- 1. 2010 Young Friends Benefit: Mission: Adoptable
- 2. ASPCA Pet of the Week: Me and My Shadow
- 3. ASPCA Happy Tails: Up for the Challenge
- 4. The ASPCA Is Hiring!
- 5. Pet Health Alert: FDA Issues Warning on Buying Pet Drugs Online
- 6. YES on Prop B! Launches New Ad Campaign
1. 2010 Young Friends Benefit: Mission: Adoptable
You’re invited to an evening of cocktails, dancing and silent auction at the 2010 ASPCA Young Friends Benefit. This event is held each year to inspire young professionals to make a difference in the lives of animals through social, educational and philanthropic change. With special appearances from our shelter animals and celebrities, the Young Friends Benefit is the place to see and be seen each fall in New York City.
Theme: “Mission: Adoptable”
When: Thursday, October 14, 8:00 P.M. to midnight
Where: The IAC Building, 555 W 18th St., NY, NY
Dress Code: Informal
Tickets: Contact the ASPCA Special Events department at (212) 876- 7700, ext. 4652, or purchase tickets though our secure website, www.aspcayoungfriends.org. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets ASAP!
2. ASPCA Pet of the Week: Me and My Shadow
Searching for your Shadow? You found her! She’s fuzzy and playful, and would make a great partner for a time-stretched adopter.
“Shadow's a sensitive gal who's more on the independent side—she'd be perfect for someone with a busy lifestyle,” says Katie Watts, ASPCA Senior Feline Behavior Counselor. “She's also accepting of polite pups and would make a great companion for a dog.”
If you’re interested in adopting this fetching feline, please contact our Animal Placement department in New York City at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120. To see other animals looking for homes, visit our Adoption Center online.
****Got Facebook? Won’t you please donate your status to Shadow today? Just copy and paste the following message onto your profile status to help spread the word that this kitty needs a home!
[Name] is donating his/her status to Shadow http://www.aspca.org/shadow, a cat at the ASPCA who needs a new home.
3. ASPCA Happy Tails: Up for the Challenge
Last week, we asked you to submit your photos and success stories about adopting, fostering or volunteering for one of our $100K Challenge contestants, and so far, we’ve received some truly heartwarming tales of furry fate. So heartwarming, in fact, that we couldn’t wait to share a little preview of some of our submissions. Mandy and Onyx were adopted from Challengers Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg, MS, and Boulder Valley Humane Society in Boulder, CO. In addition to the $100K grand prize, these organizations are now in the running to win a bonus $1,000 grant!
Jamie Martin and Mandy of Hattiesburg, MS: Because of our interest in Southern Pines Animal Shelter, my husband and I offered to host an adoption event at our restaurant. Little did we know we'd fall in love with sweet Mandy and be the first to adopt from the event! As I took pictures for the shelter's Facebook page, Mandy managed to make her way into nearly every one. As my husband spoke on the local news about the event, she caught his eye. We had no intentions of adopting another pet that day, but it was without a doubt meant to be.
Maria Joslin and Onyx of Erie, CO: I have been volunteering at the Boulder Valley Humane Society for over two years, working primarily with the dogs, but I always spend time going through the cattery to see the cats and kittens waiting for adoption. I grew tired of seeing this poor old guy being passed over for cuter and smaller cats and kittens. Finally, one day after working my normal Saturday shift, I told my husband about Onyx and we both decided to go meet him. It was love at first sight and we brought him home that very same day.
Do you have your own story to tell about adopting, fostering or volunteering at one of our $100K Challenge shelters during August, September or October? Do you have a happy tale about reclaiming a lost pet from a $100K Challenger? Tell us about it! Your shelter could win an extra $1,000!
