No More Homeless Pets | BLOG

Take the Double Your Impact Challenge!

claudia perrone — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:20:00 GMT

Twice is nice! Today begins the Best Friends Double Your Impact Challenge, raising money for animal welfare groups nationwide.

And so it begins — the Double Your Impact Challenge to raise $25,000 in 25 days for animal groups helping Best Friends bring about a time of No More Homeless Pets.

Starting Nov. 9, Best Friends will match every dollar (up to $500 per individual donation) donated to the animal welfare groups participating in the challenge. We encourage our members and supporters to take the challenge and give what they can, knowing that these groups are all instrumental in helping us achieve our mission.

Created as part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary celebration, the challenge lasts until December 4 or when a total of $25,000 in donations to all organizations is reached — whichever comes first. That means a total of $50,000 could be dispersed among participating groups, advancing our No More Homeless Pets mission in communities throughout the U.S.

To learn more about those groups and to donate, click here.

“We’re excited to offer this opportunity for Network Charities groups, and we’re asking the animal loving public to donate whatever they can,” says Lavanya Raju, Network Charities coordinator. “Best Friends will help your dollar go twice as far. These groups are saving animals everyday and they need everyone’s support to continue their efforts.”

The Network Charities Program helps participating groups promote their life-saving work on the Best Friends Network and allows them to communicate with a like-minded audience of 80,000 animal-loving users. All groups eligible to receive donations in the challenge are 501(c) (3) non-profits, committed, like Best Friends, to achieving a time of No More Homeless Pets.

We urge those groups that have yet to apply for the program to do so now, so they can take advantage of the Double Your Impact Challenge. Once approved by Best Friends to participate in the challenge, a wealth of possibilities opens up, including the abilities to:

Create your own mini website on the Best Friends Network.
Accept donations online.
Announce and promote fundraisers, awareness-raisers, adoptions and other events.
Educate viewers about your organization, the work you’re doing, the issues you confront, and ways the public can help.
Recruit volunteers from the Best Friends volunteer database.

To help groups get the word out about their participation in the challenge, we’ve created a media “buzz kit” that will live on the Network Charities landing page. The kit includes a flyer you can post at your shelter, your office or around town. It also allows you to auto-update your Facebook or Twitter page with a message urging people to take the Double Your Impact Challenge and click on the link to the Network Charities page, where they can make their donation to your group.

In addition, Best Friends is providing a graphic you can post on your group’s website, Best Friends Network page, Facebook page, blog — wherever it will help get the word out to your supporters.

If you know of a non-profit group that shares our No More Homeless Pets mission and could benefit from the Double Your Impact Challenge, be sure to inform them of this incredible opportunity.

Click here to see a promotional video about the challenge.

For more information on the Network Charities Program, click here.

To submit an application on behalf of your group, click here.

Photos by Best Friends staff

Win a trip to the Lint Roller Party!

claudia perrone — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:02:00 GMT

It’s Best Friend’s gala event of the year, and we want to send one lucky winner and a guest to be a part of it.

August 31, 2009, 6:26AM MT

By Best Friends staff

It’s glitzy, glamorous, celebrity-packed, and it’s all for the animals. It’s the Lint Roller Party, and Best Friends is going to send one winner of our win-a-trip drawing and guest to attend it. The annual event raises funds for the Best Friends’ Los Angeles Programs, a vital cog in our mission to bring about a time of No More Homeless Pets.

This year, the Lint Roller Party will be held on October 3, 2009 at the Hollywood Palladium. To celebrate Best Friends 25^th anniversary, we’ll be going back in time to the year Best Friends was founded, and partying like it’s 1984. To that end, the Bangles (one of the greatest all-female bands ever) will be providing the live entertainment, and a D.J. will be spinning all the favorites of the decade.

Vegetarian cuisine by Wolfgang Puck, auctions, open bar and dancing until midnight round out the evening.

The chair of this year’s Lint Roller honorary committee and the recipient of a special award is actress Katherine Heigl, star of “Grey’s Anatomy” and the summer blockbuster “The Ugly Truth.”

The winner of the drawing and his or her guest will receive:

free airfare to/from Los Angeles
two-nights accommodation at the famed Roosevelt Hotel
VIP passes to Lint Roller, which includes reserved premiere seating, VIP lounge access and valet parking
tickets to the pre-party Founders’ Reception, where you can hobnob with the people who built Best Friends from the ground up and chat with the stars of National Geographic Channel’s “DogTown”
the chance to walk the Red Carpet

… all in all, a prize worth around $2,000, and a great way to support Best Friends while having a great time in la-la land.

To enter is easy. Simply text “PARTY” to 90999 on your cell phone.* You will then be entered to win, plus you’ll receive text alerts from Best Friends. (You’ll also receive a message asking if you’d like to donate $5 to Best Friends. Of course, the donation is not necessary to enter the drawing.)

The win-a-trip drawing has already begun and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 13. The winner will be announced on Thursday, September 17. Stay tuned to our website for the announcement.

For more information on the Lint Roller Party, click here.

