The Pet Project

The LAIR Conservation Programs & Partnerships

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 21:05:40 +0000

The Los Angeles Zoo is actively involved in amphibian conservation. Amphibians have permeable skin and are highly susceptible to changes in water quality, air quality, and temperature. For this reason, they are early indicators to the biological and environmental community of habitat degradation….In 2011, the L.A. Zoo bred and released California’s critically endangered mountain yellow-legged frog. Although this species is not on exhibit in the LAIR it demonstrates the tremendous work that zoo staff does behind the scenes to protect local wildlife. The LAIR will house the Chinese giant salamander, the world’s largest amphibian. This species has suffered an 80 percent population decline since the 1950s. The L.A. Zoo helps to fund a collaborative project between the Memphis Zoo, Mississippi State University, and Shaanxi Institute of Zoology to monitor the reintroduction of captive-bred giant salamanders to China’s Shaanxi Province. The Los Angeles Zoo has provided ongoing financial support to the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), a global partnership aiming at preventing turtle extinction. Zoo funds have supported construction and expansion of tortoise enclosures at conservation centers in Madagascar and Myanmar, and repatriation of more than 400 confiscated tortoises to Madagascar. The LAIR houses radiated and spider tortoises from Madagascar and the desert tortoise found locally in California.

Jelly Fish Art

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:41:18 +0000

Jellyfish are becoming the next trend in ornamental aquariums and Jellyfish Art is the leader in supplying live jellyfish and their specialized aquariums and products. Their mesmerizing forms and soothing movement create living works of art. Jellyfish aquariums are a new kind of interior decoration, sources of light and life that become the focal point of any space…BACKGROUND

The first jellyfish exhibits opened in public aquariums several years ago when scientists first discovered how to display jellyfish in captivity using tanks with special water flow patterns. These beautiful exhibits have been wildly popular and now jellyfish are found in virtually all the public aquariums. It was clear people absolutely loved to watch jellyfish, but nobody had made the necessary tanks and food to allow people to own them as pets. After some tinkering and experimenting, Jellyfish Art started selling jellyfish tanks, food and jellyfish through a simple website. It was immediately apparent that people had been wanting their own jellyfish as they started purchasing jellyfish tanks. Jellyfish Art took off from there.

NEW TECHNOLOGY
Jellyfish cannot go in a regular fish tank because they will get stuck in corners and sucked into filtration intakes. Jellyfish Art offers a suite of tanks with water flow patterns designed to keep jellyfish healthy and properly displayed. We also make a frozen food high in fatty acids made specifically for jellyfish. Jellyfish Art keeps jellyfish in stock at all times so customers have a reliable supply. We pride ourselves on outstanding customer service and a simple, fun online shopping experience.

Check out: www.jellyfishart.com for more info.

K-9 Companions

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:16:45 +0000

Do you have a pup at home? Looking to train your pup? George and Karen Duet are International Certifiers of Master Dog Trainers, Personal Protection Specialists and county licensed in business, resale and kennel and they started K-9 Companions to help people train there pups…They are also authors of four internationally-recognized books and have contributed to two internationally-recognized books on security. At K-9 Companions they believe in positive reinforcement, motivation, and moderation. Just as with children, they believe in rewards for good behavior and correction at the level that fits the dogs personality, size, age, and willingness. They do not believe in the use of abuse or shock in any circumstances. They believe in using the word “No” (or equivalent word) in association with a correction. Corrections can be instinctual corrections such as bad tastes, smells, or sounds, in addition to collar corrections. They believe in teaching the dog to make their own decision based upon proper communication of desired behaviors. They teach the client how to best communicate clearly with their dog. Log on to www.k-9companions.com to learn more.

