December 2009 Blog Posts (37)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of our blog readers!

2010 is going to be a great year!

Added by Mike Fry on December 31, 2009 at 5:19pm — No Comments

A new social networking site has been created for the purpose of getting animal-friendly techies (i.e. bit-whackers, geeks, tech-heads) together for the purpose of sharing ideas for using technology so save animals' lives. Check out the site at http://awtechworld.ning.com

Please visit, and send your animal-friendly tech-heads there, too!

Added by Mike Fry on December 31, 2009 at 3:51pm — No Comments

In Memory of Mandy!

As 2009 comes to a close it is time to remember those that are no longer with us. Not only dear family members & friends, but also those sweet pets that have gone over the Rainbow Bridge. Although a lot of animals come through the shelter there are some that will always stand out for one reason or another. I will always remember sweet Mandy (shown in the photo above). She was a senior cat when she found herself at the shelter as her owner was… Continue

Added by Karen B. on December 31, 2009 at 2:22pm — 2 Comments

"Sharing a Pet" is Working

A few days ago, we implemented a new feature on the pet pages of our web site. The feature is "Share" this pet.

Since that feature went live on the site, people have been actively sharing pets. As a result, the number of daily unique visitors to the pet… Continue

Added by Animal Ark on December 30, 2009 at 10:12am — No Comments

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by good news

I know its the holiday season, and we are all supposed to be filled with the holidays spirit. I know that this is the time of year when we all try to focus on happy, feel-good stories. But this year, the stories I am focusing on are different than the typical holiday "feel-good" stories.

A few examples:

Over the holiday weekend, I finished integrating Facebook and Twitter to our web sites. I also set up Facebook pages for… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 28, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

My New Years Pledge - Sharing a Pet a Day for a Year

I know this sounds a bit trivial. But we are about to change over to a new year. 2009 went by so fast I can hardly believe it!

With 2010 coming up quick I have been contemplating additionally I can do to help more homeless animals find homes. Then, a thought came to me. We have all of these new social networking sites up and running. We have fans and friends signing up. Additionally, Animal Ark has made it really easy to share our animals on Facebook, Twitter, and about 200 other… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 27, 2009 at 11:36pm — 1 Comment

Saving a life can be a click away

For the last couple of weeks, we have been engaged in some pretty significant upgrades to Animal Ark's web site, office systems and social networking sites. Ultimately, the goal of this effort is to increase the awareness of animals in need, and to help people connect to different ways they can help animals.

One of the most important new features integrated into our web site is a "share" button added to the web page of every animal at Animal Ark. This single button provides anyone a… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 27, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Just One Dog

sb posted a link to this video in the blog. I could not help but to follow up by embedding it here, to make it easier for everyone to watch. This is what no kill is all about.

Enjoy! And, happy holidays!

Added by Mike Fry on December 27, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

A beautiful Christmas story of hope

Bless all those who are involved in rescue.

http://www.blip.tv/file/3014054

Added by sb on December 27, 2009 at 10:46am — No Comments

Gretel

Bow Wow! Let me introduce you to sweet Gretel. She was first adopted from the shelter as a puppy and unfortunately due to health issues of her owner she is back as the shelter as a 2 yr. old. She is one of the best trained dogs I have seen come through here in a while. In addition to being house trained (which is always a plus on everyone's list) she has also had some obedience training. She knows sit, shake, down, come & leave it. She LOVES to… Continue

Added by Karen B. on December 26, 2009 at 6:18pm — 1 Comment

A Holiday Gift to Our Friends & Followers

We Fish Ewe ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*•♫♪ a Mare Egrets Moose♪♫•*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*•♫♪ We Fish Ewe ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*•♫♪ a Mare Egrets Moose ♪♫•*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*•♫♪ We Fish Ewe ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*•♫♪ a Mare Egrets Moose ♪♫•*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*•♫♪

Panda Hippo Gnu Deer ♪♫•*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪♥

In preparation for the holidays, I have been working this past week on a small gift for the online friends & followers of Animal Ark, that I suspect will be especially appreciated by those who can't wait to get… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 24, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Animal Ark's "Odd Couple"

You would never know it by looking at them, but Sweet Pea and Muppet have not known each other very long. Watching they way they lick each others faces, clean each others ears, and, especially, seeing the way Muppet guards Sweet Pea when she thinks she may be in trouble, you would think they have spent their lives together.

