Updated on October 15, 2010
Be the Change for Animals
Today is Blog the Change day, a quarterly event focused on efforts to “Be the Change for Animals”.
The Speaking for Spot Gives Back Program shares proceeds from purchase of Speaking for Spot with animal centered nonprofit groups. If your favorite nonprofit rescue group is not already participating, please invite them to register at http://bit.ly/Register_SpeakingforSpotGivesBack.
Please share your ideas for being the change for animals.
Wonderfully fun names such as “A New Leash on Life,” “Wags to Riches,” and “Fairy Dogmother Rescue,” are to be found at PetFinder.com. This is definitely the place to go in cyberspace when thinking about adopting a new pet. Before I go one step further, rest assured I am aware that the PetFinder site likely features some puppy mills amongst their gazillions of legitimate nonprofit organizations. I’ve no doubt that in spite of the fact that PetFinder performs their due diligence, some puppy mills likely slip through the cracks. In my mind, this does not detract from the profoundly positive outcomes PetFinder facilitates. Rather, it means that we need to perform our own due diligence when using this website.
At the time of this writing, PetFinder features 13,184 nonprofit adoption groups (shelters, humane societies, SPCA’s, and rescue organizations) and over 297,457 pets in need of a new home. PetFinder states that they’ve facilitated more than 13 million adoptions since 1995. Wow, that’s one heck of a lot of animals’ lives changed for the better! I have a tremendous respect for the many thousands of people who invest their time, energy, and financial resources helping animals in need of a new lease on life. Their generosity and desire to “give back” are inspirational. I’ve initiated the Speaking for Spot Gives Back Program with hopes of providing a little bit of support for the amazing work they do.
The Speaking for Spot Gives Back Program is open to all animal-centered nonprofits including service organizations and adoption and rescue groups. Here’s how the program works. Participating organizations appear on a pull down menu on the purchase page of my website (www.speakingforspot.com). When someone purchases Speaking for Spot they can designate which nonprofit organization will receive 20% of the book sale proceeds. The Speaking for Spot Gives Back Program is a win-win situation – not only will participating organizations raise much-needed funds, those who purchase the book will have a wonderful resource that will last a lifetime!
Please support your favorite animal-centered nonprofit organization by encouraging the folks who work there to learn more about the Speaking for Spot Gives Back Program. They can either contact me directly (Dr.Kay@SpeakingforSpot.com) or visit http://www.speakingforspot.com/speakingforspotgivesback.html. And when you are ready to expand your own menagerie, I hope you will begin the search at your local rescue organizations, shelters, and humane societies. Have you already adopted from such an organization? If so, I’d love to hear your story!
Best wishes to you and your four-legged family members for abundant good health,
Nancy Kay, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association 2009 Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award
Recipient, 2009 Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog
Recipient, 2009 Eukanuba Canine Health Award
Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Website: http://www.speakingforspot.com
Become a Fan of Speaking for Spot on Facebook
Please visit http://www.speakingforspot.com to read excerpts from Speaking for Spot. There you will also find “Advocacy Aids”- helpful health forms you can download and use for your own dog, and a collection of published articles on advocating for your pet’s health. Speaking for Spot is available at Amazon.com, local bookstores, or your favorite online book seller.
Blog the Change Participants
The only formal rescue is the dog we have now, from the Yolo County SPCA, a wonderful organization of foster homes.
Our previous dog came from a city pound and was absolutely a rescue, probably found on the street.
Our two cats are brother and sister and were rescued as kittens from a field by a large animal vet who did some TNR and some adoption.
Our tortie who passed on a few years ago was being given away from an accidental litter by somebody in a park.
My first cat was part of an accidental litter. The cat’s caretaker originally took them to the city pound but didn’t get all the way home before regretting it and worrying about their fate. So she drove back, retrieved them, and found them all homes. Mine was the least adoptable – she was a little weird – and the last to be adopted and she was the love of my young life. For years afterward, she worried about the fate of every single one. Fortunately I would run into her occasionally and could tell her that at least one was cherished and pampered.
So more informal rescuers than formal ones but all in need of rescue and a loving home.