* Free SMS Service is available on most carriers. Standard/Other messaging rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. For more information please visit mGive.com/e. No purchase necessary.

Photos by AndySheng

As part of Best Friends 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.

Don't miss 09NMHP!

claudia perrone — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:47:00 GMT

Want to network with like-minded people? Then mark your fall calendar, because Best Friends is gearing up to host another memorable No More Homeless Pets National Conference in Las Vegas.

To learn more about the conference and to register to attend, click here.

The three-day weekend focuses on tried-and-true approaches in grassroots animal welfare that are all about the no-kill movement and how to be more effective for the animals in communities across the nation and beyond. More than that, says Claudia Perrone, the conference is “definitely about networking opportunities and enjoying Las Vegas at the same time.” Last year’s event, also in Las Vegas, attracted 650 attendees.

Attend the NMHP Conference

There’s still time to register before September 14 to take advantage of the early-bird discount for the conference, which is being held at the Rio Hotel-Casino October 23-25. Go here to register.

For the keynote speech this year, instead of having just one speaker, co-founders Faith Maloney and Francis Battista and interim CEO and co-founder Gregory Castle will be addressing attendees Friday evening at the welcome reception.

Included as speakers at one of many workshops are Best Friends’ Dog Care co-manager Michelle Besmehn and training expert Ann Allums, both of whom are stars of National Geographic Channel’s “DogTown” series, which showcases Best Friends’ work with abused, neglected and abandoned dogs. With Besmehn and Allums, you’ll learn training techniques straight from the pros.

Register Now!

Talking about social media and how to effectively use it to help the animals is Jon Dunn, Best Friends’ all-around Internet guru and social media manager. (To see some of Best Friends’ social media sites, go to Twitter and Facebook.

But it’s not just Best Friends’ experts you’ll be hearing from. There’s a cross-section of speakers from rescue groups and organizations across the nation and Canada to fill out the seminars, panels and workshops, making it a multi-faceted weekend with something for everyone. Included in the sessions will be innovative tips on how to survive in animal welfare during an economic downturn. Other current issues being addressed include expert advice and guidance on converting pet stores to humane stores and stopping puppy mills.

And back by popular demand to speak again this year are Nathan Winograd, director of the No-Kill Advocacy Center and Mike Arms, president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Meet and Greet!

As an added treat, this year mark’s Best Friends’ 25th anniversary. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet the founders and learn first-hand about their journey, beginning in 1984, and how they started out small and ended up becoming leaders in grassroots, no-kill, animal welfare, spearheading the No More Homeless Pets movement.

Represented groups, besides Best Friends, include PetSmart Charities, Alley Cat Allies, Project Bay Cat, and the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs, among many others. Click here for a list of presenters.

As the conference brochure says, “We'll be bringing the innovators to you. It’s your chance to network and discuss methods and cutting-edge programs that are saving animals in communities nationwide.”

Written by Cathy Scott
Photos by Clay Myers

To learn more about the conference and to register to attend, click here .

As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.

Team NMHP Steps Up To The Pet Food Plate

claudia perrone — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Four Legged Food Drive Set To Launch

By Sandy Miller

Pet owners are struggling out there. They’re losing their jobs, their 401ks, and sometimes their homes. For many of them, just keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the kitchen table is a daily struggle.

As a result, some pet owners are relinquishing the four-legged members of their families to shelters because they can no longer afford to feed them. It breaks their hearts, but they just don’t see any other way out. Meanwhile, not-so-responsible pet owners are just abandoning their pets, and shelters and rescues are struggling to keep up with the growing numbers of pets coming through their doors.

“Every community has a problem of homeless pets,” says Ellen Gilmore, campaign specialist for Best Friends’ First Home Forever Home campaign. “The economy has really done a lot of damage. Some people are going hungry to feed their animals. We’re hearing from groups across the country that the relinquish rate has increased in recent years.”

Best Friends’ First Home Forever Home campaign doesn’t think anyone—human or animal—should go hungry. And that’s why First Home Forever Home, one of four Best Friends’ campaigns aimed at reaching the goal of No More Homeless Pets, is launching its summer Four-Legged Food Drive in early July.

It’s very much a grassroots effort, with Best Friends Team No More Homeless Pets volunteers ready to launch in almost a dozen cities across the nation. No More Homeless Pets teams are already at work in cities in Florida, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington.

“There’s a great need out there which is why this project was born,” Gilmore says. “There are a lot of people out there who are struggling financially and a way to help them is to help them feed their pets. We want to support the food pantry work that’s already happening in communities.”

These volunteers know their own communities better than anyone, and they’re stepping up to the plate to collect pet food for local food banks to distribute to families in need.

“The volunteers are just amazing,” Gilmore says. “They’re bringing to the project a great deal of energy and logistics that would not be possible without them.”

Sherry Johnson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of those volunteers. Johnson, with the help of other volunteers that include members of the local high school football team, will be collecting pet food at tables in front of local stores for Ellie’s Pet Pantry, a local pet food bank at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. Families who have lost their jobs can go to Ellie’s Pet Pantry and get food for their pets. Ellie’s Pet Pantry also distributes pet food to local food banks.

