TailsInc.com

As I navigate through the challenges of life, I rely heavily on the wisdom and inspiration of those before me.

Anyone who has seen my office (or refrigerator!) knows I love to surround myself with quotes. In an instant, a powerful sentence or two jars my thoughts, helps put things into perspective, and allows me to stay focused on the big picture.

On the flip side, language is not always necessary to communicate. As the old adage says: “A picture’s worth a thousand words.”

Our photo contest judges enjoyed gazing upon photograph after photograph, each one telling its own story. As always, the competition was steep and we needed help. We relied on our readers to vote for the cover—and boy, did you come through. What an amazing winning shot. How on earth do you get a dog to let a mouse sit on his head? And, what’s more, Suki the mouse even says, “Cheese” for the camera! Incredible.

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From Animal Humane Society:

Law of the Paw, a national grassroots effort developed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, aims to reduce the number of animals that come into humane societies and rescue groups by asking people who love their pets to come on board to make a promise to their pet, in order to help other pets.

This initiative, asking animal lovers to “live by the Law of the Paw” and commit to three behaviors to help reduce the numbers of homeless animals, is being launched by fifteen animal organizations– including Animal Humane Society, the Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare, and the Washington Humane Society in Washington DC.

The groups hope to create an aspirational movement for companion animals by asking pet parents to pledge to create a better world for animals by promising to do three simple actions:

1. Adopt (Acquiring an animal by adopting from a shelter or rescue reduces animal euthanasia)
2. Spay/Neuter (Prevent unwanted litters by having your pet spayed or neutered)
3. ID (Make sure your pet wears a collar with current ID tags so in the event your pet is lost he will get home more quickly and never even come into a shelter)

“We really view this as a game changer for animals in this country,” says Janelle Dixon, president and CEO of Animal Humane Society in Minneapolis-St. Paul. “Never before have these three actions been put together—we view this as when people take care of their own pets, according to the Law of the Paw, they are helping all animals and we will see the number of animals coming into shelters reduced and decreases in pet homelessness and euthanasia.”

The organizations launching Law of the Paw envision this effort to be much like the “reduce- reuse-recycle” efforts some forty years ago. Like the shift people made over the past few decades to evolve from a throw-away society to a recycling society, this is a long-term process.

“By the time the kids who are pledging to the Law of the Paw today are grown and starting their own families – complete with pets – their first thought will be to adopt a pet through a shelter or rescue, rather than a puppy mill or pet store,” says Marilou Chanrasmi, president of the Minnesota Partnership for Animal Welfare (MnPAW), a coalition of animal organizations in Minnesota that support Law of the Paw. “They’ll also make sure their pets are spayed or neutered, and wear a collar and ID in case their pet is ever lost.”

Law of the Paw is not branded to any one organization, Laurie Brickley, director of marketing for Animal Humane Society explains. Creative materials for this movement have been developed including a dedicated website lawofthepaw.org, where pet lovers can sign the pledge, and view a film piece and a variety of collateral pieces—brochures, posters, advertising templates—that any shelter, rescue or humane organization can use.

“Our goal is for any organization to adopt these materials and to launch Law of the Paw in their own communities. We are aiming for 1 million people to commit to live by the Law of the Paw—in a world where pet overpopulation seems insurmountable, this is a meaningful way every person can help improve the lives of animals.”

So come on, sign the petition and encourage the cycle of Adopt-Spay/Neuter-ID!

TAILS Photo Contest

How’d they do it? According to Heather Brook, mom to Jesse the dog and Suki the mouse, it was a friendship in the making. Jesse, a Jack Russell Terrier, was curious about Suki and often gave her a kiss on the nose through the bars of the cage. Jesse was always gentle, and showed no signs of aggression. One day Heather let Jesse check Suki out with no barriers. Things went so well, she had to capture it on film. With the help of some peanut butter and freeze-dried salmon, treats both enjoy, she convinced Jesse to allow Suki to hang out on her head long enough to take some photos. How she got Suki to smile for the camera remains a mystery!

Congratulations Winners!

Rockwell Moments are portraits done in the iconic style of Norman Rockwell paintings. Thanks to our wonderful friends at Rockwell Moments, each of the TAILS 2012 Photo Contest winners will receive a custom portrait created from a photograph of their pet. Portraits will be printed on museum quality, acid-free paper and be ready for framing. To learn how to get your own Norman Rockwell inspired portraits visit RockwellMoments.com.

Pets bring something special to our lives. They give us limitless love, joy, and companionship. In return, we do our best to make sure they are always happy and contented. How do we do this? By spoiling them like crazy, apparently!

