ASPCA Midwest Relocation Program transports over 5,000 animals in first year

The ASPCA has announced the WaterShed Animal Fund Rescue Ride (WAFRR), launched in January 2017, surpassed its first-year annual goal by more than 2,000 animals.

The ASPCA transported 5,715 cats and dogs from shelters throughout the Midwest to areas where adoptable animals are in higher demand.

Among the thousands of animals relocated by WAFRR in 2017, over 700 were moved out of areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma as part of the ASPCA’s disaster response efforts.

Dudley, the 5,000th animal transported in the program’s first operational year, is a 10-week-old male Lab/Hound Mix. He was moved from Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg, MS to Toledo Area Humane Society in Maumee, OH, and was adopted by a loving family within six days.

Alley Cat Allies provides help after California wildfires and mudslides

After wildfires and mudslides ravaged California, many companion cats and community cats have been displaced from their homes and remain in peril.

Some are injured, others are too skittish to come out of hiding, and many have disappeared amid the rubble of their properties.

Alley Cat Allies, the global engine of change for cats, is stepping in to help fund rescue groups that save cats and reunite them with their owners and caregivers.

"Many animal welfare organizations in California are stretched to the limit to help with injured and lost cats. By adding our resources to the effort, we're helping them to continue their dedicated, lifesaving work and make the biggest impact," said Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies.

Bow Wow Buddies Foundation helps dogs in need by granting over $150,000 in 2017

The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to awarding grants of up to $2,500 to cover the cost of unplanned, necessary medical care for dogs in need, gave a new 'leash' on life to 40% more deserving dogs in 2017.

By year end, the Foundation granted over $150,000 to provide 89 dogs with necessary medical attention.

The organization is the 501(c)(3) entity of Camp Bow Wow, the nation's largest Doggy Day Care and Boarding franchise.

The Foundation focuses efforts on dogs who are placed in shelters/rescues, as well as on families facing hardships. Through its contributions, the nonprofit provides a lifeline to ease financial burdens to keep dogs happy and healthy in their current homes or helps ensure they will find a fur-ever family.

2018 Innovation Showdown accepting lifesaving ideas through February 16th

The 2018 Innovation Showdown invites organizations and companies to compete for the chance at an investment of up to $350,000 for innovative ideas to save animal lives and get feedback from the nation's top animal welfare experts.

Recognizing and rewarding lifesaving innovation has been an area of focus for many of the nation's top animal welfare organizations. The 2018 Innovation Showdown is a collaborative project with a goal to spark lifesaving creativity to help the animal welfare industry reduce the number of animals euthanized in this country.

The Innovation Showdown, originally created in 2017 by the Petco Foundation and Jackson Galaxy Foundation, is modeled after the critically-acclaimed Shark Tank for entrepreneurs, but with one major difference. The Innovation Showdown's ultimate goal is not a financial return on investment but a lifesaving return on investment – that is to save the lives of more animals in need.

Top 10 Posts of 2017

Every December I like to share the most popular posts of the past year. The date is especially significant because December 31st is my eighth blogiversary!

Bunny's Blog began as an extension of my activities on Twitter in 2009. A group of animal-loving tweeps joined together each month to raise funds for animal charities all over the world. In late 2009, a new group called BlogPaws was forming, and I joined to learn more about how blogging could help.

I attended the first BlogPaws conference in 2010, and I jumped into blogging with both feet. My professional experience in fundraising and my love of animals made focusing my blog on animal-related causes a natural fit.

Study indicates therapy dogs provide benefits to families of children undergoing cancer treatment

Dogs have long been called mankind's best friend, but a major new scientific study now indicates that a dog may also be a family's best friend in times of their greatest need.

Following seven years of pioneering research, American Humane, the country's first national humane organization, revealed the results of its long-awaited "Canines and Childhood Cancer Study," the first and largest randomized, controlled clinical trial to rigorously measure the effects of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in the field of pediatric oncology.

The results, published in the Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, furnish evidence that regular visits from a therapy dog can provide significant psychosocial benefits to families of children undergoing treatment for cancer.

Senate unanimously passes animal cruelty bill

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, S. 654, earning praise from the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

As the first-ever general federal animal cruelty bill, the PACT Act builds on the federal animal crush video law enacted in 2010, which banned the creation, sale and distribution of obscene videos that show animals being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or subjected to other forms of heinous cruelty.

The PACT Act, led by Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., will prohibit those same extreme acts of animal cruelty when they occur in interstate or foreign commerce, regardless of whether a video is produced, and those convicted of such abuse will face federal felony charges, fines and up to seven years in prison. The measure also makes bestiality a federal criminal enterprise.