Why did Johnson decide to get involved?
“I want to help keep pets in their homes with the families that love them and out of shelters,” Johnson says. “If it keeps one family pet out of a shelter, I will consider this a success.”

Jackie Roach of Omaha, Nebraska, is another one of those dedicated volunteers. She and her fellow volunteers will be collecting pet food for the Omaha Food Bank. Her goal is to collect 4,000 pounds of dog food this summer for struggling families in Omaha.

“Animal welfare is my passion,” Roach says. “I volunteer each week as an adoption counselor for the Nebraska Humane Society and I see first-hand the sad stories of people forced to surrender their pets due to economic difficulty. I pet them and see their confused faces. They don’t understand why they have been dropped off in a strange place. They wonder where their family is.”

Roach hopes the Four-Legged Food Drive will help more pets stay with their families.
“If obtaining food can help alleviate some of the burden and even one pet can stay with its family, then we’ve accomplished our goal,” Roach says.

Participating Cities

Florida, Brevard County
Florida, Jacksonville
Florida, Orlando
Nevada, Las Vegas
Nebraska, Omaha
North Carolina, Raleigh
Oregon, Portland & Eugene
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Texas, Arlington
Utah, Salt Lake City
Washington, Longview/Kelso
Washington, Seattle

How You Can Help
Contact your local food bank to make a donation of pet food. First Home Forever Home is compiling a list of organizations that provide pet food to families in need. See our list in the Pet Food Banks folder on the resources in this community.

For More Information
The goal of Best Friends’ First Home Forever Home campaign is to help people make and honor a lifetime commitment to their pets. Millions of companion animals die every year in crowded shelters because their families decided to let them go for some reason. Through education, intervention and action, First Home Forever Home provides guidance and resources to help people care for their pets and keep them as loved members of their families. Read more about the First Home Forever Home campaign.

For more information on First Home Forever Home’s Four-Legged Food Drive and how you can help struggling pet owners in your community, e-mail Ellen Gilmore at elleng@bestfriends.org.

Main photo by Molly Wald, Best Friends photographer
In-story photos by Clay Myers, Best Friends photographer
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends Network editor

Pup My Ride to the Rescue

claudia perrone — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:13:00 GMT

More than 200 puppy mill dogs headed to New York and new beginnings

By Cathy Scott, Best Friends staff writer

More than 200 dogs, from puppies to middle-aged adults, are resting easier today. The cast-off canines were just saved from commercial breeders in Missouri in a successful joint effort between animal rescue groups, including Best Friends.

Typically killed to make room for more, these lucky dogs—either used-up breeders or puppies deemed too old to be sold at pet stores—are being driven to New York to waiting foster groups after rescuers were allowed to enter the breeding farms and retrieve them.

Most of the dogs were understandably frightened when the rescue took place. “It’s a pretty crazy day for them,” says Jeff Popowich, Best Friends’ animal care operations manager. “Coming out of the wire cages they’ve always lived in and into plastic carriers is scary.”

Dogs Of All Varieties
On Saturday, May 9, Popowich and Best Friends Dogtown co-manager Michelle Besmehn went inside a mill that housed dogs in wire-floored cages. “We pulled about 60,” Popowich says. “A few of them are really matted with fleas and ticks.”

Still, he notes, all things considered, “They’re in pretty good shape.”

Pulled from another breeder’s property were 72 dogs of all varieties—cocker spaniels whose matted fur looked like dreadlocks, standard-sized poodles with overgrown coats, miniature pinschers, jack russell terriers, Shelties, Chihuahuas, yellow, chocolate and black Labrador retrievers, King Charles spaniels and malteses, shih-tzus and llaso apsos so dirty rescuers couldn’t tell the color of their fur.

“There are some that are friendly [but] most are totally terrified,” says Kelli Ohrtman, specialist for Best Friends’ Puppy Mills Campaign, who organized the Pup My Ridetransport and found the rescue groups to take the dogs. “They’re absolutely filthy. One cocker is super matted with big bald spots where the hair has been pulled out. We’re seeing tumors and hernias and deformed feet.”

Despite the conditions, a few are already coming around. “Some start wagging their tails when you hold them for a while,” Ohrtman says.

The rescue and transport of the dogs is part of Best Friends' Puppies Aren't Productsnational campaign, which targets the retail end of commercial breeding through demonstrations at puppy stores, to let unsuspecting consumers know the truth behind mills. Puppy mill dogs, Ohrtman says, make up a large percentage of the 4 to 5 million pets killed each year in American animal shelters.

Click on image to view video.

From Missouri to New York
On this day, 200-plus dogs were saved and are now on their way to new lives. After rescuing them, they were seen by a veterinarian, given exams and vaccinations, and then transferred to a large air-conditioned transport truck to be driven to New York.

The worst of the matted dogs, Popowich says, were groomed and shaved down the first night so they’d be more comfortable.

