Don't forget that for each comment you leave on this post that Iams will donate 10 bowls of food to an orphaned animal! You can also still comment on the first post if you haven't already & earn another 10 bowls of food.
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| Confetti |
14. How can we make humans understand that just because the cuteness is worn off their pet- it’s wrong to dump them out. We all need to work harder to educate the public at point of adoption that this is a life-long commitment. That this is not something you take home and play with while it’s a puppy or kitten and disregard when it’s older. I feel we don’t do enough of this in the industry, and we really need to start focusing on it. I hope someday, we do not license pets, but license pet owners. They should go through an 8 hour class on what pet parent responsibility is, and not be allowed to get a pet until they’ve achieved this mark.
15. I am from the other side of the world but I believe there's no boundary to helping animals. We know adoption is the way to go in order to eradicate puppy mills. But in the meanwhile, what happens to those poor puppies in pet stores? Won't they get killed if no one buys them? :( It's really a dilemma. I have found many times, when these pet stores are going out of business because of lack of sales, they find it’s much easier and cheaper just to relinquish the pets to their local animal facilities. And that’s what we need to happen until all these puppy mills are closed and the pet stores become obsolete.
16. There are so many different niche groups when it comes to pet adoption; seniors, special needs, and breed specific all come to mind quickly. Are there any special groups that are particularly near and dear to your heart? I stay focused on major programs like Iams Home 4 the Holidays that encompasses all pets. I rule with my mind over my heart for the purpose of saving as many lives as I can—young, old, disabled, etc.
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| Cardinal |
17. My question is whether you believe in the concept of a "heart animal" and if so, which of your own pets has earned that distinction? I have to admit that I had one pet that I strongly felt was my soul mate. His name was Trouble and he was a Belgian, Shepard, blend. He stole my heart when he was a puppy. He was closer to me than any living thing in my life. I lost my good friend about 8 years ago, and as I’m now thinking of him, I am overwhelmed with sorrow and the tears are in my eyes. I will love him forever.
18. I wood like to know if yoo've tride dressing cats in kyoot outfits to show them off and make them more adoptable? We don’t dress our adoptable pets, but we do come up with creative marketing ideas to bring more attention. For example, during the Royal Wedding we named two puppies Princess Kate and Prince William and held a ceremony of our own, which brought media attention.
19. What is the single most important piece of advice you can give to people who want to make a difference? If you really care about pets, and totally understand that we were put on this earth to share life with them, we can help by providing them with good homes, or by going down to your local animal facility and giving some of your precious time to help enhance the quality of life for them. Tell friends and neighbors who are interested in bringing a new pet into their home to go down to their local animal facility. Keep in mind, the best adoption is when the pet adopts you. So go down to your local facility and see if the love of your life is waiting there for you.
20. Have you got any connections with animal shelters in the UK? There are more and more homeless animals here due to the economy problem. We work with a handful of animal organizations in the UK, please visit this link to see the complete list.
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| Snowboard |
22. My question is how do you suggest introducing "newbies" to the rescue community? I would take this as you’re speaking about people getting involved with the rescue community. My best suggestion would be to attend pet conferences, to meet the individuals, see what they’re all about, and explain to them what you’re all about to see if it’s a fit.
23. I would like to provide people the five top reasons they should adopt a homeless dog or cat. What five would you list?
1. You will have someone to tell your troubles to that will not be judgmental.
2. They will keep you company.
3. Having a pet helps in so many ways with health related problems; keeping blood pressure low, etc. 4. They can teach you the true meaning of love.
5. They can teach you the meaning of responsibility.
25. How can we get the point across that humans need to take on responsibilities and get their pets neutered? Education. It’s important that we all work together to educate our peers on the importance of spay and neutering our pets. Four million cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds—are put down in U.S. animal organizations each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets. Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them.
26. We’re in the UK but have the same problems with Rescue over here. We wondered what was the breed most commonly found in rescue in the USA? For the last several years, it has been pit bulls.
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| Butter |
28. Do you think my idea can help generate more donations? I created the first all-encompassing 'breed' for mutts, the GenChan®. It's trademarked and all that stuff. GenChan is a humorous acronym for the genetically challenged dog. GenChans can get their Pedigree/Medigree papers, GenChan accessories and human garb. All the stuff purebreds have except for GenChan mutts and mixes! There's a lot more to this but from 30,000 feet do you think we may have something new here to help raise donations? I encourage all new types of promotions and sometimes things need to be modified, based on the public’s response. Here we know that calling our pets “blends” instead of “mixed breeds” has really started to make a difference. Keep up the great work.
P.S. If you want to know more about why I do what I do, just go to our website and you can read my story.
I want to say a huge thank you to the amazing Mike Arms for taking time out of his busy schedule to spend with us. Of course another thank you to Iams for donating 10 bowls for every question asked & 10 bowls for each comment here and on the first post.
