Helping animals, one piece of kibble at a time

When it comes to social causes and issues - whether related to conservation, health, education, poverty or animal protection, it's easy to look at the big picture and feel disheartened and helpless. Well, I came across a story recently that highlights the incredible impact just one person can have.

Mimi Ausland, a 12-year-old from Bend, Oregon, has harnessed the power of new media to help thousands of shelter animals. Last year - with the help of her parents - Mimi launched Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com with the original goal to collect food for the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO).  Site users can visit the site daily to answer a "Meow Trivia" or "Bow Wow Trivia" question. For every answer - correct or not - the site donates 10 pieces of kibble. 

Sponsors Zootoo.com and pet food company Castor & Pollax have since jumped on board, allowing Mimi to expand her reach and become the sole supplier of food to 11 shelters around the country, including HSCO. Since June 2008, the sites have helped donate 47 million pieces of kibble to cats and dogs in need. 

Mimi got the idea from the FreeRice campaign, in which rice is donated through the UN World Food program to help end hunger. Site visitors are able donate the rice by answering a series of vocabulary questions. To date, FreeRice has provided more than 58 billion grains of rice - incredible!

In the future, Mimi would like to run her own animal shelter. There's no doubt that she'll certainly (continue to) make the world a better place for animals! Many kudos to Mimi!

The Search for First Pooch

With the presidential Inauguration just around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to write about a relevant storyline that has popped up in almost every news publication. As many of you are aware, Obama made a promise to his daughters that they could have a puppy if he made it to the White House. During his election-night victory speech he reaffirmed that promise when he mentioned to his daughters that "you have earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the White House." Since then, Obama has noted his preference to get a shelter dog.

In the past month, the search for First Puppy has been covered prominently alongside coverage of Cabinet picks and policy plans. Publications from around the globe have covered the story with headlines like, "Breaking Obama News: Selection of First Dog is Imminent", "Obamas Narrow Choices on Family Dog" and "First Dog Finalists - What Will Obama Girls Get?" As far as the importance of President-elect Obama's decisions in office is concerned, this one is definitely on the low end of the scale. Nonetheless, this story has placed the issue of shelter adoption at center stage, which is a very positive thing.

The latest news is that the Obamas have narrowed down their search to two breeds: the Labradoodle (cross between a poodle and Labrador retriever) and a Portuguese water dog. They chose these breeds because their daughter, Malia, is allergic, and these are hypoallergenic.

It would be great if the Obama family is able to find the dog they're looking for at a rescue organization. It would set a good example and certainly be in step with Obama's messages of hope and change. According to an AP-Petside.com poll released today, many Americans agree. The survey revealed that pet owners prefer that Obama's kids get a shelter dog over a purebred by a 2-1 margin.

No doubt, this dog will hold a special place in history. :)

Get the Scoop on: Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)

You don't have to like the St. Louis Cardinals to be a fan of Tony La Russa. 

For the past 18 years, the Cardinals manager and his wife, Elaine, have run the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation, which helps homeless and abandoned companion animals through adoptions, a spay/neuter clinic, as well as numerous public education and community involvement programs that demonstrate how people's lives are enhanced by animals. 

In ARF's 37,000-square-foot facility, cats and dogs live in glass-enclosed open areas where they can play with potential adopters. The ARF facility also features a People Connect Wing, where a presentation room, classroom and learning center help educate community members about companion animals and the healing touch they provide. 

ARF's ability to provide a comprehensive approach is one of its best assets. Not only does the foundation find homes for animals and care for them, it also offers a number of community and educational programs. Here are just a few:

• All Ears Reading: Partnership with Nestle Purina and Target that encourages reading aloud to pets, since they are attentive, non-judgmental and comforting. This program emphasizes how reading to pets can help improve reading skills, self-esteem, and empathy.  

• ARF All-Stars Training: Multi-level volunteer programs for middle-and high-school students that teach dog and cat body language, behavior, care, and socialization to prepare them for volunteering at ARF. 

• Pet Hug Pack: Handlers and their pets visit hospitals, nursing homes and rehab centers.

• Teaching Loving Care Program: An animal-assisted therapy program for young people with serious emotional and behavioral problems. It provides mental health therapy for participants and involves them in providing foster care, training and behavior modifications for rescued cats and dogs. 
  

Humane Mewsings gives several paws up to ARF! Learn more by clicking here. 

How does your state fare in animal protection laws?

Recently, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a national organization that fights to enforce anti-cruelty laws and protect the lives of animals, released its annual report ranking the animal protection laws in each state. ALDF ranked each jurisdiction (all U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) into a top, middle or bottom tier - as well as a list of the five worst and best states.

The five best states include Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Michigan and California. These states topped the list because they have felony penalties for cruelty and neglect and a full range of statutory protections; mandatory seizure of mistreated animals; mandatory reporting of animal cruelty by veterinarians; increased penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and animal abusers; and pre-sentence mental health evaluations, among other factors.

On the flip side, the worst five states were Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Dakota. These states fell to the bottom for a number of reasons, including a lack of provisions for animal cruelty/neglect/abandonment; inadequate animal fighting provisions; no laws requiring the reporting of suspected animal abuse; and no increased penalties for repeat offenders, among others.

Stephan Otto, ALDF's director of legislative affairs and author of the report noted that "while animals certainly do not vote, those who love and care about them do, so we encourage lawmakers throughout the country to take heed and commit to working to improve these critical laws."

Click here to view the report and map.

European Union bans vile cat and dog fur trade

Yesterday, a European Union ban took effect that prohibits the import, export and trade of cat and dog fur in all 27 EU countries. This is a much-welcomed ban, one that will hopefully weaken the gruesome fur industry.

A majority of the cruel garments originate in Asia - namely China - a country with no animal welfare laws. Not surprisingly, China is the largest exporter of fur in the world. There, dogs, cats, raccoon dogs and other animals are legally slaughtered for their fur - skinned alive, strangled, and electrocuted. About 2 million (domestic) cats and dogs are brutally killed each year, with millions more minks, foxes, rabbits, raccoons and other animals. For what? Fur-trimmed accessories. Coats. Scarves. Hats. Other garments.

In the late 1990s, HSUS conducted an 18-month investigation into China's horrendous fur industry and uncovered details I can't even bring myself to type here. While the EU ban is a great step in the right direction, one of the most terrible atrocities of the fur industry is the mislabeling and non-labeling of products that are imported all over the world - especially in the U.S. Not only are items made with cat and dog fur disguised as other names (Sobaki, Asian wolf, Goupee, Wild cat, Mountain cat) - but some garments are actually wrongly labeled as faux fur.

There MUST be tighter regulations on labeling and consumers have to slash the demand by refusing to purchase cruel fur products. It's not the 1600s. We live in a world where we're surrounded by hundreds of synthetic alternatives. Wearing fur at the misery of animals is not luxurious - it's mean. To learn more, log on to the HSUS Fur Free campaign. 

Put the compassion in fashion.