American Humane delivers a ton of love to the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County

American Humane, the country's first national humane organization, and Chicken Soup for the Soul worked together this week to literally deliver a ton of love in the form of 2,000 pounds of nutritious free food to the animals at the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida.

The donation is part of an ambitious national campaign called "Fill-a-Bowl … Feed-a-Soul" to help care for shelter pets waiting for their forever homes.

Together, American Humane and Chicken Soup for the Soul are distributing hundreds of thousands of meals of premium, all-natural Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food to U.S. shelters, which house and care for millions of animals each year, and the organizations are striving to reach a goal of one million meals.

Petco Foundation is making Holiday Wishes come true for animal welfare organizations

The Petco Foundation, in partnership with Petco, has revealed the names of 52 stories that have earned their animal welfare organizations a grant investment through the fifth annual Holiday Wishes campaign.

This year, the Petco Foundation will deliver a total of $765,000 in grant awards during Holiday Wishes celebrations from now until December 20– including one $100,000 grand prize, and a series of finalist awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to support the tremendous lifesaving efforts carried out by these deserving organizations year-round.

Thousands of adopters from across the United States shared personal accounts of how their adopted pets changed their lives giving the animal welfare organizations they adopted from the chance to receive a Holiday Wishes grant. The adopters with the winning stories will each receive a Petco gift card of up to $1,000.

ASPCA and Cloud Nine Rescue Flights partner to fly animals displaced by Hurricane Maria

The ASPCA and Cloud Nine Rescue Flights are joining forces to transport homeless animals displaced by Hurricane Maria to animal shelters in Florida and New York where they will be made available for adoption.

A total of 56 homeless animals – 47 dogs and 9 cats – will be transported and placed with four animal shelters, including Cat Depot, Humane Society of Broward County, Halifax Humane Society, and the ASPCA’s Adoption Center in New York City.

The animals will be transported from an emergency shelter established by the ASPCA in September where more than 300 animals displaced by Hurricane Maria have received care to date.

The cats and dogs will be transported out of St. Croix on November 11 and 12 by Cloud Nine Rescue Flights, arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and continuing to the Florida and New York-based shelters to find safe and loving homes.

Keeping Halloween fun for your pets: Safety tips for families with animals

Halloween is in just a few days, which means frightening family fun—from costume contests to trick-or-treating—is right around the corner.

Although Halloween is filled with light-hearted tricks and treats, it's important to keep safety in mind for every member of the family—including your pets. 

Halloween can pose a number of potential safety hazards for pets, who tend to experience high levels of stress due to the hustle and bustle of the holiday.

Here are a few tips from American Humane to keep you and your four-legged family members safe and happy this Halloween:

HSUS and Emancipet provide free services to animals affected by Hurricane Harvey

Generous funding from the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Trust has enabled the Humane Society of the United States to collaborate with Emancipet, a nonprofit veterinary clinic operating in Houston's East End, to offer free veterinary services to owned animals impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Through December 9, fees for veterinary services at Emancipet Houston will be waived for all pet owners.

In the program's first month, 1,705 pets received examinations and more than 1,500 owners scheduled spay and neuter procedures. On the clinic's busiest day, veterinarians saw 173 pets. The HSUS is sending staff, veterinarians, and veterinary technicians on a rotation schedule to work on-site with the Emancipet team.

California becomes first state in U.S. to ban sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores

Local and national animal welfare organizations commend CA Governor Jerry Brown for signing into law legislation that will prevent the sale of commercially raised dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores across the state of California. The law also encourages partnerships that promote the adoption of homeless pets.

Authored by Assembly member Patrick O'Donnell (D-Long Beach), Assembly Bill 485 protects animals and consumers, and sets an important precedent for the rest of nation. The bill passed the CA legislature September 14.

To date, 36 jurisdictions in California – including the cities of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco – have enacted similar ordinances, and the signing of AB 485 makes California the first state in the nation to enact a statewide prohibition on pet store sales of dogs from puppy mills.

Petco Foundation honors therapy, service and working animals with Helping Heroes campaign

This October, the Petco Foundation, in partnership with Natural Balance pet food, invites the public to join them to celebrate and support the transformative impact that therapy, service and working animals have on individuals and communities around the world.

With a goal to raise more than $2.5 million in Petco stores and online, the Helping Heroes campaign supports the incredible work of organizations that help animals who save and improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each and every day.

