- 1. Vote for America’s Favorite Animal Shelter
- 2. Record-Breaking Adoptions in Oklahoma City, OK!
- 3. Live from Joplin: Baby Girl Goes Home
- 4. ASPCA and Walmart Introduce New Pet Care Products
1. Vote for America’s Favorite Animal Shelter
What could your local shelter accomplish with an extra $15,000? Trick question! Animal shelters across the nation badly need funds, especially in the wake of the economic recession—so there’s no “extra” about it. That’s why the ASPCA is teaming up with Care2.com and Adopt-a-Pet.com for the America’s Favorite Animal Shelter contest!
The contest, now in its fourth year, helps bring shelters the hope and help they need to accomplish amazing feats for homeless animals. There are three prizes your favorite shelter could win: the $500 prize awarded weekly to one random shelter participating in the contest, the $3,000 third prize, the $7,000 second prize or (drum roll, please) the big $15,000 first place prize!
So, how can you help? Easy: Visit Care2.com/animalsheltercontest, find your favorite shelter, and vote! You can only vote once, so make it count! (And make sure you read the full contest rules, too.)
Post flyers, use social networks and email, tell everyone you know to vote, and you could help your shelter rocket to the top of the pile. And if you recruit tons of friends to vote, there’s a little something in it for your pets, too! The top 20 recruiters get a $50 gift card for pet supplies.
What are you waiting for? Vote today!
2. Record-Breaking Adoptions in Oklahoma City, OK!
The Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division, part of the ASPCA Partnership in Oklahoma City, OK, sent us some numbers last week that are too good to keep to ourselves: The city-run animal shelter broke its own record in May 2011 by finding new forever homes for a whopping 902 animals!
Many of those adoptions occurred at Midnight Woofness, a two-day and overnight mega pet adopt-a-thon organized by the other member of the Oklahoma City ASPCA Partnership, the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. May’s Midnight Woofness, which was the third in the city’s history, featured a circus theme and resulted in the adoptions of 565 dogs and cats.
Watch a video from Oklahoma of the 500th adoption at Midnight Woofness!
Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division, whose hard work every day of the year is saving more animals’ lives and making Oklahoma City a more humane community.
3. Live from Joplin: Baby Girl Goes Home
Every day at our emergency shelter in Joplin, pet parents arrive to view the hundreds of dogs and cats in our care, and search for their lost Chihuahua, Black Lab or calico kitty. For almost 400 families—many of whom lost everything in the May 22 tornado—those visits have culminated in tearful reunions. (It’s often hard to tell who’s more excited: the humans or the pets.)
But more strays arrive each day, so many pet parents return regularly in hopes of finding their fur babies. One such family is the Freys. They were in their home when the tornado razed it to the foundation. Eventually, Mr. Frey was rescued from the rubble, and a kind stranger picked up Mrs. Frey and carried her to a nursing home, as their 12-year-old son limped behind her.
Once the Freys were safe—Mr. Frey with broken bones, Mrs. Frey with staples in her knee, an injured ankle and lacerations—they started to worry about Baby Girl, a large, affectionate calico cat they adopted three years ago. Mrs. Frey asked herself, could Baby Girl be alive and well? Hobbling along on crutches and covered in cuts, she began visiting our shelter every other day for weeks, never giving up hope.
Meanwhile, a crew of ASPCA responders and several animal control agencies started trapping homeless animals to bring them to the shelter. Just a few days into the operation, the team trapped a large calico with a sweet little face. The next afternoon, as usual, the Freys visited the shelter.
“We were about ready to give up, and then I came today, and it was instant—I knew it was her. I’m just so happy to have her back," said Mrs. Frey. "Without you guys, we would not have known at all where to even start looking for her. Thank you for taking care of her."
Please help us continue to support the animal victims of Joplin. Text PLEDGE to 25383 to donate $10 today!
4. ASPCA and Walmart Introduce New Pet Care Products
The ASPCA and Walmart have expanded our line of ASPCA Collection pet care products now offered at Walmart stores. These items include collars, leashes, harnesses, soft sided carriers and kennel covers as well as spacious kennels and crates.
All Collection packaging includes expert tips from the ASPCA to help you take the best care of your pet. Plus, your purchase assists pets in need: A percent of every purchase price goes directly to the ASPCA and our life-saving programs!
For more information about the ASPCA Collection and to check for product availability, please visit your local Walmart store.