by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

At the 2nd Long Island Pet Professionals (LIPP) Annual Holiday Party and Pet Food Drive at Lily Flannigan’s in Babylon, NY on Monday, December 19, 2011 – 400lbs of pet food was donated by Long Island Pet Professional Members!  We beat our record from last year’s holiday party which was 300lbs, and I am so delighted and happy with the generosity of our Members who stepped up and brought a lot of pet food with them to donate!  This pet food will help pet owners

Pat Bonelli, Island Harvest Volunteer and Nancy Hassel, Founder Long Island Pet Professionals

feed their pets who may have fallen on hard times.  We often think of donating to charity during the Holiday’s, but don’t always think about pet owners. This year we partnered with Island Harvest to donate the food for their Pet Food Pantry.  Island Harvest’s Pet Food Pantry plays such an integral part for pet owners help feed their pets and keep their pets by offering pet food at their food pantry.  Our shelters are full with homeless pets so if this 400lbs of food can help keep more pets in their loving homes, I can’t say how much it means to me, and also to our members.

“All too often pets are abandoned or given up for adoption simply because their owners are faced the unenviable choice of putting food on the family table or feeding their pets,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest. “Thanks to Long Island Pet Professionals, help is available to allow people struggling to make ends meet keep their pets by providing much needed food assistance.”

But the pet food donation was just part of the Holiday fun for the 2nd Annual Holiday Party & Pet Food Drive – members from all over Long Island, Queens the East End, North Shore and Nassau county flocked to Babylon (some even utilized the LIRR to get there!) to be at the festive event.  With product donations from Halo, Purely for Pets, Sturdi Pet Products, Life is Grruff, Watercolor Your World, M&J Dog Essentials, Natural Paws and Premier each attendee not only left with new contacts via the networking that was also going on – but a really nice pet swag gift bag!  There were also many free raffle giveaways – almost everyone in the room won a product or gift certificate – and everyone was cheering for each winner!

Stephanie from MyLITV!

On top of that members were thrilled to have new LIPP member Jen Ross from MyLITV.com on hand conducting interviews throughout the night for an upcoming segment.  What a perk for LIPP members to be able to speak on camera about their businesses or rescues!

Michael Ayalon of PetWebDesigner.com, Beth Gold of At Your Service LI & Robyn Elman of In Home Pet Services, Inc.

Normally our networking meetings are a little more formal with expert speakers giving presentations to the group, although we usually have a great time at every event, this Holiday Party is a way for us to mingle, network, enjoy the holiday spirit, celebrate, give back and look forward to the New Year.  We had members attend last night’s party that have been with us for the past three years and many new members – and its always great to see new connections being made and hearing how members are going to be working together.

Many events are being planned for LIPP in the New Year, including the first NYC chapter event for the group, as there are LIPP members who live and work in NYC.  The first event however, is a free online event taking place on January 12th to help pet professionals and animal rescues learn the ‘Art of the Tweet!’  To learn more click here!

Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year! See below for more pictures thanks to Richie of PetsPhotography and also on our Facebook page here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Earlier today an excited crowd of onlookers, dogs and press were at Mutts & Butts in Merrick, NY for the HALO pet food delivery truck there to deliver holiday cheer to two very deserving local animal rescue organizations.

The HALO and Freekibble.com Holiday Kibble Drop kicked off in Cincinnati this week and made its Long Island stop, after stopping at the ASPCA in NYC in the morning.  The program in which Ellen DeGeneres, Co-owner of HALO and 15-year‐old Mimi Ausland are spreading much needed free pet food, 400,000 meals to be exact, to shelter pets across the U.S.  Two local organizations Bobbi & The Strays and Shelter Partners were on hand to pick up their donation of healthy, nutritious Halo pet food. Bobbi of Bobbi and the Strays said, “I think I am going to cry, I am so touched by this donation from HALO and FreeKibble.com.”  Shelter Partners is a group of rescues and shelters that share and redistribute supplies and services between a number of their groups.

