Sunday, May 9, 2010

Come join me in volunteering at the Tri-State Super Adoption event on June 12th and 13th, hosted by Best Friends Animal Society! Great way to rub elbows with the public & animal lovers in an effort to find forever homes for 400 shelter animals!!

I volunteered at the Super Adoption event in Las Vegas, which was a huge success. It was truly an unforgettable day, and I'm looking forward to doing it again!

Volunteers are needed----please consider helping out for this fun event!

Click here for more information:

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Lord & Taylor bans raccoon dog fur from U.S. stores

Good news! Less raccoon dogs will be skinned alive in China because of the Humane Society

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/12/lord_taylor_settlement_120109.html

(I'm reposting a story from the Humane Society of the United States website)

The Humane Society of the United States and retailer Lord & Taylor have reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed last year alleging that several of the nation's largest department stores and fashion designers have repeatedly engaged in false advertising and mislabeling of fur garments. Pursuant to the agreement, Lord & Taylor will end all use of raccoon dog fur (a canine species often skinned alive in China), and will reform its advertising and garment labeling practices so that shoppers are better informed about what kind of animal fur is present in fur-trimmed garments.

The agreement with Lord & Taylor comes a few months after a similar settlement was reached with fashion designer Andrew Marc. The litigation is proceeding against the three non-settling defendants: Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The case is set to go to trial in 2010.

"Lord & Taylor has taken a major step forward by ending the sale of raccoon dog fur, and by voluntarily strengthening its labeling standards for all fur products," said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation for The HSUS. "Macy's, Saks and Neiman Marcus should join Lord & Taylor in honoring consumers' strong desire to keep cruel and inhumane products out of their shopping bags this holiday season."

During the past three years, The HSUS identified dozens of falsely advertised or falsely labeled fur garments across the retail industry. Raccoon dog is the most commonly misrepresented type of fur, often described as a different animal or even as "faux fur." In addition to being falsely advertised and mislabeled, raccoon dog fur jackets are also commonly not labeled at all — which is allowed by a loophole in the federal law, even if the fur has been dyed unnatural colors like green or pink.

The HSUS brought the lawsuit under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act alleging that the defendants are (1) advertising and labeling products as "faux fur," when they are, in fact, derived from real animal fur or (2) advertising and labeling products as common raccoon, fox or rabbit fur when they are, in fact, made from the wholly distinct species of raccoon dog — a member of the canine family. The complaint also alleges violations of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act and Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibit the false advertising and mislabeling of any fur product.

Since 2006, The HSUS has informed dozens of companies about fur labeling and advertising problems and urged them to take corrective action. The HSUS also filed two legal petitions with the Federal Trade Commission—one in March 2007 and the other in April 2008—seeking enforcement action and criminal and civil penalties against more than 20 companies for violations of the FPLA.

The HSUS urges Congress to pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act (S. 1076/H.R. 2480), introduced by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., to require accurate and consistent labeling of fur-trimmed garments regardless of dollar value.

You can view the entire complaint [PDF], learn about raccoon dogs and their mistreatment, and more, on our website.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Shelter pet project amazing video! Sign the pledge!!!!

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2823

I believe watching this video will help people to realize the unfortunate effects of breeding, not spaying/neutering, and shopping at puppy stores or from breeders.
Millions of dogs, cats, rabbits, etc are euthanized every single year because of the vicious cycle of breeding. Most that are bred end up in the shelter.
Not to mention, if people that buy puppy store puppies actually did the research to realize the cruelty behind puppy mills (where these puppy-store puppies come from), they would realize that they're contributing to a horrific industry, and they'd realize that the puppy is most likely sick and malnourished.

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO AND PLEDGE THAT YOU WILL ADOPT YOUR NEXT PET! DO NOT SUPPORT PUPPY STORES OR IRRESPONSIBLE BREEDERS. PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS.

