October is Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month

We should be thinking about adopting pets all year long, but when October rolls around, we have extra motivation. How can you help stop pet overpopulation and promote the pet adoption cause?

1. Adopt. Whether it's a cat or a dog, a mouse or a pig, a cow or a horse, there's a rescue organization for you. When you adopt, your pet's cost includes all necessary vaccinations and sterilization (if age allows). You can often save hundreds adopting a shelter pet than getting a 'free' animal that will end up causing a major dent in your pocketbook to pay for veterinary fees. But above all, adoptiong saves lives.

2. Foster. If your current situation doesn't allow you to adopt at the moment, consider fostering a pet. When you foster an animal, you take care of it until the pet is adopted. Shelters are constantly in need of foster homes, especially for litters and young animals. Older pets need foster homes too, though.

3. Donate. Even if you can't take a pet in, a donation is a perfect way to help. A monetary donation allows the organization to use cash as they wish. If you can't afford to give some money, look through your home for old but gently used towels or blankets that will give pets a softer place to sleep. Contact your local shelter for the supplies they need.

4. Volunteer. And, last but not least, no shelter can operate without volunteers. People of all ages can often volunteer to help out.

5. Visit freekibble.com daily. Also go to freekibblekat.com. Answer the daily trivia question, and whether your response is right or wrong, Halo Pet Foods donates 10 pieces of kibble to animal shelters.

{photo source}

A Post for Kiki!

Kiki was the winner of the Extreme Makeover: Blog Addition week 2!!
I think the Makeover turned out GREAT! 



You can get a makeover done too! Just go to Extreme Makeover: Blog Addition and fill out the form (the link is under the header). Or if you just want a single personalized item you can go to Fun Time Design and click on the 'custom items' button under the header and fill out that form! Either way works fine for me! :) 

-Megan @ Extreme Makeover: Blog Addition

(How do you like the new signature?)

Finally.... A Dog of my own!

After two years of begging and convincing and of course hard work, I have a dog.

But not just ANY dog:

Meet Chrabia Kusy, a 2 year old beagle rescue.

Visit my other blog, untitled for more about Kusy and regular updates!

Remember to adopt your next dog, cat, rabbit, ferret, lizard, hamster, goat, cow, pig, chicken, horse, bird, tarantula.... and other pet. Check out petfinder.com and adoptapet.com to view adoptable animals!

ASPCA- Are they really FOR animals?

Last year in New York City, a pit bull named Oreo was intentionally thrown from the sixth floor of a building. The person responsible was convicted of this deed, and neighbors reported hearing him beat the dog too.
The APSCA of New York ‘rescued’ Oreo and healed his injuries. However, according to the organization, a few weeks later, Oreo began showing aggression towards people. He hadn’t been tested with other dogs but was said to be aggressive with other dogs too. Several temperament tests conducted by the APSCA showed the pit bull was very aggressive. PetsAlive, a rescue in Colorado, offered to adopt the dog after the New York Times ran a story about Oreo the day before her scheduled execution. This rescue takes in ‘aggressive’ dogs and tries to rehabilitate or cure the aggression. Dogs that cannot be ‘cured’ are not put down.

The ASPCA ignored the offer to rescue Oreo. Instead, the dog was murdered- by Ed Sayres, president of the organization. The ASPCA has refused to share the videos of Oreo's temperament testing.

In this picture taken just minutes before Oreo was euthanized, you can see that he was not the aggressive, vicious dog the APSCA deemed him.

Soon after, Ed Sayres put down another dog named Max. A rescue group had also offered to adopt him.

After Oreo’s death, New York legislators introduced a bill to prevent animals from being killed in shelters when a rescue offers to adopt them. This bill was put on hold- tabled for the year.

This bill is greatly needed. New York state shelters routinely turn away rescue groups then euthanize those animals. A statewide survey showed that 72% of rescue groups were denied animals. Seventy one percent reported that the shelters instead killed those animals. Fifty two percent of the rescues surveyed don’t report cruelty the see at shelters for fear of not being able to rescue those pets anymore.

*note: I do not own the picture.

Petsmart sells Chocolate (a deadly food for all canines) for dogs

Petsmart- a large chain pet store- has a product called "Vitakraft Drops Dog Treats" that come in 3 flavors: Yogurt, Peanut and ChocoMilk. The ChocoMilk flavor "contains cocoa powder and lecithin (an important nutrient generally found in milk and egg yolks)."
Chocolate is an extremely harmful substance to ALL dogs, particularly the chemical theobromine. Dark chocolate, the kind with the most of this chemical, is consequently the most dangerous. Milk chocolate, since it contains none of this chemical, is okay for dogs to eat. Milk chocolate, containing some theobromine, is still dangerous to dogs. Caffeine, also an ingredient on cocoa powder, can negatively affect a dog.
The only chocolate ingredient in these treats is 'cocoa powder.' And according to Wikipedia, cocoa powder contains at least 2 percent theobromin, to at least ten percent and more. So these treats can still harm a dog, although the small amount of both chemicals make the chance very small.

How do theobromine and caffeine affect a dog?
-Stimulates the central nervous system
-Cardiovascular stimulant
-Mildly increases blood pressure
-Causes nausea and vomiting

What are some signs that your dog may have ingested chocolate?
-These signs are usually seen withing 12 hours or less of the ingestion
-Excitement, such as nervousness or trembling
-Vomiting and diarrhea
-Excessive thirst, and at higher levels of theobromine, excessive urination
-Muscle spasms
-Seizures
-Your dog may enter a coma, although this is extremely rare
-Death, likely due to heart rhythm abnormalities, however, death is also quite rare

What should I do if my dog has ingested chocolate?
-Call your vet immediately
-Especially if you suspect your dog has eaten large amounts of chocolate, bring your dog to a vet clinic

And I do not recommend purchasing ChocoMilk dog treats, or any other treats from this brand.