Help Michigan Pets

Scout needs our help! This sweet girl wandered away from home and hasn't come back yet.

Scout is a 9-year-old Jack Russell terrier. She's also blind. Scout left home after her friend, a 14-year-old Jack Russell named Cliff, died earlier this month. On July 11, she dug her way under the fence surrounding her home near Grand Ledge.

Scout may be with a woman driving a red Chevy S-10, who may work for Pizza Hut. A woman fitting this description picked Scout up after she escaped and tried unsuccessfully to find her owner. Unfortunately, Scout's owner still hasn't heard from her.

For more information, see this article and this photo.

If you have a dog, it's important to be aware of potential problems. Heart murmurs are fairly common, and while some are nothing to worry about, others need to be treated immediately. For more information about how to identify and treat canine heart murmurs, check out this helpful article written by my friend Amanda.

If you're in the Sterling Heights area, check out the Advanced Animal Hospital. They have some terrific deals for July and August.

Does your pet have a microchip? If not, you can have it done for free! This would normally cost $55, so this is a great deal. You'll still need to pay for the chip to be activated, but that's just $16.99.

This clinic also currently offers a free first exam for your new puppy or kitten, 20% off having your pet spayed or neutered, and 20% off your pet's dental cleaning.

Call for an appointment soon, because these deals are just around through August.

There were a lot of urgent pets again this week. If I counted correctly, there were 46. That's even more than last week.

At the Benzie County Animal Shelter in Beulah, there's a very pretty Somali mix kitty named Stacie. Maddie the beagle is also still on their urgent list.

At the Delta County Animal Shelter in Escanaba, there's Soren, a 5-month-old black domestic shorthair with a great personality, and TJ, a terrific 10-month-old black and white domestic shorthair. Don't miss Nautier, a black lab mix puppy that loves people! He's been on the list for eight weeks now, although he's in a foster home now. Abby has been on the list almost as long, at six weeks; she's a sweet 8-year-old border collie/black lab mix.

The Ionia County Animal Shelter has quite a few pets on the urgent list this week. They have a lot of cats and would really like to save them. Uniqua is an unusual-looking girl who happens to be a Cornish rex mix. Marguerite is a nice tortoiseshell mix, Charlotte is a sweet brown tabby mix, and Honey is a pretty orange and white girl who's already been spayed.

Ionia also has a few dogs on the urgent list. Tank's family abandoned him, and what a shame! He's a terrific American bulldog/pit bull mix. If you'd like a black German shepherd girl, check out Yooper. She's great with kids and larger dogs but doesn't care for smaller pets. Bambi is a very sweet shepherd mix puppy. Finally, Buck is a very nice and very happy rottie/beagle mix.

Poor Ripley has been at the shelter for 19 weeks! He's an affectionate, energetic Aussie/lab mix at The Homeward Bound Animal Shelter, run by the Manistee County Humane Society. At the same shelter, you'll find Deder, a 5-year-old American bulldog lab mix, and Chomper, a great collie/shepherd mix.

Midland County is a tough one to write about. The Humane Society of Midland County lists the shelter's pets. There are always so many cats there, and they don't have much of a chance. From what I can tell, there are 22 on this week's list. A lot of them are labeled "critical," which is even worse than urgent. If you can help any of them, please do!

At Isabella County Animal Control in Mount Pleasant, Bruno the hound is still looking for a cat-free home. Olivia the kitten still needs an indoor home.

I'm not sure about some of the dogs from Osceola County Animal Control in Reed City. Ranger and Ruby were scheduled for euthanasia, but they're still on the website. If you're interested in either of them, give the shelter a call!

Newaygo County Animal Shelter in White Cloud has a few dogs scheduled for euthanasia on Wednesday, July 28. Check out young pittie Brando, Macy the chihuahua, and terrier mix Sassie before it's too late!

The only one of last week's pets I have good news about is Desert Sun, from Southgate. She found her forever home just in time! Congratulations to Desert Sun and family!

If you're thinking of adopting a pet or just looking for a fun way to spend the day, check out Pet-A-Palooza. This fantastic family event will take place at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25, and your pet is welcome to attend too!

Pet-A-Palooza is the largest pet adoption event in Michigan and one of the largest in the United States. About 30 rescue organizations will be there with more than 800 pets of all ages. Some of these organizations even allow adopters to take their new pets home that same day! There will also be contests, performances, and vendors.

In 2009, Pet-A-Palooza had some terrific results, with 402 pets finding their forever homes. That's a lot of pets that were saved! Wouldn't it be great if even more were adopted this year?

