Spay Day is Tuesday, February 24, 2009, and is recognized across the United States and U.S. territories.

Spay Day USA is America’s first and only national day of action to promote the spaying or neutering of pets. During Spay Day USA, veterinarians and their staff, animal welfare professionals, business owners and citizens join forces nationwide to provide spay/neuter services and to promote spay/neuter as an essential component of good pet health care, as well as an effective and humane means of decreasing the euthanasia of homeless animals in shelters.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats and a proven way to reduce the vast numbers of animals who are born only to die prematurely and without a family who loves them.

During Spay Day USA’s first 14 years, participants spayed or neutered more than 1,418,000 animals. The 14th annual Spay Day USA took place on February 26, 2008, when thousands of volunteers in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands worked together to save animal lives and end pet homelessness. They spayed or neutered more than 32,000 cats and dogs (and even a rat and a ferret); raised more than $200,000 for spay/neuter; and broadcasted the spay/neuter message to more than 13 million people.

Through the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest, contestants also raised tens of thousands of dollars to benefit the spay/neuter efforts of The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association’s Field Services program and 137 eligible Spay Day USA Event Organizers.

Enter the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest to sponsor the spay or neuter of an animal in need, support a local Spay Day event organizer, show off your pet and have a chance to win a fabulous prize.

You don’t have to wait until Spay Day USA to have your pet spayed or neutered. Call a veterinarian in your area and make that spay/neuter appointment now. Your local animal shelter may also have recommendations of local veterinarians.

To learn more about Spay Day, click here. To enter the Spay Day Photo Contest, click here.

While millions of people tune in for the Superbowl this Sunday, there’s a growing movement of the gentler (and cuter) variety–The Puppy Bowl. Yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds.

Animal Planet has taken a silly idea and turned it into a winner. It all started in 2004, when Animal Planet’s first annual Puppy Bowl was aired on The Discovery Channel’s Super Bowl Sunday lineup.

By last year’s Puppy Bowl IV, more than 8 million people tuned in, making it the highest rated program in the series, as well as Animal Planet’s top-rated adult-viewed telecast of the year.

Puppy Bowl V features all puppies from shelters in the Washington, D.C. area (some previous bowl contestants were from private homes). Emphasis is always placed on adoption, but this year in particular.

Catch the action on Sunday, February 1, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Animal Planet. To find out more, click here.

A puppy, but not the puppy Calli rescued.

Last summer, 9-year-old Calli Vanderaa found seven-week-old puppies in the garbage dumpster behind her house. In November, she wrote a letter to her local newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press, detailing her rescue efforts.

Here is the letter:

Dear Sir
My name is Calli Vanderaa.
I’m 9 years old and I live with my daddy.
One day we found a little puppy in the BFI bin in our lane. Somebody had put 3 puppies in there and set them on fire.
Two of the puppies died but daddy and I saved one that was sitting in the corner crying.
We took her home and named her Jessie. She is happy and growing bigger every day.

When readers saw Calli’s story in the December 13 edition of the paper, offers started pouring in. Because Calli and her single father live in an inner-city neighborhood fraught with social issues, and because he is working hard to make ends meet, people pledged to donate gifts, cash, gift certificates, dog food and toys, and even babysitting.  What’s more, Habitat for Humanity emailed to say they could potentially help Calli’s father purchase a house with affordable payments in a safer neighbourhood. One man even offered him a job with better pay and less commute miles. And three kind strangers donated a total of $140 to pay for Jessie to be spayed, since Calli and her father don’t have the funds to do so.

While the new film Marely & Me may be hot at the box office, and surely it portrays puppies in all their glory, there’s a chance that it might be glamorizing puppies and encouraging dog lovers to get a pup without thinking things through.

That’s why the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
(AVSAB) sent out a press release the day after Marely & Me released nationwide.

Below are the main points the AVSAB release covered:

“Marley and Me,” a film based on John Grogan’s life with his loveable but unruly Labrador Retriever, is a wonderful example of the depth of the human-animal bond. However, much of Marley’s “bad” behavior was unknowingly created by his well meaning but poorly prepared owners and some of it was an anxiety disorder called storm phobia.

First, puppies require a great deal of time, attention, and training–training that starts the minute the puppy is brought home.

Second, owners should enroll puppies in puppy classes as soon as
possible–before the puppy comes home.

Third, unruly behaviors such as jumping, pulling on the leash, and
chewing household items can be prevented in the adult dog by teaching and rewarding mannerly and appropriate behavior in growing puppies.

Fourth, at no point was “Marley” trying to be the “alpha male of the
pack,” as claimed by the film’s dog trainer. Training does not
require “dominance” and harsh corrections. Being a good leader by
training and reinforcing desired behavior using positive
reinforcement is the safest and most effective way to train puppies.
For example, kneeing Marley in the chest to stop jumping up was
potentially dangerous, completely ineffective, and unnecessary.
Simply teaching him from puppyhood to sit for petting would have
eliminated that problem.

Fifth, many dogs suffer from behavior problems that are unrelated to traditional training. For example, destruction and vocalization
during storms often occurs due to the well-recognized condition
of storm phobia, which is treatable by veterinarians
with a special interest or certification in animal behavior.

Sixth, viewers should resist the temptation to adopt a puppy or dog based on a movie.

For more information about AVSAB, click here.

The classic holiday image of a puppy in a room full of bright paper packages, bows and ribbons is a wonderful sight, but as the season passes, the demands of dog ownership increase. Before you purchase a puppy as a gift, especially if it is intended for a child, make sure that the household is prepared for the new family member and the added expenses that come along with the dog.

On average, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that the annual cost of a small dog, including food, veterinary care, toys and license, is $420. Make that $620 for a medium dog and $780 for a large pooch. The price tag doesn’t include initial expenses for spay or neuter surgery, collar and leash, carrier or crate, either.

So, while a puppy seems like a great idea for an enjoyable Christmas Day, many times the pets are abandoned or delivered to animal shelters because their new owners cannot care for them. According to the ASPCA, the heartbreaking statistics are that 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized.

A better idea for younger children might be a realistic plush puppy such as those in the Beverly Hills Puppy Club. The huggable high style pups are nearly as fun as the real thing. The playful plush can help children work up to the idea of owning a real puppy and learn more about the work involved in caring for a dog.

The puppy club offers a choice of “toy” dog breeds, such as a Pug, Shih-Tzu, Yorkie or Chihuahua, as well as trio litters of even smaller pups that little mommies and daddies can nurture. In addition, primping accessories such as hair styling tools and multiple fashion outfits can be purchased separately. Found at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, or KB Toys, the new toys offer the enjoyment of role-play, while not having the commitment of dog ownership.

Completing the official puppy plush ownership, you can also have a child register her puppy online by visiting www.beverlyhillspuppyclub.com where you can also find info on the breed, and other fun facts.

Courtesy of ARAcontent