On Monday, May 11, they’ll be handed over in Port Washington, New York, to several rescue groups, including North Shore Animal League America. North Shore will take the majority, with a few smaller groups in New York taking in some and Best Friends taking some back to Kanab, Utah, as well.

Eager to greet them in the Port Washington hamlet of Long Island will be Devera Lynn, vice President of Communications at North Shore, who says her group is happy to help.

“These are living, breathing little souls who have never walked on the ground, never felt human touch or love and have been kept in a small cage just to breed,” Lynn says. “We’re happy to be a part of this and to be able to save so many lives, to find wonderful, loving homes so they can enjoy life to the fullest, as they should.”

Pure Joy
Theresa Strader, founder of National Mill Dog Rescue, couldn’t agree more. It’s what her group, which was founded in 2007, is all about.

“It’s pure joy,” she says when asked how it feels to save that many dogs in one day from breeding farms. “This is a culmination of a lot of hard work, and it’s completely joyous.”

This transport operation is the first in what is hoped to be a series of taking rescued dogs from puppy mills to foster groups. Donations toward that effort help make even more transports possible and are greatly appreciated, Ohrtman says.

How You Can Help
• Stay on top of this rescue and road trip to Manhattan by reading the blog.
• North Shore Animal League America will announce later in the week when the dogs will be available for adoption. Please visit their website to inquire about adopting.
• Donate to the Best Friends’ Puppies Aren’t Products campaign to help shut down unethical breeders.
• Learn more about puppy mills, visit Puppies Aren't Products.
• To learn how puppy mills trick unsuspecting owners and use the internet to sell dogs,click here.
• The perfect dog for your family, purebred or mixed breed, can be found at a rescue group or shelter. Please visit Petfinder.com to start the search.

Groups Involved in the Rescue
• Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter
• National Mill Dog Rescue
• Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association
• North Shore Animal League America
• St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center
• Sumter Disaster Animal Response Team Inc

Photos by Sarah Ause, Best Friends photographer
Video by Jason Watt, Best Friends staff
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends staff

Puppies Aren’t Products: Las Vegas is in Full Swing

claudia perrone — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:12:00 GMT

Join the fun (we need you!)

Can you hang a poster? Do you enjoy educating people about puppy mills and pet stores? Do you want to be involved in a positive program that has a direct impact on puppy mills and pet stores? If so, the Puppies Aren’t Products campaign needs you!

We need to reach more people who aren’t aware of puppy mills—the ones who may still walk into a Las Vegas store and come out with a puppy. A month ago, the Puppies Aren’t Products campaign launched in Las Vegas with peaceful demonstrations in front of Chi-Chi Couture Puppies. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many honks, waves and thumbs up from passers-by. A dedicated team of about twenty volunteers has made it possible to start the campaign, and now it’s time to branch out and really start making an impact. Below are the specific volunteer jobs we need your help with:

Posters and Flyers
It’s an easy, cheap and effective way to reach people. All you need to do is pick up a stack of posters from our point person, and hit your favorite hang outs. Any coffee shop, library, grocery store, groomer, veterinarian office etc. with a bulletin board is fair game for getting our message out there.

Tabling
We provide the materials and a little coaching, you host an informational table where people can stop by and learn about pet stores and puppy mills. Think grocery stores, home improvement stores—places where the management has an animal-friendly attitude. We are looking for people to be at a table a couple hours, once a week, and also for someone to help organize this effort, to line up new locations for informational tables.

Demonstration Participant
It’s the most fun a person can legally have while standing on a street corner for three hours on a Saturday. Our demonstrations are calm, fun and positive. You hold a sign and hand out literature to interested people passing by. We provide a (mandatory) one-hour training so you’re prepared to answer questions on the issue and the pet store, and to make sure we’re all keeping things safe and legal.

Legislative Ally
Do you care about seeing lasting change to Nevada’s puppy mills? Lawmakers are considering several bills that would regulate Nevada’s breeders, and they need to hear from people who care about animal welfare. It’s as simple as a few clicks on the state legislative website, or making a call to a committee member. If you’re up for it, going to hearings will show support for important legislation, and you can have a hand in seeing it passed.

How to get Involved
Contact: Cherie Damron, No More Homeless Pets specialist
Email: cheried@bestfriends.org
Call: 435.644.2001 x4512

For more information about the campaign, visitpuppiesarentproducts.com

Posted by Kelli Ohrtman: Best Friends Animal Society
Photo by Clay Myers

Join the fight against puppy mills in Las Vegas

claudia perrone — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Responsible breeders would never sell their dogs in pet stores.

Pet stores will tell you that they do not get their dogs from puppy mills, however, only these mass-breeding facilities can keep pet stores full of puppies.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PUPPY IN THE PET STORE WINDOW:

Almost all dogs in pet stores come from puppy mills: This has been proven through extensive investigations even though the dogs are marketed as “AKC certified” or “from reputable” or “USDA licensed” breeders.

In Las Vegas alone, 27,000 homeless pets are killed every year. That means that 74 pets are killed every day in Las Vegas because no one adopted them.

