Whenever I volunteer at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue there always seems to be Kodak moments with the dogs. These sweet adoptable dogs caught my eye last year with their loving manner, soft and welcoming expressions, and ability to make me laugh.
Do you need a dose of oxytocin, or a shot of endorphins? Want to feel good about helping give an older dog a second chance at a happy life? Have a few hours in your week to offer?
You’ll get love, when you give love (and a little elbow grease), each time you help Muttville mutts!
Pit bull dog myths have been here a long time. They are often perpetuated unintentionally. We came across this great graphic cleverly showing journalists what to look for when trying to identify what a pit bull looks like, enjoy!
Join the SF SPCA for an artsy-themed cocktail party and adoptathon weekend based on the 2010 movie “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” which focused on the world’s most infamous graffiti artists.
Adult animals (6+ months) will be free to adopt all weekend, October 13 – 15, at both SF SPCA locations in the Mission and Pacific Heights.
The weekend will kick off with a Friday evening cocktail party at the SF SPCA’s Mission Campus, 6pm – 9pm.
In honor of the International Comic-Con Convention, orphan cats and dogs will be staging Helen Woodward Animal Center’s 5th Annual PAWmicon Convention at Hazard Center in Mission Valley.
The highlight? Comical critters styled in PAWSplay apparel celebrating the superheroes who adopt orphan pets!
Attendees are invited to bring the whole family – including, and especially, canines – to the free event and dress-to-impress to compete in the costume contest. Due to fan requests, the 2017 PAWmicon will be held the weekend prior to Comic-Con to allow attendees to take in both types of animated characters.
The 2017 PAWmicon Convention will be held on Saturday, July 15, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Hazard Center located at 7610 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92108.
Want to feel the groovy love of an older dog? This weekend, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco is have a free adoption event!
When you meet these sweet sugar faces, you're going to say, "I must be California Dreaming because there are so many adorable adoptable dogs!"
Turn on, tune in, drop everything and come celebrate the Summer of Love!
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Haight hippie explosion. And in honor of that historic San Francisco time, Muttville has got a summer full of love packed into one giant weekend. It’s the Summer of Love Adopt-a-thon Love-in!
Love is free and so are adoptions! All fees waived in celebration of love, love, love!
Get ready to travel to old Havana, Cuba as you raise money for the amazing Helen Woodward Animal Center!!
This Saturday is the 29th Annual Spring Fling Gala, presented by Ed and Sandy Burr of EDCO. The highly anticipated black-tie evening, designed to transport guests to the vibrant capital city south of the Florida Keys during “A Night in Old Havana,” benefits the Center’s programs for animals and people in need.
The event will be hosted by on-air celebrities KFM-BFM’s Shelly Dunn and KUSI’s Mark Mathis and provide attendees a 5-star dining experience with delectable tastings from top San Diego restaurants.
The event, which received Ranch & Coast Magazine’s San Diego’s Best Annual Gala Award for 2016, also features hosted bars; dancing all night; live musical performances; and an opportunity drawing to win two first-class round-trip tickets on United Airlines for travel throughout the U.S.; and to Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
For more information or to purchase tickets: contact Elisabeth Baker at 858-756-4117 x350 or [email protected].
The San Francisco SPCA is celebrating its 149th birthday and inviting partygoers to join in the fun. On Friday, April 21, visit the SF SPCA’s Mission Campus Adoption Center from 6pm – 9pm for wine, nibbles from Et Volià, and treats from Smitten Ice Cream. Watch the shelter dogs celebrate with a special doggie birthday cake! Tickets are required and available with a donation.
Attendees can bring home their very own SF SPCA birthday present – rabbits and adult cats will be free to adopt all day on April 21! This adoption special includes animals at both the Mission and Pacific Heights Campuses.
“For 149 years the SF SPCA has been committed to helping animals, people, and the San Francisco community,” explained Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, SF SPCA President. “We were the fourth humane organization to be established in America, and the first west of the Mississippi.”
The SF SPCA was founded on April 18, 1868, by James Sloan Hutchinson, who caught sight of two men dragging a terrified hog along the rough cobblestone street. Hutchinson was appalled and stepped in to stop the abuse. The rescue served as a catalyst for Hutchinson and 15 others to fight animal cruelty by establishing the SF SPCA.
Dog fighting is cruel. Dog fighting is the ugly side of humans. I believe one way to counter animal cruelty is to raise compassionate children, to positively influence our communities about dogs.
April 8 is National Dog Fighting Awareness Day, an annual day to raise awareness about the prevalence of dog fighting and encourage animal lovers to take action against it.
Throughout April, the ASPCA is teaming up with Sir Patrick Stewart and asking animal advocates to #GetTough on this cruel practice by posting a selfie with their pet to their social media channels, flexing their arm muscle in solidarity with the movement.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! 'Tis the season for believing in the power of our love for dogs and cats to overwhelm passers by in downtown San Francisco so that they opt to adopt.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., November 11, 2016 – The San Francisco SPCA and Macy’s Union Square are teaming up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Holiday Windows. This holiday season adoptable animals will once again be showcased in the effort to find them loving homes.
Last year alone, 261 cats and dogs found new homes in time for the holidays, and more than $88,000 was raised to support the SF SPCA’s life-saving programs. Since the beginning of Holiday Windows, more than 8,800 dogs and cats have been adopted at the event.
Love dogs too? Want a fun way to celebrate Adopt A Shelter Dog Month with your dog, and help raise money for animals in need? Join in the ASPCA's 31 Days of Rescue Dogs Campaign!
