June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month! Looking to add a new cat or kitten to your family? It’s not too late to visit your local animal shelter or cat rescue organization and adopt a homeless cat or kitten. Scotties Facial Tissues (currently in their 4th year of donating funds to support shelter cat adoption) has posted a very cute video on YouTube, reminding us that there are so many wonderful reasons to adopt a shelter kitty!
Have you ever gotten a message on social media, containing a heartbreaking image of a shelter dog or cat, urging you to donate money immediately to help save its life? The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has issued a fraud alert, warning animal lovers to take a closer look at who is asking for donations before sending any money.
According to the LADA’s website, so-called “animal shelter scammers” could be preying on your compassion. These people will actually visit shelters, take pictures of animals in cages, and then post them on social media, warning people that they are in danger of dying in a “high-kill shelter” unless they receive your money to help rescue them. Sometimes they also use old pictures of shelter animals that they have taken from animal welfare websites around the country.
Besides social media, these images can also be posted on flyers and could be sent to you via email or regular mail. Some scammers will even call you on the phone.
How can well-meaning animal lovers protect themselves from this type of animal rescue scam? The LADA offers the following common-sense tips:
Obviously, many legitimate animal welfare non-profits welcome your donation, but they certainly don’t want you to send your money to a 3rd party scammer using images of their animals to cheat you out of your hard-earned cash!
Interested in learning more? The LADA has created a video about animal shelter scams which you can see here:
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Canon EOS Rebel SLR camera, the company held a “Rebel with a Cause” contest. The very deserving winner? Guinnevere Shuster, a talented animal lover and photographer who has been volunteering her time and talent to take professional quality photographs of shelter pets to help get them adopted.
Guinnevere created a beautiful video featuring a shelter dog named Willa using her Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR. The video—documenting Willa’s “Best Day Ever”—has been getting a lot of attention. And Willa’s temporary home, the Hudson Valley Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, has been fielding many calls from potential adopters seeking to take Willa home!
You can read all about the contest and Willa’s photo shoot with Guinnevere at people.com. Here’s the adorable video…congratulations Guinnevere and Willa!
Here’s a great way to start your week with a smile! The good folks at the Santa Fe New Mexico Animal Shelter & Humane Society have created a fantastic video to help raise awareness about shelter pet adoption. Check out their “Bachelor” TV show parody featuring 2 love-struck women competing for the affection of one very handsome shelter dog named Stewart:
Earlier this month, the California State Legislature passed a concurrent resolution (ACR 56) declaring that the official California State Pet is now the Shelter Pet. Assemblymember Eric Linder (R-Corona) originally introduced the resolution.
According to animal advocates, each year 800,000 pets are taken into California shelters, but fewer than half that number end up in permanent new homes. Supporters of the resolution are hoping that by declaring the Shelter Pet as California’s State Pet, it will bring increased awareness to the plight of homeless animals, as well as to the good work shelters and rescue organizations do throughout the state to help animals in need.
Interested in learning more? Check out this video of the press conference (held at a Riverside County shelter) announcing the big news.
