News Alert: April 17, 2009

1. Call for Nominations: Do You Know Any Humane Heroes?

A 12-year-old girl from Oregon launches a website that now helps provide food for dogs and cats at eight shelters across the country. A tabby serves as a guide cat for a blind and deaf dog, helping her canine companion accomplish daily tasks. These are just two of the ASPCA Humane Award winners of 2008, and now we're once again inviting you to nominate the most special people you know who have worked on behalf of animals and the animals who have performed heroic acts during the past year.   Nominations are being accepted now through Wednesday, July 15. You’ll be asked to provide your contact information, your nominee’s contact information and a short statement (400 words or less) telling us why your hero deserves to be honored. Submit your nominations for the ASPCA Humane Awards here. Winners will be invited to New York City this October for our Humane Awards Luncheon at the newly renovated Pierre Hotel.

2. Where's the Best Place to Get a Dog?

With everyone from news announcers to next-door neighbors weighing in on the Obamas' quest for the First Dog, we're not surprised to hear from folks who want to know where to find their own perfect pet.

I'm always hearing from naysayers who want to get their dog from a breeder or pet store because they're worried shelter dogs won't be healthy. What can I tell them? —Carol N.

We turned to our ASPCA veterinarians for an answer.

The ASPCA recommends avoiding pet stores because so many get their puppies from puppy mills—commercial breeding facilities that keep animals in terrible conditions and use canine parents for breeding purposes only.

As a consequence, many pet store animals suffer from congenital health problems, not to mention poor socialization and numerous other issues. Well-run shelters, on the other hand, examine the animals carefully, then vaccinate, deworm, spay or neuter, and perform a behavioral assessment on each adoptable pet. That information is then used to try to match an adopter with an animal who meets his needs and fits into his lifestyle.

Many shelters also provide follow-up health care and behavior advice, and will even take the animal back if things don't work out. Adopting from a shelter turns out to be a much better deal!

Got a question about your pet's health?  Submit it to the Ask the ASPCA Vets column.

3. ASPCA Happy Tails: Executive Assistant

Working with animals requires patience and compassion, but if Tulip—a sassy black-and-white cat—could talk, she might say the same is true for people. This four-year-old feline originally arrived at our shelter in January 2006 and got to know ASPCA staff members very well when she was fostered in an office on the fifth floor of the ASPCA’s headquarters in Manhattan. 

As much as the fifth floor crew loved their finicky mascot, they desperately wanted to find her a real home. Staff members talked up Tulip to whoever would listen, and one such effort online proved golden. Patrick O’Keefe, Vice President of the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, posted a status update about Tulip on Facebook, which linked to a video of the cat in her habitat. Patrick’s friend, Stacy Butler of Warwick, NY, saw the video and was smitten.

“There was something about her that just seemed so right,” says Stacy. “I’d been considering adopting kittens, but I didn’t have the time to take off from work to get them acclimated. When I saw Tulip, it dawned on me that an older cat would be perfect.”

Stacy drove two hours to the ASPCA Adoption Center, where she met the tentative Tulip. “She sat in the chair next to me in the waiting area of her office, but she didn’t really want to be touched,” Stacy recalls. “She kept edging closer to me, and I thought with time she’d be okay. When we got home, she stretched out right next to me on the sofa.”

Months later, Tulip is happy as a clam in her new digs. Never one to conceal her emotions, she continues to express herself with a tap of the tail or a swat of the paw. “Tulip's tail is like a separate being—it moves even when she’s sound asleep,” says Stacy. “I think she uses it as a form of communication—I’ve even seen her tap along with music!”   Perhaps a bit nostalgic for office life and the workaday world, Tulip likes to play “queen of the desk chair,” and according to Stacy, will race you for it if she thinks you’re about to sit down. “She also likes to help make the bed by sitting on each new layer of bedding,” says Stacy. “While Tulip’s participation in routine daily tasks can make them more challenging, it also makes them more fun.”   Stacy adds: “Tulip’s a reminder that good things come in unexpected packages. Even though she’s a tough cookie, she’s really a mushball deep down inside—and I just love her.”

4. ASPCA Job of the Week

Get connected! The ASPCA is looking for an IT Project Manager to plan, monitor and expedite delivery of our software and infrastructure solutions. Our ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s degree in computer science—or related discipline—and three to five years’ experience in system development and top-tier project management. If you’re a reliable team player with excellent knowledge of current design methodologies, as well as a love of animals, we’d love to hear from you!

