When I visited Hills awhile back I learned about their awesome animal welfare efforts — the company is totally dedicated to helping shelter animals throughout the country. They are of the mindset that, as you will agree, every pet in a shelter deserves food, shelter, and love… For the past 10 years Hill’s has provided over $240 million worth of Science Diet pet food to nearly 1,000 shelters, 365 days a year.

Together with their shelter partners they helped more than 7 million cats and dogs find their forever homes! WOW!

Now, with the new Hill’s Food Shelter & Love™ Program every eligible shelter in the U.S. has the opportunity to become our Partner – meaning they can/will reach even more pets!

Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM is excited to open a new program in April 2013.

Since 2002, Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM has helped more than 7 million pets find a new home and continues to work every day with nearly 1,000 shelters to feed their pets all year through.

The new Partner Program is accessible to eligible animal shelters that are not benefiting already from the current Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM program.

Join the new program at a Partner level and:

-          Enable your shelter pets to enjoy the benefits of Hill’s Science Diet nutrition consistently 365 days a year

-          Obtain exclusive discounts on Hill’s Science Diet nutrition to feed your shelter pets

-          Access exclusive resources for your shelter and staff on the Hill’s dedicated website

-          Offer your new adopters exclusive Hill’s Science Diet offers

Submit your shelter application today via this link and see if you qualify to start immediately in April 2013.

The nice folks at Hill’s are truly are looking forward to you joining the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^TM program and helping them give millions more pets a home!

This article was written to promote the Pet ‘Net 2012 Event, a way in which we bloggers come together with NBC Universal to endorse and promote a certain issue dealing with pet and animal awareness. This year, we are working on promoting pet adoption and helping animal shelters.

If you visit the hub page, you can help raise money for shelter pets in your community! Enter your zip code and they’ll donate $5,000 to an animal shelter in the town with the most votes. Spread the word and remember you can vote once per day for your town until November 30th

Bloggers from around the country have come together for the next five days at this hub page on Pet ‘Net 2012. Here you can read about fostering, finding a pet, bringing your new pet home, what to be aware of before you adopt, and more.

I’ll be writing about (today) what you can do to help animals as a volunteer.

I highly encourage you to check out the Pet ‘Net Hub Page and see what else NBC has in store for you!

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Are you an animal lover? Do you have spare time on your hands?

Do you love to volunteer or are you new to the whole concept?

Regardless of where you are, if you love animals – if you’re an “animaniac” like me or if you’re looking to spend some time volunteering somewhere, there are many things you can do to help animals as a volunteer. And this includes everything from donating money to donating time and love…

When you volunteer, the affect you can have on an animal is immeasurable. Animals are not in shelters by choice. Think about it – most of the animals that come to a shelter or rescue have never had an attentive family. And others have lost their comfortable loving homes due to death or illness in the family, transfers, deployment, allergies, moves, the economy, or a multitude of other misfortunes. The sadness and confusion they feel is greatly reduced when they receive a little affection, a little reassurance that they are still loved and appreciated.  So this is what you can do as a volunteer to help animals:

