Continue reading »]]> Pitcher Mark Buehrle is certainly giving new meaning to the baseball phrase “Dog Days of August.”

Buehrle, the former White Sox pitcher who signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the Miami Marlins in December, is also a huge dog lover. He owns four dogs, including one he rescued from a shelter, and while in Chicago he started a pet adoption organization called “Sox for Strays.” Once a month during the baseball season, they would sponsor a pre-game gathering at U.S. Cellular Field, where they unite shelter animals with fans interested in adoption.

What’s more, the four-time all-star, who once pitched a perfect game, regularly donates to animal shelters and made news a year ago December when a Shetland sheepdog was found wandering in the woods near Alton, Ill., with an arrow sticking from her abdomen. Buehrle grew up nearby and when he found out the dog’s owner couldn’t pay the nearly $3,000 veterinarian bill for the life-saving surgery, he stepped forward and covered all the expenses.

With all that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Mark Buehrle has been an outspoken critic of Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback who did jail time for his role in a dog-fighting ring. Buehrle even went as far as to say he hoped Vick would “get hurt” when he returned to the NFL.

See more on the original post here: George Albano’s Who’s On First » Blog Archive » Marlins pitcher is dog’s best friend.

Continue reading »]]> For a few days, a stolen Shih Tzu named Lucky was anything but.

Someone dropped him at a public animal shelter right before Christmas. Then, he was snatched from the shelter, along with a rat terrier on Dec. 27, and disappeared.

But Lucky is once again living up to his moniker. He now belongs to North Miami Beach restaurateur Lila Klein and her husband, Frank Klein.

The rat terrier remains missing.

“He’s our king!’’ said Lila Klein, 56, who owns the Peruvian Kitchen and an adjacent frame shop. She and Frank had been dog less since the death of their beloved Lhasa apso, Cowboy Pete, 11 years ago.

A woman with long hair brought Lucky to the restaurant on Dec. 29 and offered him to Lila, saying she had several dogs and couldn’t keep another.

See more on the original poste here: Stolen from Miami-Dade shelter, a dog now finds home filled with love – Miami-Dade – MiamiHerald.com.

Continue reading »]]> First Coast No More Homeless Pets, a nonprofit no-kill pet adoption center, has received a $340,000 grant from a Utah animal society that has acted as its mentor.

The grant from the Best Friends Animal Society will support a planned First Coast No More Homeless Pets initiative to get more animals adopted from Jacksonville’s city animal shelter and help operate the Mandarin satellite adoption center it took over from the city in 2011.

The grant is the largest single donation or grant that First Coast has ever received, said Rick DuCharme, founder and executive director.

“I was sort of floored,” he said.

More here: First Coast No More Homeless Pets no-kill adoption center gets largest grant ever | jacksonville.com.

Continue reading »]]> Earl Campbell had been a police officer in Ocean Beach, Florida for years when he realized his partner, Charlie, was suffering, in chronic pain and unable to continue working. He alerted higher-ups, but was told Charlie couldn’t retire or take time off until he jumped through several hoops.

Charlie couldn’t speak up for himself, because Charlie is a dog. A K-9 officer who’d been injured in the line of duty several years earlier. His injuries had slowly gotten worse, and his hind legs were barely working. Earl asked for help for his dog and says he encountered roadblock after roadblock.

So in the end, the Ocean Beach police department lost two good cops: one with fur, and one with – well, no fur.

Earl decided to quit the force — and took his dog with him. Now they’re both regular citizens — a man and his dog, and they like it that way.

Originally posted here: Hero Cop Would Rather Have a Pet Than a Partner | The Stir.

Continue reading »]]> Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services division has something to bark about — it was named the Outstanding Animal Control Agency of the Year for Florida.

Recognized out of more than 130 agencies in the state as a leader in animal programs and services by the Florida Animal Control Association, the award brings with it no financial gain for the shelter and pet adoption center on 2020 Forest St.

But it does show how hard work has improved the agency’s community service to the point where the professional association of animal care and control personnel in Florida noticed and approved, said Scott Trebatoski, division chief of Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services.

“That is a great testament to all of the great work [of] not only all the team members, but also the work of our partnerships with the Jacksonville Humane Society and No More Homeless Pets,” Trebatoski said. “It is a huge award and one that everyone worked hard to get, and it really is a testament to the community to step up and be recognized as best in the state.”