HALO and Freekibble are embarking on their first ever Freekibble.com ‘Koast‐to‐Koast Kibble Drop,’ where shelters and rescues up and down the east and west coasts will receive the donations of all natural Halo Spot’s Stew for the holidays.  There were at least 4 to 5 large palettes unloaded at the Long Island location, now that’s a lot of kibble.  Such a great thing to see, and knowing so many homeless pets will benefit from this, it’s very inspiring.

News 12 interviewing Bobbi of Bobbi & the Strays

Casey watching all the action!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Have you heard about the dog Daniel that survived the gas chamber in Animal Control facility in Florence, Alabama?  He was put into the gas chamber with about 8 other dogs to be killed, and when they opened the door after gassing the animals, Daniel walked right out.  It’s an amazing and inspirational story, while it has happened before – it is very rare.  This adorable Beagle Hound mix was dropped off in a ‘drop box’ at the Alabama shelter – a box where people can just anonymously drop a pet off they no longer want (something seriously wrong with this policy).  Daniel was considered a stray and after 7 days, put in the gas chamber.  He now has hundreds and hundreds of adoption applications according to the rescue group, Eleventh Hour Rescue that brought him up to NJ to his now foster home.  And after his appearance on Good Morning America on Saturday, October 29, 2011 – he will surely have thousands of people that want to adopt him.

But what about the dogs and cats that are not labeled as a ‘Miracle’ and have been waiting for months even years in a shelter waiting for a home?  Recently, in the Pet Events Newsletter, I posted an amazing dog in his own right, Cider, who has been at the Town of Islip Animal shelter for ONE YEAR this month.  For whatever reason people over look this very happy, well behaved and handsome dog.  He looks to be part Lab definitely Pit and maybe a sprinkling of another breed.  I met him about two weeks ago, and while many of the dogs in the surrounding shelter cages were barking, as they do, Cider was calm, smiling, and wagging his tail the entire time.  His coloring is beautiful – and the shelter staff said he is such a good dog, and house broken to boot – which is not an easy thing to be, living in a shelter cage for a year.

So I ask those hundreds and thousands of people looking to adopt Daniel the miracle dog?  What about a dog or cat just languishing every day in a local shelter?  Most times it can be loud and intimidating to look at a dog at the shelter – but ask the staff or one of the volunteers to take the pet into a viewing room or outside to meet the dog – 90% chance you will see the best side of the dog once taken out of the shelter cage.

While Daniel’s story is amazing, if it helps just one person reading this change their mind and head to their local shelter to adopt – it will make Daniel’s rise to fame even better.

When I adopted my own dog, Max – an American Pit Bull Terrier from Out of the Pits, he was a small puppy about 3.5 months old.  He was scared, and nervous – and the foster and adoption people that were there said, “If you sit on the floor, it will make him less nervous.”  So I sat next Indian style to the person holding him, and Max, named Johnny at the time, looked at me, and as many people who ever adopted a dog, seemed to know I was there for him.  He crawled over to my lap, looked up at me and kissed my cheek and snuggled back down and fell asleep.  The lady fostering him and the other people in the room nearly all cried, saying, “he has never done that to anyone.  He has been so nervous, and really hasn’t gone to anyone.”  Which I found out to be true after bringing Max home and learning how fearful of certain people, noises and now living in a home.  But with a ton of socialization, patience and training – Max has been such a great dog, loves people is good with other dogs once he gets to know them and even got along with the duck that lived in my yard for over a year.  Max, for whatever reason was very easy to train, he was housebroken when I brought him home, was out of his crate at 9 months old, which I don’t always recommend – but he didn’t chew anything, eat things he wasn’t supposed to etc.  He loved and learned a ton from my Doberman and today at 10-years old; people stop me in the street to say hi to him.

So maybe you won’t be able to adopt Daniel, but you may just find your own Max at the local shelter, and help save a life, fall in love with your new best buddy and change the mind of those around you about shelter dogs.

For more information on Cider, go to the Town of Islip Animal Shelter located at 210 South Denver Road, Bay Shore, NY.  For other local Animal Shelter listings, click here.

