Monday, February 26, 2007

DAISY AND GEORGE HAVE FABULOUS NEW HOMES!

I am happy to give two new updates. First is the lovely DAISY. I got so
incredibly lucky on this one. My friend "Julie Royal" called me up a
couple of month's ago and informed me that her niece saw Daisy on the website and had to meet her. I arranged a meeting, and it was "Love at first sight" Courtney has now had Daisy a couple of month's and she is doing great. Courtney takes Daisy pretty much everywhere, which is wonderful. Even though I miss my girl, I know she is very happy. I will be arranging a play date in the very near future, remember Daisy is my little angel Shakespeare's mama. Please go see Courtney if you are looking for a fabulous hairdresser. She works at NUOVO Whole Foods Centre Sarasota. Next up is GEORGE. Derek ended up fostering him for about 6 weeks, and after interviewing several potential families, we finally found the perfect home. George's new mom Joanna, is a Mental Health Therapist for Sun coast Behavioral Medicine. She takes George to work with her daily, and he is able to socialize with Joanna's patients, and from what I understand he is doing a fabulous job. I am so proud of my Good BOY GEORGE! So there you have it....two happy endings for two very well deserving angels.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

RAISE YOUR PAW IF YOUR PISSED!

I'm getting really disgusted by the GREED of Sarasota! First, they shut
down Pelican Man's Sanctuary for whatever stupid ass reason. I'm appalled that they were actually able to close
the place down. We desperately
needed that Sanctuary. Now TODAY I read that "the greedy ones" are at it
again, this time trying to close 17Th Street Paw Park. This is an outrage. What
the hell is going on around here? I guess if there isn't a tidy sum of money involved, SARASOTA wants no part of it. They want to make it a "TRIO" of football fields for the "Sarasota Ringling Redskins". Their current field is becoming a parking lot. The proposed plan is 4 million dollars. What planet are these people on? The worst part is they want to move the dog park to Cooper Creek Park, which surrounds a mile-long lake which contains more alligators than the Everglades. Last time I checked dogs and gators don't mix. I seriously hope that someone will step up and put the KIBOSH on this deal. Our dogs need a place to hang out and socialize without worrying about becoming a gator's lunch. I say move the Football field to Cooper Creek. Why not? They say it's safe for our dogs, why not children? Why? I will tell you why. Because this deal is in fact not about a children's football field. It is really about the "Cincinnati Reds", and their plans for building a "NEW" spring training baseball stadium. So there you have it folks. As usual, "MONEY" will always WIN over everything, no matter who it hurts. Please give me your thoughts on this matter.


UPDATE ON THE LOBSTER GAME
:

After a little investigating, I found that I was not the only one that was outraged
by the LOBSTER GAME. The proper name is"LOBSTER ZONE", and there is a petition that is going around to have it
stopped. Please go to the website and sign the petition:

Thursday, February 15, 2007

JUST SAY" NO" TO AMPUTATION!

I have worked with hundreds of cats in shelters and have participated in many online forums dealing with feline health and behavior. It’s been several years since behavior modification tools such as Sticky Paws and Soft Paws were introduced to the pet supply market, yet vets continue to declaw cats, often without advising clients that declawing involves amputating the cat’s toes at the first joint, resulting not only in extreme pain for the cat (declawed cats have been used in vet schools to test the efficacy of pain medication), but also in behavioral issues. Inappropriate urination or litter box avoidance is a common side effect of declawing. One probable reason for this is that the cat experiences pain in the amputated toes when digging in the litter. Another very common side effect of declawing is biting.

The reason most people give for declawing their cats is that they want to protect their furniture. Sticky Paws is an excellent way to protect furniture while the cat learns acceptable places to scratch, such as a sturdy scratching post or a corrugated cardboard scratch pad. Nail trimming helps prevent damage to furniture and skin. As a last resort, Soft Paws vinyl nailcaps can be applied to the cat’s claws. When our fingernails grow, would we ever consider cutting off our fingers at the first joint rather than trimming our nails?The bottom line is that furniture does not feel pain or have to walk on amputated toes. The U.S. and Canada lag behind most of the western world in banning declawing. If you are considering declawing a cat, please do some research first and learn about humane alternatives.

SIDE BAR: Please read the Feb 14 issue of "CREATIVE LOAFING" There is an excellent article on Feral cats. Joel, you did a great job on the story!

