Blog the Change: Pets of the Homeless

Blog the ChangeToday’s post is part of Blog the Change for Animals, an event in which bloggers blog (that noun-verb combo gave me pause for a moment – it’s awkward but accurate) about animal causes. At the end of this post, find out how you can participate in Blog the Change (sponsored by our friends at Be the Change for Animals).
You will also find links to all of the other blogs participating in
Blog the Change.  I encourage you to check out these blogs – many great
causes out there.
  Finally, if you’re interested in reading my entries from past Blog the Change events, check them out here: Protecting People & Their Pets and Share the Love & Rescue a Pup.

I spent a great deal of time agonizing over what to write about for today’s Blog the Change event.  Should I revisit an earlier topic, like the Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS) Program, pet adoption, or the importance of buckling up your pup? Or should I focus on something new?  Lucky for you, dear reader, I recently read a post by CindyLu’s Muse that made my decision for me. As soon as I read that post, I knew that I had to write about this cause for Blog the Change.  It’s a natural sequel to my post on the PAWS program.

That cause? Pets of the Homeless, a nonprofit organization that provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. I imagine that you, like me, may have felt your heart break a little when you pass a homeless person with a pet.  Sometimes the love between the two can take your breath away.  Given that winter is a particularly dangerous time to have no shelter, I thought that Pets of the Homeless was the perfect cause to feature during the frigid month of January.

Learn more about this organization and how you can help, after the jump.

Before I go on, I want to quickly address an argument I encountered while doing research for this post.  Some argue that homeless people should not have pets – and that the best solution is to take these pets away.  I’m not going to engage in that debate here.  However, I do want to share the following quote I found on the Pets of the Homeless blog:

“There are those who will say that homeless people should not have
pets. But they will have pets. There are those who will say that people
should not be homeless. But there will be homeless people. This is the
real world.  And as someone who works in that real world, I have
seen abuse and neglect of the pets of wealthy and impoverished alike,
just as I’ve seen wonderfully loving and supportive relationships
between animals and people on every rung of the economic ladder. One
issue, of course, is that economics can and often do contribute to an
inability to provide what can be costly services.”

– Ken White (President, Peninsula Humane Society)

Pets of the Homeless cites a sobering statistic from the National Coalition for the Homeless. NCH estimates that 3.5 million people are homeless. Between 5-10% of these homeless people have pets. (In some areas of the country, this number may be as high as 24%.) For a variety of reasons, many are forced to choose between keeping their pets or having a roof over their heads.  (Many shelters are not equipped to house pets.  For a list of those that do and groups that will provide temporary foster care for pets of the homeless, please click here.)  As a result, the majority choose to stay on the streets with their pets rather than abandoning them.

Pets of the Homeless aims to help this population in a variety of ways.  It has established collection sites to accept donated pet food and distributes this food through partnerships with homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other entities.  The organization also makes two types of grants: one to veterinarians that go to where the homeless congregate and provide veterinary care such as vaccines, spay/neuter and other needed treatments; the other to homeless shelters looking for ways to allow pets sanctuary with their owners.

If you have tissues handy, I urge you to read some of the success stories and view the touching photos on the Pets of the Homeless website.

Want to know how you can help? If there is a collection site near you, donate pet food and supplies.  (If there’s no collection site near you, find out how to become one.)  Pets of the Homeless also provides a list of other ways that you can donate your time or money to this worthy cause.

I hope you’ll take the time to check out this organization and learn more.


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Snow big deal

Winter is here… and with it, the possibility of snow.  I’m not a snow lover – especially after last year’s Snowmaggedon – but even I have to admit that animals in snow are pretty darn cute.

  1. Your punny pet names for the week:  Husky Springfield.
  2. The name of this Tumblr says it all: Pets Looking Out the Window at Snow.
  3. Cute Contest, championship round: cats and dogs in snow.
  4. Speaking of cute, this collection of photos is called “40 Photos of Dogs Freaking Out In Snow.”  Could it get any better?
  5. Looking for a way to enjoy the winter with your pooch? If you’re really ambitious, you could create a snow dog like this one.  Or maybe your dog wants to go sledding?

Bella’s never been sledding, but she does like running around in the snow.  The snow was too deep to run in during last year’s Snowmaggedon, but Bella’s not one to give up that easily.  Although she’s not technically a snow dog (like our pals at FiveSibes or the Thundering Herd), she does like to engage in what I think of as snow swimming:



 
Want to see more pups frolicking in the snow?  Happy to oblige.