4. The ASPCA Is Hiring!
Are you a tech whiz? The ASPCA is looking for a Web Programmer/Architect to provide ongoing technical management, development, maintenance and support of the ASPCA’s websites. Our ideal candidate will have two or three years’ experience building large websites in ASP.NET framework. You’ll be working with our Web and e-marketing teams to coordinate planned releases and upgrades, provide daily site maintenance and support our online marketing initiatives. If you’re a top-notch web programmer looking for a new challenge, you could be the one!
The ASPCA offers generous benefit packages for full-time employees. Please submit your resume and salary requirements for our prompt consideration.
5. Pet Health Alert: FDA Issues Warning on Buying Pet Drugs Online
Although it may be tempting and convenient to order your pet’s medications online, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to pet parents about unregulated online pharmacies that sell expired or counterfeit drugs without a prescription. According to the FDA, foreign and domestic web pharmacies may ask pet parents to fill out an online form and then falsely claim that a veterinarian will evaluate the pet’s condition to prescribe the appropriate treatment.
“Some of the Internet sites that sell pet drugs represent legitimate, reputable pharmacies,” says Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “But others are fronts for unscrupulous businesses operating against the law.”
The ASPCA does not recommend that pet parents forgo purchasing pet drugs on the Internet altogether, but encourages the active participation of your veterinarian in any decision to medicate your pet. “All pet drugs should be prescribed by a veterinarian after an in-person physical exam, and should either be purchased from that veterinarian or outsourced to a reputable pharmacy, whether on- or off-line,” says Dr. Camille DeClementi, ASPCA Senior Director of Medical Records.
Dr. DeClementi also recommends that pet parents avoid purchasing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—one of the most common types of drugs dispensed online without a prescription—to treat their pet’s pain without consulting a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the pain. NSAIDs can be dangerous if not dispensed properly, and pets who are taking these drugs should be monitored closely.
If you do decide to purchase your pet’s medications online, please follow these smart practices:
-
Bring your pet to a veterinarian for a physical exam and obtain a written prescription for any necessary medications.
-
Ask your veterinarian if he or she uses an online pharmacy service. These services are state-licensed and require the active participation of a reputable doctor.
-
Only purchase medication from websites that are Vet-VIPPS (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) accredited. Check to see whether the online pharmacy you’re considering is accredited at www.nabp.net.
-
Mail or fax your veterinarian’s written prescription to a Vet-VIPPS accredited pharmacy.
For more helpful tips and to watch an informational video about purchasing pet drugs online, please visit the FDA’s consumer health information page.
6. YES on Prop B! Launches New Ad Campaign
On November 2, animal lovers everywhere will be watching election returns from the State of Missouri as its citizens decide the fate of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which will appear on the ballot as “Proposition B.” If passed, the Act will vastly improve the lives of dogs in Missouri’s commercial breeding operations by limiting the number of breeding dogs to 50 per facility and requiring basic elements of humane care including clean water, regular exercise and adequate rest for female dogs between litters.
With just over three weeks to go until Election Day, Missourians for the Protection of Dogs/YES! on Prop B—a coalition of animal welfare groups that includes the ASPCA—has intensified its efforts to get state voters to the polls by producing and airing four short television commercials. The first 30-second ad, which you can watch below, began running on October 4 in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia/Jefferson City, Joplin and Cape Girardeau.
Although the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act would be a state law, its passage would have far-reaching implications around the country. Known as the Puppy Mill Capital of America, Missouri supplies more than 40 percent of all dogs sold in pet stores nationwide and is home to more than 3,000 commercial dog breeding facilities—as many as the next three largest dog-breeding states (Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa) combined. It is estimated that nearly 70 percent of puppies sold in New York City pet stores come from Missouri.
Please help Missouri’s puppy mill dogs—our nation’s puppy mill dogs—by supporting Prop B in whatever way you can. Post the video on your Facebook page or blog, tweet this article, and visit www.yesonpropb.com to see how you can support the cause, even if you live outside of Missouri.
Paid for by Missourians for the Protection of Dogs / YES! on Prop B, Judy Peil, Treasurer