To learn more about Pet-A-Palooza, you can visit their website. You'll find information such as which rescue groups will be participating, the entertainment schedule, directions, and ways you can help.

I tweeted this week's urgent pets a little while ago. It was really bad this week. There were 42 urgent dogs and cats. That's right. Forty-two. What's even worse is that most shelters don't even designate any of these wonderful pets as being urgent, which means that there are many, many more we don't know about. Breaking it down, there are currently 22 cats and 20 dogs on the list.

Most of the cats are at the shelter operated by Midland Animal Control. The Humane Society of Midland County helps out at the shelter and has some foster families, but they could always use more help.

Several of the dogs are at the Delta County Animal Shelter in Escanaba. Check out black lab mix Nautier, rottie/hound mix Eisa, border collie/lab mix Abby, and retriever mix Duke. They also have a border collie/husky mix boy with beautiful baby blue eyes; there's no name given for him, though, so if you call about him, just give his description.

If you're looking for a beagle, try Benzie County Animal Control in Beulah. That's where you'll find Tonto, a great beagle boy, and Maddie, a terrific beagle lady.

The Ionia County Animal Shelter has a lot of cats, including urgents Charlotte and Pinky. Also on the urgent list is Owen, a 1-year-old spaniel/shepherd mix who loves people.

The Homeward Bound Animal Shelter, run by the Manistee County Humane Society, is a small group of dedicated volunteers determined to make a difference. Check out Ripley, an Australian shepherd/lab mix. The poor guy has had it rough lately. He ended up at the shelter when his owner couldn't take care of him anymore. Then he thought he had a new home, but it didn't work out, so he's back at the shelter.

Deder is another great dog who was surrendered to the shelter in Manistee. This great girl has been at the shelter since October! She's a pretty American bulldog/lab mix. Then there's poor Chomper, a collie/shepherd mix. He thought he had a great forever home until the new baby turned out to be allergic to him.

At Isabella County Animal Control in Mt. Pleasant, you'll find Bruno, a terrific hound mix who happens to be blind. He's about six years old and a very smart guy. He needs to be in a home with no cats. If you're looking for a great kitten, how about Olivia? She's in a foster home but will end up living in a horse barn if she doesn't find a regular indoor home soon.

Desert Sun is a very sweet basset hound/pit bull mix currently at Southgate Animal Shelter. She needs someone to save her by July 23.

Kaylee is a chihuahua mix at Harbor Humane Society in West Olive. She needs a foster home to take care of her until she's ready for adoption. She's about ten years old and diabetic. Her previous owner was sick and couldn't take care of her anymore. Can you help her?

Osceola County Animal Control in Reed City hopes to find a nice forever home for Ranger. He's a 10-year-old chocolate lab with some health problems (including blindness) who needs a home by July 20.

Also in Reed City, Ruby is a young Staffordshire bull terrier who needs someone to save her by July 21. She should be adopted into a home with no small children, and it would be best if her adopter has some experience with her breed. Bo is a Staffie mix who desperately needs a home with a nice fenced-in yard where he can run around. He needs someone to help him by July 22.

There are three dogs in at the Newaygo County Animal Shelter in White Cloud who need homes by July 21, their scheduled euthanasia date. Charlie is an 8-month-old Australian shepherd mix; he's a gentle, quiet boy. Bella is a Belgian shepherd who absolutely loves people. Mea is a terrific young pit bull girl who loves to cuddle.

If you're interested in any of these pets, or if you know anyone who might be interested, please contact the shelter. Thank you!

Did you know that there are rescue organizations dedicated to helping farm animals?

Michigan has a lot of farmland, and the sad truth is that many farm animals need help. Fortunately, there are rescues and sanctuaries to help the many cows, chickens, goats, llamas, donkeys, and other farm animals in need.

Read more

Kibble Konnection, operated by the Kent County Humane Society, helps pets in the Grand Rapids area and their owners by providing a pet food bank. This is a wonderful service that has helped many local pets and their owners.

Read more

The economy is affecting everyone, including pets. Many people can't find a way to keep their pets anymore, no matter how much it hurts to give them up. Other people want to help but just don't know how. Here are ten ways to help pets and their owners through the economic downturn.

Read more

Pets in Michigan are in trouble. Many are homeless, stuck in shelters, and in desperate need of a forever family. Others have homes, but their families are struggling to make ends meet. A lot of people want to help but don't know what they can do. This blog will provide some ideas. If we work together, we can help Michigan's pets.