Pet Projectz

This has been a great week - we got 3 kittens adopted and have a wonderful neighbor that’s willing to adopt a German Shepherd! It feels great to find loving homes for these animals and to educate people about adopting instead of buying pets from puppy mills and pet stores.

While I was looking for a dog for my neighbor I was shocked at how many purebred animals there are out there looking for a home - even more of a reason to get the word out about adopting.

Lily is one of our rescue pets, and she loves walking the neighborhood and seeing all of the kids. She’s a big ham and is always up for dressing for the occasion!

Tucson will always be my home away from home, and one of the reasons I love Tucson so much is the people. They tend to call things like they see them, and they don’t back away from a controversy.

Tucson Weekly is a wonderful publication that talks about all things Tucson, and I was thrilled to hear about a great story that Time Vanderpool wrote recently about Petland and how they buy their puppies from puppy mills and keep them in inhumane conditions.

Be sure to read this very unbiased account of how Petland continues to do business and what Petland and the Hunte Corporation’s ratings are with the Better Business Bureau. One of the readers also directed me to an interesting area on the Consumer Affairs website - over 40 pages of complaints about Petland!

Nothing warms my heart more than hearing about people like Oprah who can pretty much buy any animal they wanted to but instead choses to adopt a shelter soul and save them.

Oprah’s precious new baby Sadie was shown in this article on MSNBC and I can see why she fell in love with the four-legged angel. Thanks Oprah, for being such a great role model for all of us.

I have a favor to ask of all of you that really doesn’t have anything to do with this blog but it does - my 10 year old nephew is learning an important lesson about marketing and the power of the internet.

Sam lives in Oklahoma City and is the ultimate sports fan - he is crazy about the OKC Thunders and goes dressed to show his support to almost every game. His parents have always been wise enough to let Sam find his own calling, so his enthusiasm (and his outfits) are all his idea. Because of this, Sam was nominated to be part of the Ultimate Fan Finale.

He is also a great well rounded child (and I am a proud aunt!),does very well in school and loves to cook with me - we entered the State Fair of Texas Cooking contests this year and Sam won two 2nd place ribbons!

If Sam wins this contest he gets to go to Boston and see his team play there as well as learn some valuable history lessons when he gets to tour the city.

Please help me encourage Sam to follow his dreams. The link for where to vote on the NBA site is here, and you can vote was many times as you would like. Most of the others that are up for this honor are adults so I’m even more proud of what he’s accomplished. Please vote for Sam Davis and vote often!

I read about a great organization the other day - Global Gardens Foundation. They are using art to raise funds to help rebuild the 9th ward in New Orleans and are using dog images as their medium.

Why dogs? The quick answer is because they embody what we aspire to achieve… unconditional love!
A dog doesn’t care about your choice of political party, your color or creed…
They just love you!
We chose the dog, or the dog chose us…because they inspire us!

Another great reason to visit a local shelter or rescue group to find teh love of your life.

I was out running errand the other day and noticed a Petland store - I had heard about them in the past but hadn’t been in one in a long time, so I decided to stop in and see for myself what they offered.

The slogan that Petland uses is “Pets make Life Better” - maybe they should think about making life better for those pets that they have housed in horrible containers with an open grate floor and the only water source for most was a rodent waterer which you can see in the back of these cages. No blankets - the only place for these babies to be able to lie down is on a plastic grate or a plastic blue container. The holes in most of these grates were larger than the paws of many of these babies and they were continually having their paws slip through the grates.

By the time I left I was shaking and wanted to buy every single one of these babies and take them home. But at least I had the sense in an emotional situation like that to know that any animal I saved would be quickly replaced by two (or more) babies that I had subsidized by my purchase. These stores prey on parents and kind hearted individuals by trying to get you to hold a puppy the moment you start looking at the cages, and they are hoping that you become emotionally attached to that pet and have to have it. This often comes before the buyer has given any thought to where they are going to house this animal and that it’s not only life changing for the pet, it will also be for you. My own daughter fell into this trap and ended up with two energetic dogs that never were house broken and one had a genetic disease where all of her teeth fell out and they have had thousands of dollars of vet bills because they do consider it a purchase for life.

Something that doesn’t seem to be talked about much is the physiological damage spending their early years in a cage behind glass with people banging on their glass to get their attention does. I think trying to get these animals housebroken has got to be an issue because they are taken away from mothers and siblings and put in a cage with no where to go.

