If you have an event you would like me to post use the ‘Bark Back’ form to contact me.

SEPTEMBER:

1. Greetings from the 2009 LA County Fair! Imagine a world where man’s best friend is deemed king of the hill and everyday house dogs are considered royalty. Where is this magical place, you might ask? Welcome to Bark Park – the one-stop human shop for all things canine!

2. San Francisco’s Hearing Dog Program. The non-profit, composed of former employees of the 30-year-old program abruptly discontinued by the SPCA in 2008, in April lost in a court case in which it claimed that it was the rightful beneficiary of a half-million dollar behest for the SPCA’s hearing dog program, not the SPCA.

Tom Oliver, the organization’s program director, said he’ll be selling “half a roomful” of swag from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13 on the corner of 30th and Dolores with all proceeds going to the dogs.

3. Angels In Fur Rescue is having their first fundraiser, Saturday Sept. 26th from 7:30pm-10:00pm. We are having a party at Smashbox Studios in Culver City (Vanity Fair does many of their photo shoots here). Ross Mathews from “The Jay Leno Show” will provide us with fabulous entertainment for the evening. Wine, beverages and appetizers will be served. We will have a silent auction for some great gifts including tickets to the LA Opera, jewelry from Gregg Wolf, movie and music memorabilia, extravagant gift baskets and more!!!

4. Jon Bishop Salons/ 727-289-703

Come in on Saturday Sept. 12th 9am – 5pm

Save Our Strays – Cut-A-Thon  661 Bay Pines Blvd. St. Petersburg, Florida

Haircuts are $20 with all proceeds to benefit Save The Strays! Don’t need a haircut… stop by and make a monetary or Wish List donation. Wish list items needed are: Foster homes, bath sized towels for adoption cages, condo cages and cat carriers, humane traps, canned and dry cat food, canned kitten food, KMR (kitten milk replacement) and bottles, scoopable clay litter, pet stain and odor remover, catnip toys, stamps, envelopes and 1-inch wide Velcro (for pillows).

* Moose is waiting for a home at the Angels In Fur Rescue

Today is National Dog Day, although at our house it feels like everyday is national dog day.  Unfortunately there are many homeless dogs that will never get to celebrate this day because they have no forever family. There’s a photography studio that wants to change this,  so they put together a fundraising calendar to help dogs in need.

Chicago-based Sutton Studios, led by world-renowned pet and family portrait photographer, David Sutton,  announced the donation of 10,000 Dog Day Calendars to animal welfare organizations, humane societies and animal shelters throughout Chicagoland and across the country. These organizations offer the calendar at a suggested donation of $10 each. They keep 100% of the proceeds.

“The funds generated from Dog Days Calendar sales are greatly needed to continue our mission in helping homeless animals in need and raising awareness of the animal overpopulation that leads to the tragic destruction of millions of dogs and cats every year in the U.S.,” says Sutton. “Animal welfare organizations are challenged to do more with fewer resources, so our hope is that this calendar provides them with funds they might not otherwise have had.”

The 2010 Dog Days Calendar is offered online at Sutton Studios,  and directly at animal welfare organizations throughout Chicagoland and nationwide.

Another great way to celebrate this day would be by going to your local shelter and adopting a dog in need. For those who already have a full household here are some fun tips to show your dog how much you love them.

Play with Them! Playing is an essential outlet for dogs! It allows them to be free and express themselves. Play catch or chase them around – whatever their pleasure! To help amp up play time, provide your dog with a variety of chew toys, bones, or problem solving toys (i.e. a ball filled with a treat!). Invite “doggie friends” to come play – dogs love to socialize too!

Hit the Road! Just like for humans, exercise is important for your dog too! Take your pup on a couple short daily walks and let him or her naturally stop and sniff around. Be sure not to over exercise your dog. Remember they are wearing a fur coat, so “hot” for you and “hot” for your dog are two different things. Provide plenty of water, shade and breaks!

Part of the Family! Include your pooch in the family photo this year and make for a more inclusive family photo. Doing this will enable your family to recall life as it was at that moment, dog included! Don’t forget that on average dogs only have 10-13 years to live life to the fullest, so carpe diem!

