Being the change...

Pawcurious is holding a 24-Hour blogathon to raise funds for a service dog for a young boy with epilepsy. Simultaneously, BZTAT Studios is holding a 24-Hour Paintathon today with proceeds from the items created going to a pet therapy program and A New Leash on Life charity.

Do yourself a favor and check out both of these websites. They are engaging, beautiful and their hosts are donating this weekend to help make someone's world a little better.

If you'd like to donate to help Bradyn Ferguson get a service dog, just click below and follow the easy steps!

 

Feral Cat Symposium set

The first ever symposium regarding feral cats in Kern County has been set. On May 22, cat-friendly groups from around the greater Bakersfield area will gather at the Kern Agricultural Pavilion to discuss ways to deal with feral cats in our area.

Maybe you're someone who puts out a little food for the neighborhood strays. Perhaps you've noticed that neighbors moved some time ago, but their cats are still wandering around the neighborhood. Or you've got a few feline friends hanging around your workplace. The symposium is the perfect place to learn about Trap-Neuter-Release and how it can help keep two cats from becoming twenty.

The keynote speaker at the event will be Shelly Kotter, coordinator of the Focus on Felines program at nationally-known Best Friends Animals Society.

Registration for the event is taking place now, so if you care about the homeless cats of Kern County make plans to attend this first-ever event.

Pet Nutrition workshop coming to Bakersfield

Self Serve Pet Spa is hosting a pet nutrition workshop in Bakersfield on May 16. The featured speaker is Sabine Contreras, a self-described Canine Care & Nutrition Consultant and host of The Dog Food Project. The workshop will feature topics including learning to read pet food labels, supplementation, feeding for special needs pets and a question and answer session.

I'm fascinated to see how this workshop works out. In the time I've been in Kern County there have been few seminars offered specifically for pet owners. We've had a few folks come through like Bill Bruce, who spoke to the Animal Control Commission regarding the success of Calgary's pet overpopulation issues, but for the most part there aren't many open-to-the-public speaking engagements where pet owners can get information that's relevant to their daily lives.

Should this prove to be a success it could mark the beginning of a whole host of educational topics that can be brought to the pet-owning residents of Kern County. I'd love to see seminars on everything from pet acupuncture to disaster preparedness to rethinking vaccination schedules --- and everything in between. This city should be more than large enough to host events of interest to pet owners. Pet Nutrition is a great place to start.

Space is limited at the Pet Nutrition workshop, so if you're interested you need to sign up soon. Head over to Self Serve Pet Spa for details. Let's get this event sold out soon!

Cool event for pet lovers in Bakersfield

I wanted to let you all know about a great event coming up this weekend in Bakersfield.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be a fundraiser at The Firehouse Restaurant, located at 7701 White Lane. The three-stage event is to benefit Shorty’s Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and adopting pit bulls, founded by Luigi “Shorty” Rossi. The fundraiser will be filmed for an upcoming reality series on Animal Planet, following Rossi and other volunteers as they work towards making the world a better place for pit bulls and canines in general. Alpha Canine Society will also be on hand with several dogs available for adoption.

As part of this special event, actress Linda Blair will be at The Firehouse to create awareness for her organization, The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected and abandoned animals living on the streets of Los Angeles, as well as from the shelters in L.A.

The fundraiser will also include a little person car wash, where Shorty and other little person volunteers will be washing cars to raise money for Shorty’s Rescue Foundation for a $10 donation.

There will also be a car show, hosted by Shorty’s friends at myGride.com and Acedia Apparel, featuring a variety of custom vehicles throughout California, including several from the Nokturnal Car Club.

So come on out, see the dogs, meet the celebrities and donate to a worthy cause. Who knows, you could find yourself on T.V. when the series airs on Animal Planet!

For more information about Shorty’s Rescue, go to www.shortysrescue.com

When people come together for animals, it’s a beautiful thing

When the Friends of the Kern County Animal Shelters Foundation held a fundraiser for a new water heater for the County animal shelter, the public came through.

It turns out that Kern County Animal Control only has a 12 gallon water heater --- far, far too small to handle even a little bit of dog bathing. Volunteer groomers go to the shelter, donating their time and talent to bathe and groom homeless dogs in an effort to make them more adoptable, but were frustrated that these pups couldn’t even get a warm bath. As word reached Friends of KCASF, they decided to hold a fundraiser and see if maybe, just maybe, they could raise enough money to replace the all but worthless heater with a new, tankless version.

On March 24, Red Brick Pizza Café on Brimhall Road was kind enough to donate 20 percent of all purchases between 4 and 9 p.m. to the cause. Friends of KCASF also provided two great raffle items, a goodie-laden dog house and cat gift basket, and brought T-Shirts for sale to support the cause.

The result? People were waiting in lines that reached out the door for most of the event, happy to support the Friends in their effort. Folks from several animal groups including Alpha Canine, The Cat People and Kern Humane Society showed up, as well as animal lovers and shelter supporters of all shapes and sizes. There were so many people that the owners of Red Brick apologized to the crowd for what was, at times, a nearly two-hour wait. But wait they did, with customers waving off apologies, happy to be a part of such a good cause.

In the end, between Red Brick’s contribution, raffle ticket and T-shirt sales, and cash donations from people who didn’t wish to wait in line but still wanted to help, the Friends of KCASF raised nearly $2,000 in donations --- more than enough to cover the cost of the water heater and its installation, with a little money left over for other projects benefiting the animals at Kern County Animal Control.

