Dog Wash benefits animal shelter – Sat., June 11

Let’s face it…dogs get dirty. They like to roll in the grass and it doesn’t matter if it’s wet. When you walk them in the rain and there are puddles…that’s just another way to get dirty.

C.A.R.E. understands dogs and that’s why they are holding a dog wash on Saturday, June 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the shelter grounds at 2320 Oakton St.

Bring your pooch for a wash and towel dry for $10. Get Fido’s nails clipped for $10 as well. All proceeds benefit the Evanston Animal Shelter, so you know it’s for a good cause.

Parking Notice: Please park your vehicle in the PetsMart parking lot (section near Oakton St.) and cross at the light. A crossing guard will be stationed there throughout the Dog Wash.

Walk with or without your dog in the 16th Annual C.A.R.E. Strut for Strays

The 16^th Annual Strut for Strays will be held Saturday, May 14, at 9:30 a.m. and is a walkathon based in Evanston to benefit the Community Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.). Animal-loving people, with or without their canine friends, are encouraged to participate in the three-mile walk. 

Walkers may register online by clicking C.A.R.E. There is a $25 pledge minimum for advance registration or $35 on event-day per person. Event-day registration runs from: 8:45-9:15 a.m.

The walk starts at the Ladd Arboretum in Evanston, near the corner of McCormick Blvd. and Bridge Street. Parking is available in the Arboretum lot (or on side streets if the lot is full). Please do not park in the Ecology Center lot. 

Walkers and joggers will follow the path along the North Shore Channel south almost to Dempster Street, where there will be a water station and a turn-around point. After you have completed the course, catch the fun at the finish line including: 

• Free Refreshments
• Doggie Carnival

C.A.R.E. is an all-volunteer organization that works in conjunction with Evanston's municipal Animal Shelter to find homes for the unwanted and abandoned animals that are brought to the shelter.

Celebrate “Cinco de Meow” with Felines Inc. – Thursday, May 5

This promo comes under the ‘better late than never’ category. We couldn’t pass up the chance to plug a fund-raising event on behalf of Felines Inc. that is cleverly named “Cinco de Meow.” It will be held Thursday, May 5, from 6-8 p.m. at Trader Todd's Bar and Restaurant, 3216 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago.

Advance tickets are $20 and include three drink tickets (good for margaritas, well-cocktails, domestic draft beer and house wine), a make-your-own fajita bar and a purrfect time for all! The best part is that Trader Todd's will donate $15 of the $20 to Felines Inc. Tickets can also be bought at the door for $25. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Felines, here’s the scoop. It was founded in 1977, as a licensed cageless, no-kill cat shelter on Chicago's north side. As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, it is funded through adoption fees, fund-raising events, foundations and the generous tax-deductible donations of caring individuals such as readers of this blog. Felines receives no federal or state funding.

This animal shelter holds a special place in our mom’s heart as she adopted the kitty she had before us from there. According to mom, our older sister Casey joined her family as a kitten. She ‘terrorized’ her older brother Red, who had lived peacefully alone with mom for nearly 10 years. 

Red wasn’t a shelter cat, he was a rescued stray who arrived at our mom’s home via our Aunt Patty. She’s our hero as she has rescued countless cats over the years (plus a squirrel or two and a possum...don't ask). 

You can be our hero, too. Attend Cinco de Meow and invite all of your friends. Can’t go to the fundraiser…visit to the Felines Inc. site and make a donation. Muchas gracias!

Feline birthday girls speak out

In honor of our birthday, Mom is finally giving us another shot at the computer keyboard. She’s been so busy with job hunting tasks and posts to her blog (“Eco Gal 24/7”) that our little paws haven’t been able to type for weeks.

Mom adopted us around Valentine’s Day in 1998 when we were 10 months old. The vet told her that would put our DOB somewhere around April 20, 1997 and that makes us 14 years old this year. In the feline lifespan, we are senior citizens and recently posed for RTA transit cards and regularly sneak over to the Century Theater for all-day Monday senior-rate movies (just kidding).

As usual, Mom was so occupied with her blog and posting about Shredding Day and some church’s Earth Day Bash, that she’s late helping us with our birthday blog. We don’t know what the heck Shredding Day means…but sign us up! Cats wrote the book on shredding and to think there’s a day devoted to it.

We've got the blue one.

