I thought everyone would like to see the Guinness World Records winner for Tallest Living Dog and Tallest Dog Ever. Giant George is a 4-year-old Great Dane who is 3 feet 7 inches from his shoulder to his paw. He beat the previous record holder by 0.75 inches. And although he is a Giant, he is decidedly a Gentle Giant. His new status earned him a trip to see Oprah.
To read more: Giant George
No, Linda has not decided to replace her kitties with an elephant (we’d like to see the size of that litter pan!). Instead, Linda Stanek, children’s author and a friend to Black and Orange’s kitty population, has written a new book about Beco, the Columbus Zoo’s baby elephant. Beco’s Big Year: A Baby Elephant Turns One, which is due out this year, documents Beco’s first year of life. The book also provides information about the plight of elephants around the world.
Linda, who is a huge animal lover (obviously, since her first book was The Pig and Miss Prudence), contacted us last year about being a foster mom for Black and Orange. We quickly lined her up with two kitties, Frankie and Chloe, who she promptly fell in love with and decided to adopt. We lose more fosters that way! But it is a good way to lose them.
Then this past fall, Linda contacted Black and Orange about a mama kitty and her litter of kittens who had taken up residence on Linda’s porch. We helped with vet care and everyone found a great home, including little Cubby, the black kitten of the litter, who stayed with Linda (we know Linda has a fondness for black cats-her former kitty before Frankie and Chloe was from ebony royalty).
Please check out Linda’s web site and learn more about her books and even the craft of writing on her blog, “Get to Writing.”
We want to thank Linda for supporting Black and Orange and giving two of our former kitties such a great home.
For all you techno junkies (like me) with your phone strapped to your hip, Petfinder is now available as an application for your iPhone. The application is FREE and allows you to view adoptable B and O kitties anywhere your phone can go (which is just about every spot on planet Earth, except, of course, mine works the worst in my living room).
Just like the regular Petfinder.com site, the iPhone app allows you to search for adoptable animals by species, breed, age, gender, and size. You can also find complete pet descriptions and information on where that gorgeous feline is located. Then you can email right from your phone to B and O and tell us, “I must have that cat!”
You can also share pet profiles via Facebook and Twitter directly from your iPhone using the new Petfinder app.
To find out more, go to: Petfinder app for iPhone
Abigail Valentine has had a pretty rough life.
I had an email today from Betty Peyton the shelter director of the Humane Society of Madison County located not far from us in London. I am going to copy most of her email in this post word for word, because she does a wonderful job telling the story of Abigail Valentine.
Betty wrote: “Imagine, if you will, that for one year you grew up in a home where you were more or less treated like an inanimate object. You did receive some attention. You did have food, water, and shelter. You got by. You didn’t know any different kind of life.
“Then one day everything you knew and needed was being carried out the door. The chair you reclined in while waiting for the folks to come home from work. The couch where you sat next to your companion while watching TV. The TV – gone. The bed you slept beside – gone. Everything and everybody you knew, gone.
“Abandoned in a house with just the food and water that was left in your bowls.
“You sat and waited. Then you waited some more. You hoped they would come back. They might not have been super loving to you, but at least they were there. You sat and waited. Hungry and thirsty.
“One day, the door opened and you wondered how long had it been since you had been left behind. You had lost track of time. You had run out of food and water for what seemed to be days or even weeks. This person, you didn’t know them. They didn’t know you. They didn’t even know your name. They talked softly to you, telling you, ‘It’s okay, sweetheart.’ Fear took over. What should you do? You had never been mean to a person, but fear gripped at you. Still you were also weak from hunger, unbearably thirsty, and now completely confused.
“You hung your head and cowered, letting this stranger take you out of the only home you ever knew.
“The stranger put you in the back of her vehicle telling you that it would all be better. That you would be taken care of. Still the fear was there. That wondering of what evil was coming around the corner. What other disappointments you would have to face.
“You were taken into a building you had never seen before. The folks there seemed nice. They kept saying, ‘How cute…sweet, poor thing.’ You were then taken to a kennel where food, water, and a bed waited for you. You didn’t know it, but you had been ‘rescued.’
“Yes, this is the story about a dog who the shelter named Abby. But there was more to it and her story continued.
“Abby was found on January 21st, abandoned in a house with no clue as to the number of days she was there. There was no food and water and it looked like from the ‘waste,’ it had been a while. Abby was very malnourished.
“On February 3rd, Abby was taken to a vet clinic to get spayed so she could be put up for adoption. During the surgery it was discovered that Abby had been impregnated by a much larger dog. Abby, only 7 pounds herself, would have died trying to naturally give birth to the overly large pups. Abby was rescued yet again.
