Each act of giving — no matter how big or how small — adds more brightness to the world. Pets give love freely, without conditions. That’s why so many homes shine so brightly with a pet in them!
While there are many pawsome animal rescue organizations in Arizona – many smaller groups struggle to get the support they need.
This holiday season, members of the AZPetVet family are banding together to play not-so-secret Santa Paws for two very small community-based organizations that make a big difference for pets in need.
Grandpaw’s Pantry provides pet supplies to rescued ‘pets to be’ — animals that are waiting to find their people and forever homes.
We’re collecting donations for these organizations at AZPetVet locations until December 31, 2017. Let’s unleash some love and help them kick off the new year right!
Here’s how you can help:
Grandpaw’s Pantry is a nonprofit founded by a delightful youngster named Sonya, who’s also the enthusiastic owner of several rescue pets. In her words, “I want to encourage people to open their hearts and their homes and consider rescue pet adoption. I also want to be an animal advocate for the many dogs and cats and other animals in desperate need.”
ENCOURAGE rescue pet adoption of dogs and cats EDUCATE regarding responsible pet ownership PROVIDE pet supplies and resources to pets in need ADVOCATE for all animals in need of safety, shelter, care and protection
Helping Hands for Homeless Hounds helps by providing food, spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchips, and county licensure to pets owned by homeless people. 100% of the proceeds and donations benefit homeless-owned pets.
What They’re Wishing For:
Bottled water
Blankets
Cat and dog food
Cat litter and scoopers
Cat treats (no catnip)
Clothes and booties
Collapsible bowls
Dog harness and leashes
Dog toys
Food bowls
Litter boxes
Nail trimmers
Natural jerky treats
Pet strollers
Pet wipes
Puppy pads
Transport kennels and soft sided pet carriers
AZPetVet Donation Collection Locations Animal Hospital at Anthem & Grooming Arrow Animal Hospital Beardsley Animal Hospital Bell Ridge Animal Hospital, Boarding & Grooming Dobson Ranch Animal Hospital & Grooming Dove Valley Animal Hospital Goodyear Animal Hospital & Grooming Happy Valley Animal Hospital Madison Animal Hospital & Grooming Norterra Animal Hospital & Grooming North Buckeye Animal Hospital & Grooming Sarival Animal Hospital & Grooming Scottsdale Hills Animal Hospital Signal Butte Animal Hospital & Grooming White Tanks Animal Hospital & Grooming
This year, as you celebrate the holiday with family and friends, remember that temptations abound for everyone – including your pets. There’s no need to leave your pets out of the festivities – just be careful about the types of food they eat and make sure they do not overindulge.
No under the table treats please! Fatty foods can cause some nasty digestive problems for your pets, so be sure to keep them out of reach.
Your trash container is also going to be filled with a variety of scraps, foil, plastic wrap, and food waste that could harm your pet if they get into it. Keep all trash containers well covered and away from pets – behind closed doors if possible.
Here are the DOs and DON’Ts for pets and holiday foods:
The NO NO List – Turkey – while small amounts of skinless meat can be safe, it’s best to avoid
– Stuffing – chock full of ingredients that can harm your pet
– Mashed potatoes – too much butter and other fats
– Candied yams – too much sugar, butter and other fats
– Gravy – far too rich for pets’ tummies
– Candy – especially chocolate
– Pie or other desserts
SAFE & YUMMY – Green beans (plain, steamed or boiled)
– Baby carrots (raw or cooked)
– Apple slices (small, thin slices)
– Celery – add a smear of natural, unsalted creamy peanut butter
– Plain pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
WATCH OUT If you see sudden changes in behavior, depression, pain, vomiting, or diarrhea in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately.
If you believe your pet has been poisoned or has eaten something it shouldn’t have, call your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency clinic immediately.
In September, we were proud to sponsor an adoption event called the LovePup Family Festival in partnership with the LovePup Foundation and iHeart Radio. Taking place at Vertuccio Farms in Mesa, AZ. Paired with incredible music acts, food trucks, kid-friendly activities and more, the primary event focus of pet adoption was a huge success. With more than XXXX folks came out to enjoy the evening, and XX rescues on-site with adorable, adoptable dogs from across the Phoenix metro area, more than XX pups were adopted and found their forever homes!
As our way of saying thank you for adopting these wonderful canine companions, AZPetVet provided the new owners with a certificate for a Free Wellness Exam and Fecal Test. We know that routine health and wellness checkups are just as important to our pets as they are to us humans, and wanted to help these new owners ensure that the newest member of their family was receiving first rate care!
We are thrilled by the impact the event had on the community, and look forward to participating again in the future!
StandDown: A military term that refers to the short period of time given to a soldier to leave an active combat area, allowing them to obtain rest and build up strength before returning to duty.
StandDown Events: Typically one-to-three day events held annually, organizations within a community come together to serve United States military veterans and their families who are experiencing – or are at risk of – homelessness. These events help connect our veterans with the critical support services they need in order to help them gain – and maintain – stable housing. In addition, the events offer many other areas of support which can include everything from benefits assistance, to id’s and drivers licenses, social security, substance abuse assistance, employment and education opportunities, haircuts and hygiene, and more.
In February, team members from AZPetVet joined the ranks of volunteers at the Maricopa County StandDown annual event, offering Pet Care services to our veterans. Armed with a bevy of food, toys, crates, blankets, and more, our team was honored to spend time with our veterans and to assist with their beloved canine and feline companions. A heartfelt thank you to all the veterans for your service to our country!
While many of our individual hospitals have organizations that they have supported for years, our 2016 holiday season marked one of our largest group efforts to-date. Our primary recipient for the season was Helping Hands for Homeless Hounds, with a few other individual organizations included in the mix. With the incredible participation of our teams and our clients, in total we collected more than 2,500 items!
Here are just a few statistics:
* 500+ collars, leashes, and pet clothing items
* 200+ pet beds and blankets
* 35 soft-sided/hard-sided carriers
* 120 food bowls
* Over 1,000 pet food items and treats (WOW!)
* Over 300 toys
* Towels, wipes, cases of water, and much more
It took 8 vehicles filled-to-the-brim to deliver the items just to our primary recipient!
In response to the amazing participation from the AZPetVet clients and staff, the ownership teams at the hospitals taking part in the drive joined in with their part to help make a big impact this season…with a cash donation of $5,950 in total!
With so many wonderful organizations doing great work, we are honored to participate in giving back to our community. So a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the season a little bit brighter!
Each act of giving — no matter how big or how small — adds more brightness to the world. Pets give love freely, without conditions. That’s why so many homes shine so brightly with a pet in them!
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