For this birthday we got two new toys…a catnip mouse and a dangle-type toy with a mouse attached. Those toys were great fun for a couple of hours but now we’re bored with them. She even splurged to buy our favorite kibble…Hill’s Science Diet ® Hairball Control. Mom showed us the receipt and a seven pound bag costs $21.99. 

“Too bad they don’t make Cheerios ® with a hairball control formula,” Mom said. She’s such a kidder. OMG…Cheerios! Do we need to start worrying about cholesterol, too? 

Anyway, we’re happy with our Science Diet and promise to try and chew it into smaller pieces so neither of us throws it up whole. For the last couple of years, we’ve been given kibble that’s for senior cats and those flavors are blah.

Sashi's beautiful green eyes.

We’ll admit to being ‘seniors’ but don’t banish us to a rocking chair. Shadoe can still jump 0-to-6 from floor to bathroom sink or kitchen counter. While Sashi may have lost some of her jumping confidence, she can still zoom from the kitchen to the bedroom window and back in record time. 

Guess what? We’re bored again and ready to give our new toys a few more whacks and sniffs. Actually, Shadoe likes to carry the dangler from room to room. We’ll sign off for now and be back soon with a look at eco friendly cat litters.

Can a true-blue cat person fall into puppy love?

Our mom is back from her visit to New York City and she is jazzed. She kept going on and on about some d-o-g named Belle. Mom claims to miss us when she travels, but from our point of view, she’ll take up with whatever pet surrogate is available. Seriously…a dog? 

We’ve had our breakfast and now need a nap. We’d title this post “Our mom the dog slut.” She can finish this one without our help.

Jealous feline name calling aside, my brief trip to NYC for the Business of Pet Writing Conference knocked out my cabin fever and more. Initially, being a true-blue cat person, it didn’t occur to me that the dog show would be in a few days. Walking through the lobby of the Hotel Pennsylvania, I noticed that every other person was attached to a dog on a leash. 

Then I had a forehead-smacking V-8 moment…the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be held right across the street at Madison Square Garden, February 14-15, 2011.

Belle

In my humble opinion, the doggy du jour was a sweet Cockapoo named Belle. It was love at first sniff. She didn’t seem to mind the residual smell of felines. Kudos to Belle’s guardian Lee for her good behavior…no paws on the legs and sloppy kisses from this dignified little gal. No barks, just happy tail wagging and butt wiggling. Who could resist?

As I settled into the guest room, Belle offered her assistance by jumping on the bed. Still, she kept a polite distance from my clothes, toiletries and other assorted items. Amazing what we can learn from pets…live in the moment. Enjoy attention and soothing words from a new person.

When traveling, my days are filled with activities…conference going, sightseeing, shopping, dining out and soaking up a new city. I’m not too keen on being out alone after dark (even at home), so tend to spend much of the late evening in my room. Belle was willing and able to assume the role of surrogate pet.

Belle burrows her head into paws.

She curled up nearby as I checked emails, made phone calls, read conference materials or watched television. My Saturday evening dinner with friends ended earlier than her dad’s night out. A full day of intensive listening, note-taking and networking followed by dinner (including a glass of wine and two espresso cups of chocolate mousse) left me too sleepy to stay up for the 11 o’clock news. 

Belle happily jumped on the bed and inched up from the foot to a warmer spot along my side. Lee’s listing on AirBnb.com mentioned that he had a small dog. It didn’t say she would capture my heart.

Back home now and spent the night with my two cave kitties, who forgave me quickly for a four-day fling with the Big Apple and a happy little d-o-g named Belle.

Can the Business of Pet Writing Conference in NYC quell cabin fever?

Hey everyone, this is Shadoe reporting that my mom is smiling as she plans a trip to New York City. That makes her happy because travel is one of her favorite things. She hasn’t taken a trip in more than a year and is complaining about cabin fever.

My third favorite thing is hanging out with Mom (after eating and sleeping). She spent a lot of time this weekend researching a low-cost winter getaway. When she searches online and uses the mouse, I can stay on her lap because she’s not using the keyboard.

One of my favorite games is to jump on the file cart next to Mom’s desk, creep onto her lap and head-butt her right arm. If she’s using the mouse, I can stay. If not, she'll put me on the floor or a nearby chair. I’ll repeat the process once or twice before giving up. Mom will say, “Shadoe! You are relentless.”

