Pet Dish for February 19, 2009

In this issue:

• Step up in five simple steps
  
• Go over the hedge
• Lucky rabbits
• Finding a bestseller
• More treats
• Scratching post

Five simple steps to step up for animals.
Excitement is generating. The crowd is getting louder. They’re cheering on thousands of homeless and neglected animals through their personal fundraising efforts for the 35th annual Walk for Animals. This year, the event is being held Saturday, May 2 in Golden Valley and the need is as great as it has ever been. 

So, dust off your bullhorn and get your crowd howling for this awe-inspiring day in May. You can do it in five simple steps:

1. Attend the first-ever Walk Fair on Saturday, March 7. Click here for more information.
2. Set up your personal walk page and start fundraising!
3. E-mail everyone you know and ask them to contribute to your efforts. Go ahead, tell all your Facebook friends, send it to your LinkedIn network and hit send to all those listed in your professional address book.
4. Take to the streets, start knocking on doors and ask for contributions. New this year: Your offline donations can be registered toward your online goal.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Walk Fair - Join us for an event new to this year’s Walk that will provide information on how to ask for a donation in a tight economic climate. The event will also provide an opportunity for you to get assistance setting up your Walk page, gain insight from 2008 top walkers, learn about volunteering at the Walk, set up a Walk team and so much more.

Be a part of this event to celebrate animals less fortunate than your own. It’s a short walk that goes miles and miles and miles for animals—animals that absolutely need us and love us absolutely. Visit our walk website and get started on your walk page today!

http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/walk

Special thank you to all of our sponsors

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Go over the hedge for wildlife
We’ve all gotten a kick out of animated films like the 2006 hit “Over the Hedge.” Bruce Willis portrayed a selfish raccoon who gathered a team to help him replenish the supply of food he stole from a hibernating bear. If you’ve seen the film, you remember Steve Carell’s hilarious, slightly neurotic “rabbit squirrel.” The film may have made you laugh, but what do you do when you find yourself in a situation with orphaned or injured wildlife? Do you know how to help them?

Animal Humane Society is hosting an annual wildlife rehabilitation training workshop Saturday–Sunday, March 7–8, 2009, at its Golden Valley facility that can provide you with basic training for the handling and rehabilitation of Minnesota’s Wildlife.

The training will be useful for those getting started in wildlife rehabilitation or those in need of updating their rehabilitation skills. It’s also a great opportunity to become an AHS Wildlife volunteer. The two-day workshop addresses rules and regulations for wildlife permits, basic orphan wildlife care, current wildlife topics and natural history of the wild animals in our environment.

Saturday, March 7
Sessions begin at 8 a.m. and cover rehabilitation for Eastern cottontail rabbits, squirrels, songbirds, opossums and raccoons.

Sunday, March 8
Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and include presentations by local veterinary experts.

• "Initial exam, triage and treatment" presented by Michelle Labelle, Emergency CVT
• "Complementary and alternative therapies" presented by Katherine Belisle, DVM
• "Zoonotics, what you need to know" presented by Susan Spence, DVM

CE credits are available. The event is sponsored by Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release. For more information and to register, please call (763) 489-2223.

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Lucky rabbit feet
The luckiest rabbit feet are those that leave Animal Humane Society’s five facilities each day and hop into a new home. This month is Adopt a Rabbit Month and AHS is celebrating those bouncy, little animals and sharing a few curious facts about them.

Did you know:

• It’s not the “man in the moon” you’re looking for in Japan, it’s the “rabbit in the moon.”
• Abraham Lincoln’s children had rabbits as pets in the White House.
• There are rabbits that live on or nearby volcanoes—they’re aptly named Volcano Rabbits and found in central Mexico.
• Artic hares are known to endure temperatures as low as -20°F. It’s unknown what rabbits that endure colder temperatures in Minnesota are called.
• Jackrabbits’ ears help regulate their body temperature.
• Cottontails can leap 10 feet in a single bound.
• Domestic rabbits enjoy chewing on and tossing around wicker baskets.

