really like that sort of thing much, either).
When Joe and I have been up to Pastime Park in Plain City for the fireworks and the parade, I’ve noticed a lot of people who bring their dogs along–some of them not even on leashes. All it takes is that first firework exploding in the air to spook even a very laid back dog. And when that happens, often the animal’s first instinct is to bolt.
I can’t imagine how much scarier things must be for dogs at the giant fireworks extravaganza “Red, White, and Boom!” in downtown Columbus! Our Plain City festivities are minuscule by comparison!
Even dogs in their own homes can become frightened and leap fences, break through windows in a panic, or hurt themselves trying to escape the noises of public fireworks displays or even just back yard fire crackers.
So rather than bringing your dogs to fireworks events this year, please leave them at home out of the heat in a safe, quiet spot (crate, bedroom, etc.) where they will not get scared and end up as one more missing pet.
Besides confining your dog to a “happy” place to reduce their fears, there is a product that helps relieve stress in dogs (and cats with anxiety) that are afraid of thunderstorms and other loud noises (which would be perfect for fireworks). The Thundershirt for dogs (and cats!) wraps the dog tightly and applies a gentle pressure to the body. The constant pressure of the shirt causes the brain to release chemicals that have a calming effect. The Thundershirt can be used for anxiety from loud noises, owner separation, travel, or other stressful events. It can currently be purchased at PetPeople (all locations), Moochies (all locations), and Mutts & Co. at 7549 Sawmill Road. Buy one now in preparation for the Fourth holiday.
Humane societies always have an increase in the number of lost pets coming into the shelter and being reported missing directly after Fourth of July celebrations. In fact, sadly, it is one of the busiest times for missing pets.
If you do decide to take your dog with you to the park, please make sure they are either microchipped or have a collar that fits well with identification tags attached. If your dog does get away, it will be much easier to relocate them if they have some way to be identified. If you cannot find them and the shelter doesn’t know who the dog belongs to, you may never see your beloved canine again.
Because the 4th of July holiday is the worst day for losing pets, especially dogs, and because microchips help to get pets safely home, a new program, Safe Pets Ohio, sponsored by SAVE Ohio Pets and several other local rescue groups, will offer FREE microchipping of pets this coming Saturday, June 28.
The microchip clinic will be held at the Hilltop Bean Dinner in Westgate Park, 455 South Westgate Avenue, in Columbus from 10 am to 5 pm.
Along with a FREE Microchip and registration for your pet, you will also get a FREE bag of Lay’s Chips and a FREE Dirty Franks coupon with the microchip!
Safe Pets Ohio is also being sponsored by Peace for Paws Ohio, PetPromise, PAWS (Powell Animal Welfare Society), Faithful Forgotten Best Friends, Columbus Dog Connection, BarkPark, and Pets without Parents.
Cats are also affected by the noises. Happily, most people don’t bring their cats to see the fireworks, but, even at home, the noises can cause them fear. My sister lives on Main Street here in Plain City and the fireworks are so loud and so close that the vibrations shake her house and panic her cats. She closes up her windows, pulls the blinds, and plays soft music and runs a fan to help relieve the anxiety caused by the rattling fireworks.
For more information on making Independence Day a happy affair for you and your furry babies, check out the links below. And please take your pet to be microchipped this Saturday for FREE!
Click on either of the posters to enlarge them.
Read the ASPCA’s tips HERE.
Read a great article from the Vet Depot HERE.
Read tips from the American Kennel Club HERE.
And from the Humane Society of the United States HERE.
For helpful tips on how to find a lost or stolen pet in Franklin County, please click on the poster below to enlarge it. If you have lost a pet in Union or Madison Counties, please call their shelters to check on your pet.
Union County Humane Society: 937-642-6716
Humane Society of Madison County: 614-879-8368
We want to wish all the Cat Daddies we know a very Happy Father’s Day.
Thank you for all that you do and for showing the world that real men are kind to animals.
Have a wonderful day covered in cat hair and surrounded by all the furry faces who love you.
The event you have been waiting for is finally here: Kitty Palooza! Where else can you find love, lots of furry faces, and good companionship all in one place!?
To celebrate “Adopt a Shelter Kitty” in the month of June, the very first Kitty Palooza will take place at Capital Area Humane Society on Sunday, June 8 from 12 pm to 2 pm in the upstairs training hall.
All cats featured at this event will be spayed and neutered and current on vaccinations.
The groups participating in the very first Kitty Palooza are:
2. CHA (Citizens for Humane Action) Animal Shelter
3. Colony Cats
4. Columbus Pet Rescue
7. Pet Promise
8. Perfect Pet Adoption Center
Black and Orange and Capital Area will also round out the ten groups that are participating.
You can also buy t-shirts at Kitty Palooza that are being sold by the groups as a fundraiser. The shirts, created by Outfit Good, feature a quote from Pam Brown: “One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to Coming Home.”