As many as 40% of the dogs in Las Vegas animal shelters are purebred.

There is a serious pet overpopulation crisis in our country. Stores that sell puppies are adding to this crisis. If you are looking for a purebred dog, please go to a shelter or breed-specific rescue group. There you pay only a small adoption fee. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars to buy a purebred dog. And when you adopt, you save a life.

Please boycott stores that sell puppies. ANY money spent supports and perpetuates a cycle of cruel treatment of animals. There are several pet supply stores nearby that do not sell puppy mill dogs. (see listings below)

If you’ve had an experience purchasing a sick dog from a pet store, please consider sharing your story with us so that we may educate others. Email: kellio@bestfriends.org

If the demand for pet store puppies ceases, retail establishments will stop selling them. And you can help make that happen by informing the public about the true origin of those pups. Get started today and join Best Friends Puppies Aren’t Products team and rally together for peaceful protests. You CAN make a difference!

Interested in volunteering? Email: tiffanih@bestfriends.org

For more information, visit us online at: www.puppiesarentproducts.com

To search for available dogs from all Las Vegas groups, go to our Find a Pet feature and search by zip code.

Pet Apparel and Supplies that do not sell puppy mill dogs:

Puppy Enterprises
1780 N. Buffalo Dr.
(702) DOG-TALK

Healthy Tails
8457 West Lake Mead Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV
702-656-1700

Three Dog Bakery
2110 N. Rampart, Suite 150
Las Vegas, NV
702.737.3364

PetSmart
2140 N Rainbow Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 631-8422

ADOPTION CENTERS

Las Vegas Valley Humane Society
3395 S. Jones Blvd., #454
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 434-2009
www.lvvhumane.org

Lied Animal Shelter/Animal Foundation
655 N. Mojave Rd.
Las Vegas, NV
702-384-3333
www.liedanimalshelter.org

Henderson Animal Care & Control
300 E. Galleria
Henderson, NV
702-267-4970
www.cityofhenderson.com/animal_control

Nevada SPCA
4800 W. Dewey Drive. Las Vegas, NV
702-873-7722
www.nevadaspca.org

ADOPTION OPTIONS

Southern Nevada Pug Rescue (SNPR)
702-883-0740
www.rescuepugs.com

Doggie Protective Services
www.dpsrescue.org

Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary
702-227-5555
www.hcws.org

German Shepherd Rescue - Las Vegas
702-430-1881
www.germanshepherdrescuelasvegas.com

Las Vegas Basset Hound Rescue
702-232-8480
www.rescuebassets.com

Southern Nevada Schnauzer Rescue
702-203-7439
www.petfinder.com/shelters/NV87.html

Adopt a Rescue Pet
702-798-8663
www.adoptarescuepet.org

Siberian Husky and Malamute Rescue of Southern NV
www.petfinder.com/shelters/NV40.html

Day One Complete for River Valley Rescue

claudia perrone — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:20:00 GMT

Rescuers Use Traps, Stealth and Leftover Quesadillas to Wrangle Over 100 Free-roaming Dogs

By Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff

As the morning sun begins to shine on the bare branches surrounding the Missouri Ozarks, the bay of a dog echoes across the fields ringing in a new day for nearly 150 abandoned dogs.

The night before, a trio of three dedicated rescue workers—Rich Crook, Best Friends field team leader; Kelli Ohrtman, Best Friends field communications officer; and Elizabeth Wainwright from the Missouri Department of Agriculture—sat huddled around a table at Ruby Tuesday’s in Southwest Missouri discussing plans to remove the dogs from the property the following morning.

An Ambitious Day
Capture. Assess. Identify. Tag and kennel. The process seems simple enough. It’s the execution of that process over 100 times in a row that complicates things. That and winning over the shy dogs that have learned nothing good comes from humans—and dealing with the occasional escape artist.

Best Friends was on site to help stabilize a situation that careened out of control after the kennel owner, who did not have a breeder’s license for his River Valley Puppies Kennels, set fire to the property after state officials arrived to take over custody of the dogs.

Working alongside Noah’s Wish, a California-based animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to rescuing and sheltering animals in disasters, the teams spent the day wrangling and caring for dogs.

Dispersed across 100 partially fenced acres, the teams used food to attract dogs to them, traps to ensnare the more shy ones, and stealth maneuvers to sneak up on others.

Says Ohrtman, “Groups of dogs would be huddled together in a field sleeping. We would sneak up on them, put cables around their necks, they’d wake up and we lead them away.”

And if that didn’t work, a leftover quesadilla from Ruby Tuesday’s was certain to do the trick.

Sammy: Liver and White Springer Spaniel, First Time On A Leash

Curled up on a cement slab in a deep sleep, Ohrtman tiptoed up to the slumbering dog and carefully looped a leash around his neck. Having lived most of his life in a cage, the sensation of a leash was new to him, and one he did not like.

