Oklahoma social service groups feed homeless pets

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Night Light Tulsa, a social services group that offers weekly dinner and living necessities for homeless or needy people, has added pets to its list of those it helps.

Every week for the last year, Tulsa animal welfare staff has handed out 850 pounds of dog and cat food, according to Susan Stoker, animal welfare field supervisor. The program, Feed the Pets of Tulsa's Homeless, is 100% donation-funded and offers petfood and connects people in need with basic pet care. The workers also facilitate donated services from area veterinarians who provide free rabies vaccinations, spaying and neutering.

Dogswell launches contest to raise animal adoption awareness

Dogswell has launched a national contest to raise awareness for animal adoptions in honor of National Pet Month. As of May 19, 2014, consumers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite no-kill animal shelter to win a professional photo shoot for their adoptable dogs.

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The contest will run for four weeks. An announcement will be made on June 30 with the name of the winning no-kill shelter. Fifteen adoptable dogs from the shelter will get their “picture perfect” moment captured by Kaylee Greer from Dog Breath Photography. The winning shelter will also receive a six-month supply of Dogswell food.
“Dogswell is proud to celebrate the efforts of shelters across the country while showing that something as simple as a picture can increase a dog’s chances of getting adopted,” said Dogswell CEO Brad Casper. “We are thrilled to partner with Kaylee Greer to help these dogs make the best ‘first impression’ and increase their chances for a healthy and happy life.”
To vote for your local no-kill shelter, visit the #Smile4DogswellContest tab on Dogswell’s Facebook page, as well as the respective shelter’s Facebook page to like and/or share the Dogswell-branded post throughout the month of May. Consumers are also encouraged to participate using the hashtag #Smile4DogswellContest across all social platforms. 

Petfood Forum 2014 provides opportunities to give back to pet community

Petfood Forum 2014 will offer multiple opportunities for convention-goers looking for ways to give back directly to the pet community. 

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Visits with pets from Tree House Humane Society will be available on Tuesday, April 1, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Schaumburg East Foyer outside the exhibit hall. Tree House Humane Society rescues and rehabilitates stray cats-often ill, injured or abused-for adoption. Steve Dale, the opening keynote for Petfood Forum 2014, serves on the board of directors. Tree House supports Chicago-area pets in many other ways, including a petfood pantry that is seeking new donation partners. Cash donations are also welcome. Please contact Ollie Davidson, director of programs, at Ollie@treehouseanimals.org. 
On Tuesday, April 1, from 2:25 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Wednesday, April 2, from 9:25 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., Petfood Forum attendees can meet Joseph Worley, America's VetDogs' graduate, and his service dog Benjamin, in the Schaumburg East Foyer. Learn from Worley, who served in Iraq as a US Navy corpsman, how his service dog changed his life. Worley and Benjamin are visiting with Wells Jones, CEO of America's VetDogs and the Guide Dog Foundation, and Petfood Forum 2014's closing keynote; and Katherine Fritz. The Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs provide guide and service dogs at no charge-and team the right dog with the right person-to ensure someone with visual or physical disabilities can live a life without boundaries.
Both groups' visits are courtesy of Trouw Nutrition USA.

ASPCA, Rachael Ray to award US$600,000 to shelters for saving homeless pets

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is hosting the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, where a total of US$600,000 in prize grants will be awarded to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs.
The 49 contestants in 30 states will work to save more animals during the months of June, July and August than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year's competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011.
ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a US$100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in pets' lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win US$25,000. Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between US$10,000 and US$25,000 in additional grants. In total, US$600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation. 
For more information about the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, please visit www.aspca.org/100K. 

Trouw Nutrition donates to Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation

Ingredient supplier Trouw Nutrition is donating up to US$10,000 to Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, an organization that saves dogs and cats that have run out of time at public shelters. The donations are being made in the name of some of Trouw's pet food manufacturing clients.
The company is also sending a gift bag of goodies to ARF for the pets to enjoy. The company says the donation is to honor Tony LaRussa after his retirement from managing the Major League Baseball team the St. Louis Cardinals.  