Best Friends Animal Society Opens in So Cal

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:13:01 +0000

Best Friends Animal Society announces the official grand opening of Best Friends Animal Society Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Services, which will operate from the Northeast Valley Animal Care Center in Mission Hills, CA, which previously had never opened to the public because of budget shortfalls. It will be utilized as a lifesaving, high-volume adoption and spay/neuter center.In a much-anticipated astronomical anomaly, a dozen or so stars were visible in broad daylight Thursday—no telescope required. It’s all about the grand opening of the Best Friends Animal Society Adoption and Spay/Neuter Services at the Northeast Valley Animal Care Center in Mission Hills…

Elected officials and civic leaders were also here. Sharing the podium were Richard Alarcon, Tony Cárdenas, Paul Koretz and Dennis Zine, members of the Los Angeles City Council; Jim Bickhart, representing the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Gregory Castle, co-founder and chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society; and Francis Battista, co-founder and vice chair of the Best Friends Animal Society board of directors. Entertainment celebrities who attended were: Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry), Teri Polo (Meet the Fockers), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Lost Girl, Two and a Half Men), Eric & Eliza Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables), Julie Marie Berman her husband Mike (General Hospital), Jackson Galaxy (My Cat from Hell), Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect, Shameless), Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight, A Gifted Man), Danny Trejo (Sons of Anarchy, Spy Kids), Tim Omundson (Psych, Judging Amy) and Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk, A Beautiful Mind). Many of these celebrities are part of the Best Friends Acclaimed Ambassador program, which includes well-known individuals from entertainment, sports, politics and popular culture, who participate in Best Friends events and use their voices to speak out for the animals.

Best Friends Animal Society Pet Adoptions and Spay-Neuter Services is a public-private partnership that was approved by the Los Angeles City Council. Best Friends Animal Society is investing more than a million dollars each year to operate the facility as a flourishing center for adoption and spay-neuter services, with the goal of ending the euthanasia of 19,000 homeless pets in Los Angeles each year. The Center also will provide low-cost spay/neuter services to the community and bring in thousands of adoptable animals each year from the other city shelters. “We are extremely thankful to Mayor Villaraigosa and members of the City Council for supporting us and making it possible for Best Friends to open the center,” said Gregory Castle, chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society. “Clearly this signals a new era of hope for displaced, homeless animals in Los Angeles as we try to reduce euthanasia and increase adoptions.” Last February, Best Friends put forward a proposal to the City of Los Angeles to operate adoption and spay-neuter services out of the facility, which had never opened because of budget shortfalls. The proposal was accepted and approved by the City Council back in August, but it took five months to get all the contracts negotiated, and the contract finally was signed Jan. 3, 2012. Castle elaborated on the significance of the work to be accomplished at the facility.

“The Los Angeles project is a tremendous opportunity for us to help stop the killing of homeless animals in L.A.’s city shelters,” he said. “Best Friends, which for many years has been the leader of the no-kill movement, has a unique opportunity to put all of our experience to work on a project that, when completed, will set the standard for other such efforts in other cities throughout the United States.” City Councilmember Richard Alarcón, representing District 7 where the center is located, said the additional services offered by the Best Friends facility would help residents of his district. “This new center will provide pet services that people in the Northeast Valley want and that animals in the Northeast Valley need,” said Councilmember Alarcón. “More than 19,000 pets are euthanized in Los Angeles every year. This can be avoided if more people do the right thing and take advantage of the services offered at centers like this new facility in Mission Hills.”

The new operation will greatly increase the number of lives that can be saved. Best Friends’ goal in the first year is to find loving, forever homes for 3,000 pets from other L.A. city shelters and to spay and neuter 6,000 dogs and cats, with many of these pets coming from low-income areas of the city. That means 3,000 fewer animals that may otherwise have been euthanized in the L.A. shelter system, and potentially tens of thousands of puppies and kittens that won’t be born into an already overpopulated community. Los Angeles City Councilmember Tony Cárdenas said: “I am proud to have been an early supporter of the City’s public-private partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. “To put off the opening of this life-saving facility would be wrong. This partnership simply could not wait.” The shelter will play an important role in No More Homeless Pets Los Angeles, a coalition led and funded by Best Friends, that’s made up of 33 local rescue and shelter partners, including Los Angeles Animal Services. “It all adds up to a massive effort to take Los Angeles no-kill,” said Francis Battista, Best Friends co-founder and board vice chair. “The coalition will focus on boosting shelter adoptions with the support of a subsidy program from Best Friends and reducing shelter intake through targeted spay/neuter projects that offer low-cost or free services to low-income residents.” The facility, which covers more than an acre, will house 36 Best Friends employees and an average of 150 dogs and cats, with a minimum of 100 dogs/cats on site on any given day. There is also a grooming room, a large dog play yard, and two clinic areas.

