Happy “Howl-a-days”!

Posted by Aimee

December 23, 2009

A few great ideas and links to help you and your pet enjoy the holiday season.

If you have extra dog shirts/sweaters around (or if you would like to buy new ones), send them to The Dog Project. They are collecting sweaters to help dogs in shelters keep warm in the winter months. We think this is awesome, and hope that they have great success with the project. If dogs have to be in a shelter, at least they will be more comfortable.
A fun and easy holiday treat to make for your dog, and for the other dogs in your life, can be found right here. Love that they are a great alternative to store bought treats!
If you forgot to send cards, it’s not too late to send an ecard! Click here to find links to ecards that also help animals! A great way to keep in touch, and show that you care at the same time.

Know of a shelter that could use some help?

‘Tis the season to help out a furry friend in need by nominating your favorite local animal shelters to receive Hartz pet supplies.

The Hartz Mountain Corporation, the leading U.S. pet supplies company, has generously agreed to donate $3 million worth of Hartz pet supplies to animal shelters in the U.S. and Canada. $2 million has already been donated, but they need your help finding more shelters that will benefit from the additional $1 million worth of Hartz pet supplies.

The economic downturn has had a profound effect on the financial welfare of families, many of whom have been forced to surrender their beloved pets to shelters. However, those same shelters report that donations are down by as much as 30%. The Hartz Shelter Program, which offers a range of pet supplies such as dog biscuits and bones, meat treats, and rawhide, etc., will help shelters feed and care for abandoned animals and enable at-risk families to keep their pets safe at home.Consumers who know of a shelter that has a need and the capacity for 2,000 pet supply products can nominate them by emailing hartzshelterheroes@hartz.com.

Emails should include both contact information for the “Hero Sponsor” and the shelter’s name, address and telephone number. Hartz will contact them both about next steps for the donation.

Need gift ideas?

Buy a great toy: Check out the environmentally-friendly toys at your local pet store, or online. Or go even more simple. A bucket of old tennis balls makes Kelly happy. Try making a toy yourself. If you can sew, create a simple stuffed teddy bear for your pup. Tie a feather or pompon to the end of a string for your kitty. Get creative!
Cook something yummy: Find a recipe for healthy dog treats. Try this dog carrot cake recipe from Sharon Azar’s WOOF! blog or Editor-in-chief Edward Grinnan’s dog food recipe.
Frame a picture: For your animal-loving friends and family, frame a special picture of their pet, or create a small scrapbook or brag book. If you’re handy with the computer, print up stationary or note cards, with the pet’s picture in the corner.
Make pet books and calendars: Pet lovers will never grow tired of reading about their best friends, and there are so many great options: fiction, memoirs, how-to, and great true animal stories. (Check out Guideposts’ own Their Mysterious Ways) Page-a-day or monthly pet calendars make great gifts, too.
Give your time: What’s the best gift to give a pet? Your time! Get down on the floor and play, maybe even invent a new game with your dog or cat. Relish time to just cuddle. Kelly and I like to get wrapped up in a blanket. For your pet-owning friends, offer dog walking or pet-sitting. Or help more pets by donating time or money to a local animal shelter. {source}

We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas! We will be back on Monday with an awesome giveaway… but until then, we will be enjoying family, friends, and the joys of the holiday. Best wishes to you, and your furry friends!

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