Being relentless can't be too bad as her tone of voice is more exasperated than mad. Didn’t think we cats could distinguish vocal tones? Believe me, I know when it’s time to leave Mom alone and go snuggle with Sashi.

This Chicago winter has been particularly brutal as cold weather goes (read our last post for more on that). Low-cost travel translates to tax-deductible and brief, so Mom started looking on ShawGuides to find a writers’ conference that sounded interesting.

She squealed when she read about the Business of Pet Writing Conference in NYC next month. “Shaddy…I didn’t even know there were conferences for pet writing,” she said.

Mom should be a travel agent…loves researching and planning trips. First she looked for cheap airfares to NYC. Then she recalled that the conference hotel is near Penn Station and went to Amtrak’s site to check train fares. Bingo! A round-trip fare from Chicago to NYC would be $140. Traveling to the East Coast takes less time so an overnight train ride would be tolerable.

The next step was a visit to www.airbnb.com a good source for low-cost rooms. Don’t ask me how Mom knew to narrow the search for those rooms closest to the conference, but she figured it out. Wow, a private room in Midtown Manhattan can cost $200 or more. Luckily, some are in the more affordable $68-$125 range.

This site is great because you can screen for amenities such as wireless Internet, TV and breakfast. As a writer, Mom needs access to the Web for her laptop and it's better if your room offers it for free. Coffee houses and public libraries usually have Wi-Fi, but there are time limits.

Sorry, all of this activity has worn me out. Browsing the Web is Mom’s thing, not mine. My eyes are heavy and the computer screen is getting blurry. Sashi, make room for me!

Adopt a pet during the 12 Strays of Christmas

Even though we were born with fur coats, it has been cold with a capital ‘C’ for the past couple of weeks. Our mom lives in a historic condo building. ‘Historic’ is a code word for ‘drafty’ which means cold. Despite windows, storm windows and curtains, when the temperature drops into the teens and there are wind chills…an old building can get pretty cold. This is especially true at nighttime when the steam radiators are at rest.

We stay a bit warmer at night by being cave kitties. That’s when mom lets us come under the comforter and snuggle with her. We get her body heat and she gets ours…it’s a win-win.

Sadly, that’s not the case for many cats and dogs who are awaiting adoption from animal shelters. Oh, we’re sure the shelters are heated and the animals are kept as comfortable as possible, but there’s no substitute for the super-sized body heat of a human mom or dad.

One such shelter, PAWS Chicago, is presenting a new program called the “12 Strays of Christmas.” It started December 13 and runs through Christmas Eve (December 24).

PAWS lined up some local celebrity volunteers to help adopt homeless dogs and cats to new families this holiday season. Among those volunteers are: Tom Dart, Cook County Sheriff; Jesse White, IL Secretary of State; Robert Sherman, president of Serta International; Suzanne Le Mignot, CBS 2; LeeAnn Trotter, NBC 5; Roz Varon, ABC 7; Anna Davlantes, Fox 32 and Michael Sneed, Chicago Sun-Times.

If your family has been considering a new pet, visit the PAWS Web site to view some of the dogs and cats who are waiting for a home where they can be a cave pet. You may also call 773-935-PAWS for more information.

Shop the Holiday C.A.R.E. Faire -- Saturday, November 27

Don’t forget your four-legged friends when you start shopping for the holidays. Stop by the Holiday C.A.R.E. Faire at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, 1330 Ridge Ave. (at Greenwood St.) Saturday, November 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Bring your pup or kit to have their picture taken with Santa. Stock up on home-baked cookies and more in the popular Cookie Walk Bake Sale. Enter the raffle to win fabulous prizes or buy gifts for pet-loving friends from the Silent Auction, crafters and vendors.

Additionally, canned food donations will be accepted for the dogs and cats at the Evanston Animal Shelter. 

• Fantastic raffle (click here for the list of prizes and information on how to buy tickets)

• Pet pictures with Santa 

• Cookie walk and bake sale

• Pet-related crafts and vendors

 
 

The Belize Zoo needs help to rebuild after Hurricane Richard

It’s not customary for us to write about a zoo or even wild animals, but after learning about the damage to The Belize Zoo, we had to do something.