Stella & Chewy's donates petfood to sick rescue dog

Stella & Chewy's is donating pet food for one year to sponsor Cupid, a sick rescue dog at the ARFhouse in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Cupid, found starving in a Texas, USA, field, was transported to ARFhoouse Chicago where he was taken in by a foster family. Soon after, it was discovered that Cupid was born with two heart conditions: valvular pulmonic stenosis, meaning the valve sending blood to his lungs is deformed so he struggles to pump a healthy amount of blood, and subaortic stenosis, a deformation to the valve that sends blood to his organs. As a result of these conditions, Cupid is suffering a dangerous side effect that causes his cardiac walls to become thicker, making treatment impossible.
Cupid receives four portioned Stella & Chewy's meals per day to help him sustain blood flow to his lungs and other organs. In addition, the company says it has made nearly US$275,000 worth of pet food, treat and monetary donations to animal shelters in 2011.
“It’s important to us to help rescue animals, after all it was my adoptive dogs that inspired me to start Stella & Chewy’s," said Marie Moody, Stella & Chewy’s founder and
president. "We strive to make a difference in the quality of life of our customer’s pets as well as the lives of dogs and cats who are less fortunate.”

Pedigree will donate dog food for every QR code scanned on its packages at Walmart

The Pedigree petfood brand is teaming up with Walmart in a technology-driven initiative to help feed homeless dogs as part of "Pets Love Walmart" month in September.

Throughout the month of September, dog lovers can use their smartphone to scan the QR code on any Pedigree package sold at Walmart. For every QR code scanned, Pedigree will donate a bowl of dog food to an animal shelter, up to 500,000 8-ounce bowls.
"This program is truly revolutionary because it marks a new frontier in generating awareness and support for the plight of shelter dogs," said Lisa Campbell, senior brand manager,  Pedigree. "At Pedigree, our love for dogs is our driving passion so we were thrilled to facilitate yet another way people can make a difference in the life of a shelter dog. Scan a code, help a dog. It's that easy."
In September, Walmart will also host weekly educational demonstrations on pet ownership and will display local shelter information on its shelves.

Castor & Pollux partners with nonprofit Austin Pets Alive!

Castor & Pollux Natural PetWorks announced a partnership with Austin Pets Alive!, a nonprofit organization that implements no-kill programs in Austin, Texas, USA.
As part of the partnership, Castor & Pollux will provide 1,000 pounds of pet food monthly to the shelter and will create a coupon program that gives a percentage of coupon-attributed sales to APA. The company will also provide "starter kits" for adoptive pet parents at all adoption outreach events that APA holds. 
In celebration of the partnership, Castor & Pollux will donate a pet meal for each new Facebook fan both APA and Castor & Pollux's Facebook page until Wednesday, August 17.
“Our goal is to save 5,000 cats and dogs in 2011, which requires an enormous amount of food that is difficult for a non-profit to afford. Our partnership with Castor & Pollux allows us to use our limited resources to save more pets," said Ellen Jefferson, executive director of APA. “In Castor & Pollux we’ve found an ideal partner - not only are they serious about cementing their legacy by helping pets in need, but their products offer our pets an ideal start in their new lives with their nutritious, all-natural and organic food.”

Halo works with USPS to promote stamp

Halo, a producer of holistic pet care products, is working with the United States Postal Service to promote its 2010 social awareness stamp, “Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet.”
The company and its co-owner Ellen DeGeneres plan to donate 1 million meals of Halo Spot’s Stew to shelter pets awaiting adoption in celebration.

Merrick donates petfood to shelters

After deciding upon a list of no-kill shelters throughout the US, Merrick Pet Care committed to providing six months worth of petfood to each. To date, Merrick delivers both dry and canned food to shelters in nine states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
This past month, the company provided approximately 14,500 pounds of dry food and 50,000 cans to the shelters.