Participants will be asked to post one photo of their favorite rescue every day, and each post will encourage their friends to donate $1 a day in exchange for 31 days of adorable photos. The featured dogs can be rescues, fosters, or shelter pups in need of homes.
Each post should contain the hashtag #31DaysofRescueDogs for the chance to win prizes and be featured on Pit Bulls and Parolees.
My view is that if you use a prong collar on a dog, you are sadly missing out on everything. Your relationship with your dog isn't based on love, trust, fellowship. If you want to experience the best of being with a dog, why would you use a tool that causes pain?
As you can see from the photo, it wasn't long after we adopted our big husky shepherd that we switched from a nylon collar to a harness, because it enhanced our relationship.
Once again, the San Francisco SPCA, where we found our wonderful dog, is taking the lead in helping dogs (Remember this video?) and our relationship with them with the launch of this educational campaign, What's Wrong With The Prong:
June 21, 2016 – The San Francisco SPCA has launched a campaign to educate the public about the harm caused by prong collars. Prong collars are designed to inflict pain and discomfort and can cause serious physical, behavioral, and emotional damage.
“We continue to regularly see prong collars on dogs throughout San Francisco,” said Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, co-president at the San Francisco SPCA. “Most owners don’t want to hurt their dogs – they want to do the right thing. There’s a huge need for community education.”
The SF SPCA Veterinary Hospitals treat prong collar injuries, which range from skin irritation and punctures to spinal cord problems. Prongs can easily damage a dog’s delicate neck area. The protective layers of the skin on the under portion of a dog’s neck, where the prongs of the collar are designed to pinch, are 3x thinner than those of human skin.
Summer offers us more days with fun and games outside with our dogs, but it also brings added risks. A sudden noise can spook a dog into bolting over a fence. An unexpected encounter with another animal on a hiking trail can cause an off leash dog to take off.
Did you know fireworks set off on the 4th of July is the single biggest cause of lost dogs? The crowds and sudden noises, combined with distracted family can bring heartache if your dog suddenly gets away. Are you prepared?
The ASPCA is trying to help keep your furry loved ones safe with ID YOUR PET DAY, and these tips:
· A personalized ID tag is the best way to increase the likelihood your pet returning home. Make sure your pet is fitted with a collar and ID tag that includes your name and phone number.
· Implanted microchips can serve as an important security measure to ensure that a pet is returned home in the case of a lost collar and ID tag.
· Download the ASPCA Pet Safety App to access personalized instructions on how to search for a lost animal in a variety of circumstances: ASPCAapp.org.
Muttville Senior Dog Rescue is a special kind of shelter. Maybe it's the old dogs, or maybe it's the volunteers, but when you are inside Muttville, your life gets brighter. Mine has.
Helping write the last chapter of an older dog's life feels amazing.
Let me tell you, it's easy to advocate for animals when you've a senior dog trying to snuggle up next to you. I've been volunteering a few hours each week at Muttville and these old dogs don't pull any punches. They are professionals! Muttville mutts either boldly demand you give them affection, or purposefully seek out a quiet blanket in a peaceful corner.
Marvelous Muttville
Thanks in large part to their continued focus on education, and successful use of social media, Muttville has had an explosive growth in the last four years. In 2012 they also signed a lease for their building, giving Sherri, the founder and executive director, her house back.
Though she still has several dogs with her on any given day, the doggy loft at their home on Rescue Row and the many foster homes allows Muttville to help many, many more senior dogs.
Muttville has about thirty dogs in their new building on Alabama Street, with another 80-90 in foster homes. What is unique is that the few kennels you'll find in their headquarters all have open doors. The dogs are free to sleep wherever they want.
Jackpot & Jax were both adopted later that day
Animal Advocacy
Of the hundred Muttville foster homes, 70% have cared for 10 or more dogs. That says a lot about how committed you become to advocating for senior dogs after helping your first. Older dogs shut down the most in a loud and crowded place like a city shelter. This contributes to their depressed and quiet demeanor, and doesn't help their adoption chances.
The open doggy loft and family of foster homes allows Muttville mutts to blossom and show their true loving nature.
Choosing to adopt a shelter pet can have wonderful consequences for both of you. When you decide to adopt a senior dog, you open yourself to a world of love. When kids care for animals, they learn empathy and compassion.
Promoting dog adoption, advocating for senior dogs and championing well-run shelters is something we can do every day, not just once a year, don't you think? Join me!
Help, Foster, Adopt. There are many ways all of us can do the right thing for companion animals. I recently started volunteering at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. What if there was a way for you to take action, and help your favorite shelter win much needed funds?
The ASPCA celebrated their 150th anniversary, and to honor this milestone, with the help from a few major celebrities, they have launched 150 Days of Rescue, a nationwide action campaign that seeks to unite the country in making a difference in the lives of homeless and abused animals.
Animal lovers are encouraged to visit ASPCA.org/150days and pledge their time between April 10 and September 7 to help animals in need, with the goal of reaching 150,000 actions for animals in 150 days.
Ways to participate
Volunteer at a local shelter
Donate
Foster
Adopt a shelter pet
Don't Forget!
When you log your good deed you will also be given the opportunity to nominate a favorite animal shelter to receive a grant prize of $150,000!
Get ready for a spectacular evening of dancing and dining in support of San Francisco SPCA animals!
The Bark & Whine Ball is presented by Critter Lovers at Work (CLAW), an all-volunteer nonprofit with the mission to support the SF SPCA. All proceeds from the evening will benefit homeless animals.
“Dress yourself and your furry friend in your finest and join us,” invites Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, co-president of the SF SPCA. “Your contributions will help homeless animals in need of urgent and extraordinary care get the treatment they need.”