Special thanks for this event go to Red Brick Pizza Café owners Robert and Patty Salazar, Suzanne Guest, and Friends of the Shelter member Linda Watson. All were instrumental for getting this event off of the ground. Thank you for time and effort on behalf of homeless pets.

And thank you, community members who took time away from your day-to-day activities to stand in line, buy raffle tickets and T-shirts, and have a little pizza for the benefit of shelter animals. The result of your efforts will linger far beyond that evening, making life a little better for pups looking for a chance to find their forever home.

Pets Delight at the Kern County Animal Shelter

This is a wonderful video showing the folks at Pets Delight going to the Kern County Animal Shelter to adopt out animals and take them back to their pet store in an effort to find them loving forever homes. Many thanks to Pets Delight for choosing this option instead of purchasing from backyard breeders or puppy millers. And thanks to the KCAC for allowing them to try and give these pets a chance at a better life.

Kern County Dog Show fun

Toys, toys and more toys were immediately evident at this year's Kern County Kennel Club dog show, held at the fairgrounds on March 28 & 29. What wasn't evident were any of the local rescue groups or dog activity groups. Maybe with the economic downturn they didn't have the funds in their coffers to be able to attend. If that's the case, it's too bad, as these events are the perfect opportunity for dog enthusiasts to share their passion with other, and a chance for the public to get a little up close and personal with some of the groups who are diligently trying to reduce the number of homeless pups in Kern County. I missed seeing them.

On the other hand, I also missed seeing...people. While my husband and I were there, it looked like fewer than 200 people were in attendance as visitors. Maybe that's another reflection on the economy, but since we spent all of $10 for parking and admission, I just want to let people know they missed out on a gorgeous day full of equally stunning dogs. My apologies in advance for the sad photo quality. I've really got to learn how to properly take a picture.


This young Afghan was busy getting buffed and puffed prior to ringtime. Such a beauty!


I caught a brief shot of the gaggle of Goldens, having just exited the ring.


This Beardie was busy getting some finishing touches before heading off for judging.


The Bouviers were being judged as we passed by. Despite their teddy bear looks, these are some seriously protective dogs.


A Saluki and a Whippet taking a snooze in one of the vendor's booths.


A Miniture Schnauzer waits for his moment in the ring.


A Westie busy getting beautified.


A Whippet patiently waits amid all of the ruckus in the exihibition hall.


Two of the sweetest Cavilier King Charles Spaniels of the day.


As you can see, our own critters got in a good snooze while we fawned over some other pets for a change.

Bakersfield SPCA Open House

I go to the Bakersfield SPCA's Open House for two reasons. One, I want to be able to take a few photos and give them a teeny, tiny bit of publicity, unless this is one of the few blog posts to get more than four hits, in which case they'll get a smidge more. Two, because it's an excuse to go there that my husband can't argue with. Since we've been by there three times in past couple of months, he'd be well within his veto power to say no, but there's no way of getting around a special occasion. He picks where we go to breakfast before we head out, his small consolation prize.

It's busy. So busy that cars are parked a goodly distance from the BSPCA. We get a great spot just a couple of businesses down, next to a driveway so we can't get blocked in.

The bright yellow sign is the first thing I see. This is the entrance to the cat spay/neuter clinic. I love these clinics and can't figure out why we can't find the money to do more. It's desperately needed.

As we walk I take in the booths and the people who are here to support the BSPCA and get a little pet care.












Next up is a Sheriff's dog. Though I'm not a huge fan of the prong collar, as I watch him, he's definitely more "dog" than he is "Sheriff" right now, so it's all good.


Lots of vendors are at the Open House, educating folks who came by, and in many cases donating services and goods on behalf of the BSPCA's mission. I'm grateful that local businesses are willing to donate their time and services, even during this horrid economic time.













Some of the great raffle prizes that were donated.

I'm thrilled that a shepherd mix that I fell in love with a few weeks ago has been adopted I see his photo on a sign. The BSPCA named him Scruffy. Maybe now that he has a new home I won't see him in the back of mind so much anymore.

Doesn't much matter. As we walk down the rows of kennels a quiet girl, staying amazingly calm in the midst of the chaos, slowly sidles up to the fence. My heart is lost in her attempt at dignity. Note how rusted the gate is. There are a lot of places at the BSPCA that are showing their age. Wouldn't it be amazing if a fence company or fence contractor stepped up and donated some new fencing to them? What a public relations coup.

I head to the cat house, half-hoping Romeo has been adopted, half-not. If he's here, maybe today will be the day I bring him into my life forever. Romeo (my name, not one given to him by the BSPCA) is a brilliant flame-point mix with gorgeous blue eyes and a sparkly personality.

Fate holds. Romeo found a home. I apparently have a decent animal sense, as those who catch my eye catch the eye of others as well. Of course, being at the shelter, there's always another cat to fall in love with.

This week it's two grey kittens (although only one of them would sit still long enough for my pathetic photo skills). I take one look at them and have two simultaneous thoughts --- I don't have one that color and They're the exact same color as our carpet. We'd never notice the additional pet hair.

But they're kittens. Gorgeous, sassy kittens who will find a home with relative ease. It's the adult cats who are languishing here, and were I in a space where I could bring home another cat, I'd be taking one of the older ones who are as desperate for another chance at being part of a family as any kitten.

I've seen enough. My past heartthrobs have moved on, there's a really nice turnout for the event, over 100 cats will be altered before the day is out, and the weather is perfect.

I've got to get back to my pets at home. They're waiting for me.