Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category

A North Texas animal shelter is faced with an agonizing decision: either euthanize its animals or let them starve to death.

Directors at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Tool say they’re in danger of running out of food to feed the facility’s 140 animals.

“We cannot afford the $1,000 or so a month it takes to feed them,” said Tamara Rhodes, shelter president. “So our only solution at this point of time is to reduce the population and lessen the strain that feeding additional animals would cause us.”

The animals eat 150 pounds of food a day, much of which used to be donated, but now supplies are dangerously low, workers say.

The shelter only has enough food to last another week or two.

“We don’t want to see those animals destroyed simply because of funding,” Rhodes said.

The shelter is like many across the country: overwhelmed with abandoned pets and seeing their donations dry up.

Late Saturday afternoon, disappointed volunteers returned to the shelter from an adoption fair with a van full of animals they hoped would not be returning.

“Most of them did not get adopted,” said shelter board member Kathy Jordan.

Each week, dozens of new animals arrive at the shelter.

Even though volunteers have been turning away the public, some people drop off the animals at the gate or toss them over the fence, workers say.

“We’ve had a lot of bad experiences of people dumping their dogs and it’s because of the economy,” said shelter worker Jeremiah Borchart. “People can’t take care of their dogs.”

This rural shelter, 60 miles south of Dallas, is one of the few for miles around.

Animal control agencies from nearly a dozen towns bring their stray animals to the shelter.

Workers said they actually have the space for many of the pets, but simply cannot afford to care for them.

“It’s very serious,” Rhodes said. “This is pretty much the first time we’ve ever had this problem.”

Workers have been euthanizing nearly 20 percent of the shelter’s animals and worry more might have to be put down.

Volunteers have been successful in getting rescue groups to save some of the dogs, but said it’s a challenge finding a home for unwanted pets with so many agencies suffering.

“It’s horrible,” Rhodes said, especially since many of the animals are adoptable former pets. “You can’t imagine how heart wrenching a decision it is to take an animal and put it to sleep.”

If you want to help, you can call the shelter on 903-432-3422 or go by the shelter located at 10200 County Road 2403 Tool, TX 75143.

You can also go to the The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake’s website to donate.

For the low, low price of $2.5 million, you can name the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals‘ new Dallas facility.

The building, which is located just off Hampton Road, faces Interstate 30, where 160,000 cars pass by every day and is a mere pittance of what the Dallas Cowboys want for the naming rights to their new stadium!

The current facility is located on Industrial Boulevard in Dallas. The SPCA outgrown the building, and the Texas Department of Transportation has notified the group that the building stands in the way of the proposed widening of Interstate 35.

The SPCA has raised nearly half of the $15 million needed to refurbish the new building into a state-of-the-art animal adoption center that will be twice the size of the Industrial Boulevard facility.

The SPCA hopes selling the naming rights will spark other high-dollar donors to get involved.

Tomorrow, Sunday, May 17, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the annual Dog Bowl will take place at the historic Cotton Bowl (1300 Robert B. Cullum Boulevard, Dallas).

It’s FREE to attend for both dogs and their humans.

The Fair Park Dog Bowl will feature entertainment, activities, giveaways and exhibits designed for both man and beast including a pet/owner look-alike contest and an animal-only agility course. Giant-sized dog bowls and misting ponds will be provided for pets to enjoy a dip or sip and dog owners will have the opportunity to enjoy adult beverages along with dollar dogs (hot dogs) for $1 each.

The threat of rain has canceled Sunday’s Pooch Parade and Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert at Lee Park.

The free concert will be moved to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. in downtown Dallas. The performance will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Unleashed Indoor Dog Parks at 5151 Samuell Blvd. will carry on with a dog parade and costume contest. Registration begins at 11 a.m. with a parade of adoptable dogs starting at 12:45 p.m. The event is free.

Weather forecasters are predicting a 90 percent chance of rain in the Dallas area tonight, followed by sometimes heavy rain and thunderstorms Sunday morning.

There are two great activities going on today:

Strut Your Mutt takes place at Fair Park and is a fundraiser for the Dallas SPCA.

Lace up those sneakers, hook up that leash and get ready to roll out with your best tailwaggin’ friend for The SPCA of Texas’ Strut Your Mutt 3K Walk/Fun Run with radio host Mix 102.9 on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at Fair Park (Gate 5) in Dallas. The entry fee is $30 and canine companions are welcome, but not required.

The festivities begin at 8:00 a.m. on the lawn of the Museum of Nature and Science (Gate 5) with registration, vendors to visit and activities for everyone! At 10:15 a.m., the Walk/Fun Run begins. Pizza Patrón will provide free pizza to all registered participants as they cross the finish line.

Fun for the whole family will abound, including great food, vendor booths, activities for pets and kids, agility demonstrations and the SPCA of Texas’ mobile adoptions unit. Get a family photo taken by Suzanne Demaree and 20% of your purchase will be donated to the SPCA of Texas.

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Rockers vs. Mods is taking place at various locales beginning with All Good Cafe from 10a-Noon, a ride until 1p and then Lee Harvey’s for bike judging, etc. until 7p. Later in the evening the Rockers are scheduled to go to The Amsterdam Bar and the Mods to Sons of Hermann Hall. Tix are $25 for the weekend.

The always fantastic North Texas Irish Festival is going on RIGHT NOW at Fair Park in Dallas. This event will probably pull in record numbers this year because of the gorgeous weekend weather we are having!

Check out the doghouses built to benefit Habitat for Humanity, Scottish clans, bagpipers, cutting edge AND traditional Celtic music, dancing, tons of vendors offering everything from foods to clothing to swag you just gotta have!

This IS a dog-friendly event so bring Fido out with you.

If you’ve not attended this event before, you really must make time for it today or tomorrow. Today’s schedule (Saturday) will be 10:30a - 11:30p; Sunday: 11:30a - 7:30p. Ticket prices are $15.

The other day we stopped by Hadley & Harriet’s quaint boutique that is located on Lemmon Avenue. As the door was opened, we were amazed to see the floor almost covered with some of the best looking gift baskets around - they were almost overflowing with great trinkets and gifts and then adorned with stylishly sophisticated ribbons.

The crew at Hadley & Harriet are working feverishly this time of year - but as a customer, it’s fun to browse the many themed baskets as you walk amongst them. Needless to say, many in Dallas have embraced the services of Hadley & Harriet to easily take care of their gift giving needs.

But there’s a lot more to Hadley & Harriet than just gift baskets as they specialize in interiors, decorative accessories and events. They can assist clients - by the hour if needed - with all sorts of interior design needs such as paint, flooring and textiles. If, after having their design services, you’d rather keep your interior looking great, take advantage of using their venue and courtyard to host your own events whether it’s a baby shower or luncheon.

Our weakness is always decorative accessories…candles, pillows, object d’art. They have a great selection of house blend candles and our personal favourite is Orange Vanilla. It’s a great place to browse and indulge yourself.

For this time of the year, alleviate some of the stress and have Hadley & Harriet put together a wonderful gift basket for all those people on your list. With prices starting at $20 per basket, it’s hard to resist such an easy solution. Some of the themed baskets they create include: Corporate, Birthday, Wedding, Baby, Wine & Cheese, Chocolate Lovers, Coffee or Tea Lovers, Writers or Candy.

Contact Information:
Hadley & Harriet
www.hadleyandharriet.com/
3922 Lemmon Avenue
Dallas TX 75219
214.559.4440