Who Is Broken Promises SW?

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Broken Promises SW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization seeking to end animal overpopulation by spaying and neutering animals in Las Cruces, NM and Dona Ana County. We offer spay/neuter assistance, help with addressing feral cat overpopulation humanely through TNR, and rescue of injured pigeons, doves, chickens, and other birds. We operate a sanctuary that is home to rescued cats, doves, pigeons, hens, a few roosters, and a turkey named Sorrell. We also have two resident feral cats, Gary and Alan, who keep an eye on the sanctuary while we’re tending to other things.
We don’t “take” cats from people’s property – all the cats we trap are returned after they are surgically sterilized, ear tipped, and given rabies and FVRCP vaccines. We sometimes will take adoptable stray cats and young feral kittens to socialize and adopt out through one of the rescue groups we partner with when time and space allows; these occasions are rare given the volume of feral cats we regularly trap, but openings do pop up on occasion.

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Our services are offered at no-charge, but we are a small organization that runs on donations so any amount is appreciated. If you are unable to afford a donation it will have no affect on the quality of care and help you and your cats will receive. We accept cash/check donations at our PO Box and credit card donations through Paypal here.

You can visit us on Facebook here as well.

This post was sent in by submitted by Joe Miele with Broken Promises SW.  If you’d like to write a post about your non profit org, we’d love to see it!  Just check out our submission guidelines at this page. 

Who Is The Beagle Freedom Project?

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History of the Beagle Freedom Project

In December of 2010, Shannon Keith learned that beagles being used for animal experiments in a research lab were to be given a chance at freedom.  The mission for the Beagle Freedom Project was formed and they have been rescuing and re-homing beagles ever since.

Beagles for the research industry are generally obtained from commercial breeders, who breed them specifically for this purpose.  This breed of dog is known to be friendly, docile, trusting, forgiving–in short, perfect for lab use.  In addition they adapt well to cages and are fed inexpensively.

The Beagle Freedom Project legally removes beagles that are no longer used in testing and transports them to forever homes.

Beagle Freedom Project is a service of Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME). Founded in 2004, ARME is a nonprofit advocacy group created to eliminate the suffering of all animals through rescue, public education and outreach. ARME has found homes for thousands of homeless and abandoned animals. In 2004 ARME organized the first-ever “Shelter Drive” to provide creature comforts to homeless animals such as beds, toys and treats. ARME’s Shelter Drive became an annual tradition uniting volunteers with businesses that allowed drop boxes for donations. ARME also helps feed and shelter displaced animals when Southern California fires strike residential areas.

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Types of Testing Beagles Are Used For

Universities and research labs use beagles to test commercial products such as medicines and pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and household products.

Challenges In Adopting A Lab Beagle

As the greatest majority of these dogs have lived all their lives at either a breeding facility or a lab, they have never experienced meeting children, cats–even other dogs!  They are not house trained, but they learn quickly.  They have never seen grass…or felt the warmth of the sun.  They must adjust to a diet other than what they were provided by the lab.  They have never had treats, toys or soft beds, and may never have been on a leash.

At the lab, they may have had irritated or infected paws from living in a cage with a wire bottom.  They may be frightened and may haven been surgically de-barked at the breeder, with an ID number tattooed inside the ear (similar to greyhounds).  Adopters are given very little info about their beagle’s medical history.  The type of testing they were used for is usually not revealed.

However, the transformation of these dogs after they are freed is nothing short of amazing!

Projects In Process Now

Beagles are not the only animals used in laboratory research.  Many people are surprised to learn that cats are also, and many need adoption.

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The Identity Campaign

As a 501(c)(3) organization contributions to ARME are tax-deductible. To donate please see www.arme.tv.

 

Joy Jones

Joy Jones, our Editor In Chief, is a syndicated columnist living with her husband Dave in Las Cruces, New Mexico. When not working on Your Pet Space, she writes a metaphysical column, as well as urban fantasy and humor. You can e-mail her at joy@yourpetspace.info as well as send her a friend request on Facebook.