1. Clean up the Feces. Whether you are poop-scooping for dogs or cleaning litter boxes for cats, or cleaning up after rabbits, picking up the poop is a huge help to the staff and the animals. Someone has to do it – and the animals appreciate a clean area to walk around, lie down (cats) and relax. This, of course, also helps to ensure that the animals who are new, scared, sick or unhealthy will actually go potty.
2. Feed the animals. Feeding time is generally a pet’s favorite time of day! So prepping, arranging for mass feedings and carrying them out is greatly appreciated by the administrators at the rescue/shelter and by the fur-babies, too! Trust me; pets learn quickly where their bread is buttered!
3. Read to the animals. Yes, read to them. When I went to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary this past June and volunteered, that was one of the most popularly requested activities the caregivers requested of the volunteers. Why did they request it? Because reading to the animals in a rescue or shelter helps the pets get adjusted to a human’s voice, and thus, a human’s presence. It’s particularly helpful for hard-to-place animals who aren’t adjusted well, who aren’t used to being around people because they’re so neglected, and for abused animals that just need to know that a calm human is around again and on a somewhat regular pattern.
4. Donate supplies. Whether it is cat toys, dog bones, shovels, towels, blankets or other pet supplies, rescues and shelters can always use items like dog and cat beds, paper towels, cleaning products, bleach wipes, litter, food, treats, toys, etc. Remember, ultimately your donation goes to the animal (or his welfare) so you are helping him by donating supplies.
5. Donate money. Good will giving is so kind; there is so much the places can do with your funds – they can use it however it’s needed most. Some will use it to pay vet bills, some on construction or carpentry, some will use it for supplies, you just never know. Always give money to local shelters as that money has the best chance of going directly to the animals.
6. Become a Foster Parent.  This may be the most rewarding volunteer activity you will ever experience. There is a special satisfaction that comes with rehabilitating an injured or frightened animal or socializing an “unadoptable” dog or cat to make it ready for a permanent family. And don’t worry about becoming attached. Most people are surprised to find how easy it is to see one of their little wards go off to a permanent home where it will have even more attention. If you feel you wouldn’t be able to handle the good-byes, perhaps be sure you have someone there with you to do it or find another way to volunteer.
7. Exercise Animals. This is an awesome way to have fun with them and get a few laughs while also helping shelter pets. Playing with cats and dogs or running/walking the dogs is a fantastic way to help shelter pets. They need exercise every day and so do you! So why not do it together?
8. Bathe and Groom Animals. This is of great help to the shelters if you know how to do it. If you don’t, it isn’t hard to learn. Bathing and grooming helps immensely because it makes the animals more adoptable by making them clean and gleaming – particularly if photo day is approaching.  Bathing and grooming animals at shelters is a wonderful way to volunteer and give back to them and they will love you for it – it feels good to them!
9. Help with Transport. Transporting animals from one place to another, from the shelter to an adoption event, from a foster home to a new home, from a rescue to a foster home, etc., is a great way to volunteer and give back to animals in shelters. Rescues need volunteers to do this, particularly ones with SUVs that can fit multiple cages in them.
10. Office Support. Whether you are answering phones, doing some always-needed accounting, doing administrative paperwork or something else, office support is always greatly needed at local rescues and shelters.

As you can see, there are at least ten ways you can help animals by helping at your local shelters and rescues. I guarantee, your hours put-forth will be well-received and the owners will be grateful for anything you can do or give.  You can also do some other types of in-kind giving like helping with the group’s website if you know we design or SEO; donating your photography skills if you have them to take great shots for the web of the furry friends there, or donating, like we said above, office help.

It’s obvious that you don’t have to be an animal expert or work in animal services fields to help at your community’s rescue or shelter. You only need to have the time and desire to lend a helping hand, a kind, giving heart, and the panache and passion of a pet person at heart.

ASPCA encouraged by passage of SB 130,
Requires commercial dog breeding facilities to be licensed, inspected

The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) yesterday applauded the Ohio House of Representatives for passing Senate Bill 130 by a vote of 89-5. This bill is crucial and something that I have talked about multiple times before on the blog, requiring commercial dog breeding facilities to be licensed and inspected for the first time in the state’s history.

The ASPCA had worked to strengthen the bill, recommending that critical provisions which had previously been removed from the bill, be reinstated.

“The Ohio General Assembly has been considering various puppy mill bills for over six years,” said Vicki Deisner, state director of ASPCA Government Relations for the Midwest region. “Ohio has taken a critical step today by regulating commercial breeders, which will improve the living conditions of breeding dogs destined to spend their whole lives in these barren, commercial breeding facilities.”

Sponsored by Senator Jim Hughes (R-Columbus), SB 130 unanimously passed in the Ohio Senate last February. While the Senate version of the bill contained many strong provisions, the current version has been stripped of several of the vital requirements that would most improve the lives of Ohio’s puppy mill dogs.

