THE EVOLUTION FROM PRINT TO BLOG

For two years, I wrote a newspaper column about the misadventures of the Dogwood pack. Our pack consists of my six dogs ,two cats, and me. We have the Queen and oldest, Lucy the Lab. Then there's my special Child, Charlie, a German Shepherd/lab mix who owns me. My rat terror (I mean terrier) Hines keeps us in check, while Italian grey hound/terrier mix Daisy destroys the furniture. Our sweet cat Pearl, who passed away in August of 2010 from complications brought on by Feline Leukemia, was a lone feline for her short five year existence. When she passed, orange long hair tabby kitty Bart, and Siamese Flame Point Sebastian moved into our hearts.



When we moved to a new town, I was unable to continue the columns, so we decided to stick our paws into the 21st century.
Since the move, TWO MORE sets of paws run the floors at Dogwood. Linus, a little black lab, and Squirt the Chi-Weenie.

Now that we have moved onto blog media, I will keep the mayhem of my fur kids adventures updated as they happen. I also want to post special needs animals and stories about shelters and people who are doing wonderful work for rescue. Since this is no longer edited or censored--you may see images that are a bit more shocking, and read copy that has a bit more venom--so be prepared. Thank you all for reading!!!!!!!!!



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Thursday, October 27, 2011

DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR LOCAL SHELTERS

Back in the 90’s, an actor named Andrew Shue , used his fame to start an organization for kids called “Do Something”, to encourage them to get out of their living rooms and become active to make the world a better place.


Pet people can use this same idea to promote volunteerism and support for our local shelters: DO SOMETHING—something for the animals.

It’s easy as pie! There are tons of EASY things you can do for our local non-kill shelters that will help a lot!

Can you collect aluminum cans? If you can, then you get to do a double whammy! You can help recycle to help the environment, and make the can money your monthly donation to your favorite animal cause.

Can you knit, crochet or sew? You can make an afghan or a quilt and donate it as a silent auction item that a shelter can put up for bid at a fundraiser. You can sew blankets for the kennels at Animal Control, or for the cats and dogs at Cats Are Us. Hand made things usually last longer than store bought, and the money your item(if used for auction or yard sale) brings can help save the life of an animal.

Know anything about photography? Many of the shelters would love to have someone to take photos at their events or take animal photos that can be posted on their adoption pages.

Do you love to drive? Do you like to travel? You could volunteer your services as a chauffeur to take sick animals to vet appointments, or deliver animals to adoption day. If you are into long scenic drives, you can help an animal to its new home by driving part of a transport route.

Do you know anything about carpentry, landscaping or general repair? Has it been your lifelong dream to be known as Mr. or Mrs. Fix-it? There are plenty of odd repair jobs available at our local shelters. Some repairs are very simple and some a little more challenging, but none the less, they need doing. You could help animals by using your skills to keep roofs from leaking, unclog pipes, or just mowing grass.

Do you have a civic group, fraternity, sorority, or any other kind of club that is searching for a philanthropic cause to donate your time too? Hold a yard sale, a bake sale, or some other event and donate your proceeds to your favorite animal cause. Collect pet food, cat litter, cleaning supplies, and other much needed items and donate them to one of the shelters.

Every no kill shelter in our area survives from public donation and volunteer labor. There’s no way for you to go wrong if you just DO SOMETHING.

All it takes is to put on your thinking cap, organize your friends, and get started.

Together, as citizens that truly care for the animals and their welfare, we can accomplish anything.

2 comments:

  1. Brett,
    I haven't heard anymore about Cats R Us and their hoped for store. I have canvases of art, and the promise of donations of art from local artists. Haven't been able to get down to the shelter for a while, so was wondering if you have any news.

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  2. I haven't spoken with Suzanne since we made the big move to the new house. If you cannot get an answer from Cats Are Us by phone--try talking with Ashley Ramey at All Gods Creatures. She helped out with the yard sale and does the kitten fostering and adoptions at Petsmart--maybe she can direct you.

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