Says Ohrtman, “He stopped struggling after he realized we weren’t fighting back. Then he began to shake, flopped over and froze.” Team members gently pet the dog and talked in soothing voices to try and reassure the terrified animal. Then ever so gently, they tipped him into a kennel, took off the leash at which point he got up and was fine.

Sissy: German Short Hair, Pregnant and Emaciated
Sissy is a young liver and white German shorthaired pointer. She’s carrying a sagging belly full of unborn puppies on a too skinny body that shows every rib.

Sissy found herself contained after she wandered into a trap in search of food. After being transferred to a kennel, Sissy surprised her captures by bolting out the kennel door as it was opened to provide fresh water. And even though her antics required workers to chase her down for a second time, Ohrtman remarks, “She’s very sweet. And who could blame her for not wanting to go back into a cage.”

No Name: Black and White Springer Spaniel, Possible Health Complication
Just as the team was ready to call it a night, a Best Friends team member stumbled upon a black and white bundled curled into the corner of an old barn. “We’re worried about this one,” she says. “The poor thing has a large lump on the side of her face. And she was so easy to catch—scared, but very gentle and sweet.”

Day One Ends, Day Two On The Horizon
And so, the first day of wrangling dogs comes to a close. To be repeated again tomorrow. The crew left with approximately 50 dogs still on site and yet to be captured.

Says Ohrtman, “It’s a really chaotic and tragic situation.” The burned down buildings are still smoldering. And the dogs are covered in grey ash.

She adds, “Ninety percent of these dogs are friendly. They just need to be in a safe place and they’ll come around just fine.”

Integral to the success of the rescue effort are the organizations who are taking the dogs to adopt them out. Some of these groups include:
• No More Homeless Pets, KC
• English Springer Rescue of America
• Central Missouri Humane Society in Columbia

How You Can Help
• Volunteers are not needed at the puppy mill site, but people interested in helping can make a donation for the care of the dogs by visiting puppymills.bestfriends.org.

• Join The Truth About the Pet Trade community to learn more about how you can help in your community.

http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/

• Never purchase a dog over the internet without inspecting the property from where the dogs were raised. For more information about how puppy mills trick unsuspecting owners and use the internet to sell dogs, click here.

Photograph by Gary Kalpakoff, Best Friends Staff

Volunteer For Best Friend's Mobile Adoptions in the Los Angeles Area!

claudia perrone — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:13:00 GMT

Volunteers needed for Mobile adoptions currently take place on the first and third Saturday of each month at the following locations:

1st Saturday of month:

West Hollywood Park, Robertson and Santa Monica Blvds, from noon to 3pm beginning Feb. 7th.

3rd Saturday of month:

Encino Park, 16953 Ventura Blvd, Encino CA 91316., from noon to 3pm beginning February 21st.
(on the north side of Ventura, one block west of Balboa)

Volunteer needs are the following:

Set-up at 11am the morning of the mobiles
Transport and handle the Best Friends dogs at Blue Dog Boarding - (Must be experienced and strong dog handler)
Handle and show dogs for independent rescuers- (Must have attended dog handling class given before each Best Friends Super Adoption or made other arrangements with Robin Harmon.)

Mobile adoptions are a lot of fun! The atmosphere is more relaxed than our big Super Adoptions—have fun with like-minded animal lovers (dogs, cats and people) and enjoy you day in the park!

If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Robin Harmon, Volunteer Manager of Best Friends Animal Society, Los Angeles at RobinH@bestfriends.org and let her know if:

1. you can volunteer on Saturday, February 21st and what you would like to do.

2. you want to be included in the email blasts about our mobile adoptions, if you are not already.

Original News Story Posted by Julie Flinn, Best Friends Network Volunteer

Sports Illustrated Scores Big for Pit Bulls

claudia perrone — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Publication helps further break stereotypes

In the latest issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, writer Jim Gorant wrote an article following up on the dogs rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. In one segment of the article, Sports Illustrated gracefully took responsibility for, as Jim Gorant states “The pit bull's p.r….hysteria reached its apex with a 1987 Sports Illustrated cover that featured a snarling pit bull below the headline beware of this dog.”

It is rare that one of the most well known publications in America would admit to such a professional fumble. It may have taken 21 years, but admitting fault and going further to give updates on the Vick dogs' progress is a huge step in dispelling the "pit bull aggression" myth.

The core of the article follows a small handful of dogs adjusting to ‘normalcy’ after living a life of violence and abuse. This is the latest stride made on behalf of the dogs that have been victims of criminals, uninformed local governments and sometimes even animal welfare agencies themselves.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

► Join the Stop Breed Specific Legislation community on the Best Friends Network for more on how you can help.

► Read 10 Things To Do If You Suspect Dog Fighting

► If you want to help directly, please consider sponsoring one of the 22 Vicktory (SM) dogs currently residing at Best Friends, including Georgia , Ellen, Curly, Cherry, or Lucas.

by Ed Fritz, Best Friends staff
image of Tiki, Best Friends Animal Society

Blog posted by Claudia Perrone, Best Friends Animal Society

Important Wins In Pet Store Efforts!

claudia perrone — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:02:00 GMT

The Puppy Store and Pet Headquarters agree to change.

