Top Dog Under Way!

Last month we kicked off our Top Dog Speaker Series for rescuers. Our first presenter was Kat Albrecht, former police officer turned pet detective, founder for Missing Pet Partnership, and author of Lost Pet Chronicles. Kat discussed cutting edge, search-and-rescue based pet recovery techniques and the results of her analysis of lost dog, and lost cat, behaviors. Find out more at www.lostapet.org.


Last week our Top Dog Speaker was Pam Burney, Senior Director, Regional Services, ASPCA National Shelter Outreach. Pam presented an interactive "Adoption Options" seminar based upon the findings of the PetsMart Charities sponsored Adoption Options Forum II. Rescuers were challenged to "think outside the box" when it comes to adopting out companion animals.




Here's what some folks had to say about Top Dog --

"Eye Opening"

"It proves that while we all try really hard we can do better."

"Very Insightful"

Very good info – some surprising!

CFL & Send A Kid To Camp - A Very Successful Partnership

Last week CFL Vice President Beth Hickman and I visited one of the 19 Parks & Rec Department's Send A Kid to Camp locations to see our humane education workbooks in action. It was awesome!
We met 15 minority 1st-3rd grade children from low- income families, their incredibe teacher, and two teen teaching assistants at a run-down apartment complex in Southeast Dallas. I have never seen such an enthusiastic group of children so clearly excited about what they were learning and so clearly eager to please their teacher!



Gathered around a long, portable table they studied different types of wildlife and their native habitats. They learned about desert wildlife, ocean creatures, rain forest inhabitants and more. They considered what the animals would feel if they were removed from those habitats and placed in cages in zoos or exhibted and exploited by humans. Then they laughed and screamed and smiled as one by one they each got to act out one of the animals they'd discussed while their classmates tried to guess the animal and it's natural habitat.



And I won't soon forget the rap song they'd made up and memorized to help them remember the animals and the importance of allowing them to remain in their natural habitats!



The plan for the next day? Making puppies out of paper bags. They could hardly wait!
It was an amazing payoff for only the $ 9.95 cost of one workbook. Absolutely amazing. My thanks to all of you who helped make our contribution to the Send A Kid To Camp program possible! We are making a difference!


-Rebecca

Less Than Bus Fare To Teach Compassion!

Today we received a grant from the Erin Wylie Fund of The Dallas Foundation. This generous contribution will help jump-start Phase II of the PetsMatter campaign. Phase II goals are to provide humane education videos and workbooks for the 44 Parks & Recreation Department's after-school programs - which reach approximately 3,000 children each year - and 47 Recreation Centers - which serve tens of thousands annually! It'll cost approximately $1,000 for the after school programs and $ 3,400 for the recreation centers. If the recreation centers see only about 100 kids per year - and we know they do many, many more - we're looking at less than .50 cents per child! That's less than bus fare to teach pet care and responsibility, respect, compassion, and awareness! We ARE shaping a new generation!

Welcome to the new CLF blog! Want to keep up with all the latest developments in our humane education and shelter outreach programs? This is the place to do it!