Petfinder Blog

We're thrilled to announce that Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog is nominated for the 2010 People's Choice awards in the Favorite Animal Show category.

Victoria Stilwell, a true dog lover and pet adoption advocate, has a proud history with Petfinder, donating her time for our Victoria Stillwell contests. Victoria worked with the two winning Petfinder dogs to help them find forever homes. (Read about the winners Lab mix Logan and shy Pit Bull, Liza Bean.)

According to Discovery News, the stray dogs of Pompeii are about to get a second chance.

On Monday, Pompeii's Emergency Commissioner, Marcello Fiori, announced a campaign to microchip, collar and tag each of the more than 50 dogs that frequent the ruins to find them permanent, loving homes.

"Stray dogs have given Pompeii a bad image, but things are going to change. From now on, dogs will have their own identity and dignity and will be taken care of," Fiori told reporters at the press conference.

Volunteers from three of Italy's leading animal charities have offered assistance with the campaign.

More from Discovery News after the jump.

Titan, a Great Dane, was recently named the World's Tallest Dog by Guinness Word Records and appeared on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. He is also special for another reason.

The Baltimore Examiner reports that Titan's mom found the blind, deaf and epileptic rescue dog on Petfinder when he was just three months old -- and already weighed 55 pounds.

'Tis the season ... of Christmas re-runs. But there's a new movie I bet will be on your seasonal favorite list from now on -- and a brand new Petfinder program to go with it.

The show is Hallmark Hall of Fame's presentation of A Dog Named Christmas.

Based on a great little book by author and Petfinder blogger, Greg Kincaid, the story follows a developmentally challenged young man who fosters a dog from his local shelter during the holidays and he gets the whole community involved. It's a feel-
good story with a great message.

The idea inspired Petfinder to start the Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays program, and we hope you will invite a shelter pet into your home for this special time of year.

We love stories of lost pets reunited with their families -- often as a result of a wisely placed microchip.

But Discovery News has a truly miraculous lost-pet story, about an Australian explosive-detection dog named Sabi who vanished during a September 2008 gunfight in Afghanistan.

Fourteen months after Sabi's disappearance, a U.S. soldier found her at an isolated patrol base. The retriever was returned to her Australian caretakers in time for a visit (and some pets) from Aussie Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. (Read the full story here.)

Speaking of pets and the military, you can help men and women serving in the armed forces by fostering their pets while they're stationed abroad. Learn more after the jump.

MarthaStuart.com blog The Bride's Guide is asking readers: "Do you intend to honeymoon with your pet? If so, where are you going and how do you plan to get there?"

Blogger Jennifer Miranda even gives Petfinder a nice shout-out, writing:

To me, someone who was never allowed to have a significant pet besides a few goldfish and a newt, that [idea] is just bizarre.

But pet travel is becoming more and more popular in recent years, so much so that Petfinder.com even created a list of the five pet-friendliest airlines.

What about you -- would you take your pet on your honeymoon? Take our poll after the jump.

November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, and we'll let people who've done just that explain why seasoned companions are so special.

Read on for five senior-pet Happy Tails -- and if you can't adopt your own senior pet, you can help them find homes by adding our adoptable senior pet search widget (shown here) to your Web site.

Bunny
"We drove 800 miles to get her. It was love at first site. She happily hopped in the car and headed back to Alabama with us, where she immediately made herself at home and has stolen all of our hearts. She has filled much of the void left by my old pal Bud, and filled our home with the love of a senior dog. We tell her every day that she hit the Basset Hound lottery, but actually it was us who won."
>> Read Bunny's full Happy Tail.

Don't miss tonight's premier of Animal Planet's new series, Pit Bulls and Parolees, about Petfinder member Villalobos Rescue Center. The show follows Villalobos' founder, Tia Maria Torres, and her staff of ex-cons as they rescue, rehabilitate and find new families for homeless Pit Bulls.

"[T]he 'bad boys' of society meet the so-called 'bad boys' of the canine community, and boom! Just like that -- they create magic together," Torres says on the show's Web site. "They bring out a side of each other that's sweet, warm and unbelievably touching." Tune in Fridays at 10pm E/P on Animal Planet.

This Saturday, October 24, we'll celebrate one of our favorite breeds on National Pit Bull Awareness Day. The annual event was started by Bless the Bullys in 2007 to bring positive media attention to these special, and misunderstood, dogs.

You can find events near you on the Bless the Bullys calendar and at NationalPitBullAwarenessDay.com (also check out Petfinder's own event calendar). Want to do more? Here are some ways to help Pit Bulls, adapted from a previous blog post about Pits.

Here's how you can help:

• Adopt a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls are devoted, affectionate and joy-inducing pets with as great a range in personality as any other breed. As with dogs of any breed, not every Pit is perfect for every family. Read more about things to think about if you're thinking of adopting a Pit Bull.


• Volunteer with Pit Bulls. At many city shelters, Pits and Pit mixes make up the overwhelming majority of the canine residents, and because Pits have been bred to bond closely with humans, the isolation of shelter life is particularly hard for them. You can visit the shelter to help exercise and socialize the dogs; open your home to a foster dog; photograph and write bios for local adoptable dogs' Petfinder profiles; start a bedding drive at your office to collect old blankets and towels to donate ... the possibilities are endless. For more ideas, read our article on volunteering or visit BAD RAP's How You Can Help page.


• Educate others about Pit Bulls. Once you've fallen in love with a Pit (and to know one is to love one), you'll start to notice how many offhand Pit Bull stereotypes people throw around in everyday conversation. Learn the facts about Pits and you'll be able to shoot down the myths (no, they do not have locking jaws). Some great resources include Petfinder's book The Adopted Dog Bible (you'll find an excerpt, Pit Bulls: The Myths, the Legends, the Reality, after the jump), as well as BAD RAP's Monster Myths page and Pit Bull Rescue Central's breed info page. (All three sites are excellent, and we encourage you to click around on them.)
  

With cold weather already upon us, it was no surprise to read about about a cat who survived a two-mile car ride while trapped in an engine. (Read the original story and the follow-up in the New York Daily News.)

Luckily, the cat made it through his ordeal unscathed and is now recuperating at Animal Care & Control of New York City. But every winter, many others aren't so fortunate.

When it gets cold, stray and outdoor cats keep warm however possible. According to the Massachusetts SPCA Web site, "Cats often climb under car hoods to get warm and then get caught in the radiator fan when the engine is started."

What can you do to prevent tragedy this winter? Find out after the jump.