We are holding a raffle of Gift Baskets and other prizes to raise funds for Casper. (Thankie Brodie (ID 690517)’s mom for the brilliant idea ) Each person interested can purchase a ticket for $5.00, $10.00 or $20.00 and above. We will keep posting the donations for prizes as they come in for each category of tickets. You can purchase the tickets now and choose which prizes you want before the drawing on September 8.

PAYMENT FOR RAFFLE TICKETS

A special paypal account and bank account has been set aside for the raffle. You can buy tickets by paying into the paypal account.

Pawlease go to www.paypal.com and transfer your donation to

helpsavecasper@yahoo.com

Dog Smarter than Baby

Pearl Tam is an enthusiast of making sure our pets receive the care they need and deserve.
LocalVets.com allows her to pursue this very passion. Their core mission is to connect pets in need with veterinarians who care. Currently, they work with over 5,000 vets across the country who are listed in their veterinarian directory. They are even connected with professional veterinary associations such as VHMA.

LocalVets.com is a great resource for pet owners like us to use when seeking the closest and most suitable veterinarian in our neighborhood. As you probably have had experiences with vet visits, you know first hand how dreadful it can be for your pet and even you. However, it is inevitable both because we want to keep our pets healthy and because of emergency situations.

There are not enough pet owners who provide their pets with the recommended veterinary visits of twice a year, especially for cats with an average of less than one visit a year. LocalVets.com makes it easier to locate a veterinarian in the vicinity by providing a directory of vets and even categorizing the them by services provided and animals treated as well as by major cities and states. It’s very easy to use and even provides detailed information about each animal hospital, biographies of the veterinarians, hours, and services offered.

The article is called 10 Household Items to Donate to an Animal Shelter. Please visit and consider making some donations to your local shelter if you can!

Doesn’t it look like Lucky is ready to enjoy what is left of summer? We have been taking a bit of a break to try to squeeze out what is left, but we will be back soon with some great posts. Enjoy the long weekend and be sure to keep your pets safe!

What a sweet little pup!

Someone looks cute, even with food on his face.

I love the “bling”! And the saying is just too true. Dog is good!

If shirts aren’t your thing, be sure to check out their greeting cards. I especially love this design:

And inside it says “until someone ends up in a cone”! All of their cards are very funny, and would be a great way to brighten up someone’s mailbox.

I haven’t seen any of the products in person, but I do think the site is a lot of fun and a great way to honor the bond between human and dog.

I am really excited to announce this giveaway! “A Rare Breed of Love” is the true story of Baby, a rescue, and the mission she inspired. Here is a little background:

Jana Kohl, Psy.D.: is a writer, artist, clinical psychologist, and animal welfare advocate. From a young age her primary drives were to aid social justice causes and do philanthropic work. Having worked for the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies for many years, and now as an animal welfare advocate, she has long been concerned with how cruelty can become sanctioned by society. Kohl has testified before the Illinois State Legislature on the link between legalized violence against animals and inter-human violence. She has participated in numerous animal welfare campaigns, most notably to end the sale of foie gras in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Kohl currently resides in California with Baby and a cat named Kitty Pie, whom she also adopted.

Baby: spent the first nine years of her life locked in a cage at a breeder’s home in Northern California, and was rescued by a passing stranger on the day she was scheduled to be killed for having gotten too old to produce litters. Through a pet rescue website, Baby found a “forever home” with Jana Kohl. She spends her time advocating for other abused dogs and animals, and best of all, being cuddled, kissed, and snuggled by her “Ma.”

One lucky reader will win a copy of this great book! Here are the rules:

• Leave a comment on this post before 9:00pm (MST) on August 12th, 2008.
• Please be sure to fill in the email part of the comment form, as this is the only way I can contact the winner.
• You may comment once a day until the deadline.
• This contest is open to all countries.
• The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email the day after the contest ends.

Please visit Jana and Baby’s MySpace page for videos and more information. Become their friend too and help support the work they are doing! Here is a list of tour dates for the book, if they are coming your way you should go visit with them!

Baby’s “A Rare Breed of Love” National Book Tour Dates: 7/24-26: Philadelphia, PA 7/27-29: Pittsburgh, PA 7/30-31: Dayton, OH 8/1-5: Chicago, IL 8/6: Elyria, OH for the WEOL Radio Show! 8/7: Buffalo, NY 8/8-10: Boston, MA 8/11-12: Baltimore, MD 8/13: Richmond, VA 8/14: Norfolk, VA 8/15-17: Raleigh, NC 8/18-19: Charlotte, NC 8/20-21: Columbia, SC 8/22-24: Atlanta, GA 8/25-26: Jacksonville, FL 8/27-28: Orlando, FL 8/29-9/2: Miami, FL 9/3-4: Tampa, FL 9/5: Tallahassee, FL 9/6-7: Birmingham, AL 9/8-9: Nashville, TN 9/10-11: St. Louis, MO 9/12-15: Columbus, OH 9/16-17: Harrisburg, PA 9/18-21: Lancaster, PA for PUPPY MILLS AWARENESS DAY! 9/22: Louisville, KY 9/23-24: Memphis, TN 9/25: Baton Rouge, LA 9/26-27: Houston, TX 9/28-30: Austin, TX 10/1-2: Oklahoma City, OK 10/3-4: Little Rock, AR 10/5: Beachwood, OH for Marilyn’s Got Moxie Event.

Good luck!

*this giveaway is now closed, congrats to Louise #159*

Already we are 8 months into the year, and I just found out that this is the Year of the Frog! No, I am not talking about Chinese New Year, but rather a year long campaign to help save the frog. Frogs are disappearing at alarming rates, but you probably haven’t heard much about it. The Year of the Frog campaign is designed to help raise awareness and funds to stop the crisis.

From Africa to the Americas, frogs and other amphibians are vanishing from the planet at an alarming rate. Not since the dinosaurs has the world seen such a rapid extinction. In the past few decades, as many as 130 species of frogs and other amphibians may have been wiped out. Right now, one-third to one-half of the world’s amphibian species are threatened. Climate change, pollution and a silent killer — chytrid fungus — are the main suspects in the mass disappearance. Chytrid fungus is currently unstoppable and untreatable in the wild. The World Conservation Union calls it the worst infectious disease ever recorded among vertebrates.

Amphibian Ark is doing a lot of great work in efforts to save frogs and other amphibians from extinction. As a frog lover, I am alarmed at the news, and saddened by the thought of frogs becoming extinct. If you want to learn more about what is going on, and also how you can become involved in the problem solving process, please visit the Amphibian Ark website.