There is nothing better than bringing an animal into your life, but it is a commitment of time and finances and should not be entered into without a lot of thought and discussion. Most rescue organizations spend a lot of time helping individuals find the perfect pets for them and their lifestyles. Puppies are adorable, but the whole housebreaking and teething thing had me adopting three adult dogs who are the loves of my life. I can never repay them for what they have brought into my life, and there’s something about the attitude of a rescue animal that is very special. We all feel very grateful that we found each other.

If you need information about where to find a rescue group in your area, please feel free to contact me. You would be amazed to know that there are rescue groups out there for almost every purebred breed as well as “pound puppies”. The wonderful efforts of organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to shut down puppy mills has made it possible to rescue many of the animals that you see in pet shops instead of obtaining one from a shop that will use your money to increase the business for these places.

Put your yourself into the place of what some of these animals are having to go through and I’m sure you will think twice about where you find the new love of your life.

Today I decided to take a stand about something I feel is wrong, and even though it was cold and windy, it felt really good to be there. Over 120 individuals gathered in Plano Texas to protest against Petland and the fact that they support puppy mills.

The rally was well organized by the Humane Society of the United States. Those of us taking part in the rally were much better behaved than the Petland store employees and the vet who does the vet work for the store, and it was very rewarding to have lots of people hinking and showing their support for us - one individual who wasn’t even a part of the group brought her dog back so we could meet the love her life who was a rescue dog.

The media attended as well and gave us very positive coverage. Even the police that were asked to be there thought we were very well behaved. I had a lovely conversation with an officer and was able to educate him on why we were there as a Petland employee that looked like he was the manager gave us a “one finger salute”. Obviously they couldn’t have been very busy because there seemed to be plenty of their staff outside of the store watching us.

As “people” beds tend to get taller with pillowtop mattresses and layers of mattress pads, blankets and feather beds it gets difficult for our four legged friends to get on to the bed. For those of you who don’t encourage this type of activity it makes it more difficult for your pet. When Daisy was dealing with heartworm treatments I wanted her as close to me as possible so I had my contractor build steps to help her be easily able to make the climb.

I read a great article in a recent Wall Street Journal that shared smoe sources for readily available staircases and wanted to share those here. Whether your budget is $20.00 or $200.00, there is something out there for every pet.

Puppy Stairs offers an ingenious solution that are pretty much blocks that go together to make ramps and stairs. They are lightweight and made of high density foam so they are easy to move.

Orvis offers some beautiful solutions that are more pricey but are well designed. They also have an area dedicated to items for older dogs that I’m going to have to spend some time looking at - it’s hard to believe, but not only am I aging, but my pets are starting to get some grey hairs as well.

For an easy to find, economical solution check out your local Petsmart. They have some that start at $69.00.

Whatever product you decide to use, it will be a lifesaver for your pet. Vets report an alarming rate of injuries from animals trying to get down from these higher beds.

With gas prices what they are, why not invest your vacation dollars into your own backyard? Prices have dropped on many items that can make your own home into a resort, and it’s a vacation your family can then enjoy all year long.

This home features a spectacular indoor / outdoor fireplace that is beautiful as well as functional. By screening in the porch area and using pavers for the flooring this will end up being one of the most used rooms in the house. The furniture was a vintage set that was taken to an auto body company and painted using auto paint. The result is one that will last for years and is very cost-effective. To tie into current color trends we went to Pier1 Imports and found some great colorful cushions and an outdoor area rug to complete the look.

Manufactured Housing is also tapping into the outdoor living trend, and Patriot Homes now offers some new models that come complete with outdoor areas that are ready to go as soon as the homes are delivered. Patriot Homes of Alabama showcased two homes at the Tunica show this year - one with a screened porch area that was large enough to house a bar and seating area, and another with a built-in sink and prep area, covered porch and optional grill. This area could have an additional deck area added on-site, but as offered there is lots of room for even the largest parties.

When considering an outdoor oasis of your own, keep in mind the following considerations:
*Utilities: Be sure that you have adequate water, electrical and gas if you’ll need it for your new area. If this is something you’ll have to add it can really drive up the costs.
*Screening: If you are in an area that tends to have lots of bugs you may want to think about screening in your new area to make it more comfortable all year long.
*Size Matters: Be sure when you are planing your space that there is room for whatever seating you plan on using as well as room to walk around. One of the mistakes I see the most is porches that aren’t wide enough when you add traditional seating.

Sadly traveling especially flying is no longer the enjoyable experience it used to be, so relieve the stress and enjoy your own back yard.