Horse Plus Humane Society

Horse Plus Humane Society, a horse rescue located in Oroville, California, usually have between 20 to 40 horses available for adoption. One of their current adoptable horses is named Hank. Check out more info here Hank - Quarterhorse/unknown mix. He sure is a cutie! He has had a rough life though and needs an experienced and loving horse person. He needs to be able to learn to trust and know he won't get hurt again. Can you adopt a horse or know someone who can perhaps? Hank is 14 years old and about 14.3 hands.

There are other ways you can help if you can't afford (or have the place) to adopt a horse. You could donate some funds to their rescue, you could shop at their store and you could help share their animal listings on social networking places such as Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Thanks for sharing the info on Hank and other adoptable horses looking for their forever home.

~ Gunilla Wachtel - Kanweienea Kreations

Gunilla Wachtel is a fine artist and photographer currently residing in PA. She loves all kinds of animals especially dogs and horses. Through her website she sells fine art originals and limited edition prints, as well as reproduction prints on many different items.

Surprising Facts and Myths About Dogs and Cats.....by Debra of Sleepy Cat Designs

Recently on www.WebMD.com, I found an interesting slide presentation about myths and facts involving dogs and cats. You can find it at this link: http://pets.webmd.com/slideshow-surprising-things-about-dogs-and-cats.

From that website, below you will find just a few of the most interesting ones that I especially enjoyed and which you can review now, until you have time to go through the whole thing which consists of 27 different and possibly surprising things about dogs and cats:

Dogs Can Smell Diabetes – Fact!! Dogs can sniff out a dangerous drop in blood sugar in a diabetic owner and alert the person to take action by pawing, licking, whining, or barking. A few dogs have even been trained and placed to work as diabetic service dogs. Their nose for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is correct 90% of the time, according to their trainers. Amazing!

(From www.Office.Microsoft.com/images)

Dogs Can Learn 250 Words - Fact!!
The smartest, best-trained breeds are similar to a 2-year-old child in their ability to understand human speech, according to researcher Stanley Coren, PhD. These dogs understand up to 250 words, while the average dog can understand 150 words. The smartest dogs are Border collie, poodle, German shepherd, golden retriever, and Doberman pinscher. Of course, almost all dog owners are going to say their dog, of any breed or mixed breed, is the smartest in the world!!

Newborn Puppies Don't Wag – Fact!!  Puppies don't wag their tails before they are about three weeks old, with some not doing so until seven weeks old. Vets believe tiny puppies are able to wag their tails, but they're too busy sleeping and eating to bother!! As they become more alert, tail wagging starts as a kind of sign language: a peace sign to rambunctious littermates or when begging for food.

(From www.Office.Microsoft.com/images)

Dogs See in Black and White - Myth!! Canine researches say dogs see blue, violet, and many more shades of gray than humans. They also see better in low light and can pick up the slightest movement which makes them good hunters. They probably do not see red, orange, yellow, or green, based on examination of the color-sensitive cone cells in canine retinas.


Warm Nose, Sick Dog – Myth!!  The temperature of a dog's nose changes easily and is not a good sign of illness. It can be hot and dry after lying in the sun or cool and wet from dipping into the water bowl. Better signs of illness are lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, coughing, or a body temperature above 102.5˚F on a rectal thermometer. So, what causes the wet snout? It comes from ducts that carry tears toward the nose.

(From www.Office.Microsoft.com/images)

Smoking Kills Cats and Dogs – Fact!! Secondhand smoke increases the risk of at least two fatal cancers in cats: lymphoma and oral carcinoma. Housecats get a double dose of toxins by breathing cigarette smoke in the air and by licking the residue off their fur when grooming. Dogs with long noses may develop cancerous nasal tumors from living with a smoker, and short-nosed breeds are more prone to lung cancer. Another great reason to quit smoking, right?

                  ******************
So, there you have it...these are just a few examples of some amazing facts and myths involving the four-legged family members we cherish.

If you have been thinking of adopting a cat or dog, it's a great time to do so! Be sure to check out your local shelters where so many deserving animals are waiting for a forever home. They deserve it, and your life will be enriched beyond measure as a result. Many shelters are offering special helps and incentives to make it easier to adopt during National Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month (October).

~~Submitted by Debra of Sleepy Cat Designs and Sew Bizzy Gifts, her two ArtFire studios where she offers a variety of affordable handcrafted items for people and pets. Her soft and comfortable safety collars are worn by kitty cats all over the world!

