With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to our good friend Sidney.  Sid was with Pets Helping Pets from the start, and his being our first passing; the event has hit us hard.  Sidney was a good friend, who loved tennis balls and any form of water to swim in, even if the water was nasty.  He always looked forward to going on vacation to Vermont with his GrandDad, who spoiled him with all the things his loving home family would limit (cheeseburgers, ice cream, trips to the tavern, encounters with moose, etc.).  Sidney's family had to say Goodbye earlier this year.  We hope that soon, Sid's family will remember him with laughter and smiles, and with a lighter heart than what they feel now.  Thanks Sid for being a friend, and all for all the walks you took for Buddy Dog in Sudbury.

Archie, Bay Path Humane Society of Hopkinton
Atticus & Yoshi, Northeast Animal Shelter
Bama & Friends, House Rabbit Network
Bella, House Rabbit Network
Bling, Buddy Dog Humane Society
Gabby, Buddy Dog Humane Society
Hershey, Labrador Retriever Rescue
Kona, Northeast Animal Shelter
Larry, Defenders of Wildlife
Mischa & Friends, Billerica Cat Care Coalition
Pixie & Mason, Paw Prints Dog Sanctuary & Canine Corps
Scout & Jem, Northeast Animal Shelter
Sydney, Hershey & Zander, House Rabbit Network
Tigger, ASPCA

How could a whole year go by without a posting?  Well, we are happy to say that we got very busy walking dogs and with pet sitting services for many lovable pets, and time got away from us.  We are very much still here!  Donations for the first 3-quarters of 2009 have just been disbursed.  We do feel a bit like hypocrites for not getting the disbursements out earlier, but we are sure the animal shelters and animal charities will appreciate a larger than usual donation this time of the year.  Thanks as always to our fantastic customers, and a detailed posting of the recent disbursement will be made soon!

We recently became aware of the following charites and have added them to the Pets Helping Pets' 'Shelter/Charity List' page.  

All Dog Rescue  (www.alldogrescue.org)
Based in Natick MA, ADR is an all-volunteer, non profit organization dedicated to the rescue of Massachusetts' dogs in need and matching each with appropriate and responsible owners.  If you are not picky about your dog's breed, ADR is sure to match you with a new best friend, who will be sure to show you undying gratitude for inviting him (or her) into your home.  ADR operates via foster care and in addition to funds, they are also in need of foster homes and caregivers to care for the many dogs in ownership transition.

Billerica Cat Care Coalition  (www.billericacatcarecoalition.org)
The BCCC was formed in 2004 by concerned Billerica residents, as a cat rescue and adoption organization assisting feral (wild) and abandoned cats and their kittens.  The BCCC mission is to reduce the suffering and death of local animals by implementing the Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) program for feral cats.  BCCC provides feeding programs, promotes spay/neuter of all companion animals, educates the public on local animal issues, and offers advice/assistance to residents dealing with homeless cat situations or needing to re-home a cat.  The BCCC has signed the "Declaration of No Kill Movement in The United States", as part of its commitment to protection adoptable animals.  For additional information on this movement, visit:  www.nokilldeclaration.org.

Canine Companions for Independence  (www.cci.org)
Founded in 1975, CCI is a non-profit organization that provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge.  CCCI is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs, and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of it's dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people.  CCI believes 'The most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart'.  In addition to contributing financially, if you feel confident that you could return a puppy when it is ready for service, consider becoming a volunteer puppy raiser!  (Personally, I would have a hard time with the returning part,)

Friends of Animals  (www.friendsofanimals.org)
From it's beginning in 1957, FoA has assumed a leadership role in advocating low-cost spaying and altering as the most effective means of preventing the births of unwanted dogs and cats, and their subsequent abandonment, suffering and mass killing.  For more than four decades, FoA has operated the only nationwide breeding control program in the USA facilitating more than 2-million spay/neuter procedures. 

Pet Owners may purchase a certificate from Friends of Animals that can be used for a routine spay or neuter surgery at any of FoA's participating veterinary hospitals.  Visit the program section on the FoA's website for purchasing information.

New England Basset Hound Rescue  (www.newenglandbassethoundrescue.org)
New England Basset Hound Rescue (NEBHR) was founded in 2001 by lovers of the breed who wanted to help the homeless, abandoned and unwanted Basset Hounds of New England.  Everyone involved with NEBHR is on a volunteer basis and members reside throughout New England.

We would like to thank all of our clients for selecting Pets Helping Pets to care for their pets in 2008, and also for helping us with our mission to assist local animal shelters, breed rescue programs and other animal/environmental oriented charities. 

The winter months are financially challenging for animal shelters, and this year is no exception.  In addition to rising operating expenses, shelters are experiencing a spike in the numbers of pets being surrendered, and a decline in the number of pet adoptions.  With the support of our clients, Pets Helping Pets is proud to contribute to the animal shelters that do such great work to care for displaced pets.  Disbursing the quarterly donations is one of the more rewarding aspects of our organization, and we are honored to acknowledge the following ‘Helping Pets’ who have contributed to the 2008 4^thquarter donation, and highlight the animal charities they have selected:

Bama, House Rabbit Network

Batman, MSPCA at Nevins Farm

Babrik, Buddy Dog Humane Society

Yoshi, Northeast Animal Shelter

Atticus, Northeast Animal Shelter

Sidney, Buddy Dog Humane Society

Posey, Buddy Dog Humane Society 

(The Pet's selected charities can be found on our Shelter/Charity listing page.)

Pets Helping Pets hopes to increase our charitable donations by adding to our listing of ‘Pets That Help’ in 2009, And we could use your help!   If you know of someone who could benefit from our services, please tell them about us.  In appreciation of your referral booking with us, we would like to offer a $10 credit towards your next pet sitting/visiting invoice. 

Thanks again to all of our clients for your support in 2008.  Caring for your pets this past year has been our sincere pleasure.  We look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Today, Valerie has received certification from Red Cross in Pet First Aid for domesticated dogs and cats.

Pets Helping Pets first step for pet safety is to address and minimize risk to pets in our care, but  we do want to prepared for emergency situations.  Some highlights of The Red Cross Pet first aid course include:

• Preparing an everyday first aid kit
• Preparing for emergency evacuation situations
• Registering 'normal' pet breathing, heart rate and pulse readings for future reference
• Noticing and dealing with a choking pet
• Providing 'Mouth to Snout' and CPR to pet
• Addressing puncture wounds, sprains, strains, and broken limbs
• Noticing and addressing signs of shock
• Treating incidents involving poison exposure (exposed, inhaled or ingested), burn incidents and unfortunate encounters with other animals (domesticated and wild)
  

The Pets Helping Pets Facebook page gives PHP clients and friends to post pictures of their pets, comments and reviews.  To view the full content of the page, you must be have a Facebook account and logged in.  Joining Facebook is free of charge.

Pets Helping Pets also posts upcoming events offered and sponsored by PHP, local animal shelters,  and pet related organizations.  Become a 'Fan' of the Pets Helping Pets Facebook page to receive notifications of updates to our website, upcoming pet/animal events, PHP promotions and other newsbreaking stories.