The ASPCA had recommended to the Ohio House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee that every breeding dog receive a hands-on veterinary exam once a year, and that facility inspections be performed by state-level inspectors only.

“In order to ensure that all breeding dogs are healthy and safe, each dog should be examined by a veterinarian at least once a year,” said Cori Menkin, senior director of the ASPCA Puppy Mills Campaign.

“In its current form, SB 130 does not require this, but the legislation is still a step in the right direction. We look forward to eventually working with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to ensure more humane standards of care are instituted.”

Ohio has become a haven for puppy mill operators, which is why in addition to its legislative work, the ASPCA has focused part of its national “No Pet Store Puppies” campaign on the Columbus area.

The campaign aims to reduce the demand for puppy mill puppies by urging consumers to pledge not to buy any items—including food, supplies or toys—from stores or websites that sell puppies.

Last year, a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners revealed that while 86 percent of Columbus-area residents would not purchase puppies if they knew they came from puppy mills, 74 percent of Columbus area residents are unaware that most puppies sold in pet stores come from them.

The ASPCA believes that convincing consumers not to shop for anything, including puppies, at pet stores that sell puppies is a necessary part of stopping the demand for puppy mill dogs.

To learn more about the ASPCA’s efforts to eradicate puppy mills, please visit www.NoPetStorePuppies.com.

The ASPCA is not the only group concerned with what is going on here in Ohio, my home state (I live on the lake in Cleveland, about two hours north of Columbus.)

Several other groups have slaved for years on petitions, awareness, etc doing very honorable work to ensure Ohio citizens are aware. And though their work may not specifically be about SB 130, we Ohio animal welfare groups support one another, helping each other to spread each other’s work, “liking” things on Facebook, and writing, Tweeting, and Pinning where ever asked.

The Humane Society of the United States was also applauding Ohio yesterday; they were involved in the passage of this SB130 as well – their heavy lobbying efforts undoubtedly had an effect. They noted in a press release yesterday that Ohio is one of 22 states with no regulation or oversight of commercial high volume breeding kennels.

“S.B. 130 is the product of careful consideration, intense labor and a spirit of cooperation,” said State Rep. Dave Hall, Chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. “Thanks to Senator Hughes, we had a good base. I’m pleased to say that the House Agriculture Committee was able to work with both sides of this issue to clarify and strengthen certain aspects that were critical for its passage. We were able to find that elusive ‘middle ground.’ As someone whose family has taken care of several rescue pets, I can say with confidence that this bill’s passage is a major victory for all Ohio dog lovers.”

Other local groups involved include Columbus Top Dogs, which works on many fundraisers and local issues, the Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions, which works tirelessly on banning the awful auctions which purport the puppy mill problem, and the Nitro Foundation, which is currently working assiduously to amend legislation and make a first-time offense of animal cruelty a felony in Ohio. Currently, Ohio is one of only 4 states where a first count of animal cruelty is a misdemeanor. Offenders rarely get more than a measly slap on the wrist, fine and warning for doing things like beating, burning and killing dogs and cats.

If I missed your organization, please share in the comments. But A HUGE CONGRATS goes out from ThoughtsFurPaws to ALL involved in the passing of SB130 in both the Senate and the House finally. A rousing “thank you” also goes out to my legislators – now please listen to us animal welfare advocates on the other issues we’ve been writing and calling about, ie HB 108!

We have been waiting for years as you will see from the old blog posts (search Puppy Mills, or Animal Welfare Ohio SB 130).

I will soon be writing another post on this because many small time breeders and rescues feel this bill is a burden.

