Be the Change Challenge

Bloggers around the globe are writing for rescue animals in need to meet the Be the Change Challenge. Words are powerful inspiration for action. To this end, we’re pushing beyond our own reasons for writing in order to coalesce as a grand force for great, great change.

COMMIT TO A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS

What can one do to Be the Change for animals? Anything! Walk a shelter dog, pet a caged cat, donate time, money, food, resources. Eat dog food. (What? Yes. Dr. V did this on Pawcurious.com during her Hounds for Haiti blogathon.) Do it once. Do it for life. It doesn’t matter. Just do something.

Your act (and mine) is a vital excellerant in an experimental rocket. Forget “shooting the moon.” Together, we’re shooting for Mars. If each of us makes one small step for animals, we can collectively make a giant leap for rescue organizations like AnimalKind (where we adopted two cats) or AnimaLovers (where we’ve fostered and adopted several dogs).

DON’T MISS THE BLOGPAWTY!

Join the special online Be the Change BlogPawty on Twitter, April 21-22, 7 pm-1 am EST. Monthly PawPawties like this have raised more than $26,000 for rescue groups over the past year. To learn more, visit the PawPawty website and see the video below created by Lynn Haigh (a.k.a. PawPawty co-founder @frugaldougal).

Compete in trivia games for donated prizes and enjoy chatting with like-minded anipals while DJs spin tunes on blip.fm, barktenders serve virtual pawtinis and the security team keeps things running smoothly. Barktender tips are made by way of donations. Jump into the discussion and include the #blogpawty hashtag so everybody can track the conversation.

MY TURN

I’d like to re-affirm my own commitment to local animals in need. Fostering for AnimaLovers.org, I worked with Bill, Petey, Moo and especially Emmett, the devil-dog who had run out of adoption options. Fostering felt like I was doing my daily part but, since formally adopting Emmett (a wonderful nutcase wanted by nobody but us),  my care for him and our 3 other rescues feels less contributory to the greater animal population. Unfortunately, we can no longer foster without upsetting the delicate balance. So now what?

• First up, I’ve decided to donate the design of all print materials needed for the  AnimaLovers’s upcoming silent auction. (Anybody from AnimaLovers reading? You heard it here first!)  This gala event, now in the planning stages, is rife with evening gowns, tasty treats, jewels, antiques, original art, loads of pet products and, most importantly, a ton of generous animal rescue supporters.

• I have also gone one step further. Always wanting to join a therapy dog program, I’ve been without a well-enough behaved dog until now. This week, I ordered the Delta Society handbook. It’s the first step toward preparing myself and our rescued Newfoundland, Shamus, to become a therapy team. Once Shamus and I are evaluated together and, if he decides this is an enjoyable adventure, it will surely demonstrate that second chance dogs of any kind are valuable not just to their owners but to society as well. We’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE: RUNNING LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

These are just some of the folks making the effort. This list was begun courtesy of YourDailyCute.com. I’m adding to it and tracking the good deeds of all involved. Don’t see yours? Let me know and I’ll add you.

