$100K Challenge Contestants Host Labor Day Weekend Events

Our $100K Challenge contestants aren’t resting on their laurels this holiday weekend. In fact, many agencies—who are engaged in a friendly competition to win $125K in prize money and save more animals’ lives—are hosting special adoption events this weekend to find homes for their adoptable pets. Check out three exciting events below!

Humane Society of Boulder Valley: Boulder, CO

For more information, please visit boulderhumane.org.

South Suburban Humane Society: Chicago Heights, IL

For more information about this event, please visit SSHS’s online calendar.

Kauai Humane Society: Kauai, Hawaii

For more information, please visit kauaihumane.org.

ASPCA Happy Tails: Mazel Tov!

Stuart Schenendorf of Manhattan first met his best buddy Barney at an ASPCA adopt-a-thon in 1998. He saw Barney’s cute mug in a photo, and immediately wanted to meet the charming pup. “When they opened his kennel, Barney ran out to me, spun around, sat at my feet, leaned back against my legs and looked up over his shoulder at me as if to say ‘I’m yours,’” Stuart recalls. “He is an incredibly affectionate dog and thrives on attention.”

Fast forward 12 years, and you have a deeply bonded pair who’ve been through many of life’s most significant moments together. One such life-changing experience occurred just a few months after the pair met. Deviating from their normal routine, they went for a long walk to a dog run in midtown Manhattan.

“Barney usually keeps to himself in dog runs, but that evening he started playing with a chocolate Lab,” explains Stuart. “I started talking to the dog’s owner, a beautiful, down-to-earth woman named Patti. Soon Patti and I started meeting at the dog run on a regular basis, watching Barney and her dog, Bailey, and getting to know each other along the way.”

Stuart adds: “Two years later, Bailey and Patti moved in with Barney and me, and six months later, Patti and I were married. The dogs remained just friends.”

Earlier this summer, Stuart and Patti started joking around about having a party for Barney to honor his thirteenth birthday. “When a Jewish boy or girl turns 13, the occasion is celebrated with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah—so why not host a 'Bark Mitzvah' for Barney?” Stuart laughs. “We thought we would make it fun and light, and not take it too seriously. We invited friends and their dogs, and asked for donations to the ASPCA.”

Held on June 19 in Manhattan’s Carl Schurz Park, the event was a rousing success and raised $200 for the ASPCA. The human guests enjoyed salad and sandwiches, while Barney’s four-legged friends munched on ample treats. Mazel tov, Barney!

For more successful adoption stories, please visit our Happy Tails archive. Or to learn how you can give back to the ASPCA in a special way, please visit our Honor Giving page.

Top Chef Masters Finalist Gets Cookin’ for the ASPCA

Forget the rubbery hotdogs associated with most sporting events, this year’s US Open in New York City is guaranteed to be a whole lot tastier. Their new Master Chef Cafe will feature dishes created exclusively for the US Open by a roster of celebrity chefs, including Tony Mantuano, Susan Feniger, Jonathan Waxman, Rick Moonen, and ASPCA supporter Carmen Gonzalez—all of whom were in the Champions' Round of the most recent season of Top Chef Masters.

Aside from providing first-rate cooking to hungry attendees, on Saturday, September 4, the chefs will compete in the Master Chef Championship Charity Competition. The chef who sells the most of their specially-created dish will win a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice. Cooking on behalf of the ASPCA will be Carmen Gonzalez, the former chef/owner of the nationally acclaimed Carmen the Restaurant—named “one of the best restaurants in America” by Esquire Magazine.

“We are thrilled that Chef Gonzalez has chosen the ASPCA as the benefactor of her potential prize,” says ASPCA’s Claire McCabe, Manager of Corporate Grassroots Fundraising. “We encourage all our members to get out there and enjoy the match—and of course some delicious food!”

For more information about launching your own fundraising efforts on behalf of the ASPCA, please contact Claire McCabe at clairem@aspca.org.

Saving Animals’ Lives: $100K Challenge Update, Part Two

  
Hear that? That’s the sound of our jaws hitting the floor as we continue to receive reports of the amazing progress of the ASPCA $100K Challenge contestants. These shelters are not only saving lives, but truly stretching their creative legs to come up with new and innovative ways to get their communities involved in the action. Check out what they’ve been up to during the third week of the contest. And P.S., if you’re rooting for any of the agencies featured here, please post this article to Twitter or Facebook and help spread the word about their amazing work!

In case you’re wondering, good grooming and hygiene can help save animals’ lives—and even break a Guinness World Record! Earlier this week, the Kansas Humane Society (KHS) hosted a tremendously successful $100K Challenge event at a hair salon in Wichita, KS. Salon owner and stylist Patrick Lomantini cut hair continuously for 72 hours. He completed 227 haircuts in 72 hours and earned a Guinness World Record as well as $1,625 in tips, which he donated to KHS. Wow, color us impressed.

South Suburban Humane Society—which hosts Funky $5 Feline Fridays, “Da Big Dog” tailgate parties and Midnight Madness adoption events—is really getting into the social spirit of things by trying to earn 100K fans on its Facebook page. The Chicago Heights, IL, agency is urging its supporters to ask all their friends and family to become fans and spread the message about SSHS’ great services. Speaking of taking things to the streets, Humane Society of Greater Dayton says “see you at the mall!” The Ohio agency has set up an offsite adoption center, the rather fancy-sounding MeowZa! cat boutique, at the Dayton Mall. “Cats and kittens are flying out of the store,” they blogged. Check out all the airborne feline action in the video below.

But it’s not all world records and flying cats out there. The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARLB) shared this heartwarming story of Bailey, a stray Chihuahua who slipped out of his collar on the evening of August 18 and found himself at the shelter the next morning. “We scanned Bailey and found a microchip,” blogged ARLB, “helping us reunite him with his pet parent 24 hours after he was lost.” Cheers!!

Read all the minute-by-minute action on our $100K Challenge blog.

Dogs in Cars Can Cause Risky Behavior Behind the Wheel

Whether it’s a joyride or a long haul, taking your dogs for a drive can be fun for everyone involved—but it’s important always to buckle up your pet. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 30,000 car accidents are caused annually by unrestrained pets. In a recent survey of dog parents by the American Automobile Association (AAA), 59% of respondents admitted to participating in at least one distracting behavior while driving with a dog. More than half pet their dog while driving, and 21% let their dog to sit in their laps.

Any behavior that takes a driver’s eyes off the road increases the risk of a crash, and stopping short can send an unrestrained dog flying, causing severe injury to pet and passengers. The ASPCA urges motoring pet parents to keep their pets safe and secure in the back seat in a well-ventilated crate, carrier, or harness. If you choose a crate or carrier, make sure it’s large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down and turn around in.

Here are some more tips to keep your end-of-summer road trips festive and injury-free:

• Always secure your pet’s crate so it won’t slide or shift in the event of a quick stop.
• Resist the urge to feed your furry friend in a moving vehicle—even if it’s during a long ride.
• Avoid letting your pet ride with his head outside the car window. He could be injured by flying objects!
• Bring along a favorite toy or pillow to give your pet a sense of familiarity and comfort.

For more helpful hints, please visit our Top 10 Tips for Safe Car Travel with Your Pet.