These helping heroes safeguard our military, rescue people impacted by disasters, give independence, comfort the sick, and help children learn to read.

IFAW working to reunite animals with families affected by hurricanes in Caribbean

The US Virgin Island of St. John has been devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria over the past weeks. Trees are uprooted, houses destroyed, and families separated from their companion animals. 

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has deployed their disaster response team to help reunite people with the animals they were forced to leave behind during the evacuations for both catastrophic storms.

Teams from IFAW previously performed assessments and delivered emergency relief for community animals after Hurricane Irma, but were evacuated in the face of Hurricane Maria. IFAW's experts in disaster response and animal welfare have returned to continue relief and assessment on the islands of St. John and St. Thomas.

ASPCA assists with pre-evacuation efforts in anticipation of Hurricane Irma

In anticipation of Hurricane Irma, the ASPCA is actively engaging with agencies throughout the southeastern United States to assist with pre-evacuation, relocation, and emergency sheltering efforts.

At the request of the Beaufort County Animal Services, the ASPCA has deployed a team of responders to relocate approximately 600 unowned shelter animals to a 40,000 square-foot emergency shelter established by the ASPCA in Duncan, South Carolina, which will serve as a safe space for displaced shelter animals as shelters and rescue groups prepare to make space for lost pets following the storm. The ASPCA is expecting to relocate and evacuate hundreds of unowned shelter animals from neighboring Jasper County to the ASPCA emergency shelter.

Operation Grey Muzzle transports shelter dogs from Puerto Rico to mainland U.S.

The Humane Society of the United States, with some incredible partners, is helping engineer the transport of more than 200 dogs in need from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States.

The transport has been dubbed “Operation Grey Muzzle” because of the large number of older dogs on board.

Next week, a group of dogs from overwhelmed Puerto Rico animal shelters will arrive at airports in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

Upon arrival, these lucky companion animals will continue their journey to shelters and rescue partners along the East Coast.

August 15 is National Check the Chip Day, a reminder to update your pet's information

The American Veterinary Medical Association  and the American Animal Hospital Association are recognizing National Check the Chip Day on August 15 by encouraging pet owners to check their pets' microchip information to make sure it is up to date and accurate. The day also offers an opportunity for veterinarians to encourage their clients to microchip their pets if they aren't already.

"Microchipping your pet is vital," said Dr. Mike Topper, president of the AVMA. "But that's only the first step. If your pet's registration information isn't up to date, the microchip is all but useless. It takes less than two minutes to check and update your contact information, and this small act can make all the difference in the chance of a lost pet being reunited with its family."

Microchips are embedded under the skin using a hypodermic needle, similar to those used for vaccinations. No surgery or anesthesia is required – a microchip can be implanted during a routine veterinary office visit. After pets have been microchipped, contact information for the pet's owner is registered to the microchip's serial number in a database that veterinary or animal rescue staff can use to locate an animal's owner should the pet become lost.

Farewell to a hero

U.S. military hero dog Cena, a 9-year-old Black Labrador who served as a bomb detection dog in Afghanistan and saved the lives of his handler and uncounted other American warriors, ended his service to mankind after a battle he could not win with bone cancer. Cena died peacefully in the arms of his battle buddy, former United States Marine Corps Corporal Jeff DeYoung, in their hometown of Muskegon, Michigan.

The two first met during Improvised Detection Dog training in Virginia in July 2009. They were deployed to Afghanistan later that year and during their service together, the two were part of Operation Moshtarak in February 2010 that was the largest joint operation up to that point.

Corporal DeYoung and Cena typically led the way as U.S. troops trudged through the rugged and treacherous landscape of Afghanistan. Cena was trained to detect more than 300 different types of explosives and if he smelled something suspicious on patrol he alerted DeYoung, who would then call in an explosives technician to safely remove or detonate the bomb.

Seven courageous canines named finalists for 2017 American Humane Hero Dog Awards

America has spoken and following more than half a million votes cast by animal lovers across the country and a celebrity panel of dog lovers and experts, seven courageous canines have been named finalists in the 2017 American Humane Hero Dog Awards, sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation.

These heroic canines each took top honors in their individual categories from a field of 188 initial nominees and now a combination of America's voters and a panel of celebrity judges will determine which dog will take home top honors as the 2017 American Hero Dog.

The public is invited to submit one vote per day through August 30 at www.herodogawards.org. The seven finalists will be flown to Los Angeles to take part in the star-studded Hero Dog Awards gala on September 16 at the Beverly Hilton, which will be broadcast as a two-hour special on Hallmark Channel this fall.