Rescues and Runways Fashion Shows To Promote Pet Adoptions and Support the ASPCA by ‘maurices’

Rescues & Runways kicks off on August 26 with a major fashion show and entertainment at the maurices home office in Duluth, MN.  Rescues & Runways is an exciting new nationwide effort by maurices to support local shelters and the animals they help.  During the month of September, more than 700 maurices stores in 44 states will host pet-themed fashion shows in partnership with their local animal shelter and sell a special charm to benefit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^® (ASPCA^®).
Each Rescues & Runways fashion show will feature models from each community walking the runway with the latest fall looks from maurices, plus a pet who is available for adoption.  Also throughout September, people are encouraged to support their local shelters by bringing the supplies they need to their local maurices store. Customers who bring in a donation for the shelter will receive a coupon for 20 percent off one regular-priced item. The campaign goal is to collect 500,000 pounds of supplies across the nation.

In addition, maurices is introducing a limited edition Friends for Life Charm, a celebration of the special bond people share with their furry friends. The Friends for Life Charm is just $5.00 and will be sold in all maurices stores beginning in mid-September through October 31. For every charm purchased, $2.50 will go to support the ASPCA and its national shelter outreach program. The ASPCA will receive a minimum donation of $50,000 from maurices, with an ultimate goal of raising more than $100,000.

Source:  ASPCA

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Many of yesterday’s Mutts are today’s Hybrid or Designer Dogs…

“He wa’n't no common dog, he wa’n't no mongrel; he was a composite. A composite dog is a dog that is made up of all the valuable qualities that’s in the dog breed — kind of a syndicate; and a mongrel is made up of all riffraff that’s left over.”  …Mark Twain

(Many of yesterday’s Mutts are today’s Hybrid or Designer Dogs…)

Doggie DNA Testing

 

Unknown Mixed Breeds

Through the marvels of DNA testing, some of the greatest mysteries of Mutt-dom are being revealed.

Dogs of vague or unrecognizable ancestry — whether fluffy white mongrels with Chihuahua ears and beagle-like voices or massive hounds that resemble nothing previously seen in nature — are being exposed for what they really are, genetically speaking.

DNA testing can disclose what breeds dominate their family trees. And thousands of people are happy to pay, about $60 to $170 depending on the method and company chosen, to end the what-do-you-suppose-he-is speculation of mixed-breed dog owners everywhere.

The first test was unveiled less than a year ago. Now, consumer interest is growing so fast that more companies are jumping into the doggie-identification business, websites are being enhanced, and additional breeds are being added to testing databases.

“Pure curiosity, getting the answer” is the reason most owners seek out the testing, says Neale Fretwell, head geneticist for Mars Veterinary, maker of the Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis. The analysis can determine which of 134 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club composes a dog’s genetic makeup.

And some of the answers are real stunners, not only for the owners but also for the veterinarians who have made their best guesses, Fretwell says.

The procedure requires an appointment with a veterinarian to draw a blood sample, and when analysis is completed in two or three weeks, a follow-up visit to discuss the findings. The pricing is set by individual veterinarians, $135 to $170.

Another reason owners go the testing route is to uncover possible explanations for behaviors that might be inherited, such as herding people and other pets or rooting around in chipmunk or mole holes.

Other owners want to know whether their dogs have a high proportion of a breed predisposed to a particular ailment or frailty, although experts caution that it’s impossible to know which traits, including propensity for disease or medical problems, a mongrel might inherit from any particular breed.

No one offering such tests suggests a mongrel assumes some sort of elevated status upon learning a purebred bloodhound or dachshund entered his ancestry generations ago.

Indeed, the companies celebrate the characteristics of mixed breeds, and some experts applaud “hybrid vigor,” the belief that mixing unrelated breeds can create a stronger, healthier dog than purebreds, which can pass on genetic conditions found in specific breeds.

Many clients are “very surprised” upon receiving word of what breeds populate their dog’s background, Fretwell says.