Last Chance For Animals has notched up two important achievements in the ongoing effort to end the sale of puppy mill dogs in retail pet outlets.

Last week LCA announced that two stores in California, The Puppy Store on trendy Melrose Avenue also known as “Orange Bone,” due to it’s large dog bone shaped logo, and Pet Headquarters, a long standing Malibu pet store both agreed to change their business model after months of peaceful protests led by Last Chance with enthusiastic support from local animal lovers.

According to a report on KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Pet Headquarters has committed to dropping the sale of puppies altogether and will go to a pet supply, pet food and grooming model and The Puppy Store will break new ground by offering only shelter animals for sale.

Kim Sill, who has coordinated the protests for LCA told ABC7 reporter Miriam Hernandez that the Pet Headquarters owner should be honored because the change he is making is a big deal that he didn’t have to do. LCA is supporting and promoting both stores in acknowledgement of their commitment to a humane model.

Best Friends seconds that. It is important that animal lovers in the community support stores that make the switch to a humane model with their business and good word of mouth.

For more information about LCA’s puppy mill campaign visit: http://www.lcanimal.org/

To view the ABC7 news report click here http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6568943

By Francis Battista: Best Friends Animal Society
Posted by Kelli Ohrtman
Photo: Kim Sill

Blog posted by Claudia Perrone

Social "Petworking" in Los Angeles

claudia perrone — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:14:00 GMT

No More Homeless Pets “Social Petworking” campaign wraps up LA tour this weekend.

Momentum has been gathering these past few weeks as volunteers hit beaches, parks and canyons throughout the LA area in an effort to raise awareness and recruit new members. Here's a few fun facts about the last 3 weeks:

To date, over 450 people have opted in by texting “LAPets” to short code 42107.
One of the rescue dogs, Charlie, has found his forever home!

Was your photo taken or your shelter story heard at one of our events? Check the Facebook Flickr and YouTube sections to find your photos and videos!

Here’s where to find us next—just look for the bright orange T-shirts and tent!

12/13 | Venice Beach from 10am-1pm and Santa Monica 3rd St Promenade from 2-5pm
12/14 | Runyon Canyon from 10am-1pm | Bring your pooch and help our cause to create a day with No More Homeless Pets

Check out the Best Friends LA Programs community on the Network to find out what our crew is up to, and how you can get involved. From Pup My Ride (a transport program that saves shelter dogs) to Catnippers to the Lint Roller Party, there's something for everyone!

There is so much good going on for animals in the LA area. Visit our Los Angeles community for the latest scoop! This community features a lot of stories written by our incredible volunteers, and it's THE place to go to be well-informed and get active.

Story posted Claudia Perrone, Best Friends Network Staff
Photos by Claudia Perrone

Pet Love of Beverly Hills Prepares To Close

claudia perrone — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:50:00 GMT

As ‘Puppy-Store-Free LA Campaign’ Exposes Puppy Mills

December 9, Press Release from Best Friends Animal Society

American consumers are becoming more aware of puppy mills these days, which is causing some Los Angeles, CA pet shops to go out of business.

The latest is Pet Love, a Beverly Hills pet retailer that for 15 years has been located in the upscale Beverly Center. This week, the Beverly Center said it will terminate Pet Love’s lease sometime in the next few months.

Pet Love’s eviction from the Beverly Center could become part of a national trend, according to Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal rescue organization that has been educating Los Angeles residents about puppy mills, mass commercial breeding operations that supply pet shops with inventory.

Because puppy mills flood the market with approximately 400,000 animals each year, it contributes significantly to the plight of overcrowded animal shelters in the United States, where each year approximately five million homeless pets are put down. In Los Angeles shelters alone, approximately 25 percent of dogs are pure-bred animals, many of which end up euthanized.

“Puppy mills are cruel, inhumane places and the public is becoming wise to where pet shops procure their animals,” said Elizabeth Oreck, Los Angeles program manager for the national animal rescue organization Best Friends Animal Society. “When you buy from a pet store, chances are you are supporting puppy mills, and the more likely it is that dogs will be euthanized in shelters.”

The Pet Love closure is the result of Best Friends Animal Society’s “A Puppy-Store-Free LA” campaign, launched last July at a Los Angeles news conference. The campaign includes a fourpoint program for Los Angeles that includes peaceful protests outside of stores that sell puppies, undercover investigative work, plans to change local ordinances, and rescuing animals from shelters for transport to other communities where they can be adopted.

“This is a direct result of our efforts over the past six months to let people know about the countless sick dogs sold by Pet Love,” Oreck said. “Hundreds of Beverly Center patrons and employees have signed our petition expressing their concern about Pet Love’s practice of selling sick dogs. Ultimately, this led the Beverly Center to make what we believe is the right decision—to sever their relationship by terminating Pet Love’s lease.”