Treats! Make your dog a special treat from your kitchen that’s both nutritious and delicious! Many homemade dog treat recipes are packed with vitamins and nutrients and still taste good! Try a doggie cake for their next birthday to honor their special day! Or if cooking isn’t your forte, take your dog to the local barkery and let them sniff out a treat!

Donate Time and Money! Help a dog in need by volunteering your time or donating money to a local animal welfare organization. Go to Pets911.com or the Human Society of the United States website to find a local organization. You also can help our four-legged friends by purchasing a 2010 Dog Days Calendar online – proceeds go directly to help animal welfare agencies!

Enjoy the day!

Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen is a wonderful organization that helps keep people and their pets together. If it weren’t for Daffy’s helping out local families in need to feed their pets most likely there would be a lot more dogs going to shelters.  Now Daffy’s needs our help to keep them going.

How can you help? Spend a day of fun on Saturday, June 13th at the First Annual Daffy’s Day block party from 12-5, all proceeds will benefit Daffy’s Warehouse Fund.

DAFFY’S PET SOUP KITCHEN IN DANGER OF LOSING WAREHOUSE

This is bad news. Very bad news indeed for over 1,000 family members and over 2,000 pets we’ve helped over the past 10 months.

Daffy’s has recently learned that, due to the current economic crunch, our warehouse sponsor can no longer afford to help cover our lease expense and we will be faced with the possibility of closing the warehouse by September 1st if other sponsors don’t step forward to assist us.

The need for a soup kitchen to provide free food to pets continues to grow. Daffy’s now has multiple locations in eight states, has been contacted by 20 other states to start up, and in Georgia alone, Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen serves more than 30 counties. This is all done with the help of volunteers and monetary and food donations. In addition, the initial startup costs and insurance is covered under Daffy’s umbrella; a division of the SOS Club.

Daffy’s needs your help now more than ever! Not only will your donation help the Lawrenceville, Georgia warehouse stay open, it will help the locations Georgia-wide and nationwide continue in their efforts. Without our Georgia warehouse we can not supply the other locations and without your help, we may not be able to keep our warehouse open. We currently distribute over 20,000 lbs. of food per month to families in need. Dogs and cats that we now feed will most likely end up in shelters with little hope of adoption.

The shelters are overcrowded and animals are being euthanized at an alarming rate…in the state of Georgia alone, 219 animals are put down every single day. We need your help to keep a family member with their family instead of facing abandonment. Imagine a child going off to school and coming home to find the house empty…his beloved pet having been dropped off a shelter because the family couldn’t afford pet food. Times are tough! And these decisions are being made every day. We work very hard to keep families from being forced into making this decision.

On Spend a day of fun on Saturday, June 13th, Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen is holding it’s First Annual Daffy’s Day block party from 12-5 all proceeds will benefit Daffy’s Warehouse Fund. Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen is located at 2160 Oakland Industrial Court, Suite 100 in Lawrenceville, GA. Bring the two legged and four legged kids and have a fun filled afternoon with activities, professional pet tips, food and fun for everyone! Professional photographer Heather Cosgrove of Cosgrove Studios will be taking photos. Pet CPR will be demonstrated and folks will have a chance to sign up for future Daffy’s CPR classes. Backyard Sanctuary will be talking about the feral cats program and pet ID Tags will be available for sale. Taj Ma-Hound Bakery and Dogwell/Catswell will be on hand to give out yummy treats. If a block party is not your thing, please consider an online donation at www.daffyspetsoupkitchen.com. All donations are welcome! Even if a little is all you can do; the shame is in not doing anything.

Please, donate today. Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that is funded solely by donations and operates because of the kindness of our volunteers. Don’t let one family down. Don’t add one more dog or cat to a maxed out shelter or pound. Don’t let Daffy down!

See you at the Daffy’s Day on Saturday, June 13th. For more information please call 404/345-6821 or visit our website at www.daffyspetsoupkitchen.com. We are “Working to Keep Families & Their Pets Together” and thank you for your generosity and for keeping one more family together.

I want to thank Dogster member Christy who volunteers at Daffy’s for passing on this information. As a volunteer she sees firsthand what a difference Daffy’s has made to the community, and how important it is that we come together to help them keep their warehouse.

The upcoming Truckee Duckee Derbee is going to have two special guests this year, Uba and Jonny Justice. The pit bulls are former Michael Vick dogs who have been socialized and adopted out to loving homes.