The one thing I do enjoy about snow is taking photos of Bella playing in it.  It’s my first winter with my new toy, so we’ll see how they turn out.  In the meantime, if you want to see some cool snow photos (easy pun intended), go check out Romping and Rolling in the Rockies.  (Seriously, KB posts some amazing stuff.)

Does your pup like the snow?  Tell me all about it in the comments!  (And remember, winter’s not always easy on puppy paws – make sure you check out these tips for winterizing your wagging friend.)

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Hope springs eternal

I’ll admit – even though Peanuts comics are now in reruns (a concept I once thought only applicable to TV shows), I still read the strip daily.  As soon as I saw yesterday’s strip, I knew I had to share it with you:

Peanuts
(via comics.com)

I couldn’t stop laughing – Bella deals with this internal struggle every day.  Even though her feeding schedule has consisted of breakfast and dinner since time immemorial (aka when we adopted her), she doesn’t let the past dampen her hope for the future.  When she barrels through the door after spending time outside, she runs straight to the bowl and checks it.  When she comes downstairs after a nap, she checks the bowl.  When she finishes eating, she walks away… then walks back and checks the bowl just in case.  You never know when food might magically appear, after all.

Once I stopped laughing (and believe me, it took a while), I started thinking about how perfectly Charles Schulz portrayed Snoopy.  Sure, he was a (sometimes) talking dog with a bird for a best friend… but strips like the one above really capture the canine personality (or at least Bella’s).  However, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the man who reminded us that “happiness is a warm puppy.”

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Take a look at me now

Pet Blogger Challenge(Yes, that’s a Phil Collins reference. You’re welcome.)

Thanks to Edie at Will My Dog Hate Me and Amy at GoPetFriendly.com, I’ll be engaging in some introspection today.  Edie and Amy have posed a series of questions – those of us participating in the challenge will be posting our answers to those questions today.

Rather than sticking to the numbered Q&A format, I’m going to take a narrative approach.  Here we go…

Beginnings: I began this blog in April 2010.  As you can see from my first post, I originally started the blog as a private affair.  Many of my friends were starting blogs about their kids, and I thought it might be fun to join the blog-liferation, so to speak.  The name of the blog started as a joke – at my age, you’re always getting asked when you’re going to start having kids.  My stock answer?  “I just want more puppies.”  At that time, I wasn’t sure what I would blog about or how long my interest would last.  Foreshadowing alert – the first post contained very little content, but it did have this:

So perhaps it was destined to be a blog about dogs from the start.  I just didn’t know it at the time.  (My musings continue, after the jump…)


Initial Purpose:  I wanted to share things with my friends and family, and I wanted to do it in a space that gave me more freedom than Facebook or email.  I don’t think I had a purpose beyond that.  Although I wrote some posts about Bella (and other dog-related topics), the rest were all over the place.  I posted about TV shows, posted some recipes, and even attempted the occasional movie review.  While looking back at my earliest entries in preparation for this post, I found the ultimate example of how lost I was, topic-wise.  At one point, I offered this disclaimer (before sharing a sweet video about a shelter pup): “You guys, I promise this blog isn’t going to be entirely about puppies, despite the name and my own fondness for puppy pictures.”  I was really fighting the inevitable, huh?  Score one for irony. 

Changes:  As I discussed above, I thought I started a blog to share things with my friends and family in a private forum.  However, I wasn’t sharing things that were meant to be private, like family photos or a recap of my weekend. At some point along the way, I realized that the private thing wasn’t really working for me.  I also discovered that there were plenty of other pet bloggers out there, and I wanted to join the fun.  So, I made the blog public and began to indulge my desire to post more things about dogs. That’s not to say that other topics are off limits (non-puppy posts do happen), but my content is more focused now.

Current Purpose:  I’m still working on this one, I think.  To some extent, my purpose is to have a creative outlet (hence the punny pet names and other random musings).  I also want the blog to be a fun and entertaining space that others enjoy reading, a place to post photos of Bella, and a way to promote animal causes and awareness.  Like I said, I’m still working on it.

Mechanics:  I don’t blog on a strict schedule, although I do try to post at least three times per week.  (When possible, I like to post more often.)  To make sure I’m adding some new content each week, I post on Wednesdays (now that I’ve discovered Wordless Wednesdays) and Fridays (aka No Frown Friday).   I wanted to designate a day to post a variety of links, hence the Friday post – sometimes I try to tie all of the links together with a theme, but not always.  In order to make sure I at least post on these designated days, I try to write posts in advance and keep a running list of possible themes and links to include.  (Wordless Wednesday is easier – I’m never lacking in the Bella photo department!)  I don’t generate any income from my blog, and I haven’t really given it much thought at this point.