Our Ultimate Guide To Animal Charities–Part 2

Ok, remember that best animal charities list we gave you at Christmas?  Well, here’s part 2 to help with your Valentine gifting!  🙂  Maybe one thought for your sweetheart that’s “hard to buy for” is to donate on their behalf to an animal charity.  AND, even if you did use our list from the holidays, here are even more places you can donate!

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League For Animal Welfare–Cincinnati, Ohio

Founded in 1949, they are one of the oldest and largest no kill shelters in their area.  Become a monthly or one time sponsor, or help them out by donating a vehicle!

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Lil Paw Prints Animal Rescue Haven–Cincinnati, Ohio

A completely self funded non profit, this is one of the best animal charities and rescues that operates entirely out of foster homes.  They help find homes for dogs, birds, ferrets, event sugar gliders!

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Marine Mammal Center–Sausalito, CA

This is the best of the California animal charities to learn all about ocean environments.  This organization rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals suffering from malnourishment, entanglements, separation and diseases.

 

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Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)–Galt, CA

As its name suggests, this organization is one of the best animal charities dedicated to the welfare of animal artists, but also the ongoing care of captive wildlife that has been abused, abandoned and retired from the industry.

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PetSmart Charities–Phoenix, AZ

Your Pet Space is proud to serve as a product affiliate for one of the best animal charities in Arizona. This worthy organization that saves more the 400,000 pets per year by granting more than 34 million dollars to animal welfare groups.  You can help by visiting their main page, as well as purchasing pet products through Your Pet Supply Space.

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Save The Animals Foundation–Cincinnati, Ohio

For more than 25 years, one of the best animal charities in southern Ohio has been organizing fun events like spinning to raise funds and attending My Furry Valentine to highlight their pets for adoption.  They’ve saved literally hundreds of lives with just a single event!

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Wildlife Conservation Society–Bronx, NY

Founded in 1895, this organization saves not only wildlife but wild places–everywhere from the Congo to the Rockies–through science, conservation, education and inspiration!  They supply grants to other non-profit conservation organizations, state wildlife agencies, and tribal governments.

We’d love to hear about anyone out there who gave a gift from our lists to someone you love.  Let us hear from you!  

Joy Jones

Joy Jones, our Editor In Chief, is a syndicated columnist living with her husband Dave in Las Cruces, New Mexico. When not working on Your Pet Space, she writes a metaphysical column, as well as urban fantasy and humor. You can e-mail her at joy@yourpetspace.info as well as send her a friend request on Facebook.

The Thousand Dogs of Sochi

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photo: Kevin Liles, USA TODAY Sports

 Animals don’t behave like men,’ he said. ‘If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don’t sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures’ lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.

My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.

― Richard Adams

These quotes, of course, are from a book called Watership Down, that was made into a movie of the same name.  In the story, it’s rabbits that are destroyed when a construction crew tears apart their warren.  And they felt the same sort of horrified bewilderment I feel in writing this.

If you’re like me, you’d never heard of Sochi, Russia before this year’s Olympics.  But when I learned that the Russian government was targeting thousands of stray dogs there with poison, no less, I was appalled.  Apparently, so were many Russian animal rights activists, a few athletes and even a Russian billionaire.  So much that the latter, one Oleg Deripaska, put up the funds to create a shelter where the rescued dogs can wait for new homes.

Still, at least one protest took place on Red Square, where activists carried a banner reading “Bloody Olympics” that depicted a puppy covered in blood.  One of the protestors was arrested.

But, in the aftermath of an estimated 5,000 already killed, what happens next to the dogs of Sochi?  Don’t think that I haven’t thought of sending an e-mail somewhere to get our own adoption started—but, because of too many regulations in place in both Russia and other countries, the fastest adoptions will take place with people already in Sochi attending the Olympics.

Here are some helpful links and related news about what’s happening in Sochi, including info on how you or someone you know can help the Thousand–before they stop running.

