Freekibble.com - Play Trivia to Feed Pets in Shelters

Mimi Ausland, was 11 years old when she decided to help feed the hungry cats and dogs at her local animal shelter in Bend, Oregon. "There are 10's of thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal." From this desire to help feed shelter animals, Freekibble.com was launched on April 01, 2008.

Freekibble.com's primary mission is to provide healthy, nutritious food to the dogs and cats at shelters who are working so hard to see that none of their animals go hungry - they need our help. Now, in addition to providing free kibble to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, Mimi and Freekibble are feeding many 1,000's of dogs and cats in shelters, rescues and through food-banks across the country... EVERYDAY!

For more information about Freekibble.com, please click here.

Disaster Preparedness for Animals

In light of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, natural disasters have been at the forefront in everyone’s mind. You never know when or where a natural disaster is going to strike. You may have a plan for yourself but, does it include your pets?

The HSUS has a great web page that helps you design your plan. They first recommend starting with the basics:

·         Prepare a plan (even for everyday emergencies), including identifying a place to stay that will accept your pets 

·         Develop a checklist for all your pets’ supplies and medical information

·         Identify a friend, neighbor, or family member who can take care of your pet if you are away

The federal government now officially supports including pets in disaster plans. In 2000, The HSUS and FEMA signed a partnership agreement to encourage and assist people who want to safeguard their pets in a natural disaster. The agreement allows people to bring their pets with them to stay at the shelters. But don’t assume any shelter you go to will allow you to keep your dog or cat with you. Be sure and check with your local officials and confirm that you will be allowed to evacuate with your pets and that shelters that take people and their pets is available in your area.

For more information about disaster preparedness for pets, livestock and horses, please click on the respective links that will take you to the HSUS web site.

Are Dogs Smart Enough to Do Our Job?

Newsweek recently featured a very interesting article about dogs being trained to be medical technicians, military bomb specialists, pest patrol, and deep-sea scientists and, of course, reality TV stars.

For more information about “Are Dogs Stealing Our Jobs”?, please click here.

Trust Funds and Wills for Your Pets

Often, when preparing a will, we think about which friend or family member we want to leave our precious heirlooms to or, who gets what percentage of the money that remains. But, have you ever thought about what will happen to your pets if you should pass before they do. You can’t simply trust or expect your best friend or relative to take care of everything. Even if they bring your pet home with them to live, will they be able to pay for all of the expenses? That's why you should have a will that details what should happen to your pets should they outlive you and establish a trust fund to cover the costs.

Like trust funds for human family members, trust funds for pets can be set up in order to provide for the beneficiary's care when the pet owner dies. Arrangements can be made as to who will be the pet's new caretaker as well as what the funds should cover for the rest of the animal's life.

Funds for your pet are normally dispersed each month. Most people leave the caregiver a separate percentage or dollar amount for making sure their animal is cared for properly.

To find out more information about how to set up a pet trust, click here.

Helpful Pet Tip - Seizures

If your pet has seizures, ask your vet to test him/her for food allergies. One of my dogs began to have seizures shortly after I brought him home from the shelter. I had my veterinarian perform a comprehensive allergy test (using a blood sample) and discovered that he had many allergies, including chicken and rice, which were both in the food that he was eating.
The company that provided the results from the allergy test also provided a list of foods (canned and dry) and treats that he would be able to eat safely. I switched his food to one of those on the list and he hasn't had another seizure. Food allergies may not always be the cause of seizures, but it is worth investigating with your veterinarian.

For more helpful tips such as this, read my book, Wagging Tales: Every Animal Has a Tale. It contains 32 stories about animals that I have helped as well as 23 other helpful tips that you can implement with your pet immediately. My book can be ordered on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com or through your local independent or regular bookstore.