Meg Retinger, chief administrative officer of BioPet Vet Lab in Knoxville, Tenn., says: “Some people say, ‘That’s just exactly what I thought.’ “Others” have such preconceived notions about what their pet is they just won’t accept the results.”

In January, the lab began marketing its $59.95 DNA Breed Identification kit, which tests for 61 AKC breeds using cheek cells scraped by the owner.

But the signature appearance characteristics of a particular breed don’t always materialize, even when there’s a high proportion of that breed in a dog, Fretwell says.

A mongrel with a German shepherd parent or grandparent, for example, might not have the black and tan coloring, the saddle pattern on its back or even the long muzzle. Some could not show any shepherd characteristics.

Size, color and a host of physical features such as ear and muzzle shape and tail type are influenced by genetics, and when several breeds meld in one dog, it’s tough for even experts to eyeball a mutt and accurately assess what lies within.

Connie Steele of Colorado Springs learned that. This year she adopted a black-and-white dog that shelter personnel thought was mostly border collie and about 1½ years old. She soon discovered from her veterinarian that Ellie was still a puppy, probably less border collie than believed and almost certain to grow a lot more.

Steele had Ellie tested because, she jokes, she wanted “a bit of warning if I’m going to need to plan ahead for a larger house to accommodate a 2-year-old pony-sized dog.”

Upon receiving Ellie’s results, Steele did not begin house-shopping, though she was surprised by the breeds found in her background. Steele believes the information she now has about Ellie and also Kayla, another recently adopted shelter dog, offers clues about how to approach their training.

Most DNA tests show three or four different breeds in the mixed breeds’ ancestries, and many show five or six, experts say. Several more probably are in the mix, but the amounts have been so dissipated over the generations, they are merely weak traces, unlikely to influence a dog’s appearance or behavior.

And, yes, a few dogs comprise so many disparate breeds, the experts and their tests just can’t solve the puzzle.

“Even the best test can’t answer every question of biology,” says Dennis Fantin, chief of operations for MetaMorphix, a company in Beltsville, Md., that has done testing for the AKC for years. The company now offers a $119.95 mixed-breed cheek-swab kit. The Canine Heritage XL Breed Test can detect 108 breeds.

Sometimes, any pure DNA has become “so diluted” by encounters with mixed breeds over the generations that no answers emerge, Fantin says.

Their owners are told the mystery must remain.

From USA Today

Chorkies           &              Chiweenies

Designer Breeds

“My name is Oprah Winfrey. I have a talk show. I’m single. I have eight dogs — five golden retrievers, two black labs, and a mongrel. I have four years of college.”  …Oprah Winfrey, when asked to describe herself during jury selection

Join Us At ‘Just One More… Pet’

…in the Fight Against Unnecessary Pet Euthanization By Finding Loving Homes for Unwanted and Abandoned Pets, by Adopting Just One More Pet and By Fighting Legislation That Restricts Pet Owners To Less Than a Combination of 4-Pets   

10 Top Reasons to Adopt A Pet On Mother’s Day… Or Any Other Day

If  Mom or Grandma has been considering getting a dog or cat, Mother’s Day is a perfect time –not to surprise her — but take her to several shelters and see what’s out there. Use Petfinder to screen for the best candidates.  That way she’ll get exactly what she was looking for and the pet has a good chance of staying put rather than being returned.

If Mom is in love with a particular breed, check Petfinder in case one is available through a shelter.

Here’s the top 10 reasons to consider adopting a homeless or shelter pet:

1. You save many lives. Not only do you save the life of the animal you adopt, you will get an animal that is spayed or neutered, which means no unwanted litters to end up at an animal control facility.

2. You won’t be supporting puppy mills. Puppy factory farms will have one less customer to feed their reprehensible business.  They produce  pets with expensive health issues, physical and mental, and look at pets as “products”. Female dogs are forced into a constant state of pregnancy for the duration of their lives, not cared for or let out of their cages.  When you buy from a pet shop, it supports this industry.