• About Vet Med - Suggests photographing shelter pets for posting and other great ideas
• Baby Patches, Nip and Bones - Featuring some terrible, terrible kitties!
• Biscuits by Lambchop – Started a Featured Shelter Pooch on their Facebook fan page
• Boulder Dog – Deborah is giving away goodies in the name of Be the Change, but you have to ask nicely BZTAT Studios - Designed a Be the Change logo available on many types of clothing. All proceeds from sale items displaying this logo go to shelters!
• Bloggie Stylish – Donating perfectly good “found” items to shelters. Brilliant!
• BlogPaws – Where it all began…
• Champion of My Heart - Roxanne proposes donating dog food to food pantries for people with pets and more
• Chat with Sandy - Sandy isn’t a pet blogger, but she’s blogging about Be the Change anyway
• Cleo’s Day- Spreading the word through the donation widget and PawPawty
• Cottage Copy – Holly talks from experience about the importance of adopting older dogs
• Covered in Cat Hair - Putting faces to the #BetheChange cats of Pets Without Parents
• Curlz and Swirlz, Life with Cornish Rex Cats - Donating PawPoints from Scoop Away litter to TABBY’S PLACE
• Daily Dog Scoop - A simple and perfect message: Do what you can, and donate what you’ve got.
• Dancing Dog Blog – In support of training service dogs, the sales of Monk-baked dog cookies from Benevolent Bakery provides 10% off the top (not net proceeds) to the dogs. Enter to win or buy some today!
• Dash Kitten’s Mewsings - Donates pins from her Etsy store, and takes an active part in Etsy for Animals
• Doggies.com – Features the donation widget to Pets without Parents and promotes the bogpawty
• Doggies and Stuff - Spread the word about puppy mills, feature adoptable pets and encourage people to adopt and not shop for animals
• Dog Spelled Forward - Vote for Eric’s rescue story and, if he wins, he’ll give his winnings to Pets Without Parents
• DogTipper - Donating all of the day’s DogTipper income from every ad and affiliate program to Pets Without Parents
• Drs. Foster and Smith – They’re making a donation for every comment they receive on this post!
• Enlightened Ferret – Raising awareness for Heart of Ohio Ferret Association and Rescue (HOFA)
• Fido and Wino – Launched the R.O.A.R. Squad (Rescue Owners are Rockin’!). What an awesome way to promote rescue over pet store purchases! Submit your rescue story. We did!
• The Girl Blogger – Shares her fostering experience and the importance of letting go for the greater good
• George the Duck - Listing 12 great ideas to be the change
• I Love Dogs – Donated $250 to Pets Without Parents and asked other companies to match!
• I Love Rescue Animals - Featuring PetsWithout Parents and Forever Home Feline Ranch, Nikki &?Ashley also have something up their sleeves for the #BeTheChange pawty which will be announced Sunday
• Janet’s Veterinary Medicine Blog - Offering ways that non-pet companies can Be the Change for animals, like donating a web design!
• Jenna’s Dog Blog (About.com) – You can be kind to animals simply by being a responsible dog owner - it’s the most important thing you can do
• Just Meowin’ - BZTAT Studios‘ cat posted about a Be The Change tee with proceeds going to shelters
• K9 Chronicles - Stresses the importance of something as simple as spreading the word
• Life with Dogs – Mr. Author plans to devote a portion of his entertaining, high-traffic blog to important animal causes
• The Little Dog Speaks - Share the animals. Even retweeting rescue stories can link an animal with a new home
• Marg’s Pets - Marg wants to raise funds for her local spay and nueter clinic
• Moxy Paws – Features the story of Edie, a dog adopted just an hour prior to euthanasia, and a great giveaway
• My Fire Hydrant - Pet Care Bev has a list of ways she’ll Be the Change, including continuing to hold an annual, month-long rescue fundraiser during the month of March in memory of Bailey
• My Life in Words?- Run a coin drive, return cans, visit your local shelter’s “wish list,” participate in their events and more! This is a great resource for change.
• Pawcurious - Dr. V ate Pupperoni for Pets Without Parents! and traded posts of awareness with ILoveDogs.com
• Paws and Effect – Raising $5K for 6 months care at Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in St. Pauls, NC
• The Pet Book Lady – The Pet Book Lady is donating all of her commission from the sale of personalized keepsake bracelets amounting to $5 per bracelet. Order yours now!
• Petfinder Blog - 10 simple ways bloggers can help pets every day
• Racing to Save Lives – Fight human and animal blood cancers with your donation to LLS!
• Petside – Post a donation page link to Facebook, ask your friends to do the same, and more…
• Richmond Dogs Blog - Rasing funds and awareness
• Romeo the Cat - Showcases Pilots n Paws which provides an online meeting place for rescuers and pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of animals
• Of Cow Tails and Chew Toys - From today forward, 25% of every sale of Ashley’s denim squeaky stars will go to the Humane Society of Knox County
• Oh My Dog! - Hosting a giveaway for those who shared linklove for shelters and rescues
• Scratchings & Sniffings – Wrote a post for BlogPaws on Peace for Pets, helping hospice patients keep their pets at home
• Sparkle the Designer Cat - Sparkle challenges us to be ready when the unexpected happens and an an animal in need happens to cross our path
• Sebastion the Sensitive Soul - Photos are posted of local shelter animals
• Tan Cats - Regularly donating newspapers and paper bags to shelters
• This One Wild Life - Providing print design for the silent auction to benefit?AnimaLovers.org and prepping a rescued Newf to be a therapy dog
• Trupanion- Suggests donating food to shelters, whether a sinlge can or an online order full. Tell a friend to as well!
• Two Little Cavaliers – Donating 15% of sales from her Stella & Dot Jewelry site between now and the end of April. Use the hostess name Blog Paws
• Will My Dog Hate Me - A simple and perfect message: Do what you can, and donate what you’ve got.
• YourDailyCute - is donating volunteer time at a shelter for every $100 donated to Pets Without Parents. She’s up to a week or more now!

Best news yet… @lakesunrise just took the fund drive over the $1K mark, doubling the goal for Pets Without Parents with hours left in the day!

YOUR TURN

Whatchya gonna do? Do tell! It could be as simple as spreading the?message using the buttons below. Do it. Word.