ASPCA Social Networks: Get Involved Now!

Want to be the first to find out about ASPCA arrests, raids and contests? There’s a whole galaxy of online options to help you stay connected up-to-the-minute with the ASPCA! Social networking sites are great for you and for us—we like them because you can give us instant feedback and we can respond back to you just as quickly. All of the following networking tools are free and help the ASPCA further our efforts to prevent cruelty to animals, so get involved now if you’re not already!

Twitter is hot right now! The ASPCA posts 8 to 10 instant animal welfare-related updates (or tweets) daily to our Twitter page, engaging our animal-loving subscribers (including rock legend Ozzy Osbourne) all day long. Check out our tweets on pet care tips and fighting animal cruelty, and post your own adoptable animals! You can also comment on News Alert using the Twitter hash tags below each article.
 
Facebook is home to our fan page and application that lets you virtually adopt our pets, and we’re giving away great prizes to Facebook app users each month! 
 
MySpace lets you put an ASPCA donation widget right on your profile and download tons of other cool stuff, like banners, custom layouts and cute animal wallpaper for your computer.

Flickr is where we post tons of photos of our adoptable pets and of national and local New York City events, like our annual Go Orange for Animals Celebration and our Shelter Dog Talent Show! Comment on our photos and tell us what you’d like to see more of.

The ASPCA Online Community is another great way for ASPCA members to talk to each other and exchange pet advice, photos and videos. As a member, you can also join live chats with ASPCA experts, including pet trainers, vets and Humane Law Enforcement Agents.
 
To find all of these links in one place, visit ASPCA.org/online-community.

Do you Twitter? Use this hashtag to tweet on this article: @aspca and #SocialNetworks

Do You Love Our New Facebook App as Much as We Do?

Around here, ASPCA employees happily swap animal stories, but you may not be as lucky at your office. You with the burning desire to talk about your pet to anyone who will listen—what to do, what to do?  Where can you find thousands of other animal lovers who are just as pet-passionate as you are? Answer: Facebook! We just launched our new app, Orange for ASPCA.

When you share your pet’s story on Orange for ASPCA, other animal lovers can leave you a comment, and even vote for your story as their favorite. You can also virtually adopt an available dog or cat from the ASPCA Adoption Center and gift the pet to your friends. So basically you show off your animals, you show off our animals, no one gets left out, and everyone’s happy.

Oh, and make sure you download the ASPCA Toolbar so you can raise money for us without spending a dime. Yay, an economy-friendly app!

Add the Orange for ASPCA application!

	Using the Orange for ASPCA app, you can to add your paw print to the world map. It’s a great way to leave your stamp on animal cruelty for everyone to see!

Tomorrow: Talk Puppy Mills With the Man Who’s Busted Hundreds of Them

Maybe 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 tomorrow, Friday, April 17—from noon to 2:00 P.M. EST to answer your questions during a live online discussion on the ASPCA Online Community.

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.

Join the discussion.

	Check out last year's Puppy Mill Discussion with Bob Baker to help you think of new questions for tomorrow's chat.

The More Embarrassing the Outfit, the Better

You’ve been hearing us talk about going orange. A LOT.  We want to make sure you get to show off your efforts, so we’re holding a Go Orange Photo Contest. Show us your pets sporting their best orange gear—dogs, cats, bunnies, horses…all species look good in orange! So get creative, grab your camera and send us your best shot! Top ten winners will be featured on our website in May and receive an ASPCA Prize Pack. 
 
And remember, we only want photos of happy pets. Please make sure the outfit you choose is not irritating or constricting. If your pet seems the least bit uncomfortable or restricted, try a simple orange bandana or a small orange bow attached to her collar. Check out our precautions for dressing pets. (As long as your pet is comfy, it’s OK with us if his outfit embarrasses him. He’ll forgive you…eventually.)

	If your dog has a regular group of canine friends at the park, try arranging a group photo! You can bring orange bandanas for all the dogs. Send photos to website@aspca.org.

Tomorrow: Chat with Officer Annemarie Lucas!

You’ve seen her on our hit series Animal Precinct, and now you can talk to her one on one! ASPCA Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas will join us for a live, online discussion tomorrow, April 2. This is a special opportunity to chat with one of the ASPCA’s Finest and learn about preventing animal cruelty. Officer Lucas’s chat will kick off our ongoing celebrations throughout April, which is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.

The discussion will take place on the ASPCA Online Community from noon to 2:00 P.M. EST. Save the date—you don’t want to miss this one!

	When you report cruelty to an officer, it’s very important to be as specific as you can. If possible, try to photograph the abusive situation and date your pictures.

Ask the Animal Poison Control Center: Live Chat Today

To celebrate National Poison Prevention Week, which runs through Sunday, we’re holding a special live chat with Dr. Eric Dunayer, Veterinary Toxicologist from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center He will be on hand today, March 20, to answer all your questions about protecting pets from harmful substances.

	Don’t have time to join the chat? Find your answers on our website when you visit the Animal Poison Control Center.

Don’t Listen to Mama—Be a Follower

A Twitter follower, that is! After recently joining the Twitterverse, we now have over 1,000 followers. Go us!

Join us on Twitter and stay up to date on what we’re up to here at the ASPCA. Be our Tweep. Don’t be a twerp. Tweet your friends about us! Let’s give ‘em something to twalk about. Ick, enough of that. See you on Twitter!

	Tweet! :)

Today: Live Chat with ASPCA Expert on the Human-Animal Bond

It’s been a year, and I still mourn my dog. Is this normal?
Help, my dorm roommate and my cat don’t get along!
My fiancé says it’s me—or my new puppy!

The human-animal bond is a unique relationship that affects people and pets in profound ways. Here to help us understand and nurture this special bond is the ASPCA’s Dr. Stephanie LaFarge, Senior Director of Counseling Services. Dr. LaFarge, who specializes in human-animal relationships and grief counseling, will join us in a live discussion Friday, March 6, on our ASPCA Online Community. Catch her today between noon and 2:00 P.M. EST!

	If you have a friend who has recently lost a pet, remember that she is grieving for a family member. You can bring food or lend a friendly ear to help during this difficult time.

Cuz You Know Your Dog Is So Much Cuter

How can you tell if your dog has what it takes to be on TV?

How do you handle a cat who is spooked by the lights?

Can a dog easily adapt to his ‘stage family’?

If you’ve seen a pooch in a pet-food commercial and thought to yourself, “My dog could do that!,” then you should join today’s live discussion with Victoria Wells, ASPCA Manager of Shelter Behavior & Training. Victoria, whom you’ve seen on Animal Precinct, will share her expertise on training animals for the camera. The chat will take place Friday 1/9, from noon to 2:00 P.M. EST, on the ASPCA Online Community.

Why she rocks: Victoria trains animals for music videos, commercials and film, and it is her policy to only work on a project that portrays animals in a positive light. So, join the chat and find out if your little superstar has what it takes!

	Join the ASPCA Online Community to meet fellow animal lovers and share tips on helping animals!