3. You get the best deal ever.  Shelter animals are fully vaccinated, spay/neutered, and more often than not, micro-chipped, and heartworm tested.

4.  You become an active participant in preventing cruelty to animals.  The Oprah show on puppy mills made it very clear to all that, even if unwittingly, pet shops selling pets get their animals from puppy mills.  You can dismantle this practice by making different choices. 

5.  Shelters are not the scary places they used to be! Many provide added services. The progress that has been made over the past decade in sheltering practices means that many shelters offer their “temporary residents” basic training, so they are at least familiar with the concept of being on leash, and the concept of “sit” and “walk”  Some shelters are set up so that daycare, kenneling, and grooming are available. 

6.  Shelters, good ones, always want their animals returned to them if there’s a problem–not to some other facility, or to another family. You won’t get any guarantees like that from a pet shop.

7.  Shelters will know the dog or cat, their personalities, some of their querks and a lot of their personality.  New puppies are so cute, cuddly, but they have a lot of needs. They require that someone be home all day to care for them, potty train them, feed them often and teach themeverything.  If you are getting a puppy and will leave him or her in a cage more than an hour please don’t get a puppy. It is not at all advisable to cage a puppy all day long.  That kind of life would be a cruelty to the dog and to you.  You would not be happy with a puppy that went wild every time you let him or her out.

8. Shelters are part of the community and work to save lives every day.  They are there to serve the animals and match them to the best possible homes. 

9.  Shelters provide opportunities to learn through volunteering, expand your network and know more about the community you live in.

10. Adopt—it’s a matter of life, and the life you save may be your own!  Studies have it that pets lower blood pressure and that pet people live longer. Just feeling good about how you contribute to solving a societal problem doesn’t hurt, either.

Hope you had a great Mother’s Day!

By: Mary Haight – Examiner.com

Then next year mom and grandma can take their friend to one of the many dog parks with free entrance, goodies and goodie bags for Mother’s Day.

GETTING TO ZERO

Ending Euthanasia of Healthy & Treatable Animals –  A New National Initiative of the American Humane Association In Cooperation with Visionary Corporations and Foundations  

The American Humane Association’s Getting to Zero®

Initiative is a critical, new national undertaking based on realistic assumptions and the profound belief that, within our lifetime, American society can reduce to zero the number of healthy or treatable dogs, cats and other companion animals that are euthanized in animal care and control facilities. This will not be easily accomplished, but we believe that with the replication of identified best practices to shelters and animal-welfare groups across the country — utilizing seed and operational funding provided by visionary companies and organizations as well as advice and consultation from the best in the field — the immediate impact can be substantial and sustaining, thus leading to zero euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals within 25 years.

Funding will be used to take the best practices available and replicate them, initially, to 12 shelters in geographically diverse areas of the country and, subsequently, to encourage and sustain further replication of these best practices to most, if not all, animal care and control facilities in the country.

Working in partnership with the animal-welfare community and corporate and foundation donors, American Humane launched this three-year initiative in 2006.

American Humane has made the reduction and eventual elimination of shelter euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats one of its highest priorities. Although many Americans maintain a deep love and affection for animals, and pets are cherished members of millions of families, the millions of healthy, adoptable dogs and cats euthanized each year remains a source of shame for our country. It is a situation that most view as socially and morally unacceptable.

There is growing public support for assuring that no adoptable animal is put to sleep at a shelter or abandoned in the street. It is a goal that deserves the efforts and commitment of every group and individual with concern and compassion for animals. American Humane recognizes that animal overpopulation is the result of human decision-making and all of us have a responsibility and role in its reduction.

Every year, at least 3.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters in the United States. Indeed, it has been noted that in many areas of the country, a majority of animals entering the shelter system “are euthanized rather than adopted or reclaimed by their owners.” This problem is not limited to a single area of the country or a single segment of our population — animal care and control facilities from coast to coast are flooded with healthy animals looking for a good home. It has been this way for decades although over the past 20 years, we have seen a sharp reduction in the numbers of animals euthanized.