According to a survey conducted last month by CouponCabin.com, pet spending is recession proof. The survey reveals that 75% of pet parents say that the state of the economy does not effect how much they spend on their pets.

The survey was conducted on CouponCabin’s website from April 19 – April 23, 2012. In total, 2,211 U.S. adults aged 18 and older participated, with 1,299 of those people having pets.

Other interesting findings from the survey include:

• 26% put their pets’ health care needs ahead of their own
• 34% spend less on their friends than they do on their pets
• 32% spend less on their family than they do on their pets
• 22% spend less on themselves than they do on their pets

78% of survey takers strongly or somewhat agree that some people spend too much on their pets. The findings below represent the percent of people who think that a particular expense is an example of pet spending gone too far:

• 77% – getting your pet a professional massage
• 73% – beauty treatments beyond normal grooming (for example: nail polish, hair styling, body wraps, etc.)
• 71% – extravagant pet hotels and boarding
• 48% – regularly purchasing of gourmet pet food
• 44% – medicating your pet for psychological needs (e.g. medicine for anxiety, depression, etc.)
• 40% – expensive experimental health treatments
• 33% – buying too many toys

I’m sure many of us are guilty of excessive pet spending at one point or another. When my puppy was 3 months old, I spent $90 to take her to the emergency vet because she had a stomachache. Before she had even hit the 6-month-old mark I’d spent $750 on flights for her so she could travel with me. My boyfriend and I often jokingly tell her that it’s time for her to get a job and start contributing.

It’s not like pets ask for these things—your cat isn’t coming up to you complaining that she’s due for a manicure, and your dog isn’t writing a list of gifts they’d like for the holidays. It’s just that we like to spoil our pets because the happier they are, the happier we are. There’s a unique sort of personal satisfaction that comes from knowing your pet is enjoying the good life.

For these reasons, it seems to make sense that despite what the economy may be like, people will always find some room in their wallet for their pets.

To read the press release further detailing the survey’s findings, click here.

Hey pet lovers! May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month and Petco has teamed up with Blue Buffalo to help put a stop to this terrible disease during their monthly National Adoption Weekend taking place May 12 – 13th, 2012.

Sadly, cancer affects pets almost as much as their human companions – at least one in four dogs over the age of two will die from cancer with cats sharing similar statistics. This National Adoption Weekend will aim to raise awareness and funds for the Petco Foundation to distribute to various pet cancer research and assistance groups around the country.

Please take this upcoming weekend to fight pet cancer and/or adopt a 4-legged loved one in need of a loving home!

For more information, see press release below:

Petco™ Hosts National Adoption Weekend to Help the 5-7 Million Animals Entering Shelters Yearly

The Blue Buffalo Company to Sponsor Pet Adoptions and Help Raise Money for Pet Cancer Research May 12-13

WHAT:             To help the 5-7 million companion animals that enter shelters every year find homes, every Petco™ store nationwide will host pet adoption events the weekend May 12-13, 2011. The events will provide animal lovers across the nation the chance to meet many adoptable animals, learn about their local animal adoption groups and personally experience Petco’s Think Adoption First program.

National Adoption Weekend, sponsored by The Blue Buffalo Company, will also aim to raise awareness and funds for the Petco Foundation to distribute to various pet cancer research and assistance groups around the country. Sadly, cancer affects pets almost as much as their human companions – at least one in four dogs over the age of two will die from cancer with cats sharing similar statistics. For each bag of Blue Buffalo dog or cat food purchased at Petco stores during the month of May, one dollar will be donated to the Petco Foundation. Donations of any amount will also be accepted at Petco registers and at www.petco.com/pca.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday May 12-13, 2011 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

WHERE:           All Petco stores. Check with stores for exact times andadoption event details. Visit www.petco.com/adoptions to find a        location.

For general information on Petco National Pet Adoption events, visit http://www.petco.com/adoptions

Source: Island-Cats.com

Happy Weekend pet lovers! It’s the weekend and that means it’s time for our Weekend Pets Photo Contest! The theme for this week’s contest is “Cinco de Meow!” Post your photos of your pets celebrating Cinco de Mayo on our Facebook wall and you could win some cool TAILS prizes and be featured on our site!

Are you a Twitter fanatic? You can also Tweet us your Weekend Pet photos using the hashtag #weekendpets.

TAILS can only send prize packs to U.S. residents at this time, but no reason not to enter for bragging rights even if you reside outside the U.S.!

Good luck!

Photo: Courtesy of Seth Casteel, LittleFriendsPhoto.com

Underwater dog photographer uses his success to help shelter pets
By Eve Becker

Pet photographer Seth Casteel enjoys the unexpected. And that’s a good thing, since his photos of dogs—taken as he plays underwater with them—have become a viral overnight success.