Monday, February 12, 2007

CELEBRITY SKIN

I had the most amazing day yesterday. I was invited to be the "Celebrity" Judge-MC for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser 'BEST IN SHOW"! This Foundation has been the Global Leader in the fight against breast cancer for over 20 years. The event was held at the Rosedale Golf and Country Club. They had several contests for the pooches, along with a ton of Raffle prizes. They had Best Costume, Longest Ears, Shortest Tail, Most Obedient, and Best Trick. I , as mentioned earlier was the judge. It certainly wasn't easy, they were all winners in my eyes. Several rescue organizations showed up with dogs and cats available for adoption. Cat Depot, Humane Society Sarasota, Underdog Rescue, and Humane Society Manatee County. I did my best to coerce the crowd into opening their hearts and adopting one of the beauties available for adoption I have my fingers crossed! I have to say it was such an honor to have been chosen to MC this amazing event, and I must have done something right...they invited me back next year.

On a side note I want to wish my BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, mommy a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

CATSINO NIGHT OUT!

I just have to thank all of the wonderful people that donated prizes
for the First Annual Fundraiser for "Cat Depot", "CATSINO
NIGHT
". It was held at "Michael's on East"
and was a huge success. I went to several business owners looking for
RAFFLE PRIZES at the very LAST minute, I
might add, and they all came through without hesitation. I want to take
this opportunity to acknowledge these amazing people. I want all of my
animal peeps to know who the real animal lovers are in this town, and
hopefully you will patronize their businesses. I will start with "The Table", Rafael
was "Over the top generous; I hear he really loves the kitties, and the
food is amazing.
"Red" a new Peruvian Restaurant is again another fabulous place to dine;The Ceviche is to die for! OK,Chutney's is next, Great Tandoori and Hummus
, not to mention if you want to know the latest gossip in town "ASH" is
the man! If your looking for amazing tapas and people watching please go check out "Sangria's", located in downtown Sarasota, the owners rescued Bella who was on death row, you guys are great. And last but not least for the restaurants is the most
romantic waterfront dining in town, "Ophelia's on the Bay"
Just a quick side bar: the service is FLAWLESS! I was also able to snag
an $85 bottle of Port along with a very generous gift certificate from
Mr.Mike Flanagan, owner of
"Flanagan's Wine
Market"
, the best wine store in town, AND he has two rescued
kitties. If you like to golf, and I know many of you do, "The Links"
at Greenfield Plantation is the place, beautiful course and
friendly staff. For those of you that need to get away from it all and
pamper yourself, male or female, you must visit my next generous donor,"Urban Oasis Day
Spa
",Linda, the owner, will totally hook you up. Any unwanted
hair and she's your wax queen, no need to keep that pesky little
moustache! Last but not least is a Day Spa for your beloved pooch.
"The
Yuppy Puppy
". Ask for Becky she will totally give your babies
the STAR treatment that they deserve. So there you have it folks. These
are the people that step up to the plate for animals, even if it is the
11th hour. Thanks again guys, YOU ROCK!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

SAVING GEORGIA DOGS!


I know, I know...We have our hands full with homeless animals in Florida. However, I have recently gotten involved with a group in Georgia. As a matter of fact, they are one of the MYSPACE peeps. Just in case you did not know, Georgia has an insane amount of unwanted pets. The shelters in Georgia are very high kill. It doesn't matter if it's a Yorkshire terrier, or a Golden Retriever. This particular group "SAVING GEORGIA DOGS" are amazing. They go around to all of the "HIGH KILL" Animal Shelters in Georgia and pull as many dogs out as they possibly can. They have a network of Foster and other Rescue Organizations around the country that will take these dogs in. The key is actually raising the funds to get the medical, boarding, and transportation for these precious dogs. The group will POST bulletins on MYSPACE, pleading for the lives of these dogs. The amazing part is that 9 times out of 10 they actually raise the money. There are some wonderful caring souls that are on myspace. There is another group I want to mention. They are called "SAVING SHELTER PETS,INC", another amazing group that pulls from high kill shelters all over Georgia, and other states. I had the pleasure of meeting one of their volunteers KASEY. She lives in Orlando, and is one of the most FABULOUS women I have ever encountered. Together, we helped save "MAMADOG", a very pregnant hound mix that came from "THE DEKALB SHELTER" in Georgia. She was literally knock knock knocking on Heavens door. I called the lovely Julie Royal and asked if she could help find a foster for MAMADOG. Without hesitation, she agreed to take her in. The entire operation was executed flawlessly. Several volunteers agreed to transport MAMADOG. She was picked up from Dekalb Shelter, another volunteer met her 100 miles later, then another and another and finally she got to Jacksonville where Kasey met her. Kasey then drove straight to Brandon, where Julie met her, then finally HOME SWEET HOME! Julie has renamed MAMADOG; she is now KASEY..how appropriate! Julie has now had Kasey about 3 weeks. She gave birth to 10 beautiful healthy puppies, and they will all be available for adoption in a few weeks. See, this is what it's all about folks. Animal Rescue may not always be pretty...but at the end of the day, it is sooooo worth it.

