Last year a very lucky shelter in St Louis won a million dollar make over in this contest. To see this gift bestowed on another St Louis area shelter this year would be so fulfilling. Every shelter in America deserves this make over and they all have a shot at winning. It’s all about people like you and me joining together to help our chosen shelter win the makeover.
Smaller shelters may find it harder to get the word out that they are a contenders for this prize. Last year’s news coverage of St Louis Stray Rescue helped catapult them to the front of the back. The announcement was in May. Their shelter make over was in full swing by late July and is being filmed for a TV series! To be the first ever winner of this make over contest gives them a spot in the history books. To bring this contest back to our area would help bring additional media focus on the plight of animals in Missouri, currently the puppy mill capital of the United States.
So how do you participate? So easy! Log on to www.zootoo.com and create a free account. Then pick your shelter to support. After that you use the site like you would any other fun social networking site, all the while racking up the points for your shelter. Yes there is more you can do to bring in added points but it really is as simply as just being a pet lover and doing what comes naturally, talking about your pets!
See you there!
THANK YOU!! 
Illinois advocates please support this!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
[Washington, DC] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, which closes a loophole in current law that allows some dog breeders to escape acceptable care and exercise standards by selling directly to the public – a practice especially prevalent over the internet.
The sale of dogs and puppies online has increased dramatically in recent years. While many of the dog breeders online are very responsible business people, the internet has become a haven for puppy mill operators because they can bypass laws governing the safe and humane treatment of animals.
“Sadly, finding your puppy online may well increase the chance that you’ll be buying from a puppy mill,” said Durbin. “Our bill simply requires that breeders obtain a license from the USDA if they raise more than 50 dogs in a 12-month period and sell directly to the public and sets forth reasonable standards of care for commercial breeders. Responsible dog breeders are not the target of this legislation, but hopefully it will put the puppy mills out of business.”
Recent media reports have focused increased scrutiny on large commercial dog breeding facilities that house hundreds of dogs in cramped, unsanitary, and inhumane conditions. Facilities operated by the most negligent breeders are often referred to as puppy mills, because they churn out dogs the way a factory would -- with little or no respect for the animals’ quality of life. Breeding females in puppy mills often spend their entire lives in cages and virtually all animals raised in these facilities are at greater risk for serious health problems.
Durbin’s legislation would ensure more humane treatment of dogs by requiring the following changes to the Animal Welfare Act:
All dog breeders who sell directly to the public and who sell more than 50 dogs per year will be federally licensed and inspected;
Dogs at commercial breeding facilities must be given the opportunity to walk and exercise for 60 minutes a day
Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Claire McCaskill? (D-MO) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are original cosponsors of the legislation. The bill is also supported by the Humane Society of the United States.
“They” are Big Agribusiness, and they have raised and allocated $10 million to defeat a landmark initiative in California that would ease the suffering of millions of animals now confined in tiny crates on factory farms and suffering terribly. It’s called Proposition 2, and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof called it “the most important election you’ve never heard of.” Indeed, because California is a trendsetter, this election has the potential to establish a better future for farm animals across the U.S.
Because of that, Big Agribusiness is investing millions in deceptive and false ads to disparage Prop 2.
The only thing that can stop them is you and me. We can match them ad for ad and tell our story to the people of California.
That’s why I am urging you to make a special gift today to the YES! on Prop 2 campaign.
If not you and me, then who will stand up to Big Agribusiness?
Check out this great Breeder Comparison Chart. It does a very thorough job of explaining the differences between responsible breeders and backyard breeders.
They are in desperate need. Their facility is quite small and they are not in a large metropolitan area. They aren't likely to receive the media coverage that larger shelters might but they are certainly deserving. http://www.zootoo.com/shelters/zip62249_highlandanimalshelter2">Click here or in the badge in my sidebar to chose Highland as your shelter.