American Humane is committed to helping identify, support and obtain funding for the replication of community-based interventions that have demonstrated success in reducing the euthanasia of healthy or treatable animals. We are convinced that by working together and adopting practices that have been shown to be effective, we will hasten the day when euthanasia is no longer viewed by the public as an unfortunate but inevitable consequence of animal control.

Source:  American Humane 

 

Orange Bone, a New Kind of Pet Store

Selling puppies in a pet store, especially since Oprah’s notorious Puppy Mill episode aired last year, can easily alienate members of the dog community, incite protest and boycott and be bad business in today’s climate. The Orange Bone, Melrose Avenue’s newest pet store, is changing its business model and selling puppies from local rescues and shelters. 

Orange Bone, working with Last Chance for Animals, is committed to saving dogs on death row. It all sounds too good to be true so I decided to check out it for myself. Not surprisingly for a store on Melrose Avenue, the place has a sleek, glossy modern look; it resembles a Pinkberry store more than a typical pet store you’d find in a mall. Los Angeles has its fill of nice looking pet boutique so I went straight to the dogs.

On a Tuesday afternoon the store was packed. I eavesdrop as Ray Maldonado, regularly referred to as the store’s dog guy by many patrons and coincidentally the vice president, talks to a couple considering a pit bull puppy. As I stand around and wait for my turn, I noticed the Orange Bone offers financing. Ray says potential buyers have the option to complete a credit application. He says for those who need it and qualify; it helps to get the dog placed a little easier. Wow. Rays reminds me, “It is all about the dogs.”

While Ray excuses himself to answer another customer’s questions, I take a second to review their sales contract. I was very pleased to see the following, “Adopter agrees if for any reason you cannot keep the puppy you will return it to Orange Bone so we may place it in a new home.” People are not guaranteed a refund, but may exchange the dog within specified timelines for another if they’re inclined. I think it says a great deal about the store that their first priority is to make sure puppies are placed in a stable and loving environment and will always accept a dog back.

Ray is still with another customer so I ask the Kennel Supervisor, Joseph Maldonado, Ray’s little brother, about the care of the puppies. He says he and Ray live nearby and are at the store nearly 20 plus hours each day. Joseph says, “I get here every morning at 8 a.m. to walk the dogs before we open at 11.” The dogs are also all supervised by monitors and short circuit camera feeds.

Ray says they only started working with shelters and rescues in December 2008 after getting some negative feedback. He was once an animal control officer for the city so he really wanted to reinvent the system to make it work for everyone. According to Ray’s records, they have placed about 150 dogs since December 2008 and it’s their goal to place a 1,000 dogs by the year’s end. Ray also happily boasts that about 25 percent, if not more, were on death row.

First impressions can say a lot and Ray and Orange Bone left an indelible impression on me and Rufus today. Ray and his team sincerely seem committed to the dogs with a real hands-on approach in their permanently placement. In the short hour that I lingered unannounced at the store I witnessed more than one person come in who had been working closely with Ray to find the perfect furry friend. It’s not hard to imagine since Ray is the kind of guy who immediately becomes everyone’s best friend.

Other notable features about the store include the Three Dog Bakery treats they offer, the wide assortment of doggie apparel, collars, leashes and stylist carriers. They also work with a trainer, Jessica Dragon, so new parents can get started on the right paw.

If you’re looking for a new dog, stop by and visit Ray. Tell him Rufus and Johnny from Examiner.com sent you.

by Johnny Ortez, L.A. Small Dog Examiner

Orange Bone
7574 Melrose Avenue 
Los Angeles, CA 90046

T. 323. 852. 1258 
F. 323. 852. 1299 
Info@orangebone.com

Mon – Sat 11am to 8pm 
Sun 11am to 7pm

Related Articles:

• Successful Protest by the Companion Animal Protection Society in West Hollywood, CA!