Bulldog adopts 6 wild boar piglets in Germany

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:56:45 +0000

Forget the three little pigs hiding from the big bad wolf. These six little pigs have found a new friend in a maternal French bulldog named Baby. The Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin said Baby took straight to the wild boar piglets when they were brought in Saturday, three days old and shivering from cold. Sanctuary worker Norbert Damm said Wednesday that, as soon as the furry striped piglets were brought in, Baby ran over and started snuggling them and keeping them warm, even though they’re almost her size…The 8-year-old bulldog has stayed right by their side since then, making sure they’re OK, Damm said. ”She thinks they’re her own babies,” Damm said. It isn’t the first time Baby’s taken to new guests at the sanctuary – she’s also raised raccoons, cats and many other animals, Damm said. ”She’s an uber-mother,” he said. The piglets’ own mother was likely killed by a hunter and the litter of three males and three females was found abandoned in a forest. At the time they were found they weighed in at under a kilogram (two pounds) each but are being bottle-fed at the sanctuary and are growing well, Damm said. He said they can’t be released into the wild because they have no fear of humans, but it should be possible to set them free in a nature reserve in about three months, once they can feed themselves.

Wild boars are common in Germany, even in big cities, and herds have been growing as expanding commercial crops have provided them with more food. Recent estimates have put the boar population at more than 10,000 in Berlin alone, where they live in extensive wooded areas and often venture into backyards and sports fields, tearing up turf to look for food.

Friskies Plus Playhouse

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:32:29 +0000

Friskies^® is hosting 10 cats for two weeks in the Friskies^® Plus™ Playhouse, the ultimate play space for cats, broadcast live daily on the Friskies Facebook page. The Playhouse offers the Friskies Facebook community unique interactive opportunities to tune in, interact with the cats, and help create the imaginative environment. The 10 cats living in the two-room Friskies Playhouse are part of the MeoowzResQ network of foster cats available for adoption. The participating cats were selected based on a variety of factors, including personality and age. The Playhouse features are based on maximizing opportunities for cat play.

Certified Animal Behavior Consultant and cat behavior expert Pam Johnson-Bennett worked with Friskies to help recommend design themes and elements for the Playhouse cats. The feline housemates will enjoy a large built-in aquarium, touch floor to play Friskies^® Games for Cats and many unique climbing spaces. Each day “extras,” or new engagement features, will be added to the Playhouse based on input from the Friskies Facebook community. Extras up for vote may include a large climbing tree, tunnel system and bubble machine. Final decisions will depend on Facebook community votes. Anyone who visits the Friskies Facebook page may watch the cats in the Playhouse live from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST/noon to 3 p.m. PST, every day, February 6 through February 19.

If consumers miss the live window or just want to see more, they may visit the Friskies YouTube channel to watch daily highlights and recap videos. New highlights will be posted each morning. The Friskies Facebook community gets to play too: in addition to helping choose new extras to add to the Playhouse and watching the cats; consumers may interact with the cats. The Friskies Plus Play Live feature offers three mechanical toys for users to select to operate four fully movable and zoomable cameras. Friskies Plus Play Live gives fans the ability to “play” with real cats in real time. It’s a modified version of iPet Companion, created by AliceVISION™, which says its free app boosts adoptions, donations and sponsorships in pet rescue and adoption shelters worldwide. The Friskies Plus Play Live feature will be active on Friskies Facebook page independent of the live daily broadcast. Fans can play from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST/noon to 8 p.m. PST daily February 6 through February 19. To watch the Friskies Playhouse cats live, or interact with them using the Friskies Plus Play Live feature, please visit www.Facebook.com/Friskies. To view highlights and video clips from the Playhouse, please visit www.youtube.com/PurinaFriskies.