Pet Love has sold thousands of dogs to local consumers. Best Friends’ investigations proved that dogs were acquired from puppy mills. Pet Love was the subject of a KCBS Los Angeles undercover report that revealed illegal, improper medication on puppies for sale in stores, and has been cited by Los Angeles Animal Control for similar violations. Click here to watch some the investigation video from Pet Love

National Implications
Best Friends’ chief executive officer Paul Berry said developments in Los Angeles send a strong message to pet shops across the country.

“Our work here in Los Angeles sends the strongest possible message everywhere that pet shops are supplied by puppy millers,” Berry said. “If a pet store can be closed down in the iconic Beverly Center, it can happen anywhere in the country – New York, Chicago, Boston and other large metro areas.”

“Puppy mills, sadly, are legal in the United States and because of this, the general population has not been aware of the conditions under which the puppy store animals are bred,” Berry said. “We have been involved in many puppy mill rescues where parents of puppies, along with their offspring, are forced to live in cramped cages without socialization and little or no medical care. It has to stop and our campaign, we believe, is making a difference across the country.”

Last summer, Best Friends met with owners of Pet Love to propose converting the shop to a business model that rescued animals and put them up for adoption. But Oreck said Best Friends was turned down—and threatened with litigation.

However, the residents of Los Angeles have spoken and the Beverly Center heard them.

“Our goal has never been to put Pet Love out of business,” Oreck said. “We just wanted them to stop selling animals that come from puppy mills and other irresponsible breeders. We would happily guide and support them in that endeavor.”

Next Steps
A-Puppy-Store-Free L.A. volunteers have also established a regular presence at in the Westside Pavilion to educate the public about Barkworks, another store that obtains their puppies from puppy mills, as well as the independent yet high-profile store, Pets of Bel Air. Best Friends will be expanding into other malls in the coming weeks and will continue to increase peaceful protests until consumer fraud, cruelty and shelter euthanasia associated with the irresponsible breeding and selling of pets in pet stores has ended.

Six Ways to Get Into the Action!

1. Support A-Puppy-Store-Free L.A.! To join the online community, please click here

2. Join the peaceful pet store demonstrations to help shut down Barkworks and Pets of Bel Air. This is a volunteer driven campaign, the animals are counting on you for their success!
To find out more information, please email:
Robin Harmon at robinh@bestfriends.org and
Jen Krause at jkrause@bestfriends.org

3. Hey, Los Angeles – learn how Going Mobile Saves Lives!

4. Spread The Word!
Don’t Buy Puppies Holiday PSA, E-Cards and “Puppies Aren’t Products” Apparel all just a click away!

5. For everything you need to know about the Pet Trade, and what you can do - click here!

6. Support the work of Best Friends! Give the gift of compassion this Holiday Season and save lives!

For more information:
• Down and out in Beverly Hills
• Pet shop moving out after protest at Beverly Center

posted by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staff
image by Bob Long

JOIN OUR PUPPY-STORE-FREE-L.A. CAMPAIGN!

claudia perrone — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:29:00 GMT

Next protest is Saturday DEC. 13th at Pets of Bel Air, Beverly Center.

Email jkrause@bestfriends.org and CC: robinh@bestfriends.org to sign up for this week shifts and/or future shifts.

For more information, we encourage you to visit our online community: http://network.bestfriends.org/puppystorefreela/news/

Mobile Site: m.bestfriends.org

From canyon land to coast, Best Friends spreads the word about No More Homeless Pets

claudia perrone — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:23:00 GMT

We’ve been taking it to the streets through the Los Angeles area, talking to everybody about our campaign. The response has been amazing! Everyday we are out there, we meet new people who care about our cause. We talk with old friends, who have lived this campaign for pets for years already. We hear your stories about how you adopted from a shelter or rescued a pet, and we listen as you explain how your dog or cat has become a priceless addition to your lives.

Francesca visit the booth and brings hope & inspiration to all:

We met Francesca, the beautiful mini Italian Greyhound—when you look into her eyes you would never believe that anyone could be unkind to her. Unfortunately, that's all she knew until her owner found her simply by doing a Google search. Sadly, Francesca was living in a hoarding situation, where she was mistreated, often kicked and never loved. She was a "payment," given away to pay off a debt. When she was rescued, she was timid and shy. Today, she holds her head high, smiling at everyone—she is free & loved.

Did you know that 30% of dogs in shelters are purebreds?

If you would like to adopt an Italian Greyhound, we encourage you to visit http://www.cigrescue.org/ or to search your local shelter listing.

To see some of these photos and hear more stories like this, visit our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Best-Friends-Network/92371965579

To share your shelter story with our friends, email claudiap@bestfriends.org

Text “LaPets” to short code 42107 to join the Best Friends Network and learn more about our cause to create a day with No More Homeless Pets. Show us your text message alert, and we’ll say thank you with a Best Friends Tshirt!

Here’s where to find us next—just look for the bright orange Tshirts and tent!
12/7 | Beverly Gardens Park from 3-6pm
12/13 | Venice Beach from 10-1pm and Santa Monica 3rd St Promenade from 2-5pm

Get Social. Act Local. Save Lives.
la.bestfriend.org
mobile site: m.bestfriends.org