The t-shirts sell for $28 and the groups get $7 from each sale. Outfit Good will be joining us at Kitty Palooza on Sunday, so you can pick up your own shirt while you are there!
And take home a kitty to love, too!
We have been trying for the past year to set up an event for cats similar to the bi-monthly “Mingle with Our Mutts” adopt-a-thon for dogs. And now we have it!
The very first “Kitty Palooza” will be held on Sunday, June 8 to celebrate “Adopt a Shelter Kitty” month in June.
Kitty Palooza will take place at Capital Area Humane Society the second Sunday of each month from 12 pm to 2 pm in the upstairs training hall. All cats featured at this event will be spayed and neutered and current on vaccinations.
The groups participating in the very first Kitty Palooza are:
2. CHA (Citizens for Humane Action) Animal Shelter
3. Colony Cats
4. Columbus Pet Rescue
7. Pet Promise
8. Perfect Pet Adoption Center
Black and Orange and Capital Area will also round out the ten groups that are participating. In the future, as more groups want to join, we will have others involved.
In addition, each of the groups will be selling t-shirts (see below–they come in plum and evergreen) as a fundraiser for Kitty Palooza with the funds distributed evenly between each of the organizations.
The shirts feature a quote from Pam Brown: “One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to Coming Home.” Very sweet. We all know that having a kitty at home to greet you is a wonderful thing!
The t-shirts sell for $28 and the groups get $7 from each sale.
To buy your shirt and support many super cats, please go HERE.
And please join us on Sunday, June 8 to meet many cats who would love to share your home with you.
As a member of the Best Friends Animal Society Network Partners, we will be participating in “The One,” a national two-week-long promotion that helps companion animals and people find their true love through adoption this Valentine’s Day.
“The One” event runs from February 14-28. From February 14-16, we will be offering $14 adoption fees for our senior adult kitties and special needs cats. We have several FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) positive cats that are still waiting for their forever homes! Whether you are looking for “dark and mysterious” or “chubby and cuddly,” we have “The One” for you!
To find out more about “The One,” visit Best Friend’s web site HERE.
Here are a few of our selected kitties that we think would be excellent Valentines–and their fees are all reduced to $14 from February 14-16.
1. Taj and Thomas: (Adult Siblings) You’ll need Two Laps for this Pair!
Thomas and his sister, Taj, were abandoned near dumpsters in a senior complex when they were only about a year old. A nice lady helped to find them an awesome home with their former mom and dad who treated all of their cats like their kids. Sadly, their mom died last year and when their dad went into the hospital with heart problems, Taj and Thomas and their two feline friends were taken to a kill shelter where they were slated to be euthanized.
We were able to pull all four cats and save their lives. Now we are looking for a home together for siblings Taj and Thomas who are about 6-7 years old. The two cats are up-to-date on everything and have been spayed/neutered, and tested negative for feline leukemia/FIV.
Their foster mom reports that they are the biggest love bugs ever and compete for lap time. So if you love lap kitties, you will need two laps for Taj and Thomas. These poor cats have really had a stressful few weeks. We want to ensure that they will be safe together for the rest of their lives.
Thomas is the lighter brown colored tabby with the rounder face (above). Taj is the darker colored tabby (below).
There is only one adoption fee of $75 for both cats, but we do want them adopted together. And if you adopt them from February 14-16, the adoption fee is only $14.
2. Honey Badger: (Special Needs, FIV positive) Tall, dark, and handsome.
Honey Badger is one of our special needs kitties, as he is FIV positive. Honey Badger is so SWEET and will make you more biscuits than Paula Deen! Honey Badger is approximately 5 years old, neutered, and up-to-date on vaccines. If you are interested in meeting him, please call Health and Harmony Animal Hospital in Grandview, where he is residing at 614-360-3941 or stop by!
FIV is not a death sentence. Cats can live very long and happy lives with FIV. The virus can only be spread by a deep bite, so docile FIV positive kitties can live with other non-positive cats, as long as everyone gets along. They can also live with dogs, as it does not get passed from cats to dogs.
Let Honey Badger spend this Valentine’s Day making biscuits in your kitchen…and bedroom, and dining room….
Honey Badger’s motto: “Black is Beautiful.” We think so, too!
3. Thomas O’Malley: (Special Needs, FIV positive) Celtic and Cute!
We think the staff at Health and Harmony gave Thomas O’Malley this Irish name, because he is a stunning “ginger” boy with lovely red hair. Thomas O’Malley was found trying to get food near a dumpster and was trapped and taken for vet care. But after arriving for vet care, it was clear that he was not feral, but he was FIV positive. His caregiver did not want to put him back outside, so he is in need of a home. He is neutered, tested, vaccinated, and ready to head home to a castle or cottage where he can always have “smiling Irish eyes.”
If you would like to provide a forever home for any of these kitties, please Download an application. Once you have filled it out, you can email it back to us at bandocats@gmail.com or fax it to 614-873-0972.
Check out all of our other adoptable kitties on Petfinder: www.bandocats.petfinder.com.
