Spoiled Pet Cafe

Archive for the ‘Animal Support’ Category

When you love something it loves you back in whatever way it has to love. ~John Knowles, A Separate Peace

This past Sunday, May 23rd was the 4th Annual Critter Fest. Spoiled Pet Cafe was happy to not only vend at but be a sponsor of this event. For as far as the eye could see there were humans accompanied by their furry, feathered, and reptilian friends! There were an array of informational vendors providing adoption services for many of the area’s unwanted and homeless animals. There were also vendors selling every manner of pet accessory (and at least one organization selling all natural pet treats for cats and dogs…hmm, guess who that was)  and services. There were many things for both the old and young humans to do like enjoy one of the bounce houses, a silent auction, or just sit back and enjoy some of the wonderful music. Did I mention that this event was completely FREE! This event was also designed to help raise both money and awareness for the Blount County ‘No Kill’ animal shelter. If you missed this wonderful event be sure to check out my slideshow below and visit the Smoky Mountain Critter Fest Facebook Page to see lots of pictures there and find out how you can still help.

There is an saying that you can tell a lot about a community by how they treat their animals.   I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a wonderful organization in Knoxville. The Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley (HSTV) is committed to ending pet overpopulation, protecting abused pets, and furthering educational outreach efforts.

The HSTV was chartered in 1885 and remained the only shelter in Knox County for 50 years. On January 1, 2002 the HSTV became a “no kill” shelter. The “no kill” designation is important because it means that no animal will be euthanized because there is no space.

The HSTV as part of its community outreach program often organizes public, low cost vaccinations, heartworm testing, and spay/neuter programs. The HSTV is always in need of volunteers and donations. If you or your organization would like to volunteer your services or donate, please click HERE to learn how. If you would like to visit the shelter or contact a shelter official, click HERE for locations and hours. This is a wonderful organization that deserves the support of the local community as it works to protect and enrich the lives of our animal companions.

Knoxville is fortunate to be in such close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains. By virtue of these beautiful mountains, Knoxville attracts many people who appreciate the great outdoors. Because of the close connection many residents of this city feel, there is a conscious effort on the part of city and county leaders to set aside park areas.

In addition to the many beautiful parks intended for people and their animal companions, there is one particular park in Knoxville that is intended for pets and their human companions; that is Pet Safe Village.  Pet Safe Village is a one acre park that is appropriate for the entire family with the usual picnic tables, walking trails, and a beautiful fountain. The thing with Pet Safe Village is that the fountain is a doggy fountain where the four legged friends can frolic. There are also time specific off leash hours for our four legged friends!

Hours of Off-Lead Play
Monday-Friday 5:00pm – Sunset
Saturday 3:00pm – Sunset
Sunday 3:00pm – Sunset

All pets are required to enter the park on a leash, have all vaccines, and wear a collar with identifying information. Pet owners are required to clean up after their pet. Although this is a dog park, owners are still legally responsible for their dog’s action. All dogs must be accompanied by their owners at all times. These rules are in place to make visits to the park more enjoyable by all. If you and your dog love the outdoors and are the socialable type, this park may be just the place to spend an afternoon!

Click HERE to visit the official Pet Safe Village website.

PetSafe Village
10427 Electric Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37932
Phone: 865 777-DOGS (3647)
Fax: 865 777-1810 fax
mypet@petsafevillage.com

Today I received via email an appeal from the ASPCA regarding the plight of beloved family pets who are also suffering from the current economic climate. The appeal focused on the devastating choice that some families are being forced to make; either give up their beloved family pet or have no place to live. This may sound like a bit of exaggeration but it is not.

Most of those families who have lost their jobs and/or their homes never thought that something so devastating could happen to them, but it did. To add insult to injury many of those same families are subsequently forced to decide between a place to live and a beloved family pet. This is obviously not an easy decision for any family to make and in the end the primal need for shelter wins out.

You may ask why anyone would need to make such a choice? The answer lies in one of the main differences between owing your home an renting. Though their may be some governing covenants and restrictions, when you own your home you can decide how many and what type of pet you want to keep. When you rent your home, you are subject to the rules of your landlord. For the newly unemployed and/or newly homeless the housing options are generally very limited.

If you or someone you know is looking to add the boundless happiness and love that a pet brings to our lives, think about adopting one of these displaced shelter dogs. If you would like to donate money to help these overburdened shelters care for these lonely and scared pets, Click Here. There is a saying that is very apt…

There but for the grace of God go I.

As happens quite often in the mornings I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of gourmet dog food and then set my sights on the computer to do a little doggy surfing. One of my favorite sites to visit is The Humane Society of the United States. They often have stories of the important roles that many animal companions play in the lives of our humans. Sadly however they also have stories that highlight the cruelty inflicted on some animals by their humans.

In a story I read today from Decatur, Georgia my heart was broken by the cruelty that Little Bit endured at the hands of her owners. Apparently Little Bit’s owner had intentionally starved her. After being starved, Little Bit was abandoned at a local vet’s office. Her condition was quite dire as she could not raise her head to even feed herself. Working diligently, the five month old puppy has managed to gain a few pounds. Thankfully the cruelty is not commonplace and there are many humans working to stop the violence and cruelty against animal companions. I am glad to see that justice for Little Bit by local law enforcement is being sought. If you have any information that could bring these cruel people to justice please call the DeKalb County Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit at 404-294-2645.

Below is a link to the complete article:

The Humane Society of the United States Offers Reward in Decatur, Ga. Puppy Starving Case

Ladies and gentlemen, The Animal Rescue Site needs our help. If you click on this link, it will take you to their site. If you look up top, you will see a big purple block. If you click on this block once a day, you will be helping to feed animals at shelters around the world. Now, before you get on my case that not all the money goes to the animals, let me state this. If just 50% of the funds raised here went to help these shelters in feeding these unwanted pets, that is 50% more than they have at this time. The sponsors are willing to pay money to this site in order to help raise money for these pets, then I think that we should get behind it and click as often as we can.

Look at it this way; there is no cost to you and there is very little time that you have to spend to do this. If you were the unwanted pet in the shelter, you would want someone to click it for you. Imagine having to go to sleep at night with nothing to eat. If you can’t, then try it once. That will be all it takes for someone to understand that we have the power to help and it will take you less than one minute a day.