If these interesting tidbits piqued your interest, join AHS and its partner Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society for Bunny Basics. It’s an incredibly informative class that will introduce you to rabbits and provide you information on how to introduce one into your home.

Already have a bunny? You’re a few hops ahead! Join us for Hoppy Hour, a social hour for your rabbit friend, and Rabbit Agility, a program that provides your rabbit both exercise and mental stimulation.

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Finding a bestseller
You hear it all the time…

“If it’s mean to be, it will be.”

“These things happen for a reason.”

“It’s fate.”

“The timing was perfect.”

Any one of those lines could describe the beginning of Jeanne and Tucker’s story.

Jeanne Kogl is a veteran volunteer at Animal Humane Society and recently spent countless hours with several other volunteers sorting thousands of books for the 14th annual All Things Great and Small Booksale. Each day she would visit the dogs on the adoption floor at AHS’s Golden Valley facility.

“I picked out three different dogs but wasn’t ready because I was too busy with the sale,” she said. Jeanne was so dedicated to getting the books sorted for the sale that with each dog she’d decide that it wasn’t the right time. She just couldn’t be available to give them what they needed in a new home.

So, the weeks went on and Jeanne kept working toward completing the book sort, but the community was incredibly generous and more books kept arriving. After some time, the stacks receded and that’s when she spotted Tucker.

Tucker is a one-year-old border terrier mix, but Jeanne thinks he may be a miniature pinscher/Pomeranian mix. He caught Jeanne’s eyes because he wasn’t at all like the other dogs. He sat quietly and was interested in her while all the other dogs performed their own barking rock concert.

And what does she think of his mix? “I like to call him my designer dog—he was designed by his mom.”

The two are now living out their fated happily ever after. It seems that after sorting all those books for the book sale Jeanne found her own bestseller, and that’s Tucker.

More info:
This year’s All Things Great and Small was an incredible success—and we have supporters like you to thank. You came to the sale in record-setting numbers and in turn raised over $44,000 for the animals!

AHS is looking for volunteers at its Buffalo facility. Learn more about how you can start your volunteer journey in animal welfare.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Training
Are you interested in becoming a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer? This workshop provides basic training for the rehabilitation and handling of Minnesota's wildlife and addresses current wildlife topics and the natural history of the wild animals in our environment. CE credits are available. (read more…)

See you at the Twin Cities Pet Expo
The Twin Cities Pet Expo is this weekend! Head out to the Minneapolis Convention Center this Saturday and Sunday to pose your questions to AHS’s Lead Trainer Paula Zukoff. She’ll be on the Star Tribune stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. on Sunday for an “Ask the Trainer” hour. After you’ve got the answers, stop by the Now Boarding booth to learn how your pet’s can play while you’re away. There’s never been a more convenient way for pet owners to take a vacation.  (read more...)

Walk for Animals 2009
Tie your laces, grab the leash, and start moving for the largest pet and people walk in the country. The 35th annual Animal Humane Society Walk for Animals is on Saturday, May 2 and sure to be full of fun, entertainment and all walks of pets. (read more...)

 

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Update on St. Anthony cats
Due to a tragic case of animal hoarding, the Animal Humane Society made the decision to humanely euthanize 120 cats it recently took from a home in St. Anthony, Minn. Clinical diagnosis and medical testing provided evidence of multiple health issues within the group of cats. The issues included upper respiratory infection (URI), ringworm, the herpes virus, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). (read more...)

Become an Animal Advocate
Can you imagine your pet(s) not having enough food and water or a warm, safe place to sleep? What if they weren’t given the opportunity to exercise or experience everyday interactions with humans? For many dogs and cats across the state of Minnesota those circumstances are the only ones they know. Join us in our efforts to help these animals.

 

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