The Good, the Bad & the Furry:  The things I like most about blogging are the opportunity to be creative and the ability to interact with others who share my interests.  I’m always learning something new or smiling after reading the posts of other pet bloggers (it’s a great community), and I think the creative outlet has been good for me.  (I’m pretty proud of some of my posts, if I do say so myself.)  My least favorite thing about blogging, on the other hand, is the (probably self-created) pressure to post.  When I’m short on time, it actually stresses me out if I don’t have time to post.  I do try to counteract that tendency by planning ahead and having some posts ready to go in a pinch. 

To Infinity… and Beyond:  In 2011, I’d like to maintain a consistent posting level.  I’m also very excited about my new DSLR, which will likely affect the content here.  I’ve loved photography for a long time, so I may add some posts on that topic or even a regular series.  We’ll see.  (Seriously… I’d love to have some sort of small photography business on the side.  How much would I love to do pet photo shoots? But I digress…)  I also hope to become more involved with local rescue groups – so if that happens, there may be some posts about that too.  I’m not sure I have a well-articulated goal for this year – but I would like to maintain the blog as a fun and informative place that I hope you’ll continue to visit!

Want to read other entries in the Pet Blogger Challenge?  Check out the full list at Will My Dog Hate Me and GoPetFriendly.

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Hug two puppies & call me in the morning

It’s the first No Frown Friday of 2011… time for some fun links to send you into the weekend:

  1. The first punny pet name of the year: Janu-hairy Jones.
  2. Did you attend any New Year’s Eve parties? I doubt anyone was wearing a party hat quite like this dog.
  3. Going back to work after a long weekend sure was tough.  At least I managed to use my computer correctly… unlike these puppies.
  4. “Walking is so overrated,” says puppy in a stroller.

So… the new year is here.  For any issues that arise in the coming months, I think we should consider the following solution:


(NATALIE PORTMAN & RASHIDA JONES Speak Out)

I know… it’s an old one, but it just seemed right today.  After all, this blog’s motto is “Puppies = Serenity Now.”  When all else fails, think of puppies and you’ll be okay.  (If you’re more of a cat person, I’ve got you covered too – check it out.)

Join this week’s Pet Blogger Hop, after the jump…






Have a great weekend!

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So long, farewell…

… to 2010!  It’s the last No Frown Friday of the year.  I’ll make it short and sweet:

  1. I love The Soup, and recently watched this year’s Clipdown.  Thus, I dedicate the final punny pet name of the year to its host.  Joel McHowl, this one’s for you.
  2. Speaking of counting down… check out the 30 most important dogs of 2010.  Genius.
  3. Next up: dogs in kimonos.  No reason.

Finally, I leave you with the final Bella photo of 2010:

Note: streamers were unavailable.  Thank goodness their understudy, ribbon, was willing to step in for this photo shoot.

Happy New Year!

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These are a few of my favorite posts…

and doggies in spacesuits, rescuing puppies and cats that are so cute… the cone of shame and the amusement it brings… these are a few of my favorite things. (I adore The Sound of Music, and it just seemed like a perfect fit today.)  When I saw that Dr. V did a post highlighting her top 10 posts from 2010, I really liked the idea.  Even better, she’s hosting a blog hop for those who want to join the fun.  Time for a blast to the (fairly recent) past!

Dogs eating ice cream and punny pet names, attempting to test my pup’s IQ with a brain game, having a party for Bella to host… these are a few of my favorite posts (in no particular order):

She’s cute, but…
I administered an IQ test to dear Bella… the results were not promising.

Celebrating the cone of shame
The name says it all.  (It was one of my favorite No Frown Friday posts.)

To all the dogs (and cats) I’ve loved before
For my 100th post, I took a stroll down memory lane.

Corgi, P.I.
The very first breed spotlight.

Protecting people and their pets
A post about the Pets and Women’s Shelter Program (and my contribution to October’s Blog the Change).

My favorite flavor? Neopawlitan
The epic battle of Bella vs. ice cream.

Head of the class
Dogs… in… school!

When he jumps high he flies like a wild eagle
One word: Flashbeagle.

Horrible woman does terrible thing, and now I’m angry
In which I got very, very angry at people who leave their dogs in hot cars.

Case of the Mondays?
Try my guaranteed cure.

I tried not to pick any that were too recent… I figured it would be more fun to dig around in the archives.  Did I miss any of your favorites?

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