Monday, February 05, 2007

MY SPACE....

Hello Animal Lovers. I must share my very recent experience on MYSPACE. You see, up until a couple of month's ago, I, in fact, was a MYSPACE VIRGIN. I decided to make a profile and use it to promote my Pet Adoption Show. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I had a friend walk me through the process of "PIMPING OUT" my myspace. I had a blast choosing my layout. The photobucket copy and paste deal, you can really get creative. Then I go on to learning the friend process. My sole purpose for being on myspace is helping animals, I have found that it is a tremendous networking tool. I immediately joined several Animal Rescue Groups. I was amazed and flattered at the number of people from all around the world that requested me as a friend. I am now up to 51 friends. The funny thing is that I only personally know maybe 7. How crazy is that!? I get these "HAVE A GREAT DAY" messages from complete strangers. I suppose the Esprit de corps is that all of my "friends" love animals, which is a beautiful thing. Let me just say, these Animal Rescue Groups on Myspace are raising money and saving thousands of animals lives. So my point to this blog is...Myspace is not just for pedophiles, bands, and teenagers.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR PITBULL TODAY?

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting">Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting" border="0" alt="" />
Last night, we shot the most amazing show on Pitbulls. I could not have been more thrilled. We went to Mo-Joe's Family Friends. Melissa Benfield, the founder, is awesome. She rescues mainly Pitbulls and all types of "BULLY BREEDS". Her entire family is very involved, which is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, Pitbulls get a bad rap most of the time. People just don't get the fact that HUMANS are responsible for the violent behavior in all dogs, not just Pitbulls.I have a link that I want everyone to visit"THE PITBULL PROBLEM" It is not fun to watch, but it is the reality of what goes on with these innocent creatures. Pitbull fighting is rampant and doesn't seem to be slowing down. The culture that we live in is branded in a HYPER-VIOLENT PSEUDO WORLD, without consequences. This desensitizing encourages this type of 'ENTERTAINMENT" to flourish. I can attest to the fact that if you give your Pitbulls love and respect, they simply will not attack you. If you knew what these "" "LOATHSOM INDIVIDUALS" actually did to these dogs to get them to behave in this violent way, trust me, you would be OUTRAGED and HEARTBROKEN. Please watch my show this week....You may learn something, and not be so judgmental. Remember, people are afraid of what they don't understand.

Friday, February 02, 2007

LOBSTER KARIOKE

I was recently out with a few friends and we decided to go KARIOKE SLUMMING. There are several dive bars in Sarasota that have FABULOUS Karioke. We decided on "THE CRACKER JACK". Now some of you may or may not know that someone was actually SHOT in there a few months ago, so clearly we were insane for even considering this place. We get there around 11:00 and the place is packed. Some guy was up singing "REBEL YELL", he actually wasn't half bad. Anyhoo, I saunter up to the bar to get a drink, while waiting I look over at a group of people gathering around what looked to be some type of gaming machine. These people were getting really excited, so me being the inquisitive one, decide to go check it out. I finally get a peek, and was absolutely horrified to see it was a LOBSTER TANK, with LIVE LOBSTERS. It is set up like one of those machines with stuffed animals, you know the one where the big CLAW comes down. For $1 you get a chance to "WIN" a lobster. I find this disgraceful. What the hell is some bored drunk going to do with a LIVE LOBSTER? I feel the LOBSTER GAME is an unfortunate example of our culture at large. As the saying goes,"Idle hands are the Devils workshop". I will be contacting several of my Animal Rights peeps, to see what can be done about this repulsive game.