Oct-19 The Southern Oregon Humane Society has a chance to win $50,000 from Rachael Ray's Mutt Madness contest.
SOHS Development Director, Joy Olson, entered the shelter in Rachael Ray's Mutt Madness grant contest where people can cast their votes for their favorite pet organizations. And the winner gets fifty grand!
What is it they say? Vote early and vote often! Don't know if that applies here. But SOHS has been on a major capitol raising campaign for their expansion project - so they can better care for even more homeless critters. So they could really use the money.
Here's how it works (according to the website): You must register and log in first. Then click on each of the panels and a pop up will allow you to read more about each candidate by giving you access to their profile pages.
"We encourage you to read these thoroughly because the candidates explain who they are and why they should win," the site says.
Find the login button at the bottom of the page. Vote for one candidate in each of the brackets before submitting your final vote. SOHS is the last bracket on the bottom right side of the page. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THAT BOX!
Check back each week to cast your vote for the next round.
Oct-14 Grab your imagination and your wallet! The 18th annual Puss 'n Boots Ball is almost here.
I confess I haven't been to this event in the past. But judging from the photos that came with this press release, I've been missing a fun night for a worthy cause.
Put on by the Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS) to benefit the Jackson County Animal Shelter, the colorful event features live music by the Rogue Suspects and dancing, a gourmet dinner, a cash bar with wine and spirits and a live auction.
Participants will have a chance to bid on hundreds of items donated by local businesses and artisans, including a vacation getaway to the Siskiyou Mountains, Ashland, the Pistol and Smith River areas and a handmade dog-themed quilt.
Costume prizes will be awarded. Categories include best group, couple, animal-theme, creative, scary and unusual outfits.
Last year more than 220 attended the event that raised about $24,000. ALl the proceeds went to support FOTAS programs including a medical fund for shelter animals who need special treatment to make them sound and healthy - and adoptable.
Peggy Moore, current FOTAS president, notes that since the shelter is receiving no General Fund money from the county, FOTAS is helping with medical support and also the "Two-Fur-One" program designed to save the lives of cats and kittens by paying for a second adoption fee.
The benefit will be Saturday, October 24 at the historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak Street. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $35 per person; $315 for a table of 10.
Advance tickets are on sale at Paddington Station in Ashland, or call 541-821-8291. Early purchase of tickets is encouraged as the event often sells out.
Oct-1 What is wrong with some people? Is their hard wiring screwed up? Are they missing a heart? Their soul? What ever happened to compassion?
The news today is awash with creepy and tragic tales of spouses (or spousal equivalents) going off on family pets to spite their estranged loved ones, or to satisfy their drunken urges.
The first story hails from Pasadena, Texas. Some woman allegedly ate three of the couple's seven gold fish. Supposedly this gal was ticked off that her soon-to-be ex was demanding the return of some jewelry he'd given her in better times. So to retaliate, she fried them up in a pan and put them on a plate.
When the cops arrived, she had already eaten several of the little finned babies. No animal cruelty charges will be filed. It's a civil matter, police say.
The second story is even worse. A NASCAR fan, allegedly drunk and annoyed that the family parrot, Mikey, was squawking too much as the man watched cars race round a track on his television, shot and killed the 20-year-old African Grey with his BB gun. The pet-killer is reported to be remorseful, is seeking help for his alcoholism and has turned his gun in to police so it could be destroyed.
The man's wife made the call to police. Some people might be shocked she turned her husband in to the cops. In my opinion, she showed amazing restraint.
Perhaps I'm relating to these particular stories a bit too much. But I happen to have seven goldfish and an African Grey, amongst other critters. I love them all. Yes, even the fish.
But more importantly, like most pets, they are descendents of creatures removed from their natural environment some generations ago by man. No longer living in the wild, these animals exist in an artificial environment (aka my home). Their domesticated status occurred through no fault of their own. And they are no longer able to fend for themselves. In short, they are fully dependant upon my care and protection.
If my beau, The Englishman, ever made a hostile move in their direction - not that he ever would, as he is a very peaceable creature - there would be a call made to the police. Someone would be reporting a homicide. Because one of us would be deceased. Sep-26 Ok. I'll admit it. I'm in love with The Englishman's cat, Squiggy. And I believe the feeling is mutual.
Regular readers of this blog may remember that I took Squiggy in last December when she was a depressed, dull-eyed, poopy mess. We've had visits to the vets, medicines administered, dietary changes and loads of TLC.
Squiggy is a new feline. It's hard to believe that nine months ago she was matted and miserable. Now her rioting bowels are purring like a kitten. Her litterbox manners are impeccable. And her coat is glossy and her eyes shiny. Basically, life is good - for both of us.
My mom was a great cat fancier. And I grew up around more cats than dogs. But once I established my own abode, it was filled with dogs and parrots and ponies. It was surprising to realize that Squiggy is the first cat who's shared my home well over a decade.
I'd forgotten how great cats are for cuddling. So nice to have a kitty on your lap purring away as you stroke the feline's silky soft fur. Life's stresses sort of float off into space, don't they?
But Squiggy goes a bit further in the snuggling department than I seem to remember from experiences with kitties past. She pets back. When Squiggy feels I'm in the zone - as in I'm stroking her correctly, ambient air temperature is good, television isn't too loud etc. - she starts to drool a bit. She's too stoned on love to swallow. That's when I know she's really happy.
Sometimes Squiggy feels compelled to share the love. Peering deeply into my brown orbs with her grass green peepers, she'll blink slowly. I know what this means because I used to have the t-shirt that showed the sequence. The tagline read, "Cats kiss like this."
What is different is that Squiggy also reaches out her paw and very, very, very gently pats my cheek. Or taps my lips. Pat, pat, tap, tap, blink, blink.
Squiggy offers up the kitty equivalent of XOXOXOX.
Sep-16  Lucy Brown These tough economic times have wreaked havoc on the equine industry. And horses are the hardest hit when the humans they depend upon struggle financially.
So many people formerly living high, wide and handsome have lost their jobs and their homes. And horses are starving, being abandoned and dying because of it.
Horses are expensive animals to maintain. The monthly cost for hay, grain and stabling can run into several hundred dollars every month. And, unlike cats or dogs who have a shot at being carted off with the rest of the family to stay with Aunt Nettie until things turn around, Old Dobbin must be housed in a stable, a pasture or a pen.
Sometimes Dobbin is sold on the cheap. Sometimes Dobbin is abandoned at his stable, or in an open pasture, or tied to someone else's horse trailer in the desperate hope that some horse-loving family will adopt him. Sometimes Dobbin is simply left behind to starve as the family flees or is forced out .
Enter the Equamore Foundation. Enter hope.
Linda Davis-Jones is the owner of Eden Farm and the founder of Equamore, a nonprofit rescue organization in Ashland that provides care and placement for horses who are in desperate need.
But as more horses continue to need the sanctuary of the foundation, costs for feed and care continue to rise and donations continue to slide, she said.
The organization really needs all the support it can get. People need to understand horses are a lifetime commitment, Davis-Jones said.
Saturday, September 19, the foundation is hosting its annual fundraiser. There will be great food, live music and an auction. (Personal note: I've donated a framed artist's print of a quarter horse mare named Lucy Brown which I painted back in the day.)
Donations are tax-deductible. The Eden Farms/Equamore facility is at 4723 Highway 66, Ashland. To find out more, call 482-5550 or visit equamore.org.
Go see. Go bid. Go save a horse. Please. | |