Daniel & Cider

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Adopt-a-cat month

June is Adopt-a-Cat month and while most of the time it’s dogs that get the attention – there are many cats and adorable kittens across Long Island looking for loving homes.  As someone who grew up with cats and each and every one was a stray or feral cat or kitten – adopting a cat will add much happiness, fun, laughter and joy into your home.  Every cat we took in – was so smart and lived long healthy lives.

The summer months are the perfect time of year to promote cat adoptions because typically June, July and August bring a surge of cats to the nation’s shelters. Locally one shelter that has an entire building of their no-kill shelter dedicated to cats looking for homes is Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton, NY. Their Executive Director, Pam Green said, “When cats are not neutered or spayed, they reproduce easily, and spring and summer are the seasons when cats are most active, resulting in many kittens showing up at our doors. We encourage everyone to visit their local shelter.”  Ms. Green also offered this helpful ‘top ten’ list for those thinking about adopting new cat into your household:

“TOP TEN” CHECKLIST FOR ADOPTING A CAT

1. If you’re thinking about adopting a cat, consider taking home two.
2. Find a cat whose personality matches with yours.
3. Pick out a veterinarian ahead of time and schedule a visit within the first few days following the adoption.
4. Make sure everyone in the house is prepared to have a cat before it comes home.
5. Budget for the short- and long-term costs of a cat.
6. Stock up on supplies before the cat arrives.
7. Cat-proof your home.
8. Go slowly when introducing your cat to new friends and family.
9. Be sure to include your new pet in your family’s emergency plan.
10. If you’re considering giving a cat as a gift, make sure the recipient is an active participant in the adoption process.
11. Realize that this is a 12-18 year commitment.

Kent Animal Shelter invites all prospective cat adopters to visit the shelter 7 days a week from 10-4pm. Adoption fees range from $ 50.00 to $ 75.00 and have been lowered to help find homes for the many cats and kittens at the shelter. All cats for adoption have been vaccinated, checked for feline leukemia and aids, de-wormed and micro-chipped.

4th Year of Free Dog Classes!

Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan recently announced that The Dog Federation of New York and The Town of Islip Animal Shelter have once again joined to offer the Responsible Dog Owner Class.

At a recent meeting, the Islip Town Board renewed its agreement with The Dog Federation of New York to offer the classes in 2011 until April 2012.  The three-hour classes are designed to help educate dog owners learn about basic puppy and dog behavior, training tools and techniques, children and dog safety, dog park etiquette, health and nutrition and New York State dog laws.

“This class is a wonderful opportunity for dog owners to learn from professionals and experts in the field in order to develop a closer bond with their pet, and we hope they’ll have fun at the same time,” said Supervisor Nolan.

“For over 27 years Canine Fence has focused on keeping pets safe at home and we are proud to once again sponsor the Dog Federation of New York’s Responsible Dog Ownership program in the Town of Islip so that residents learn the important responsibilities of dog ownership and how to have good canine citizens,” said Marketing Director, Tracy Scarfi of Canine Fence.

“I am so proud that the Town of Islip is continuing this program into it’s 4th year and thankful for Canine Fence company’s for continued support,” said Nancy Hassel, Founding Member of the Dog Federation of New York and Founder of Long Island Pet Professionals.  “The Town of Islip’s dedication to educating the public on responsible dog ownership and proper pet care has resulted in less owner turn-ins to the animal shelter after a participant has attended the class.  The Town of Islip is leading the way in this humane education program, and we hope more towns will follow. We are looking forward to another great year of educating!”

As a thank you for coming, participants will receive FREE goodie bags, loaded with essential and fun items for dog owners.  This class is for people ONLY—please leave your dogs at home!  Parents are encouraged to bring children over the age of 8.  As space is limited, please call the Islip Town Animal Shelter at (631) 224-5660 or email Nancy@LongIslandPetProfessionals.com for a reservation or for more information. (Email is best).

The upcoming schedule for the Dog Owner Education Class is as follows: April 13th, May 11th, June 15th, and July 13th all from 6-9 pm.

For updated information or more about the classes click here.

Pictured (left to right):, Maryflorence Brennan, of Canine Fence; Nancy Hassel, Founding Member of the Dog Federation of New York and Founder of Long Island Pet Professionals; and Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan.