Atlanta Humane Society (AHS) had their annual Pet Parade on Saturday, May 2nd at Candler Park in Atlanta, Georgia from 9am to noon.
Over 700 participants and their dogs attended the walk in support of Atlanta Humane Society. The event raised over $150,000 thanks to the support of many sponsors and walkers.
As you can see by these photos it was a day of fun for pets and owners alike.
Atlanta's Dave FM was the DJ for the event and did an amazing job of keeping the crowd enthused.
Games set up for the dogs to raise funds and a lot of laughs.
Busy pet owners visiting the many vendor booths to find that perfect gift for their pet.
24PetWatch of Pethealth sponsored a $20 chip clinic at the Pet Parade. Over 40 pets were microchipped. All monies raised went to help AHS programs.
AHS President/CEO Carl Leveridge welcoming pets and walkers to the Pet Parade while acknowledging the many sponsors that made this day such a success.
Who thought pets could play musical chairs? Well, when the music stops the pet must sit. And you got it... the one that sits first wins!!!
AHS promoted their foster care program. You can see Kayla below feeding a baby kitten that is currently in the foster program. Like many shelters, foster parents are always needed to assist with temporary housing and treating of sick, underage and neglected pets.
Janet Leveridge, wife of AHS President/CEO Carl Leveridge and Cath Sleva, AHS Vice President of Development, pose with the Leveridge's recently adopted Cooper.
On May 5th, 2009, PetPoint launched the highly anticipatedPetango!
Petango.comis the only online adoption site that showcases adoptable pets in real time! Is that amazing or what!?
No more frustrated adopters coming to your shelter in search of that perfect pet they saw online only to be disappointed that the pet was already adopted hours, days, or weeks ago. Not gonna happen with Petango. If you see that pet on Petango it is actually at that shelter at that exact moment! No delays!
Potential adopters will even have the opportunity to fill out a pre-adoption application for a particular pet that will then be sent directly to that shelter. It is absolutely amazing! A shelter staff person stated: "I get cold chills just thinking about it!!" I couldn't agree more.
Petango provides these fabulous features:
Real-time searches - all the available pets for adoption can be seen, with up-to-the-minute availability status;
Watch list - adopters can keep an eye on the pets that interest them;
Email notifications - adopters can be the first to know when the pets they are looking for become available;
Send-to-a-Friend - a feature which allows potential adopters to inform friends and family of adoptable pets;
Contact list import - adopters can email friends about Petango;
Online pet adoption application - adopters can apply directly to the shelter online and have their applications pre-approved and their new pets waiting for them when they arrive at the shelter;
Events listing - adopters can see all pet events in their communities;
Web 2.0 - using the latest technology providing the best user experience possible for potential adopters - no more cumbersome searches.
The Aikens Spoil the Humane Society of Hall County
I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Humane Society of Hall County on Sunday, May 3rd. Nestled away in Gainesville, Georgia about fifty minutes north of Atlanta lives Rick and Florence Aiken who respectively run the humane society.
I don't think you could meet two nicer people on the planet. Their love for animals is shown with a lifetime of dedication to helping animals of all sizes. As you can see from this photo of Rick, he takes his job pretty seriously.
Bruiser, a Chihuahua pup, was taken from a home that was unable to care for him and his siblings responsibly. Bruiser was the smallest of the group and needs individual care and a lot of TLC which the Aikens are providing. We hope that soon Bruiser will be as healthy as an Ox or in his case a Chihuahua!
The shelter receives thousands upon thousands of homeless and neglected animals annually. As most shelters, they need the help of volunteers, community support and people willing to open their hearts and homes to a pet or two.
For more information regarding the Humane Society of Hall County or how you can make a donation please go to: www.humanesocietyhallcounty.com
- Mary Bart Houston, Regional Director Shelter Outreach & Host of PetPoint Community
Henry was only 10 weeks old when he was brought to Beaufort County Animal Control after being found in the road after being hit by a car. Henry sustained a right hip and lower leg fracture.
Henry was well cared for at the shelter. He was taken outside to potty several times a day and given pain medication. Henry remained at animal control for a week with little hope of getting adopted, as he would need expensive surgery to repair his hip. Estimates for surgery ranged from $300-700.
Henry was rescued from animal control 3/14/2009 by Jim and Joanne Thompson J and J Rescue and was scheduled to have his surgery the following Tuesday. When he was examined at Chocowinity Veterinary Hospital, his xrays showed some healing was taking place in both his hip and lower leg fractures as his injuries were at least three weeks old. The vet's recommendation was to wait a couple of more weeks and if no further healing showed up in his repeat xrays his surgery would then take place. In the meantime Henry was placed in foster care where he received one-on-one care and lots of TLC.
In the meantime donations were accepted to the "Henry fund" for probable surgery and in a very short time $500 was raised just for Henry's medical expenses.
Henry returned to have his repeat xrays. These showed remarkable improvement and Henry would not need to have any surgery but would need to take glucosamine for his entire life as this would help with arthritis. Donors to the "Henry fund" were contacted to see if they would want refunds of their donations but all requested that funds be used to help with medical expenses for other dogs in rescue.
A couple from Frederick, Maryland donated towards Henry's medical expenses and had been thinking that perhaps they wanted to adopt him. An application to adopt Henry was completed and vet references were checked. Henry had found a fur-ever home.
This past Easter weekend Joanne Thompson transported Henry to his new home in Maryland. Reports are that Henry (aka now Hank) is doing well in his new home.
- Mary Bart Houston, Regional Director Shelter Outreach & Host of PetPoint Community
On May 14, 2008, PetPoint Community (PPC), created by PetPoint was introduced to the shelter world.
PPC was created to allow animal welfare organizations and animal lovers the ability to share stories, upload photos, post job opportunities, and converse online about many pet topics.
It's hard to believe that it's been a little over a year ago and membership has climbed to over 3,000+ members and growing.
We, at PetPoint, want to thank everyone for their valuable contributions. As a small token of our appreciation we will be presenting gifts to the top three members with the most lifetime points.
The Top Three Winners Are:
Jenn, Melissa and Chandra!!
Thank you again to everyone for making PPC a huge success! We value your opinions, suggestions, and praise.
Continue blogging, posting photos, and sharing information on PPC. Prizes will be given away on an annual basis for the top three members with the most lifetime points.
Congratulations again to our winners!!
- Mary Bart Houston, Regional Director Shelter Outreach & Host of PetPoint Community