BEST WISHES,
ALEXIS

Friday, October 9, 2009

Blessing of the Animals

http://www.examiner.com/x-22880-New-York-Groove-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Blessing-of-the-Animals-at-the-Cathedral-Church-of-St-John-the-Divine-25th-Anniversary-Gallery


Last Sunday, my friend Diane and I went to the "Blessing of the Animals" service at St. John the Divine Cathedral (an amazing multi-faith cathedral).
This is a day to honor St. Francis of Assisi and to illustrate the bond between animals & humans.
The animals that were blessed included a yak, tortoise, red fox, rabbits, camel, reindeer, and many more. They were brought in from upstate NY and many shelters across NYC.
Hundreds of people brought their dogs and cats to be blessed. There were groups of dancers and musicians performing as well. It was beyond beautiful.

Check out the slideshow in the above article...Gregors, Corbin, Diane and I are on picture # 2 :-)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Reeses Pieces!



CONGRATS to my good friend, Danielle, and her husband Jeremy for ADOPTING their very first dog, Reese. Danielle and Jeremy have been wanting to rescue a dog for quite some time now, but were waiting until they moved into their new home, which they bought in August. Just a couple weeks ago, they met a beautiful black-lab mix at the Petsmart Adoption site in Billings, Montana. They fell in love & brought her home. Danielle has expressed her amazement in how well-behaved & comfortable Reese is in their home...it was just meant to be! I cannot wait to meet her.

My sister, Lindsey, also has a beautiful dog named Reese ( a boy! )
Reese was a stray that I found in a grocery-store parking lot when I was living in Las Vegas. I took him in, posted an ad on Craigslist, checked him for a microchip, and after 2 weeks of no one claiming him, I started looking for a 'forever home' for him. My sister was REALLY wanting to rescue a dog for my 8 year old nephew, Bradon. This seemed to be perfect timing! I drove Reese down to Los Angeles before I moved to the east coast and introduced Reese to his new family. He is now living happily and spoiled :-)
(I hear he has developed quite the Napoleon Complex while in the company of my Mom's dogs! I think his days on the street have made him feel a bit inferior & mighty! Needless to say, he is very playful with other dogs and nothing but a ball of love.)

Congratulations to Lindsey and Danielle!
xoxo

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Shelter pets hit the airwaves!

Great advertising campaign called The Shelter Pet Project, aimed at raising awareness to adopt shelter pets. More than ever, it seems that shelters are overflowing due to the economy. People are losing their jobs & homes and with that, often means losing their pets. Many shelters have a program that provides free food for those who want to keep their pets, but are having really hard times making ends meet.

This is such a great interactive website, educational & comical. It's a joint venture between the Humane Society of the United States, the Ad Council, and Maddie's Fund. I love how their giving the pets a "voice" ...something that I feel is so important that we as humans can provide for dogs. They have no voice and thus are more vulnerable to painful situations. Help stand up for shelter animals and spread the word about this amazing website!

http://theshelterpetproject.org/



Monday, September 21, 2009

Bark in the Park

I am now a volunteer at the Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, NJ.
Yea! I will be trying to volunteer 2-3 times/week, socializing the dogs/cats, walking the dogs, helping to clean the cages, etc.

The first event I'll be helping at is the annual "Bark in the Park" at the Jersey City waterfront in Liberty State Park. It will be held October 11th from 11-3.

Click here for more information:





I was reading "Real Simple" this weekend (one of my favorite magazines!) and saw this quote. I loved it so much, so I have to post it here:

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift....It is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned."
--from J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement address

I think this quote is so timely, due to the economic crunch that has taken a toll on all of our lives. I know we will look back at this time, stronger and smarter because of it. I thank God that I am young and resilient during this time. Although I have been laid-off and have had my own days of hell, it is the people with families who have lost their jobs that my heart aches for, the people that have lost retirement money, the people who were planning to retire and cannot, those that cannot move out of high-unemployment areas because of their mortgages that are tying them there.....I pray for these people and think of them often.

I pray that we will all survive and be better people because of this experience. Adversity is a true test of character, strength, determination, and pride.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

P & G's partnership with HSUS to support alternatives to animal testing / research

I wasn't aware of this until recently, and I think in my head, I owe P & G an apology for thinking very negatively of them the past few years; I didn't realize they had teamed up with the Humane Society to support alternatives to animal testing.

Great stuff, hopefully others will find this news to be promising as well.

--Alexis