Party 4 Pooches

Are you in Philly?


Come join us at Operation Ava's first ever Party for Pooches on May 24th from 7pm to 10pm at Shampoo Nightclub!  We will have a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and a Doggie Fashion show and even a KISSING BOOTH featuring some of our adoptable animals.  

Admission price includes a 3-hour open bar and finger food, must be 21 to enter.  Proceeds from the event will go to Operation Ava so that we can fulfill our mission of rescuing animals from overburdened shelters locally and nationwide, educating children of all ages on responsible pet ownership and empowering children to make a difference in their communities. 

Operation Ava is one of Philadelphia's largest no-kill shelters and we are happy to say that since the organization began close to two years ago we have saved 1,200 lives.  With your support we look forward to saving thousands more!  Please visit us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @Operation_Ava or visit our website for more info!

ACC Charity Cocktail Party

Last Saturday, Chip and I were able to go to NYC 4 ACC's Love4Animals Fund-Raiser! Thanks SO much to Petitforward.org for the tickets we won in the raffle! The event was held at  the Brian Farrell Art Gallery, at The Chelsea Modern, Gallery G4.

There were cocktails and photographers and we even got our picture taken!

My favorite part of the night was meeting a pit-bull named Leonard.

The funds raised at the last cocktail event were allocated to canned foods ($1,000), toys ($500), cardboard carriers ($1,200) and emergency care – hospital bills, treatment and corollary expenses – of its sponsored dog, Leonard ($3,300).

Months ago, Leonard was an emaciated puppy at Animal Care and Control--but at the event, he was the healthy and happy guest of honor!

He is currently being fostered by a vet, but needs a permanent home. He is suuch a sweet-heard and barely minded the large crowds of adoring fans.

You can see all of the pictures here.

The only thing that slightly detracted from the evening for me was thinking about the many animals that were going to be put to sleep the very next day- and wishing that these people could help stop that somehow. Giving money to Animal Care and Control is not a bad thing- they need all the money they can get, but it is frustrating that other city shelters do manage to be no-kill, or at least kill for space less often.

Unfortunately- if Leonard had not been in such a horrible state- he may not have been rescued at all. Luckily, some dogs (about half) do make it out and they are stronger and more affectionate because of their terrible experience.

PetItForward.org & Affordable Pet-Ownership

Since adopting Winnie and Bruno at the ages of 23, Chip and I realized how expensive dogs can be. Together, we make a decent income - not above average by any means - we are both paralegals at reputable law firms in New York City- but lately it feels like you need to be rich to own a dog here and keep it healthy.

So many of the dogs that come into the shelters in NYC are mal-nourished, injured or geriatric and need vet care their families cannot afford. Here are number of dogs I've seen in the last few months. Each one was either starved, had mange, or had a condition that needed expensive care. The expenses needed to rescue these dogs make it impossible for anyone other than Rescue Groups to adopt them:

(luckily-each of thses dogs was rescued by a rescue group- you can find out more about each in the safe folders at Urgent Part 2, but many are not so lucky.)


The story of Patrick(the pit puppy starved and thrown away as garbage) is of course a horrible one of cruelty and neglect, but it has shed light on the fact that many pet owners cannot afford care- and many cannot even afford adequate food. Please don't get me wrong- I hate people who don't take care of their dogs- I will do anything to make sure my dogs are fed and healthy and happy- and let's face it, people in this city adopt dogs they cannnot afford and that is wrong, but I do feel that something can and should be done it make it more affordable to own a dog.

That is where Pet It Forward comes in. It's CEO, Jenna Dreher, really believes in the mission of lowering the costs of pet-care- so much so that she donated generously to Winnie's ACL-repair surgery.

Jenna writes, "Pet care can be expensive and it doesn't have to be. Pet It Forward is like priceline.com for pet care, freer and more fun. We put the power in the hands of pet owners, giving them the ability to network online with those in their community, such as other pet owners and care professionals, to find more affordable or even free care for their pets."

I am really excited about this site; it connects pet owners with other pet owners in their nieghborhoods, makes booking and paying for pet-care online quick and easy, and can save us up to 50-100% on pet care. When you sign up for an appointment, the providers are sent the scheduling details, you are sent a reminder, and you can even review the provider- this means gaining insight from your neighbors about the vets, groomers or the dog-walkers in your area. It also puts you in touch with other dog owners so you can even set up "dates" for your pet.

The potential for this site is huge- if this site can generate enough users and pet care providers- it could save lives at city shelters by keeping dogs out of shelters in the first place. It would also open up homes for dogs with people who think owning a dog would be prohibitively expensive- like young, busy people who need to use dog walkers and expensive boarding facilities. The cheaper pets cost to own, feed and care-for, the more pets can be rescued and live fufilling lives.

The site is still in development, and accessibility to low cost vet-care is not yet available, but users will be able to save on boarding, walking, feeding, and cleaning service costs.

Please consider signing up-you will get an email when it is fully-functional.

To sign-up for an invitation to join Pet It Forward, click here.



Winnie- First Fundraising Update

Winnie is feeling a little better since the vet started her on rimadyl (for swelling and pain) but still has trouble walking and standing up after any sort of physical activity...and OUR spirits are certainly up since we have recived so many well-wishes for Winnie from friends and help from the internet rescue community.

Our neighbor (who has a rescued pit himself) has given us all of the info he possibly can about reputable surgeons in the area as well as what vitamin supplements to give her.

Our family friend in DC has reached out to rescue groups there for donations and support.

And we have recieved an extremeley generous donation from the CEO of Pet-It-Forward, a great new networking site that helps keep the costs of owning pets down--which I'll tell you all about in another entry.

In addition, the folks at Second Chance have offered to sponsor Winnie in an online fundraiser, so we are crossing our fingers that this will be successful.

Thanks so much for all the support and we'll continue to keep you updated on her progress as she goes through sugery and recovery.