Though we don’t recall hearing about it on the local news,on October 24, 2010, The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Richard. Founded in 1983, its rustic setting of wire fences and abundant forest were no match for Richard's raging winds. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, human or animal, due to this Category 1 storm.

According to the zoo’s director, Sharon Matola, it will be closed for repairs and renovations and likely will not re-open until December. She reports, “The damage done to many of the animal exhibits is overwhelming, but the pace at rebuilding those habitats is impressive. Logs cut from the debris are being salvaged to add structure and the remaining vegetation is being cultivated to regenerate more shade in the enclosures.”

Jaguar balances on fallen Ceiba tree.

Work is underway and the bills are mounting. After a couple challenging years due to the global recession, “The Belize Zoo does not have the financial resources necessary to see these plans and upgrades realized. We have been working daily in an effort to raise funds so that work can continue to progress, but it is a huge challenge,” says Matola.

That, kind readers, is where you come in. The economy has been tough on everyone, yet we’ve found that folks have a remarkable capacity to dig deep and help those who are struggling even harder. For the zoo, the greatest needs are truckloads of strong and durable fencing, cement, gravel and large rocks, PVC piping, steel pipe, lumber, wire, nails, and paint, as well as new tools, new water pumps and money to pay workers. People can donate online at:www.belizezoo.org

The Belize Zoo and Tropical& Education Center’s mission is to inspire Belizeans to conserve and protect natural habitats that sustain Belize’s biodiversity by bringing visitors closer to the animals of Belize. More than 50,000 Belizeans, including 18,000 school children, visit The Belize Zoo each year, and the Education Department has extensive outreach and on-site education programs for students and teachers.

Thanks for helping our Central American cousins…the jaguar, margay and ocelot…as well as the dozens of other mammals, birds and reptiles that make the zoo their home.

Howl-O-Ween event at PetsMart, Sat., Oct. 23

We’re sorry about the long lapse between posts but our mom has been hogging the computer and we haven’t had any keyboard time.

If you’re among the pet guardians who like to dress pets in costumes, your local PetsMart^® has an event tailor-made for you. This Saturday, October 23, from 3-5 p.m., is the Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest & Photo Event.

Dress your pet in a Halloween costume and participate in these activities:

• Free goodie bag from Nutro^®/Greenies^® to the first 100 customers
• Pet parade and costume contest at 3:30 p.m.
• 4 x 6 photo and PetsMart collectible frame for a $4.95 photo package

Pet moms and dads can also visit PetsMart’s Facebook page to enter the Pet Photo Contest to ‘Scare your way into a PetsMart commercial.’ Contest information and rules are available at http://www.facebook.com/PetSmart. The deadline to enter is October 27, 2010.

In case you were wondering, Shadoe never needs to put on a costume (like to see someone try) because she always goes as a 'black cat.' As for Sashi, she won't allow anyone to dress her (or die trying). Boo!

Things to do this weekend to help furry friends

We have to tell you about two ways to help your furry friends this weekend. First, if you shop at the Evanston Farmers' Market, plan to stop by the Community Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) booth and buy some home-baked goodies at its bake sale this Saturday, October 2. Hours for the market are 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please volunteer your baking services to help raise more money for the doggies and kitties at Evanston’s Animal Shelter. For more information, leave a message on the C.A.R.E. voicemail for Paula - 847-705-2653.

Second, Evanston residents have the opportunity to bring their pet companions to the St. Francis Day Blessing of Animals. Even though we’re non-denominational kitties, we give two paws up to St. Francis, who is beloved worldwide as the patron saint of animals and ecology.

Sunday, October 3, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 939 Hinman Ave., will host its Sixth Annual St. Francis Day Blessing of Animals. In keeping with traditions associated with the life of St. Francis and his love for all God’s creatures, the event will focus on thanksgiving for companion animals.

A special Eucharist will be inside St. Luke’s from 10-11:15 a.m., with individual blessings of all animals present. The Eucharist will be offered in celebration of the companionship, service, and joy the pets in our lives share with us.

A street fair will follow outside the church with exhibits and demonstrations by animal-related organizations. Chicago-area animal service organizations, working animals, rescue groups and animal shelters are invited to display information on their organizations and discuss the work they do with St. Francis Day participants.