“While at the vet clinic it was also discovered that Abby had even bigger problems. She was diagnosed with two luxating patellas that were considered a grade 3 on a scale of 1-5. A luxating patella is where the knee cap pops in and out causing lameness in dogs. The higher the grade, the worse the case is. And Abby, who had already been through so much, had unknowingly been given bad news.
“Abby arrived back at this shelter on February 5th and the staff was given this bit of information. They were upset that a surgery spot for a spay was wasted on her since now they would have to put her down.
“Humane Society of Madison County Shelter Director Betty Peyton just happened to be at this other shelter and was shocked to hear this. ‘Why can’t you help her?’ asked Peyton. ‘Surgery can be expensive, but you need to help her.’
“The other shelter’s staff answered, ‘No money, and no time to raise it.’
“Peyton said, ‘Give her to me and we will take care of her. This dog, who might not have had the best life, yet have it ripped away when folks abandoned her, deserves a chance for a happy life, a happy ending.’
“Arriving at the HSMC Animal Shelter with her new name as Abigail Valentine, a clean bed and plenty of food and water, the small dog curled up on the office chair and went to sleep. We believe it might have been the first good sleep she had in a long while. In the meantime, there was no napping for Director Peyton. Even though Peyton knew surgery could cost over a thousand dollars and that the Sheba/Noelle Fund, which is for medical emergencies and needed medical procedures like Abigail’s was empty, she just could not give up on her that easily. In Abigail’s short life she had demonstrated that she was a survivor. This was in keeping with the HSMC’s philosophy of promoting life and promoting adoption and giving survivors a second chance.
“’Just look at this small, sweet, cute girl and you will agree,’ said Peyton. ‘I just could not leave her there to be put down. She deserves a chance.’
“The first call was to Dr. Joe Bando of VCA Sawmill in Columbus. Dr. Bando said he would do all he could to work with the HSMC in helping little Abigail Valentine. Thanks to his generosity, the surgery can be done for a discounted price.
“Help make a life saving difference for this small girl who has already stolen the hearts of the staff at the HSMC animal shelter. There are several ways folks can donate to help with Abigail’s surgery. First, funds can be mailed to HSMC at P.O. Box 777, London OH 43140. Second, funds can be donated using the paypal button at their website www.hsmcohio.com. Third, credit card donations can be made directly at VCA Sawmill by calling 614-766-2222 and letting them know it is for the Humane Society of Madison County and for Abigail Valentine’s surgery. Lastly, you could bring your donations directly out to the animal shelter (funds are deposited daily). The shelter is located at 1357 ST RT 38 SE, London next to Fairhaven School. Shelter is open 12-5 Monday to Saturday.
“Abigail Valentine will be taken to VCA Sawmill on Monday, February 8th so her surgery can be done when Dr. Bando has room in his schedule. She will receive excellent care from VCA’s dedicated staff, prior to, during, and after the surgery.
“The HSMC is currently looking for little Abigail Valentine’s forever family, a family who will give her all she will need for a happy, healthy life. Or a foster family, who will be willing to help Abigail with her recovery from surgery and the physical rehabilitation that will follow. The first and foremost goal is to raise the funds needed to help this small, sweet girl with a big heart who was at one point nothing more than an inanimate object and subsequently abandoned. Abigail Valentine deserves a Valentine of her own that will make every day for her Valentine’s Day! ”
If you can, please make a donation toward Abigail Valentine’s surgery. Unfortunately, stories like this happen every day and the Betty Peytons of the world are not always there to stop the euthanizations. We must continue to work toward a No Kill community, where dogs and cats that can be saved with medical care will be.
To celebrate Spay Day 2010, the Rascal Unit and Rascal Charities will sterilize 50-60 puppies on February 23, 2010. They will be scheduling puppies between the ages of 3 and 6 months in advance. No walk-ins the day of the surgery. With this event, the Rascal folks hope to educate pet owners about the benefits of early sterilization, wellness care, and training.
For $25 (WOW!!), puppies will be sterilized, receive deworming and heartworm prevention (Interceptor puppy pack), a DHLPP and Rabies vaccine (if due), 24 Pet Watch Microchip (with registration), flea treatment if fleas are found, and information on training.
Pet owners must show proof of financial need. You can find out more about scheduling and what you need to do to prove you qualify at: Rascal Unit Spay Day
This event is being sponsored by the Franklin County Dog Shelter, Pets Without Parents, and the Powell Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
If you know anyone who needs help getting their puppy fixed, please tell them about this event!
Of course I can type! Do you doubt that I am the brains behind this blog? Haven't you ever heard of ghost writers?
