Whether you want Mittens or Rowdy for President this is a vote you’ll want to cast.  The ASPCA is having a Vote Against Cruelty campaign, they are trying to get as many votes as possible before election day.

Stop by their site and you can check out the candidates and see where they stand.  Read what Rowdy the dog has to bark about or Mittens the cat is meowing about.  Click on the map, see how many signatures the  Vote Against Cruelty petition has received in your state has.

Most important, have fun and then pass this on to everyone you know. The more signatures they have the harder it will be for lawmakers to ignore the dog (and cat) lovers of America.  Take a stand, lend a paw for change.

An elderly couple in Queens, NY had 33 poodles removed from their house on Wednesday.

A social worker who visits the owners alerted the ASPCA due to the deteriorating conditions inside the house.

“It was overwhelming,” said Alison Cardona, director of disaster response for the ASPCA.

“There were poodles everywhere. The whole house was packed full of miniature white dogs, the heaviest of which was 20 pounds. They were literally everywhere, scurrying under sofas and under beds and peeking out at us.

“I can’t even describe what it was like in there. This was 33 dogs in one home, they weren’t going outside and they weren’t being walked.

“Let’s just say conditions were deteriorating quickly.”

The couple is not facing charges, it just looks like a situation that got out of control.  Due to the age of the couple and health problems they weren’t able to care for the dogs properly anymore.  Not being able to find homes for them led to a downward spiral and way too many dogs in a two-bedroom house.

The dogs, the youngest of which is only 2 months old, were taken from the home to the ASPCA’s adoption center on East 92nd Street.

For most of the pooches, it was thought to have been their first trip outside.

The dogs were being groomed and given care at the center before being put up for adoption, said Cardona. She said the chances of finding homes were very good. “They’re tiny little things, and people in New York like little dogs,” she said.

I can’t think of a better way to end American Humane’s Adopt-A-Dog Month than by adopting an adorable white poodle.

How many of you knew that tomorrow is National Homeless Animals Day? I know I didn’t. Here’s a little information from the Humane Society of Naples.

(Naples, FL) Saturday, August 16th is “National Homeless Animals Day,” a day that animal shelters around the nation note to call attention to the millions of homeless pets that suffer every year because they have no home.

Some private shelters such as The Humane Society Naples are no-kill shelters and don’t kill pets to make space. However, unlike private shelters, most public pet shelters don’t have the option of turning pets away when there’s no space. They are forced to perform the sad duty of eliminating pets after holding them a certain number of days to make room for more intakes.

In addition to pets who die in a shelter, there are those pets in the wild who suffer as well. Dumped and abandoned by owners who can’t or won’t take the time to find them a home or deliver them to a shelter, these pets try their best to survive on the streets and in the backwoods. There, they face disease, parasites, hunger and death by humans and other animals.

Here’s what you can do to help:

People who care about this problem can help by contacting their local pet shelters and rescue groups to lend a hand and start or increase spay/neuter efforts.

How great would it be to celebrate this day by adopting a deserving fuzzball? C’mon, you know you want to do it!

OK…so you’re full up on cuteness and love. Here’s another way you can help.

The Humane Society Naples has a special fund set aside to help cover some or all of the cost of pet sterilization for pet owners of modest means.

This Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) has provided over 50 free pet sterilizations this year, preventing the birth of hundreds of unwanted pets. The program will continue as long as there are funds available. To contribute to this fund, contact Andy Reed, The Humane Society Naples Development Director at 643-1880 x 21 or andy@hsnaples.org.

As always, your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated!!