Casteel’s underwater photos reveal surprising emotions: a Labrador Retriever menacingly bares his teeth, a Bulldog looks wide-eyed in astonishment, and a Border Collie appears slightly goofy as she dives after a tennis ball. “I’m drawn to the emotions of dogs because they have a similar range of emotions as we do. It’s fun to see the exaggerated expressions from these dogs,” says Casteel, who splits his time between Chicago and Los Angeles.

“My whole thing is that I do what the pets like to do. I don’t put them in the studio. I do it on their terms and embrace what they like to do,” Casteel says.

Casteel first dove into a pool with a dog when he was taking photos of Buster, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Buster jumped into the water and Casteel wanted a better vantage point. So he excused himself from the photo shoot, bought a point-and-shoot underwater camera, and plunged into the pool with Buster.

Casteel started shooting more underwater photos of dogs and eventually splurged to buy an underwater housing for his camera. His friends thought he was crazy.

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I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to dog park issues, it’s the pet people—rather than the pets themselves—that are the perpetrators.

The building I live in shares a dog park with two other buildings, and my boyfriend and I take our 10-month-old puppy Reggie down there about 3-4 times a day (that’s her in the photo, with her bulldog friend).

The dog park is a wonderful place—Reggie loves running around with the other dogs, and we’ve made a lot of good friends there. We’ve also, unfortunately, stepped in our fair share of un-picked-up poop, and grabbed dogs running into the street while their human chaperones talk on cellphones 200 feet away.

Simply put, it’s very easy for a few negligent people to make the entire park a less-than-delightful experience.

Here’s how you can do your part to keep the dog park a happy, fun place:

• Pick up your dogs poop. Most—if not all—dog parks provide poop-bags and trashcans. So this should be easy, right? As annoying as it is to step in your own dog’s poop, it’s extra annoying to step in somebody else’s dog’s poop.
• Pay attention to your dog. Your dog’s safety and well-being are your responsibility. Of course, in a park full of dog lovers, nobody who’s being observant is going to let your pup run willy-nilly into the street. But, it’s nobody else’s job to make sure your dog isn’t eating something bad or acting aggressively.
• Be friendly. This doesn’t mean you have to sit down and have a conversation with every other person there, but there’s no harm in politely responding when someone smiles or says hello (I’m talking to you, lady downstairs with the Schnauzer).
• Pick up on social cues. Sometimes people are tired or annoyed with their day and just want to play outside with their dog and relax. Just as in all other social situations, if you’re trying to talk to somebody and they are answering tersely or slowly walking in another direction (a personal go-to for me), it’s probably best to just let them be. Don’t take it personally; just recognize that even the friendliest people sometimes need quiet time.
• If you know your dog is aggressive, keep them on a leash. There’s one dog at the dog park I go to that as soon as it walks onto the field all the other dogs run to their people with their tails between their legs. Now, obviously he has just as much of a right to be there. However, if there are other dogs around, it’s only proper that that he should remain on his leash so he doesn’t go around barking at and jumping on the other pups.

What are your rules for dog park etiquette?

Photos: Courtesy of Kathy Milani

Saving animals one pet store at a time

By Janice Brown and Brendan Quealy

Gloved hands reach in to pull the purebred Yorkie out of a cage barely bigger than her body. Pieces of hair and skin stick to the cage’s rusty-wired bottom. Her fur is matted—mashed feces and dried blood encrusting nearly every inch. Her paws and belly are cracked and raw from urine burns. There is no food or water anywhere to be seen—just rows and rows of cages stacked from ground to ceiling, with dogs just like her inside. Despite her condition, it is time for her to get pregnant with her seventh litter—and she is only four years old.

That is the life of a puppy mill dog—and the reason people work tirelessly to end the abuse.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Cari Meyers, president of The Puppy Mill Project, believes this to be true. Frustrated and fed up watching the owners of these barbaric puppy mills slip through legal loophole after loophole, Meyers knew that a unique approach was needed to hold irresponsible breeders accountable.

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What’s more delightful than a baby cheetah and a puppy? A baby cheetah and a puppy who are best friends!

Kasi, a male cheetah, was orphaned at 3 weeks old and brought to live at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Because male cheetahs have strong instinctual brotherly bonds, and can get extremely lonely without a close companion, the park decided to get him a friend.

Enter Mtani, a smart and playful 6-week-old Labrador Retriever at the local shelter. The park adopted her, trained her, and introduced her to Kasi. The rest is history!

A few weeks ago, Kasi and Mtani celebrated the one-year anniversary of their friendship.

Check out a video of this ridiculously cute duo!