Painted Dog Conservation

G'day, Dog Lovers

In the July/August 2008 edition of Dogs Life (currently on sale) there is a great article by Lorraine Chittock about the Painted Dogs of Africa. It starts on pg 72. These beautiful and quite amazing creatures are in danger of extinction and conservationists are battling to save the species.

Recently, we received an email from a woman who works for Zoos SA at Monarto Zoo - she runs an education program that raises money for Painted Dog Conservation. In collaboration with the zoo, 'Creating For Conservation' has been created. It is an art exhibition where all the proceeds go to Painted Dog Conservation.

Last year the exhibition raised over $10,000 to help support conservation education. This year, it's back on October 10-12. If you would like to support this worthwhile cause there are many ways you can contribute:
- register as a participating artist (email estill@zoossa.com.au)
- sponsor the event or donate items to be auctioned/raffled (email hdodd@zoossa.com.au)
- attend the exhibition on Opening Night or throughout the weekend

Opening Night will be on Friday 10th October from 7-10pm and is set to be a night to remember! African entertainment, wine and gourmet food are all part of the celebration. We are also pleased to announce that the Zimbabwe Choir will be performing and Zimbabwe Conservation Education Officer Wilton Nsimango will be in attendance.

Pre-sold tickets for Opening Night are $20. Tickets at the door will be $25.

Pre-sold tickets will be available in August from the following venues:
- Monarto Zoo Education (Ph. 8230 1296)
- Adelaide Zoo Education (Ph. 8267 2434)
- Belair Schools Reception (Ph. 8370 3733)
The exhibition will also be open from 10am to 4pm Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th October. Entry by gold coin donation. Throughout the weekend there will also be some great items on auction, fantastic raffle prizes, sausage sizzle and face painting for the kids. Take along your friends and family and support this worthwhile cause.

Pet Owner's Parliament

G'day Dog Lovers,

Have you heard about the recently-formed Pet Owner's Parliament in the UK? You can check out the link here - http://www.petparliament.com/ - but basically it's a club formed in order to provide representation to British pet owners in matters related to the welfare and governance of domestic pets, legislation affecting domestic pets, long term improvement of education aimed at improving responsible pet ownership and policies designed to enhance the lives of domestic pets, their owners and society at large.

They campaign on issues like animal welfare and breed-specific legislation - in fact, all sorts of issues relating to domestic animals. I think this is a great idea that could certainly be brought to Australia and NZ as a way to give dog-owners and other pet-lovers a voice that can be heard.

What do you think about it?

Strays Birthday - September 1

G'day Dog Lovers,

I'm just passing on some details about a great event that has just been announced...

Strays Birthday will be held on September 1 this year. It is a day to celebrate our own pets by throwing them a birthday party and at the same time raising funds to help rescue and rehome stray dogs and cats.

This important awareness and fundraising campaign is being organised by Lort Smith Animal Hospital and the Animal Welfare League. Pet owners can register online at www.straysbirthday.com, create an online profile for their pet and then use this profile to invite their friends and family to their pets birthday party. Party hosts then raise funds to support, shelter and rehome strays dogs and cats in need.

By holding a birthday party for their pet or making a donation to Strays Birthday, pet owners will assist in raising $200,000 to support the shelter program and help increase the capacity to provide temporary accommodation, care, treatment and find new homes for stray dogs and cats over the coming year.

By becoming involved in Strays Birthday and holding a birthday party or by making a donation, funds raised can provide the following;

· $150 covers the basic cost of accommodation and food for each stray that needs our care
· $300 covers the cost of desexing a stray dog, which must be done before the pet can be rehomed
· $500 will pay for a leg operation to mend a stray dog that has been hit by a car
· $1000 will fund our kitten foster program for a month
· $5000 will provide a weeks worth of emergency boarding for 50 animals caught up in domestic violence
· $10,000 will feed 250 dogs or cats in our shelter for a month
It only takes 15 friends to give a birthday gift of $10 and a stray is saved!

For more details on Strays Birthday, head to www.straysbirthday.com.

Pound Dog Day June 25

Hey dog lovers,

Just passing on some information from our new editor, Tim. He’ll be up and running on the Dog-a-Blog very soon. In the meantime, he wanted me to let you all know about Pound Dog Day.

Pound Dog Day will be commemorated each year on 25 June. The purpose of Pound Dog Day is to draw attention to the fact that an estimated 200,000 dogs are killed in pounds each year. Organised by Dogs Across Australia, the day is the time to celebrate the lives of the dogs that have been rescued by ‘No Kill’ shelters and those adopted from the pounds. Rescue Angels, the ordinary women and men of Australia who make rescue possible, are also honoured on June 25.

This year, Dogs Across Australia is inviting people to download Pound Dog Day labels from their website www.dogsacrossaustralia.com/pound_pop.php and print them as a sticker to wear on June 25. Some people will be making their own ribbons as well as spotted bandanas for their doggy friends.

Pound Dog Day 2008 is fast approaching, so be sure to spread the word.