February 20th is Love Your Pet Day!
Or as we prefer to say, "Love Your Companion Animal Day!”
Because we celebrate the unconditional love and joy that companion animals bring into our lives every day, we feel that making a holiday of it is a fine idea.
As you probably also know, we use the term "companion animal" instead of "pet" because we consider them to be members of our family -- not things that we “own.”
Here are some simple ways to celebrate with your companion animal!
After good health and a good living environment, the most important and the most appreciated thing to do for companion animals is to give them more of your time and attention!
Almost everything else pales in comparison to this!
For example …
1. Take them for more walks!
Take them for longer walks!
Just “hang out” with them and interact with them every chance you get!
2. Give them a change of scenery and a change of smells!
These can be very stimulating and enjoyable for your companions. Take them to animal-friendly nature reserves, dog parks or dog beaches, or any new park!
3. Have play dates!
Invite your neighbors and their companions to play at your house! Or take your companions to visit a friend, to play with their companions in their home!
4. Give them more belly rubs.
5. Buy or make simple homemade enrichment toys!
For cats, consider something like a puzzle feeder to stimulate their instincts. A puzzle feeder is a toy that makes animals figure out a puzzle to get their food, keeping them entertained. Puzzle feeders can be made at home, or purchased online!
For dogs, something like a homemade, simple "agility course" -- or what I call an obstacle course -- in the yard can provide great fun.
Positive interactions like these help create trust, love and happiness.
Every dog and cat deserves to live where they are loved, cared for, and valued.
Every cat deserves the chance to turn a random cardboard box in the living room into a fort for hours of play.
Every dog deserves the chance to excitedly greet their beloved guardian at the door with a joyful, full-body wag!
While we celebrate this special animal holiday, we must not forget about the animals who are not as lucky.
Sadly, millions will never experience any of this happiness, simply because, through no fault of their own, they are born as the innocent victims of overpopulation.
Worldwide, strays roam the streets and alleys, and they will never know a loving home.
Worldwide an estimated 600 million stray dogs and 480 million cats roam the streets on any given day.
Each year they give birth to over one billion homeless pups and kittens, and most are born into a life of hunger and suffering.
At the age of 6 months, those who are still alive also begin to reproduce -- creating a Cycle of Suffering that is repeated every year.
This Cycle of Suffering has become the Number One cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats worldwide.
Approximately 50 countries have essentially no laws against cruelty to animals. Strays are killed by inhumane methods including poisoning, beating them to death, shooting, crushing them to death in the back of garbage trucks, electrocution, mixing food with broken glass (which causes them to bleed to death) and worse.
Here in the United States, tax dollars have been spent to kill stray dogs for the last 100-plus years.
We believe this situation is outrageous and has gone on for far too long -- this is why we are focused on the root of the problem.
Our nonprofit science-based mission is:
To end the #1 cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats -- overpopulation -- by developing a safe, permanent-lasting, one-time birth control cookie for stray dogs and cats.
A cookie that will only need to be eaten one time, and it will in effect spay or neuter -- without surgery.
A one-time cookie that will artificially induce a type of human menopause -- but in dogs and cats, without using hormones.
We are a small grassroots nonprofit charity, carrying out work that pharmaceutical companies should be doing --but they refuse.
We receive no help from any of the drug companies, no grants from the government, no help from any dog food companies or other large companies.
Instead we rely 100% on small donations. Small gifts from people who care, like you.
We are dedicated to ending this global problem -- and a gift of any amount will help -- no gift is too small.
If you're like me and you don't have much to spare right now, there is an easy way to help for $1 a month.
Yes, the good news is that each of us can pitch in and help animals now for only $1 a month!
Together we will save entire future generations of animals, from cruelty and suffering.
Thank you in advance for helping and for caring!
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