- 1. Select Items 40-50% Off at ASPCA Store!
- 2. Last Call for the $100K Challenge Community Engagement Award
- 3. Judge Rules Against Wild Horses; Colorado Roundup Completed
- 4. ASPCA Happy Tails: Down to Earth
- 5. Multiple Puppy Mill Rescues in Missouri Highlight Need for Prop B
1. Select Items 40-50% Off at ASPCA Store!
Now’s your chance to save big on spooky Halloween items, and get ready for the winter holidays with our adorable new dog and cat greeting cards. The ASPCA Online Store has all the best orange gear (and other cool stuff!) lined up for you and your furry friends:
Holiday Cards We might be biased, but we think this year’s ASPCA holiday cards are the best we’ve ever made. Each set contains 10 cards—two of each version—with 10 envelopes and 10 silver seals embossed with the ASPCA logo. Click though to the store to see all five adorable designs.
ASPCA Hoodies Our logo hoodies are one of our most popular items, and it’s no wonder—with five color and six size options, there’s a hoodie for everyone on your list!
Halloween Items on Sale! Our entire selection of Halloween-themed accessories and toys is 40-50% off, no coupon code required. Stock up for next year, or shop today (October 29) and select overnight shipping for delivery in time for trick-or-treating this weekend!
You can feel good about shopping with us, because all net proceeds of your purchases always go to support our life-saving programs. For more tees, toys, gifts and pet supplies, visit the ASPCA Online Store 24 hours, seven days a week.
2. Last Call for the $100K Challenge Community Engagement Award
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about the ASPCA $100K Challenge Community Engagement Award, that extra $25,000 grant for the shelter that’s motivated its community the most during the last three months. We hope you’ve been voting for your favorite group every day, because polling closes this Sunday—October 31!
Please visit www.VotetoSaveLives.org to cast your vote and help decide which shelter in the $100K Challenge will receive an extra $25K. Even one vote can make a big difference! The three shelters that receive the most votes and save at least 300 more lives over the same period in 2009 will become finalists for the Community Engagement Award. So get clicking and cast your vote every day until October 31! The top three finalists will be announced on November 10—stay tuned to ASPCA.org for the latest contest news.
3. Judge Rules Against Wild Horses; Colorado Roundup Completed
On Thursday, October 21, a federal judge ruled against the ASPCA when he declined to issue an injunction preventing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from continuing its inhumane and illegal roundup of wild horses from Colorado's North Piceance herd area. The ASPCA, along with Habitat for Horses, the Cloud Foundation, Dr. Don Moore and Toni Moore, brought the case against U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other officials. The suit alleged that the BLM's actions violate the National Environmental Protection Act and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
In spite of his ultimate decision, U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley did acknowledge that Dr. Don Moore, a Colorado veterinarian who has known the Piceance-North Douglas Herd for decades, and Toni Moore would suffer irreparable harm from the roundup of the herd.
"While we are disappointed by Thursday's ruling, we are encouraged by the Court's acknowledgment that the removal of these iconic horses impacts all Americans," says Matt Bershadker, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Anti-Cruelty. Jerry Finch, founder and president of Habitat for Horses, elaborates: "Although we did not get the win that we were aiming for, we stood fast and got the court to agree that damage is done to American citizens when the BLM pulls our wild mustangs from their rightful land. That is huge."
The day after the ruling, the BLM announced that it had completed the contested Colorado roundup and gathered 73 wild horses, most of whom will be up for adoption.
For more information on the BLM's mismanagement of America's wild horses, please visit ASPCA.org.
4. ASPCA Happy Tails: Down to Earth
Last summer, when Suzanne Bell of Manhattan decided to add a cat to her furry brood, she never anticipated she would bond with a goofy feline with a fancy name. After a few weeks—and a name change!—cat and family became thick as thieves. Below is Suzanne's story in her own words.
We went to the ASPCA in August of this year, looking for a companion for my four-year-old cat, Gage. The number of cats we saw was a little overwhelming, but there was one cat who really made an impact on me. His name was Prada, but that name didn't seem to suit this goofy, black furball.
Getting him home was traumatic for him and us. Needless to say, he didn't like public transportation. He seemed to relax as soon as he got home, but the next few weeks were trying. I had never adopted an adult cat before, and I was wondering if I might not be capable of bonding to a cat who was already set in his ways.
Then it happened. One weekend, when my boyfriend was out of town, it was just me and the boys. As I sat watching TV, he crawled up into my lap, something he'd never done before. He did some head butts and rubbed his face against mine. I realized we had finally reached a turning point, and that we were going to be OK.
Now he has bonded well to Gage and both of his humans. He sleeps on the bed now, and has a habit of getting right up in my face, sniffing my eyeballs, and then nibbling on my eyelashes. He loves feet and does his best to roll over any pair that's within his reach.
As I said before, Prada seemed too pricey a name for this cat. He looks like a praying mantis—so his name is BUG. And he is my cat.
Check out our Happy Tails archivefor more heartwarming stories of furry fate.
5. Multiple Puppy Mill Rescues in Missouri Highlight Need for Prop B
The ASPCA is currently on the ground in St. Clair County, MO, where we are managing the removal and transfer of 34 dogs from a puppy mill. The dogs were relinquished to Half-way Home Pet Rescue, the organization that originally contacted the ASPCA for assistance with the transfer. This rescue marks the third time in one week that the ASPCA has been contacted to help transfer dogs and puppies from Missouri puppy mills—as well as private residences—where owners have failed to provide adequate care for their animals.
"These incidents reinforce the need for Missourians to vote 'yes' on Proposition B," says Tim Rickey, the ASPCA's Senior Director of Field Investigations and Response. Also known as the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, Prop B aims to raise the standards of care for dogs in Missouri's more than 3,000 commercial breeding facilities, which export more than 40 percent of all dogs sold in pet stores nationwide. If passed, Prop B would require Missouri's large-scale breeders to limit the number of breeding females to 50, as well as enact common-sense standards such as requiring dogs to be provided with sufficient food and clean water, regular veterinary care, adequate housing and space, and access to regular exercise.
"Current Missouri regulations concerning puppy mills are not being enforced properly because they are vague, complicated and confusing," says Kyle Held, the ASPCA's Midwest Director of Field Investigations and Response and team leader of the recent Missouri rescues. "Breeding operations in clear violation of existing laws have been able to stay in business or regain their licenses after being cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If Prop B passes, it will provide clear standards for the care of the dogs—and give local law enforcement officials the ability to enforce them."
We Need Your Help!
The ASPCA strongly urges Missouri citizens to vote YES! on Prop B and transform your state from the puppy mill capital of the United States to a national leader in puppy mill reform.
Don't live in Missouri, but still want to help? Please support puppy mill dogs by posting this article on your Facebook page or blog, or by visiting www.yesonpropb.com.