News Alert: April 16, 2010

1. Green Your Pet: Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

With Earth Day, April 22, just days away, there are plenty of ways to show the planet some love with eco-friendly pet parenting. Just like us, our beloved animal companions love to eat and play—but they haven’t yet mastered the art of recycling or composting. Here are some simple steps you can take to reduce your pet’s carbon paw print.

• Tap is where it’s at! Give your pet filtered tap water instead of bottled to drink. If you must use bottled water, be sure to recycle the bottle.
• Scoop the poop with biodegradable bags instead of plastic bags. Kitty parents, go for eco-friendly cat litters, avoiding brands containing mined minerals.
• Don’t reach for the bleach to clean your pet’s messes. Use vinegar instead—it’s green, removes odors and kills bacteria.
• Get Moving! Walk your dog to the doggie park rather than driving there.
• Buy pet supplies in bulk or the largest available size. You’ll make fewer trips to the store and cut down on discarded packaging.

It’s the little things that count and add up to big savings for you, your pet and Mother Earth. For more ways to celebrate Earth Day with your pet, check out our guide to living green with cats and dogs.

Action Tip: Reuse and recycle by contacting your local shelter reps and asking if they need extra towels, bedding, leashes, litter boxes, pet toys or other gently used items that you plan to throw away.

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2. ASPCA Happy Tails: And the Winner Is…

Last month, while many were consumed by the b-ball stylings of teams competing in NCAA^® March Madness^®, we launched our very own tournament of four-legged champs. With 16 of our favorite Happy Tails adoption stories going head-to-head over four weeks, your votes decided which cats and dogs made it to the championship round. The final furry showdown starred Sherbert, a cuddly lap cat and eternal optimist, and King, a goofy Rottweiler with a heart of gold and a feline fetish.

The competition was intense—but King eventually took home the top prize, edging out his orange-and-white competitor by more than 30 votes. Undoubtedly, it’s hard to resist this sweetheart’s story. When the elder pooch was seized by ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Agents in September 2007, he suffered from an ear infection, hip dysplasia and various symptoms of neglect. He was eventually adopted by Ashely Santana of New York, NY, who fell for his gentle giant persona.

“The second I saw him I knew he was meant to be mine, but my family wasn't sure about adopting a dog who was so big,” says Ashely. “I brought in my Miniature Poodle, Phoenix, to meet him, and the two got along great.” She adds: “Now over a year later, King lives with Phoenix and two cats, including a kitten with whom he plays all day. No longer the reserved Rottweiler I first met, King loves everyone he meets and even plays with babies!”

Congratulations to King and Ashely! They will receive a Flip video camera to record future memories with Phoenix and the feline gang. And many thanks to all of the competitors, who won the greatest prize many months ago when they found their loving forever homes.

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3. Animal Action Grant Deadline Approaches—Apply Today!

Young animal lovers, there’s still time to apply for an ASPCA Animal Action Grant at DoSomething.org. If you have an executable idea to increase adoptions, decrease euthanasia and reunite more people with their lost pets—and need money to put your ideas into action—there might be one of six Animal Action Grants with your name on it!

Proposals have to be in by April 30, so don’t delay: visit DoSomething.org’s animal welfare section to apply and to learn more about strategies that have helped homeless animals in the past. Two $1,000 and four $500 grants will be awarded in May.

All grants are open to citizens of the U.S. and Canada who are 25 and younger. DoSomething.org screens entries for eligibility, and then forwards them to an ASPCA jury, which determines the winners. For more information about our Animal Action Grants, please visit DoSomething.org.

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4. Live from Missouri: ASPCA Supports Landmark Puppy Mill Initiative

Home to an estimated 3,000 puppy mills—far more than any other state—Missouri has rightly earned the nickname “Puppy Mill Capital of America.” Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding operations where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. The overcrowding and lack of basic hygiene, veterinary care and exercise that are the hallmark of puppy mills create puppies with numerous health and social issues—but it is the breeding dogs, the ones who never get to leave, who suffer the most.

However, help is on the way! Missourians for the Protection of Dogs—a coalition made up of the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the U.S., the Humane Society of Missouri and the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation—is sponsoring a landmark ballot initiative to put the Missouri Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act before the state’s voters in November 2010. If the act reaches the ballot and passes, it will prohibit some of the worst abuses prevalent in Missouri’s commercial dog kennels—but the first step is gathering 130,000 signatures of support from Missouri voters by the end of April.

“The Missouri Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act is a crucial step in combating some of the most horrific cruelty perpetuated by commercial breeders in Missouri,” says Cori Menkin, ASPCA Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives. “It will provide dogs with basic humane care, including sufficient food, water, housing and necessary veterinary care—things that, unfortunately, are sorely lacking in many commercial breeding facilities.”

With only a few weeks left to go before the April 27 deadline, the pressure is on. Several ASPCA staffers have volunteered their time to help count and process the flood of petition signatures, and are currently on the ground in Missouri.

“I am so happy to be part of this historic grassroots effort,” says Tawnya Mosgrove, an Illinois-based member of our Government Relations department. “Our hope is not only to help the dogs in Missouri, but that other states will follow suit with similar initiatives of their own. The work here is hard, but the end result will be worth every blister on my finger!”

For more details about this landmark effort and a view from the frontlines in St. Louis, please read our blog report.

Action Tip: Live in Missouri? Sign the petition today and help make history!

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