More here: Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services wins award | jacksonville.com.

Continue reading »]]> Holiday deals are not just at local big box stores and small businesses.

SPCA Tampa Bay is bringing back its free adult cat adoption special this holiday season. The only cost is a $10 microchip fee.

There also is a BOGO speical on kittens for the regular $45 fee. That’s right: Buy one kitten and get the second one free.

The holiday sale was prompted by a serious problem at the shelter. It is overcrowded, with more than 150 homeless cats, as people struggling in the economy have given up their pets. There also are many more kittens than usual for December in need of homes.

More here: Feline Holiday Special at Largo Shelter – Old Northeast-Downtown St. Pete, FL Patch.

Continue reading »]]> Here’s a great pet adoption event coming up this Saturday, Dec. 10. You can give a Seminole County shelter resident the gift of a forever home this holiday season. Here’s the info from Diane Gagliano of the shelter:

Seminole County Animal Services is celebrating getting our pets a Home 4 the Holidays with a Holiday Open House Saturday, December 10 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Animal Services Shelter, 232 Bush Blvd. in Sanford.

There will be food, fun, prize drawings and more than 150 dogs and cats, puppies and kittens in need of loving homes. All pets adopted during the event will go home to their new family with an Iams Starter Kit containing treats and tips for caring for their new family member.

Iams Home 4 the Holidays is a nationwide annual event that focuses on the joys of owning a shelter-adopted pet. Adoption counselors will be available to help you pick the perfect pet for your family.

Those interested in adopting animals throughout the year can visit the Seminole County Animal Services Shelter Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The shelter is closed on Sundays and holidays. For more information, call 407-665-5208.

Orginally posted here: Home 4 the Holidays Pet Adoption Open House is Saturday! – Animal Crazy – Orlando Sentinel.

Continue reading »]]> Lee County Domestic Animal Services began its annual “Home 4 the Holidays” campaign Thursday, discounting adoption fees for hundreds of pets.

“Don’t just do it to put a present under the tree. Think it out and make sure that pet’s going to be a family member,” Ria Brown said. “I think people have been thinking about this all year and plan to do it during the holidays, so we really want to capitalize on that.”

LCDAS has discounted pet adoptions each December since 2002.

Amy Leonard is a parent in search of adopting a dog.

“My poor girls have been begging for a dog for so long. It’d be a nice opportunity to be able to do that for them this Christmas,” Leonard said. “A dog is a great gift.”

Hundreds of pets have a special adoption fee of $30. The deal runs from Dec. 1 through Dec. 31.

Dec. 1 also marked the first day customers could fill out adoption applications online on the Animal Services’ website at www.LeeLostPets.com.

More here: Lee Animal Services discounts pet adoptions – ABC-7.com WZVN News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida.

Continue reading »]]> Contrary to popular opinion, dogs don’t really think we humans are the greatest thing since sliced bread or kibble pie. It’s not that dogs lie to us, exactly; it’s just that, for some lovely reason, they like to make us happy.

And if that means implying, from time-to-time, that we’re funnier, prettier, wiser, and toss a better tennis ball than anyone else – they’re not above a fib or two.

As for cats, well, cats get a bad rap – you know, their reputation for aloofness and silent superiority. There’s a cat from down the street who visits me now and then, and she talks endlessly. I pour out the food in exchange for some sparkling conversation. Sometimes we hang out and dish about the neighbors.

And if that’s not reason enough to adopt a dog or cat, read on:

More here: More Tales of Pet Adoption and Creature Comforts – Altadena, CA Patch.

Continue reading »]]> On Nov. 22, the week of Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season, three miracles took place at The Humane Society of St. Lucie County. Three very unique pets, ones that many would consider having handicaps, found their forever homes.

Maureen Flynn of Port St. Lucie was reading the paper and set her eyes and heart on Jim Bob, a one-eyed Tiger-striped cat with part of his left ear missing, which was living at the shelter since June of this year. Flynn arrived at The Humane Society with her neighbor, Marge Newberger, to look at Jim Bob. During their meeting in the cat community condo, Sonny, an all-white deaf cat started to gently paw at her arm. Sonny had been living at the shelter since May of this year and was frequently overlooked due to his disability.

Flynn said, “I came to the shelter to adopt one cat and ended up leaving with two!”

The rest is here: Pets with disabilities have reason for holiday cheer » TCPalm.com (User story from Shawn Hart).