St. Francis Day Blessing of Animals is open to pets (of any faith) and their people are warmly invited. Due to the presence of animals who do not know each other, it is requested that pets be controlled appropriately. If your pet would not be happy in the presence of other animals, you may bring his/her photo to be blessed. Memorial banners are available for inscription with the names of deceased pets to be commemorated.

St. Francis of Assisi

"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men."

-St. Francis of Assisi

Running into friends and their pets at PetsMart

Yesterday our mom made a dry food run to PetsMart® and ran into her friend Dana, who was accompanied by her two dogs Josie and Elke.

Which got us to wondering why Mom never takes us shopping with her? It’s probably because she’d need to put collars or harnesses on us and walk us with leashes. “Hell no! We won’t go!” Yeah, like that would happen.

We’re two beautiful bad-ass kitties and if any d-o-g gets too close, we’ll take it down with one swipe. Hissssssssssssss. Meowwwwwwwwwwww. The store on Oakton St. would never be the same. Mom would be banned from PetsMart. Where would she shop? We’ll starve to death.

Whop! “Ouch, Sashi. Why did you whop me on the head?”

“Because you were hysterical, you Shadoe dummy.”

“Calm down, girls! What’s all the commotion?”

We’re sorry, Mom. We’ll get back to our blog. Let’s see, where were we?

Not Elke or Josie, but looks similar.

Mom was talking and cooing over Dana’s dogs. She can’t even remember what breed there were…just that they’re small with white coats. They were cute though and weighed about seven pounds. Really…we’re double that size.

Dana said she brings Josie with her often. Josie gets excited when they pull into the parking lot. That’s because PetsMart gives doggies a treat at the check-out register. Wow…would they give us catnip? Not likely.

This was the first visit for Elke, who is more nervous about strange surroundings. Mom told us she was riding in the shopping cart. Both dogs were well behaved according to our mom.

We think Dana is okay because Mom said she has cats in addition to the dogs. Anyone who likes cats is cool and shows good judgment in choosing pet companions. Dogs can be a good choice, too…especially if they’re at-risk.

To any humans reading this, please adopt a shelter pet. Most of us are sweet and loving. Even if one of us has a few problems, kindness and patience can make a difference.

Martha Stewart has gone to the dogs

Anyone who has shopped at PetsMart^® recently knows that Martha Stewart has introduced a new line of pet care products. After all, she is the queen of branding isn’t she? Martha Stewart this, Martha Stewart that…Martha, Martha, Martha!

Whew. As you can see, M.S. agitates us. She calls it Martha Stewart Pets but all of the models are d-o-g-s. Cats are cute, too. We make excellent models…cats are the very definition of grace.

We asked Mom to check out the M.S. pet products at PetsMart. She reported back that some of the items could be enjoyed by pets other than dogs. Mom is mostly diplomatic, though she did sneer at the pet clothing.

There are lots of toys in the product line, but many are squeak toys. Our mom hates those. If a toy rattles or has a bell attached, she'll snip it off before she lets up play with it. Besides, who wants to bat around a tennis ball when you can savor a catnip-laced mousy?

© PetsMart/Martha Stewart Pets

We’ll give Martha points for being an animal lover and encouraging people to treat their pets well. But we won’t ask Mom to buy any of her products until she starts using kitty models.

Adopt a cat or dog and make a friend for life

We are Sashi and Shadoe two lucky kitties who have very cushy lives. We were about 10 months old when our mom adopted us. That's why we want to tell you about PetSmart Charities® National Adoption Weekend. It runs from September 10-12, 2010 at all PetsMart stores in the U.S. and Canada. 

Our local store is at 2221 Oakton St. (Evanston) and mom is a regular there. She told us it makes her feel sad to see the cats in the adoption area waiting for new homes. Please visit this weekend and adopt all of the kitties and doggies who need a new home.

PetSmart Charities invites local animal-welfare organizations to become approved PetSmart Charities Adoption Partners. Evanston's store works with C.A.R.E. (2310 Oakton St.) and other local adoption groups.

Speaking of C.A.R.E., today (Saturday, September 11) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., they're having a dog wash. It's been raining off and on, so your dog may already be wet, but the group will also trim your dog's nails. 

There's no need to hold a 'cat wash' because our birth mothers do a good job of teaching us how to wash ourselves. Just one example of cats superiority over dogs. (Please don't edit that out, Mom). Yes, we're laying down a gloved paw...the challenge is on.