The ASPCA offers generous benefit packages for full-time employees. Please submit your resume and salary requirements for our prompt consideration. 

5. Happening Tomorrow: ASPCA Harlem Block Party

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, April 18, along with KISS FM’s Lenny Green and Shaila, at the ASPCA Harlem Block Party. Our five mobile veterinary clinics will be parked at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building Plaza, at the corner of 125th St. and Adam Clayton Blvd. Free spay/neuter surgery will be offered to all pets, as well as free microchipping and vaccinations for pit bulls and pit mixes.  Looking for a new furry friend? There will be dogs and cats available for adoption, too!

For more information on the ASPCA Harlem Block Party, call 877-SPAY-NYC (bilingual, 24 hours a day), or visit www.aspca.org/877spaynyc.  

6. Learn the Truth About Puppy Mills—Today at Noon

Perhaps you’ve wondered how puppy mills can possibly be legal, or what you, as a member of the public, can do to help put an end to these large-scale commercial breeding facilities. The ASPCA’s Bob Baker has the answers, and he’ll be available today—that’s Friday, April 17—from noon to 2:00 P.M. EST to answer your questions during a live online discussion. A nationally recognized authority on animal cruelty investigations and a key player in the ASPCA’s efforts to combat puppy mills, Baker has visited more than 700 puppy mills throughout the country, successfully closing hundreds of them, and his investigations have led to more than 1,000 related arrests. Visit the ASPCA Online Community to learn more about the live chat with ASPCA puppy mill investigator Bob Baker.

7. ASPCA Pet of the Week: Cooking Good!

We’re pretty sure that Flounder the cat nurtures a secret ambition to be a chef. Margaret McLaughlin, ASPCA Director of Veterinary Technicians, fosters Flounder in her office and has observed his culinary skills up close. “He swipes several pieces of dry food, carries them to his water bowl, drops them in, and swirls the mixture with his paw,” McLaughlin explains. “We think he’s making soup.”

Like many top chefs, Flounder needs to be in control of his space—but he can handle the heat! This six-year-old tuxedo cat loves physical, interactive play with people and will need a daily dose of exercise.  

When it comes to other animals, Flounder is opposed to too many cooks in the kitchen, and would do best as the only pet in the household.  But he does seek a loving human assistant to provide him the ingredients for his gourmet concoctions. If this is your dream job, call (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120, to meet Flounder.  To see other animals who are waiting for homes, please visit the ASPCA Adoption Center online.

****Got Facebook? Donate your status to Flounder! Just copy and paste the following message onto your profile status to help spread the word that Flounder needs a home!

[Name] is donating his/her status to Chef Flounder, a feline resident at the ASPCA. http://www.aspca.org/flounder

8. It’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month—Have You Gone Orange Yet?

This April, the ASPCA is asking compassionate folks everywhere to celebrate Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month by going orange for animals. On April 7, we held a festival in New York City’s Union Square Park as iconic buildings across the country lit up orange. Following up last week’s event, the ASPCA will host special activities for animal lovers in Austin and Los Angeles. But the question is—have you taken the orange plunge yet? If not, you’re in luck—you have the entire month of April to participate! The fact is, everyone could use a little more color in their lives—and to help brighten yours, we have a list of easy, effective ways to go orange for animals. Whether you find that orange shimmer by wearing orange glow sticks, decorating your office with orange ribbons or tricking-out your car with orange paint, we thank you for going orange and helping the ASPCA spread the word about preventing cruelty to animals. Here’s a sneak peek at some simple, yet successful ways to go orange for animals: - Purchase orange string or rope lights, available online and at hardware and specialty lighting and novelty stores, and wrap your house, terrace, trees, lamppost, porch steps, mailbox…even the family swing set. - Open your closet and get out those bright orange pants, shirts, ties, shoelaces and socks and don them for the next two Fridays—or any other day of the week—for the month of April. - Vroom-vroom for animals! Write some animal-friendly messages on your vehicle— “Go Orange for Animals!” or “Celebrate Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month!” - Got a green thumb? Plant an orange garden for animals. Ask your local garden center which orange flowering plants thrive in your area, and do some creative landscaping. Read our complete list of Ways to Go Orange for Animals. P.S. While April is a special time to get your orange groove on, we’d love for animal lovers across the nation to keep the orange glow throughout the year. It is our hope that one day the color orange will be synonymous with animal welfare everywhere! Read why the ASPCA chose orange as our official color.