26 Bars & a Band

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:35:40 +0000

26 Bars & a Band is a young company whose focus is on Innovation, Design, and Customer Service. Married couple, Mike and Sandi Kaneko combine their differences (“numbers guy” meets “design girl”) and have created a unique brand… Started in 2004, 26 Bars and a Band donates to rescue groups and started the Avant Garde recycling program which benefits Center For Biological Diversite. They created the brand Avant Garde retractable leashes which has changed the face of retractable leashes. Not only does the likes of The Chihuanista herself – Butterfly use the products from 26 Bars and Band, but so do all of Tammy’s pets. If you want to get your own retractable leash, harness or any other product for your dog, log on to http://www.26barsandaband.com/retractable-leashes/

MeoowzResQ: “Hoarding Situation, We need help!”

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:13:26 +0000

MeoowzResQ recieved the email circulating about people needing help with cats they had in Santa Ana—indicating they maybe forclosed on —-they were asking local Ornage County California Rescue groups to take one or 2. Well, they pulled 17 of the cats thus far!!!! —-the worst, most severe cases. The remaining we gave them meds and food and litter —until further help can be given. Many of the kitties will need eye enucleations.

There are at least 20-25 remaining cats—-NONE have been spayed/neutered. This is a huge project and they need help. These pictures are just an example of the condition of the kitties we have pulled. They are in dire help to help the 17 cats we have pulled so far with eye removals, vetting and medication. We are supplying the home right now with food, liter and medication and we need big help to save and assist this situation!!!! This is pretty much a CODE RED situation.

WE NEED DONATIONS DESPERATELY!!!! YOU CAN MAKE DONTIONS VIA THIS CHIP IN AND IN ADDITION YOU CAN CALL IN OR MAIL IN DONATION TO DR. JAMES COGLAN BELOW!!!! PLEASE WHEN YOU DO MAKE SURE IT IS ATTENTION TO THIS ACCT:
account: MeoowzResQ—”hoarding kitties”

vet info:
Dr James Coghlan
17th Street Animal Hospital
1745 W. 17th Street
Santa Ana Ca 92706
714-542-4107 account: MeoowzResQ—”hoarding kitties”
In addition you may make donations via our website where it says “DONATE”http://meoowzresq.com/
You can also mail your tax deductable donations to us directly!!!!
MeoowzResQ
(mailing address)
960 N. Tustin Ave #200
Orange, CA 92867

WE NEED HELP!!! WE NEED FOSTERS PLEASE!!!!!! THERE ARE STILL 20 – 25 KITTIES WHO NEED OUT OF THERE TOO!!! CAN YOU PLEASE HELP US OUT AND FOSTER PLEASE!!!! WE NEED FOSTERS PLEASE TO HELP THESE CATS!!!! PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU CAN PLEASE FOSTER SO WE CAN SAVE ALL THESE CATS PLEASE!!!!!! PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU CAN

HELP US PLEASE! EMAIL – MeoowzResQ@aol.com
OR CALL US !! (714) 997-0868
AND OUR VOLOUNTEER FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE
http://meoowzresq.com/pages/Volunteer2.htm

Make your Pet’s Bed last longer!

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:01:04 +0000

Molly mutt’s diy dog bed kits are an exciting new approach to keeping textiles out of our landfills. You cover your existing dog bed with the molly mutt dog duvet and fill it with the old clothes and bedding you’ve got laying around your house. Your dog gets a new bed, and you get a fun, easy way to recycle your old things – not to mention some extra space in your closet. Log on to www.mollymutt.com to get yours now!

Consider Uggie

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:56:17 +0000

Could the biggest Oscars snub actually be for a dog? Uggie, the 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier who steals the show in the critically acclaimed silent film “The Artist,” which itself is nominated for 10 Academy Awards…. The talented canine has garnered much support across the Internet, especially on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Over 9,000 people have liked the Movieline sponsored Facebook page, “Consider Uggie,” which promotes an unofficial awards campaign for the brilliant four-legged actor. Fans can also follow Uggie on Twitter (@Uggie_TheArtist) look for the hash tag ConsiderUggie (#ConsiderUggie) to voice their outrage over the lack of a nomination. The Academy has had strict rules for more than 80 years excluding animals from Oscar consideration because of the success of a similar canine fan favorite, Rin Tin Tin, who almost won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1929. The question is, should a “Best Animal” category be added to the awards list in the future? Log on to www.movieline.com for more info.