We just got word that Noah’s Ark Vet Hospital has a new voice telling the world about all the nice folks in the rescue business in Dublin, Ohio. This new voice belongs to Yushay, a “rescued, pampered pekingese” with just a bit of attitude. Yushay was brought to Noah’s Ark with a death sentence–her people wanted to put her to sleep. Luckily, Yushay has new “peeps” now and she gets to hang around Noah’s Ark all day long quarreling with Yoda the Himalayan and reporting on the activities at the hospital.
To read “Yushay’s Ark,” please go to: “My Name is Yushay”
Sign up to follow Yushay’s blog or leave a comment. It makes her so happy, she sometimes “piddles” on the floor. But, shhh…don’t tell her we let out one of her secrets.
You can also find out more about Noah’s Ark at their web site: www.noahsarkvethosp.com/
I recently had emails about two contests that both focus upon pets and making the world a better place by showing how “green” you and your pet are.
The first contest is sponsored by Fancy Feast, Friskies, and Keep America Beautiful and is called, “Together We Can.” To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Fancy Feast/Friskies is looking for a group of consumer artists who will help create a “more beautiful future” by producing “original, cat-inspired works of art using aluminum cat food cans.” If your work is chosen, you may get to display it at a gallery event in New York City celebrating Earth Day in April.
This contest is approaching the deadline quickly (and I just got word of it today). You have to submit an application by February 12, 2010 and you must ship the artwork to Purina by March 31. So if you are an artist–Hurry!
To find out more, you must complete a survey and read the contest rules at: Together We Can Contest
Additionally, if you return to that link on March 1st, you can take a pledge to recycle your aluminum pet cans (which I already do, thank you very much!). For each pledge, Purina will donate $1 up to $100,000 to Keep America Beautiful.
The second contest is a photo contest that is looking to find the “Green Dog of the Year.” The contest asks, “Is your dog green?” and if they are, you could win a year’s supply of Eukanuba’s Naturally Wild Formula dog food!
This contest, which is sponsored by Mother Nature Network (MNN) and Eukanuba, asks for pictures of dogs doing “green” things along with your captions. Again, time is limited. You have until February 12 to submit a photo.
To read the rules and see a sample gallery of “green” dogs and the kinds of pictures the contest is looking for, go to: Green Dog of the Year Contest
Good luck to all our animal loving artists!
I am thinking about attending this conference this year. The No Kill Conference is not just for people who work at humane societies or volunteer with rescue groups. Rather, this conference is for anyone who believes that we can reverse the death sentences for the millions of dogs and cats that are euthanized in shelters each year.
At the conference, you will be able to hear various speakers, including shelter directors who now save over 90% of the animals that enter their buildings. Additionally, the conference will feature law experts who have stood up for animals using the legal system and will teach attendees how to do the same.
One of the speakers will, of course, be Nathan J. Winograd who is the director of the No Kill Advocacy Center which is co-sponsoring this conference. Winograd is also the author of Redemption, the book that challenged the idea that there are too many homeless dogs and cats and not enough homes and thus the only solution is euthanasia. If you have not read Redemption or his second book, Irreconcilable Differences, I would highly recommend both. They really opened my eyes to many myths and lies that we have been led to believe by the very people who are supposedly “animal guardians.” To visit Winograd’s web site and have an “eye-opening” experience, go to: http://www.nathanwinograd.com/
Right now Winograd has a very interesting article on his blog about the No Kill movement and how it has been featured in political cartoons. To read his latest installment and see the cartoons, visit: No Kill Cartoons
Another speaker I’d like to hear at the No Kill Conference is Richard Avanzino who was the past president of the San Francisco SPCA leading them to be the first to end the needless killing of healthy cats and dogs. While Avanzino was president, San Francisco could brag that they were the “safest community in the U. S.” for homeless dogs and cats. Avanzino is currently the director of Maddie’s Fund, which is also sponsoring the conference. On another off topic note, Avanzino, in case you didn’t know, has a pharmacy degree from the University of California Medical Center. As I am a pharmacist, I like to hear about others in my profession who rally for animals. To read his complete bio: Richard Avanzino
I’d also like to hear Michael Mountain, founder of Best Friends Animal Society, and Bonney Brown, who used to be with Best Friends and Alley Cat Allies. I am sure that in this crowd, I would be among friends on my beliefs about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and protecting feral cats.
If you would like to learn more about the No Kill Conference, visit: http://www.nokillconference.org/
And to find out what the No Kill Advocacy Center is working on, go to: http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/
With so many of us working toward a world where no dogs or cats are killed just because they are the wrong color or they were dumped the same day as twenty other unwanted animals, we are sure to succeed. I believe that one day, I will live in a town, a county, a state, and a nation that will boast how safe they are for homeless cats and dogs (and hopefully rabbits, ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, parrots, and other pets, as well).