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–USA Today sports

Links:

Former Olympic Athlete Urges IOC to Stop Sochi Street Dog Cull

Olympian Tom McMillen Says “Nyet” to Street Dog Slaughter

Adopting a Sochi Street Dog

Joy Jones

Joy Jones, our Editor In Chief, is the Vice President of Your Pet Space, a cage free dog boarding facility serving the greater Las Cruces, NM area.  She is also a  syndicated columnist living with her husband Dave (below). When not working on Your Pet Space, she writes a metaphysical column, as well as urban fantasy and humor. You can e-mail her at joy@yourpetspace.info as well as send her a friend request on Facebook.

E Books E Books E Books!

cat writerAs we have posted numerous times recently, Your Pet Space will be building a collection of pet-related electronic books for sale on our site.  We’re very excited about offering our own e books, for a number of reasons:

1.)  E-Books don’t kill trees!  ‘Nuff said.

2.)  They’re faster to obtain.  If you’re a pet owner, you need answers about your fur babies NOW, not at the leisure of UPS.

3.) They’re portable.  You can read an e book anywhere, and carry many more than if they were paper books.

4.) Find what you need fast!  You can do global searches within an e book that are impossible in a paper version.

5.) You can be a published writer, and make some change doing it.  We can not only showcase new writers about their own pets, but create an affiliate program so you can create income by helping to promote our books.

6.) They’re affordable for everyone.  The average e book costs between $3–$37.00, depending on the content.  We plan to offer our books for $5-$15, depending on the book and creators, as well as production costs.  So you’ll be able to afford to purchase some you like, help shelter pets, and help keep YPS on the air, all at the same time.  😉

7.)  Upgrades can be offered free!  For any e books we create, we will update them for free to our customers.  (So your info is never out of date.) 

8.)  We can load them with useful links.  Our e books will be full of resources–they’ll be virtually (hehe) chock full of information as vast as the internet.

9.)  E-Reader technology can only get better.  Woot!

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Re-Thinking Of The Pitch Your Breed Project

A few months ago, we released an appeal for writers to contribute a paragraph on their pets to helps us create our first two e books.  Originally, we intended that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to a local shelter.  But we’ve since decided, in keeping with our deepest goals in starting this site, and our theme in 2014 of a PET REVOLUTION, that these books will be written by shelters and rescues, and will be descriptions of pets currently needing forever homes.  Further, ALL the proceeds (except production costs) will now go to a rescue in need.  (We’ve chosen Lil’ Paw Prints Animal Rescue Haven as our first recipient organization).

Any contributions of pet owners will go into one of our other pet e book projects, such as…

Other E Book Ideas We’re Kicking Around

Your Good Pet  (training)

Your Holistic Pet

Your Heroic Pet

Your Senior Pet

For this purpose, among others, we’ve recently acquired a sister domain, Petsstories.com, which currently re-directs back to YPS, but may be used in future to promote e books exclusively.  In the meantime, we’d LOVE to hear what ideas you have!  And of course we’d love to hear from you if you have something to contribute to any of our e-books.

Just request guidelines or send submissions to Joy@YourPetSpace.Info

 

 

 

Your Furry Valentine!

furry valentineBefore we know it, Valentine’s Day will be upon us, and here in Cincinnati we usually get a brief warm spell, heralding spring even before the robins return!  Along with the roses and chocolates that fly, there’s also an amazing event that takes place we’d like to share with you.  It’s called My Furry Valentine.

Your Pet Space is proud to be a sponsor for this wonderful event, Greater Cincinnati’s largest companion animal adoption event.  Many many local shelters, rescues, animal hospitals, pet stores, animal photographers and advocate groups participate.  And, if you’re looking for a new friend to love furever, you can choose from hundreds of adoptable pets at their main location in West Chester, or any of their satellite locations throughout the city.

All adopters receive free pet supplies, products, toys and food from sponsors. You’ll also be entered to win one of their gift baskets valued between $250 and $500!  Or just stay for games, balloons, face painting, music and snacks!

Event dates are:

  • Saturday, February 15th from 11AM to 7PM
  • Sunday, February 16th from 10AM to 4PM

Admission is free, the main location has free parking. You can view satellite locations in your area, get directions, see pictures of pets up for adoption, submit pets for adoption, and read the event blog at MyFurryValentine.Com.