Two dogs rescued from the infamous Michael Vick Bad Newz Kennels will be the special “pets of honor” at the sixth annual Truckee Duckee Derbee & Dogs in Duds Contest at the River Ranch Lodge on June 7

The Truckee Duckee Derbee rubber duck races benefit the Humane Society of Truckee/Tahoe, and the afternoon’s festivities include live music on the outdoor patio, a barbecue, drink and food specials, a fabulous raffle and the hilarious Dogs in Duds K-9 costume contest.

Uba and Jonny Justice, two pit bulls who were rescued by BADRAP (Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls), will be the event’s first-ever pets of honor. Both dogs have been socialized and adopted and now live in loving homes.

“It will be a great honor to have Jonny Justice and Uba as our special guests of honor at this year’s Duckee Derbee,” HSTT Director Stephanie Hiemstra said. “The Humane Society of Truckee/Tahoe is a huge supporter of the work BADRAP does. “They are truly committed to helping people understand pit bulls.

“Everyone is familiar with the terrible dog fighting operation that Michael Vick was running,” Hiemstra said. “We’ve heard the stories about the abuse these dogs suffered, so this will be a great opportunity for people to meet a couple of these dogs and see how resilient and wonderful they are. Pit bulls are such a misunderstood breed and the work that BADRAP does is helping us all learn more about them.”

If you live in the Tahoe area the Truckee Duckee Derbee sounds like it will be a lot of fun, definitely worth checking out. To get more information on the event stop by the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe site.

*Jeter getting ready for the Duckee Derbee or just being humiliated?

This is a story we keep hearing over and over again, lack of funds causing shelters around the country  to close down.  The Humane Society of Northeast Florida is now facing this predicament. Their closing will mean the last no-kill shelter in the area would be gone.

What a horrible tragedy this would be, so many more animals face certain death if this happens. If we all come together and donate even a few dollars we can help keep their doors open.

The nonprofit agency cut hours from five full-time employees last month, causing them to quit. It’s expecting to layoff seven of its remaining 14 employees within 60 days. And unless the shelter sees an immediate surge in donations or adoptions, a permanent close may be imminent, said Kristi Adams, shelter co-supervisor.

“We’re trying to stay open as long as we can to adopt out these animals,” she said. “Right now we’re just grabbing an extra month, and grabbing an extra month, and hopefully a big donation will come in soon.”

If donations to the humane society continue are the current pace, they’re projected to be down $250,000 from the $430,000 yearly budget, Adams said.

The shelter would need to close the gap within six months to remain open.

The only source of funding for the organization is donations, its thrift store and adoption fees.

Adams attributes the financial trouble to an increase in area foreclosures and layoffs.

“A lot of people in Putnam are losing their homes and jobs,” she said. “It’s sad, but the first thing to go when you’re trying to save your family is often the house pet. And because we are no kill, everyone wants to bring their pets here.”

As a result, the shelter is over populated.

The humane society is currently housing about 200 pets, 60 more than its average. Some of the animals have called the humane society home for nearly three years.

The shelter adopts about 60 pets per month. But the adoption fees don’t even cover the animals initial medical expenses.

And with drop-offs to the shelter outpacing adoptions, it’s no longer admitting new pets, Adams said.

Watch the following video and see what your dollars will be going for.

To adopt: Go to the shelter at 112 Norma St. in Hollister, call (386) 325-1587 or visit www.hsnefl.org. Those who adopt from this Saturday to Saturday, May 30, will get one free introductory dog training lesson plus a starter supply of free dog food courtesy of Rene and Allison Hofstetter of Custom K9 Dog Training in Elkton and Michelle Stevens-Kraft, publisher of Pet Yellow Pages, a St. Augustine-based pet magazine.

Financial donations: They can be made several ways — using credit card, (386) 325-1587; online using Paypal, www.hsnefl.org ; or by mail, P.O. Box 188, Hollister, FL 32147

Food or supplies donations: They can be dropped off at the shelter. (To get there, take Florida 20 from Palatka toward Interlachen, turn right on to Rowland Avenue, then first right onto Norma Street.)

To volunteer: Call (386) 325-1587 or send and e-mail to shelterstaff@gbso.net.

* Jackflash is one of the adorable dogs up for adoption at the Humane Society NE Florida