Stay tuned to read their perspective…

About the ASPCA®

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Avon Lake’s Jaime Smith chooses Love-A–Stray Cat Rescue to receive $2,500 cat food donation from Royal Canin

Here’s a press release about a recent donation ThoughtsFurPaws.com made (comments from me inserted in places):

Jaime Lynn Smith, blogger at ThoughtsFurPaws.com, recently chose Avon Lake’s Love-A-Stray Animal Rescueto receive a $2,500 cat food donation from Royal Canin. Smith is

The Pallet of Food that Arrived

an active advocate and volunteer for animal welfare. Her blog, ThoughtsFurPaws.com, shares personal stories to educate, advocate, and help her readers learn more about animals and their well-being. Smith recently participated in a program with pet food company Royal Canin that gave her the opportunity to donate 100 bags of Royal Canin’s new SPAYED/NEUTERED cat food – formulated specially for the nutritional needs of spayed and neutered cats, like those at Love-A-Stray – to the rescue organization of her choice.

“We’re a volunteer-run organization and generosity like this is what makes our mission possible,” said Ellen L Quimper, founder of Love-A-Stray.

“Jaime is an amazing advocate for animal rescue. We’re so happy to have her support, as well that of Royal Canin. The 100 bags of cat food will fuel our shelter for months, keeping our foster cats well-fed and healthy until they are adopted into their forever homes.”

When the donation was made, Quimper said and showed me how the rescue was down to just two bags of dry cat food…

Me Explaining to a Volunteer What Spay/Neuter Formula is

In addition to the product donation to Love-A-Stray to feed its adoptable rescue cats, Royal Canin also recently made a $25,000 donation to American Humane Association in support of feline health research. You can learn more about Royal Canin and the science behind its new SPAYED/NEUTERED cat food at www.royalcanin.us or on Smith’s pet blog at www.thoughtsfurpaws.com.

“I started blogging simply to share my passion for pets,” said Jaime Smith. “It’s amazing to be able to take what started as a hobby and use it to truly make a difference in the lives of animals. Royal Canin’s support and interest in my cause is helping me feed shelter cats and help a great local rescue organization. That’s an amazing feeling!”

In addition to the food donation, you are all aware that I won the Petties Award from Dogtime.com. Hence, I gave the $1,000 donation I received to the same shelter – Love A Stray Cat Rescue. The money was desperately needed and immediately went toward paying off vet bills. Love A Stray is an amazing organization  that I volunteer with and will continue to support for the rest of my life.

When I arrived at Love A Stray to see the food and help take it out of the barn into the catteries, Quimper and numerous volunteers were there to help carry the big boxes of Royal Canin cat food down to the main area. Excited and grateful, speechless yet thoughtful, giddy and giggling, Quimper and the volunteers helped me take 100 boxes of kitten and cat food to the catteries where hundreds of cats awaited new food.

Cats at Love A Stray

Me and volunteers taking food down

About Love-A-Stray Animal Rescue:
Love- A-Stray Animal Rescue is a non-profit, all volunteer organization located in Avon, Ohio. The organization actively promotes spaying and neutering of companion animals and tries to place adoptable animals into permanent homes. Its mission is to end the pet overpopulation problem through low-cost spaying and neutering programs and by educating the public on the importance of spaying and neutering animals. Volunteers help Love–A– Stray by housing homeless animals in foster homes, until adopted.

For more information, visit www.petfinder.com/shelters/love-a-stray or see them on Facebook.

I urge you to visit the Petfinder and Facebook pages for Love A Stray and help however you can. Right now they are in desperate need of cleaning supplies like detergent and bleach wipes…

About Royal Canin USA
Royal Canin USA is a forerunner of nutritional and technological advancement in dog and cat food. With more than 40 years of experience in the animal health and nutrition industry, the company prides itself on putting knowledge and respect for the animal first. Royal Canin collaborates with nutritionists, breeders and veterinarians from around the world on impartial and relevant research to ensure dogs and cats receive the best nutrition.

For more information, find Royal Canin at www.facebook.com/RoyalCanin.us or visit http://www.royalcanin.us/.

Providing Meals and Helping Homeless Pets Is Now Just a Click Away!

Check this out – the most recent, current meal donations for the Iams Home 4 the Holidays program are at 27,215 and pet adoptions have reached more than 90,000 so far!!!