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Remember–Have a Heart–Adopt, Don’t Shop!

SATURDAY GUEST BLOG: Happy National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

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My name is Katy Blanton and I am a “pit bull” dog lover.

Three years ago, a longtime friend called me asking if I wanted a tiny puppy her husband and his fire squad had come across while on a run. It was Christmas Eve in 2010. She sent me a picture and I immediately fell in love with the little puppy. When I asked her if she knew what breed of dog it was, she casually said, “It’s a pit bull.” I remember my heart sinking. There was no way I was going to get a pit bull. Those dogs were vicious. They were mean. They were bred to kill. But the photo of the puppy pulled my heart strings and I agreed to pick him up the next morning.

On Christmas Day, 2010, my “pit bull” dog story started. I did my best to raise the dog, whom I named King. He chewed up everything, including carpet padding, but he was the sweetest, and most snugly dog I had ever been around. A friend and neighbor who is a groomer and runs a doggy daycare, had extensive experience with “pit bull” dogs and recommended that I contact a woman she knew through rescue that worked with them. Around this same time, the City of Cincinnati was in the final stages of repealing the ban on “pit bull” dogs. In a fateful twist of events, two months later, Cincinnati Pit Crew (CPC) was created.

No one has been more surprised than I that “pit bull” dogs have become such a huge part of my life. I’ve done extensive research on “pit bull” dogs, have had the opportunity to participate in a language and advocacy workshop at the Animal Farm Foundation in upstate New York, and to speak with local media on several occasions.

What I have realized is that most people understand that much of what they always thought they knew about “pit bull” dogs is based solely on stereotypes and myths that someone else told them or on negative media coverage. I’ve also discovered the pride and confidence with which “pit bull” dog owners carry themselves. These beloved dogs have changed people’s lives, mine certainly included.

“Pit bull” dogs are loyal, kind, gentle, and responsive to training. They are strong and athletic and have a great deal of energy if not given the opportunity to exercise properly on a regular basis. As with any other type of dog, a “pit bull” dog demands a certain level of responsibility from an owner. Unfortunately, there is often a stereotype associated with “pit bull” dog owners as well that tends to overshadow the many responsible owners that do provide appropriate care for their dogs.

Today, October 26, 2013, we celebrate National Pit Bull Awareness Day. On this day, we recognize the “pit bull” dog for the loyal and misunderstood dog that it has become. Gradually, the “pit bull” dog is regaining its position as America’s Dog. I find “pit bull” dog owners in the most unlikely of places; an administrator at the college for which I work, a doctor I saw recently, a politician running for office, a professional baseball player.

I work tirelessly alongside my CPC colleagues to continue advocating to change the negative perceptions and misinformation that exists about “pit bull” dogs. It is disheartening that irresponsible owners continue to mistreat and not take appropriate care of their dogs and it’s those owners that often overshadow the work of people like me.

I will continue to do this work until “pit bull” dogs are recognized as the wonderful family pets they are. As I write this post, my 55-pound, almost three year old, “pit bull” dog, King, is snuggled against my arm snoring like a grown man. This dog has changed my life – opening doors for me that I didn’t even know existed. King is a TDI therapy dog, he’s wonderful with children and the elderly, he never stops wagging his tail and giving kisses. I never imagined that I would run a non-profit organization advocating for “pit bull” dogs. The experience has given me great confidence in myself when speaking with people and to the media, and has allowed me to build a community of contacts that spreads across racial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood lines. While at times it can be heartbreaking and frustrating, the rewards and satisfaction of knowing I am making a difference for “pit bull” dogs and for those who love these dogs has been am invaluable experience.

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Katy Blanton has lived in Cincinnati for over 25 years and is a teaching faculty member at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.  She resides on the west side of Cincinnati  in Cheviot. Eighteen months ago, Blanton and three other local women founded Cincinnati Pit Crew (CPC), a “pit bull” dog education, advocacy, and rescue organization with the hopes of changing perceptions and overcoming stereotypes of “pit bull” dogs in Cincinnati. Today, CPC has become one of the most well respected and valued rescue organizations in Cincinnati.