Debra is participating in a special one-week promotion this month to support the Crafting for Animals Guild spotlight charity, Close to Home Animal Rescue, with a 10% donation of all sales from 10/23 to 10/29 when the coupon is used. And Debra will be sending a free gift with all orders during that week using the coupon in her studios. You can read all about it by clicking HERE or the box below. Many other fantastic guild artisans are also participating!

Comfort and Joy (aka Sam and Roscoe).........by S. Warner

Nine months after our beloved Molly (a Westie rescued by friends) crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I could no longer stand to be without a furkid in the house. I called our local shelter to find out if they had any dogs available for adoption. I had heard of Animals Need Help of Bear Lake but never actually visited until it was time for one of their rescued dogs to find me. ANH is a small, no-kill shelter run by a fabulous group of women – all volunteers – who work tirelessly to help dogs and cats find forever homes.

The day I went in they had 4 dogs (I wish their count was always this low) and one was a beautiful white golden retriever mix. I knew he was the one but my husband needed to meet him and agree (a no-brainer, really). And that was the beginning of our love affair with Sam. We learned that he was found by a local farmer who wanted to shoot him because he was chasing deer and eating road kill but, thankfully, he decided to take him to the shelter instead. Sam was thin but healthy and was determined to be just under 1 year old and doing his best to survive our harsh Idaho winter. I'm convinced that he was saved just for us. He is a smart, gentle companion and will gladly bring home any shoes, toys or other treasures left unattended. I can't imagine life without him.

Sam

One late September night, 7 months after we adopted Sam, a car parked down the street from us. We live in a rural area with mostly summer homes so there were very few people around. Sam was outside and started barking at the car in a very suspicious way as if the occupants were up to no good. I brought Sam back in and on our walk the next day we saw a small Jack Russell terrier running around.

Some neighbors were trying to catch him, as they figured he was lost, with the intention of taking him to the shelter the next day. Once they were successful my husband and I decided to take him for the night and, needless to say, my husband bonded with him immediately. We put up fliers, checked local newspapers and websites, and had no response; so we welcomed Roscoe to our family.

Roscoe

Three weeks after he showed up in our neighborhood we found out where he came from, and when I called his first “owner” she said we could keep him as they really didn't have time for him anyway. Thus, we were able to surmise that this poor little 7-month-old puppy was left tied up in his yard all day and probably barked the whole time which explains the suspicious car and why Sam seemed so agitated. The neighbors probably got so tired of hearing him bark that they took him from the yard and dropped him off in our area. Fortunately, their irresponsible solution to the problem had a very happy ending.

And now, 3 years later, we have 2 happy, healthy furkids who love to howl and run and make us laugh. Sam and Roscoe give us a great deal of comfort and joy and our lives are so much fuller because of them.

The first day Roscoe and Sam met!

Sam and Roscoe

And thanks to Sam, I am now involved with Animals Need Help – donating 10% of all my jewelry sales and writing grants as they rely almost completely on donations. You can check out their website at www.anhbearlake.org and see some of their wonderful, adoptable furkids for yourself.

Submitted by: Sandi Warner, an avid crafter and animal lover with a big heart for rescuing, pet adoption, and volunteering with her local shelter in writing grants and caring for the animals waiting for adoption.

A look at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society – Helping Protect Our Oceans and its Inhabitants

If you have visited my shop on ArtFire you might have seen that for some of my prints, part of the proceeds go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). For my guest blog post for the Crafting for Animals Guild on ArtFire, I have chosen to write about this important organization.

The founder of Sea Shepherds, Captain Paul Watson, parted ways with Greenpeace in 1977. The same year he co-founded the Earthforce Environmental Society in Vancouver, Canada along with Ron Precious, Starlet Lum and Captain Al "Jet" Johnson (co-founder of Greenpeace) . It was the predecessor for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The Earthforce Environmental Society purchased its first ship in 1978 with the financial help from Cleveland Amory of the Fund for Animals. The ship was named Westella but the society renamed it Sea Shepherd. Since their early beginning, the Sea Shepherds have embarked on more than 200 voyages, defending and saving marine life.

Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans. This will conserve and protect species and our ecosystems. The Sea Shepherd works to ensure the survival of our ocean ecosystems for future generations, or as Captain Paul Watson has said on the TV series Whale Wars, “If our oceans die, we die.”

Here is a video from the Sea Shepherd's official Youtube channel.



An Animal Planet video, showing part of the Whale Wars series:


Thank you for learning more about whales and our oceans.

Gunilla Wachtel
Kanweienea Kreations

--Submitted by Gunilla of Kanweienea Kreations. Gunilla is an artist who sells her original artwork and fine art prints through ArtFire. Artwork includes orcas, horses, dogs and more.