By Amanda Giffi

Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter presents Mutt Mania 2008

On Sunday, Sept. 28, Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter will host Mutt Mania from noon to 4 p.m. in Lurker Park, East Hanover. This will be the fifth annual family-friendly event and is Mt. Pleasant’s largest fundraiser of the year. Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter is a privately funded nonprofit no-kill shelter. Admission to Mutt Mania is $10 per adult, and kids and dogs are free. There will be a variety of pet-related activities, such as a “Silly Pet Tricks” contest, in addition to other contests, a Pet Adoption Expo, Mt. Pleasant’s Annual Mutts Marathon Fundraising Walk, as well as vendors, special guests, food, and prizes.

Registration information and pledge sheets for Mutt Mania can be found online at NJShelter.org. For additional information, call (973) 386-0590.

Jersey politician teams with Operation Baghdad Pups

New Jersey State Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union) has teamed up with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International (SPCA International) for Operation Baghdad Pups. The project began last year with a mission to rescue the dogs and cats who have become the companion animals of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. SPCA International contacted Assemblyman Cohen in May because help was needed facilitating the care and travel of 24 dogs and two cats who had been adopted by U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq. Cohen, an animal activist, immediately acted, and in the first week of June, all 26 of the rescued animals were flown from Baghdad to Newark International Airport. “Reuniting these dogs—and cats—of war with their adoptive [guardians] on U.S. soil has been a dream come true for everyone,” says Cohen. This was SPCA International’s seventh successful Operation Baghdad Pups mission, which was possible thanks to the help of many people, including Assemblyman Cohen and Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker, who provided support and resources in Newark. Operation Baghdad Pups needs donations to help make future successful missions possible.

For more information, visit BaghdadPups.com.

Dog walk to march through Hillsdale

On Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Almost Home Dog Rescue of New Jersey will host its Second Annual Dog Walk at Veterans Park in Hillsdale. Registration begins at 10 a.m., and the cost is $15 per dog, $5 for an additional dog (with a two-dog limit per person). Each registered canine receives free doggie treats while supplies last. Human walkers can help raise money for the rescue by having others sponsor them through pledges. Walkers who raise $50 or more will get a free dog-walk T-shirt. All proceeds will help support the group’s rescue efforts. Also at the event, Matthew Krupnick, DVM, will be answering questions; there will be doggie contests, treats to sample from a doggie bakery, a pet photographer, and guests such as animal rescue groups FOCAS, Bright and Beautiful, Fetch, and others.

For more information, call (201) 906-3395 or visit AHDRNJ.com.

Artist donates profits from Pit Bull hair clip sales to local canine rescue

New York native and current New Jersey resident Jennifer Krumholz (owner of JaK Random Art) is an animal-loving artist who has recently begun selling human hair clips featuring Pit Bull designs. Krumholz is donating half the profits for her Honeycomb Pit Bull hair clips, which cost only $5, to Earth Angels Canine Rescue (Manhattan and the Bronx).

When asked about the genesis of the project, Krumholz says, “It started when a friend of a friend, who after ordering some custom-made clip-on earrings, was surprised to see that I didn’t make hair clips. … I thought, ‘Hmm, that’s really a good idea,’ … so I made a few Pit Bull hair clips for her, and it snowballed from there.”

Regarding donating half the profits to Earth Angels, she adds, “I just love all animals so much, but my heart goes out to Pit Bulls. … My parents had and loved Tiger, a rescued Pit Bull, until she passed away about a year ago. … They get such an undeserved bad reputation, and I found out that Emelinda Narvaez [founder of Earth Angels] specializes in rescuing and caring for Pit Bulls, although they do rescue all breeds in need.”

Krumholz, who along with her fiancé, is guardian to three rescued cats, Bandit, Milo, and Ume, makes all of her bracelets (which she calls “cuffs”), earrings, and hairclips from recycled vinyl records. In addition to jewelry, she also makes notebooks, stationary, coasters, and other items, all made from recycled and found objects, such as record album covers, compact discs, and paper.

Krumholz, also lives a vegan lifestyle, and says her art is influenced by nature and our increasing isolation from it, as well as nature’s toll on the man-made environment. She adds that, since most of the materials she uses in her art are from recycled or found objects, she’s placing an emphasis on the notion that out of decay there is rebirth. —Mickey Kramer

For more information, visit JaKRandomArt.etsy.com.

Spotlight on: Companion Animal Advocates

During tough economic times both people and their pets can use a helping paw. Companion Animal Advocates (CAA), a nonprofit organization based in Glen Rock, was founded to help prevent the difficult decision to give up a pet due to financial hardships. This is evident in the organization’s motto: “We envision a future where every pet has a family and every family can keep their pet.” CAA works to keep companion animals in their homes by providing pet food and relief to financially challenged guardians through the Center for Food Action (CFA), an emergency food provider, so that neither people nor their pets will go hungry. In April 2008, CAA began Operation Feed-A-Pet, and as of July had delivered 2,717 pounds of food to CFA.

CAA hopes to reach its goal of 5,000 pounds of donated food by year’s end, but needs help to make this possible (each dog costs $12 a month to feed while cats cost $10). It’s asking for monetary donations so that it can purchase food in bulk at a discount and also provide a consistent diet for each animal. All donations go toward purchasing pet food.

To help raise funds CAA will be hosting Carnivale of the Dogs, sponsored by Commerce Bank at the Wild Duck Pond Park in Ridgewood on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include a DJ, dog trainer, doggie daycare, dog show (registration required), caricaturist, paw reader, vet, doggie masseuse, pet photographers, giveaways and prizes, and dog adoptions. The event is free except for a nominal charge for the dog show. To make a donation, send a check to Companion Animal Advocates, 55 Harristown Road, 2nd floor, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 or pay by credit card online.

For more information, email Patricia@companionanimaladvocates.org or visit CompanionAnimalAdvocates.org.