Here is the breakdown of pets who have found “4-ever” homes through Iams Home 4 the Holidays this year since October 1, 2012:

Dogs: 49,735

Cats: 39,502

Other: 1,229

Total 90,466

Iams Home 4 the Holidays kicked off its 14th annual campaign in early October.

The program, which runs from October 1, 2012 through January 2, 2013, has helped place more than 7 million pets into loving homes and has donated an average of 200,000 tons of Iams dog and cat food to its partner shelters since 1999.

New to this year’s campaign is the Digital Dish Drive – a simple way to donate meals to pets in need right from your laptop or mobile device. It’s so easy to help feed our furry friends! To participate, log on to Facebook.com/Iams to check out dogs and cats available for adoption. During scheduled “feeding” times each day, every “Like” or “Share” will result in a meal donation to a participating shelter.

Pet lovers, hence, can have a “pawsitive” impact in the life of an orphaned pet!

The Digital Dish Drive is just one of many ways to help homeless pets this holiday season.

• Iams Lifelong Rewards – Join the Iams community by mobile sign up at www.Iams.com or at a participating pet adoption center when you adopt your new family member. For every sign up, Iams will donate food to a homeless pet awaiting adoption.
• Bags 4 Bowls – For every specially marked package of Iams pet food purchased during the campaign, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating Iams Home 4 the Holidays animal organization.
• Find Adoptable Pets Near You – To find a participating animal shelter or rescue near you, visit home4theholidays.org.

The Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive entered its 14th year this month more focused than ever… They remain dedicated and fixed on raising awareness of pet adoption while also ensuring proper nutrition for more homeless pets this year. Iams Home 4 the Holidays is a partnership between Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center to give more orphaned pets a fresh start through loving homes and good nutrition.

“Shelters and rescues around the country are overflowing with great adoptable animals awaiting forever homes,” said Mike Arms, founder of the adoption drive and president of Helen Woodward Animal Center. “Last year a tiny, starved Chihuahua/dachshund was brought into a shelter, weighing maybe one pound soaking wet, and very cold and miserable. The shelter helped nurse her back to health and she was adopted by a wonderful couple that fell in love with her and named her Baby. Stories like these show us the importance of promoting pet adoption and how a program like Iams Home 4 the Holidays can make a huge difference in the life of a pet.”

Each year Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center work to ensure that Iams Home 4 the Holidays is reaching people in new and unique ways to generate widespread awareness for pet homelessness.

Last year alone, 1.2 million pets were adopted during the holiday campaign and an estimated 5 million meals were donated to pets in need.

“With as many as 7 million orphaned pets in the U.S., this campaign is a wonderful platform to raise awareness about pet homelessness,” said Ondrea Francy, Iams general manager. “This year Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center are looking to donate more bowls of food than ever before to orphaned pets… we’re looking to exceed (our) goal this year!”

As part of the campaign kick-off, Iams employees will celebrate the three-month pet adoption drive with their annual Paws 4 a Cause event at Circle Tail, a pet shelter outside of Cincinnati, OH. More than 300 volunteers from Iams and other P&G Pet Care brands will donate almost 2,400 man hours to give this shelter a much needed makeover and shine the spotlight on the many wonderful animals waiting to be adopted and the shelters that care for them.

For more information about the campaign or to find out how to get involved, become a fan of the Iams Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Iams.

About Iams Home 4 the Holidays
As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, Iams Home 4 the Holidays partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, the campaign began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 14 years ago, Iams Home 4 the Holidays has helped more than 7 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including more than 1.2 million pet adoptions last year alone. For more information, please visit Facebook.com/Iams.

About Helen Woodward Animal Center
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where “people help animals and animals help people. “Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 57,000 people and thousands of animals annually through adoptions, educational and therapeutic programs both onsite and throughout the community. Helen Woodward Animal Center is also the creator of the international Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive and the Animal Center Education Services program, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world. For more information, follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/hwac or visit us atanimalcenter.org or Facebook.com/helenwoodwardanimalcenter.