Posted:  Just One More Pet

Economic Forecast: One Million Pets May Lose Homes in the U.S.

 

The current U.S. financial crisis has the potential to grow into a serious animal welfare issue, warns Executive Vice President of ASPCA Programs, Dr. Stephen Zawistowski. As households across the country are caught in the economic downturn, an estimated 500,000 to one million cats and dogs are at risk of becoming homeless.

“According to national financial estimates, approximately one in 171 homes in the U.S. is in danger of foreclosure due to the subprime mortgage crisis,” Zawistowski observes. “Considering that approximately 63 percent of U.S. households have at least one pet, hundreds of thousands are in danger of being abandoned or relinquished to animal shelters.”

To avoid or ease the heartbreak of losing an animal companion due to economic hardship, the ASPCA urges pet owners who are faced with foreclosure to think of alternatives ahead of time:

• See if friends, family or neighbors can provide temporary foster care for their pet until they get back on their feet.
• If they are moving into a rental property, get written permission in advance that pets are allowed.
• Contact their local animal shelter, humane society or rescue group before they move. If a shelter agrees to take the pet, they should provide medical records, behavior information and anything else that might help the pet find a new home.

“Everyone is being affected by the current economic crisis in some way,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “Community animal shelters and rescue groups across the country may soon be seeing an increase in homeless pets or a decrease in the donations they rely on.”

We urge ASPCA News Alert readers to help in any way that you can:

• Adopt a homeless pet.
• Donate used blankets, towels or even tennis balls to your local animal shelter.
• Foster adoptable animals until they find their forever homes.
• Help community members who may be struggling to take care of their pets.

For more information on pets in the economic crisis, please visit our pressroom.

Wishing You All A Happy, Prosperous and Safe New Year!!

If you have room in your home and in your heart please adopt just one more pet in 2009 and help stop unnecessary pet and animal euthenization.  And please be an animal advocate by supporting the humane treatment of all animals and reporting even suspected abuse and cruelty.

Another great way to help is to become a foster parent for pets (and all animals if you have the room) in need or waiting for homes or placement.

Below are some some photos of our gang… our four (a chihuahua and three chiweenies) and our daughter’s two ( a papillion and a chorkie) taken on Christmas Eve.  We also do some temporary emergency fostering.

Any home is made better with the special love of a pet!!  And all animals are God’s creatures and deserve fair and humane treatment, so help spread the love.

Photos by:  Marion Algier – The UCLA Shutterbug

Abused and abandoned pets need our help

Please join me in giving them the greatest gift you can give Every day, thousands of cats and dogs are abandoned and left alone to suffer.
Most die on the streets or have to be euthanized. Please watch my new video and join me in supporting the ASPCA.   

There’s an animal waiting for your help. Make a special gift today.

Pets Are Family

Choosing a new pet and bringing them home is an exciting time; just like bringing home a new baby or an adopted child for the first time. And just like bringing a child home, once you bring a pet home, they are part of your family. And for that reason, it amazes me how many people leave these helpless creatures behind, often in impossible situations, like tied to a tree or locked in a house without food or water, or drop them off at the pound or shelter “because it just didn’t work out”. Obviously taking them to a shelter is better than abandoning them, but would you take your kids to a shelter? And then for society not to help people to be able to keep their pets during tough times is equally unthinkable.

There is an epidemic of animals being abandoned or dropped off at shelters all over the country that continues to worsen as the housing market and economy continue to worsen. It is time for us to begin thinking ‘out of the kennel’ to turn this trend around and to develop other options. As Mahatma Gandhi said:

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated!”

And right now, we as a nation wouldn’t be judged very well.

If each of us around the country (around the world) who loves animals and has the means to do so would take in just one more pet or volunteer to foster pets waiting to be adopted, the problem would be resolved, or at least we’d we well on the way to solving this heartbreaking problem. And just changing or preventing some unfavorable laws and re-allocating some funds now used for euthenization and maintaining animals in over-crowded shelters, pets could be saved.