GoodDogz.org - choose wisely. choose for life

After a 50,000 signature petition by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the family of the new president elect are planning to adopt their new puppy. Keep up on the progress at http://obamafamilydog.com!

GoodDogz.org rocked the Reston Town Center last Saturday at our Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption event. The weather was gorgeous and we had a steady flow of foot traffic. The event hosted about 20 dog and cat rescue organizations as well as 10 pet retailers selling their holiday wares.

We’ll be compiling the number of animals that were adopted over the next few weeks, but we do know that a new group, K9 Lifesavers, have adopted 20 of the 30 dogs that they brought to the event. A success unto itself.

Subscribe to our RSS feed to get more information about the results of Home 4 the Holidays as well as all the latest information on GoodDogz.org!

This just in…Best Friends Animal Society has helped to save 1000+ puppy mill dogs from a mill in Parkersburg, WV. They desperately need help. Kudos to Best Friends for helping to give these dogs a second chance at a happy life. Here’s the article in full.

My husband and I were having brunch yesterday and reading the Washington Post. We were both disturbed and disappointed to read that during a suspected drug bust, Prince George’s county sheriffs shot and killed PG county mayor Cheye Calvo’s two Labrador retrievers, Payton and Chase, one while it was running to a back room to get away. A sheriff’s spokesperson stated that “deputies on the scene felt threatened by the pets.”

I have a lot of respect for police and what they do. I certainly wouldn’t want to do that kind of work and I appreciate the risks involved. However, I find it very sad that officers would have felt a need to shoot and kill two dogs that meant them absolutely no harm.

In the article, it is mentioned that Calvo’s mother-in-law was home when the suspicious package was delivered (by an undercover police officer). She chose to not open the door and asked that the package be left on the porch. If she had opened the door, would the police have shot her too?

When I was in high school, we lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood in FL and much to our alarm, their was a house where drugs were being sold down the street. Police raided the house and the first thing they did was shoot and kill the rottweiler that lived in the house. The suspects weren’t even home.

Maybe someone can explain to me - why was it necessary to shoot and kill two Labrador retrievers? I can understand that if the dogs were attacking the officer there being a need to use force to subdue the dogs. But, one was running away. Is it just me, or does this seem terribly wrong?

Here is the article in it’s entirety.

You may have seen the Verizon commercial depicting the man and the Pit Bull running for the cell phone. The man makes it to the phone just in time for the dog to get yanked on his chain and snap at the man. The commercial was in terrible taste and Verizon caught a lot of heat for it. Care2 and the ASPCA circulated a petition that got traction and Verizon pulled the ad. Here’s the summary:

Dear Beth J.,

You signed the petition, Make Verizon Accountable. Can They Hear Us Now?, on Jul 17, 2008. The petition received 5083 signatures. The petition author, R. Brace and the ASPCA online community, has now closed the petition and posted the results:

Message from the petition author, R. Brace and the ASPCA online community:

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I have just spoken with Steve Schwartzman, Executive Coordinator, who told me that the offensive ad has been pulled in all markets. Thank you to all who signed this petition and made the calls! Mr. Schwartzman was very understanding of our feelings, and admitted that they have received quite a bit of heat over this commercial.

Each and every one of you made the difference.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Renee Brace and the ASPCA Online Community

GoodDogz.org will be participating in the 2008 Combined Federal Campaign. We just received our charity number - 200416698. If you are a federal employee and want to support animal welfare, please consider participating in the CFC and designate GoodDogz.org as your charity of choice!

The GoodDogz.org team exhibited at the HSUS Taking Action for Animals conference over the weekend in Arlington, VA. An extremely successful event, our team networked with other animal welfare organizations, conference attendees and hosts. We attended the sessions on lobbying for animals and plan to attend the Lobbying for Animals day on Monday. All in all -  a great weekend! Thanks HSUS!

Best Friends Animal Society is heading up an effort to encourage Senator Obama to adopt a dog rather than purchase one. It’s called Obama Family Dog. Apparently, he promised his children that if he allowed him to run for President, they could get a dog. He’s already being courted by the AKC to purchase a purebred dog, so it’s time to let him know what the rescue community thinks! Sign the Best Friends petition in order to help “persuade” Mr. Obama to do the right thing.

RESTON, VA (November 20, 2005) - The holidays are a time for sharing our hearts and our homes. On a uncharacteristically sunny November Saturday, over 2,200 dog seekers, owners and lovers visited the “Home 4 the Holidays” pet adoption event hosted by GOODDOGZ.ORG.

The Reston Town Center became home to over 100 homeless dogs who put on their best face (and bows and antlers) in the hopes of finding a warm, loving home where they could spend the holidays. 18 area purebred and mixed breed dog rescue organizations banded together to find homes for the dogs in their care. GOODDOGZ.ORG also provided trained adoption counselors who roamed the crowds assisting dog adopters with finding their perfect four-legged match. GOODDOGZ.ORG will work with the local rescue groups and agencies to track the number of adoptions in our area between November 7, 2005 and January 6, 2006.

Attendees could also do their holiday shopping for their pets. Many local pet retailers were on-hand promoting their Christmas merchandise. Children were visited by Santa Paws and GOODDOGZ.ORG’s own SPOT mascot.

“This year’s Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption event did a wonderful job of promoting dog adoption as an alternate choice to buying a dog from a pet store or breeder,” explained Mark Bates, Vice President of Rescue Group Support. “It’s obvious from all the dogs that are here today, that there are many dogs in the local area that are need of a good home during the holiday season.”

The national “Home 4 the Holidays” campaign is sponsored by The Iams Company and the Helen Woodward Animal Center. In its seventh year, the campaign has attracted over 1,800 animal welfare organizations with the goal of finding forever homes for over 350,000 homeless animals. The goal of “Home 4 the Holidays” is to increase adoptions from animal shelters and pet rescue groups during the holiday season when more families add pets to their homes than any other time of year.

GOODDOGZ.ORG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating potential dog owners on dog selection and care and supporting the efforts of rescue groups. We believe that by assisting with good dog-owner matches, we’ll give each family the best opportunity for a lifelong relationship with their new dog and help to keep dogs out of shelters.

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Vienna, VA (October 27, 2005) – Among the marching bands and classic cars, the nighttime streets of Vienna were occupied by about two dozen four-legged friends hoping to win a treat for the best costume. GoodDogz.org, a non-profit organization supporting the efforts of dog rescue, hosted its 3rd Annual Spooky Pooch Contest at the 59th Annual Halloween Parade in Vienna, VA on Wednesday, October 26. Dogs from all over the metro DC area were on call to participate in this fiendish fundraising event.
Doggie duds ranged from scary skeletons to beautiful ballerinas, and a few owners even dressed in synch with their canine companions. The three costume categories judged were Spookiest, Most Creative and Best Doggie/Owner Combo and prizes were donated by Happy Trails Dog Spa and Woofie’s. Participants also received ghastly goodie bags full of tricks and treats.

After the judging, all of the participants paraded their way down Maple Ave. to a crowd of 30,000+ spectators. And to prove that these pups were top dogs, the GoodDogz.org Spooky Pooch Troop won second place in the Adult Performance category out of 80+ marching groups.

The event raised $500 for GoodDogz.org which will benefit homeless dogs and the organizations that care for them.

GoodDogz.org is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating potential dog owners on dog selection and care and supporting the efforts of rescue groups. We believe that by assisting with good dog-owner matches, we’ll give each family the best opportunity for a life-long relationship with their new dog and help to keep dogs out of shelters.

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