Both dogs came to Animal Ark at approximately the same time. Both dogs needed advanced… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 23, 2009 at 2:37pm — 1 Comment

Bagley looks out for his less fortunate friends

Yesterday was so busy at the shelter that I didn't have the chance to write about a very special visitor, Bagley the dog. He came walking in with his Christmas sweater on and his owner said "Bagley has some money and supplies he'd like to donate to the cats and dogs of the shelter". She then went on to explain that Bagley loves to ride with her husband on his bike and that people always ask to take their picture but Bagley always demands that… Continue

Added by KB on December 22, 2009 at 11:00am — 2 Comments

spay and neuter tattoo

I know diane very well and for the last 10 years she has worked diligently to spread the message of 'spay and neuter' your pets. She is a rescue mom of 3 dogs and 2 cats, yet she still has time for every neighborhood animal that walks past her house. Diane doesn't buy presents for her friends and family at Christmas, she loads up her cart at Sam's club with bags and bags of treats for the animals less fortunate that find themselves at the shelters at this time of the year. Diane has been an… Continue

Added by debbie doepke on December 21, 2009 at 8:41pm — No Comments

Animal Ark & Animal Wise Radio Proud to Have Received 2009 Henry Bergh Award

Animal Ark and Animal Wise Radio are humbled to be named recipient of the 2009 Henry Bergh awards and included in a list of some of the top animal welfare advocates in the nation. The awards were announced today on Animal Wise Radio, which is produced… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 20, 2009 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

Need Your Help!

The photo above is of our Rockford boy and his new forever family!!! He has been in foster to adopt and today came to the shelter to have his adoption finalized as everything has worked out wonderfully in his new home. This is what we strive for....the best combination for the animal and the adopters! We are so glad this connection was sucessful.

NOW...for what we need your help with....

We desparately need a foster home for… Continue

Added by Karen B. on December 19, 2009 at 2:51pm — 1 Comment

Featured Animal Ark Tweet

Sweet Pea http://bit.ly/69jVBI and Muppet http://bit.ly/6PgWSl have become best friends recovering together. Anyone want to adopt 2 dogs?

Added by Animal Ark on December 19, 2009 at 1:08pm — No Comments

Breaking News: City of Afton Terminates Impound Agreement Following Illegal Killing of Stray Cats

In September, a group of residents in Afton appeared before the City Council to request a review of the relationship between the City and the Animal Humane Society. The Proceedings from the meeting put it this way:

Council received a request from some residents to review the current arrangement Afton has for animal control. The discussion arises because in May, seven cats were caught in live traps and brought to the Animal Humane Society in Woodbury and were euthanized on the…

Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 17, 2009 at 9:00am — 3 Comments

Petland Franchise Closes in California - Join us for Demos in Minnesota!

Demonstrations work. Not only do the educate the public about the horrors of intensive breeding facilities for companion animals, otherwise known as puppy and kitten mills, but they allow consumers to make informed choices about what kind of business they want to support. The recent closing of this Petland franchise in California proves it!

The average person disagrees with the way dogs and cats are… Continue

Added by Dallas Rising on December 16, 2009 at 8:21am — No Comments

Breaking News Expected - Check Back for Details

Animal Humane Society killing stray animals without holding them for required 5-day impound period. Litigation is almost certain.

A while ago, a story was published about how the Animal Humane Society is not always holding stray animals for the 5-day period required by Minnesota state law. Since then, we have learned a great… Continue

Added by Mike Fry on December 14, 2009 at 9:30pm — 4 Comments