STHS is the only no-kill shelter that I know about in the New Orleans area. Please please please pick these guys for the Shelter Makeover! Many thanks, Heather

Thank you so much, Mr. Richard, for coming on down and looking at the St. Tammany Humane Society. I used to volunteer there after school and can say without a doubt that the staff are wonderful. There was a substantial effort not only to make sure the pets have food, water, shelter, and a clean place to sleep - but that they get playtime, attention, and love.

Congratulations St. Tam!!!

WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!!!!! Thank you Richard and Zootoo for thinking we are worthy to be in the top 10!

This is the first time I have had a chance to thank you for your visit to STHS, as I have been busy getting ready for Woofstock! (It's now over and it was a success!) This website has really given us an amazing oppurtunity, not just for the potential monetary gain, but for the exposure we have recieved as a direct result of our participation. Again, thank you Topcat for the visit and oppurtunity. I know that Lisa and Vaughn have learned how to function day to day with less oxygen (because they are holding their breath until April 7)!

A win for this shelter would be greatly appreciated and well deserved. The support they provide, not only for the animals, but also the community is to be commended. As you mentioned, STHS is like a gumbo, as is our what our society has become, what America is all about. Thank you for this opportunity to improve a shelter and for bringing pet lovers alike together to share stories, experiences, pictures, and potential for life long friendships.

Mr Thompson, thank you indeed for the honor of your visit to St Tammany Humane Society. And thank you for your vision in creating Zootoo - an incredible innovation, a vibrant community, and a blessing in so many ways to shelters and animal lovers alike.

Please give the makeover to STHS! We really need it. A while back, i was driving by my church and a little kitten ran under my car.When we got home, we found that she had gotten stuck in a the gears and things under the car. we brought her to STHS because that was the only no-kill shelter in the area at that time. However, they didn't have a lot of space, and they still dont. Since we have so many bad storms, we have a LOT of strays. We need more room for them to have a temporary home before their owners come or they are adopted.So,the St. Tammany Humane Society deserves this makeover so much.

Please remember St. Tammany Humane Society when you make your choices for the top 10. We are in such need of a makeover! I am an employee here and this week alone, I have had to bring 2 of our shelter dogs into the clinic to have medical attention because they cut their feet on the fencing in their runs. I came into work this morning and had to clear out water in 3 areas of the building that flooded due to the rainstorm we had last night! Thank you for hosting this contest, and I know all the shelters deserve the makeover, but this is the one that deserves it the most (IMHO).
Danny

I am not a very talkative person, so this comment will be short and sweet. Thank you for sponsoring this contest, and please consider St. Tammany Humane Society when you decide on the top 10. I have adopted 2 cats and 1 dog from the shelter and although the staff has always been very friendly and caring, the shelter could definitely use improvements to the building!

To quote Topcat's review "Not unlike most of Southern Louisiana, their shelter site gets flooded when it rains. ", we are now flooding through parts of the building! A horrific thunderstorm has been raging for 9 hours and our feline isolation has 4 inches of water in it! Thank goodness the kennels for the kitties are elevated. The rest of the items in the area have been placed on boxes to keep them dry. This probably happens on average 12 times a year.

STHS is the best!
Of their quality and love I attest.
When my Bodhi was sick,
Their care did the trick,
With their kind open hearts we are blessed.

Its a parish so direly stressed.
By the hurricanes we've been depressed.
A strong shelter we need
To care for and feed
Furry friends who have been so oppressed.

To teach and support is our quest.
To find homes to provide a warm nest.
To make people aware
And to urge them to care
For the critters with which we are blessed.

This wonderful Zootoo contest,
Has helped us discover the best!
Through this venue of fun
We have already won!
As we look to our future with zest!

Thanks for visiting our shelter. I'm sorry my duties kept me from having an opportunity to meet y'all !!

I certainly hope we fare well ( make that "WIN" ), but either way, THANK YOU for the wonderful program you have forwarded for all pet lovers and ESPECIALLY for the fortunate Shelter which is selected to get the financial assistance !!

Hope you had a good time "dans la sud d'louisiane" !!!

It was such an exciting day for us when you came to visit last Friday! I was part of the cheering crowd and really enjoyed your speech. Thank you so much for having this contest. It really raises awareness throughout the country about the plight of homeless pets. Go ST TAMMANY HUMANE SOCIETY!!!

I just can't say enough positive things about the St. Tammany Humane Society! I have watched this parish grow in size since Hurricane Katrina hit, and the need for more space for abandoned and unwanted animals is sorely needed. Thank you Topcat for your good works! I enjoyed your visit last Friday and am keeping my pinkies crossed that we hear our name in the top 10 in Vegas!!

Thanks for coming to visit!

Thank you for coming to St Tammany Humane Society. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into making life better for so many animals. Getting involved with Zootoo and working online to win the makeover has inspired me to become a volunteer at STHS myself.

Gracias por venir.

God Bless all the good work at STHS for animals - especially amidst all the hurricanes they have endured - all the shelters seem deserving of a makeover!

Thank you for coming out and taking a tour of our humane society. We do have room to expland and it would be great if we could expand. We would be able to take more animals in working with animal control that is located in the town over become a no kill parish.

Dear Richard, I would like to thank you for your recent visit to the St. Tammany Humane Society. My four-year-old daughter and I attended the event and we truly enjoyed ourselves. This shelter and its staff are AMAZING!!!! Thanks again.

Thank you for your recent visit to the St. Tammany Humane Society. I was particularly interested in what you had to say about your social networking site. I am a technology coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana University. I am responsible for reviewing and introducing emerging technologies to our campus community. My research into Web 2.0 technologies has involved evaluating different social networks.

“A 2008 book published by Forrester Research, Inc. titled Groundswell[26] builds on a 2006 Forrester Report about social computing and coins the term groundswell to mean ‘a spontaneous movement of people using online tools to connect, take charge of their own experience, and get what they need-information, support, ideas, products, and bargaining power--from each other.’” )

I am impressed with how valuable Zootoo.com has been to our community. It has encouraged us to come together to not only try to improve our local shelter by working toward winning a makeover, but to also come together to help build content with information, support, ideas, products, and bargaining power- that is useful to us as pet lovers. You have encouraged a GROUNDSWELL. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity. Kudos to you Richard!

Glad that you enjoyed your visit! A lot of people do all that they can in order to assist animals down here and this shelter is one of them!!!

I had the pleasure of attending your visit to STHS this Friday. You are truly a dynamic speaker! I have adopted 1 dog from STHS ( my other 2 dogs are from Greyhound Pets of America, another rescue that is close to my heart!) and can tell you from personal experience that the staff at STHS is topnotch. My 87 year old mother also attended the event with me and had a great time! One of the STHS volunteers brought along a baby possum ( she also volunteers at our local wildlife rescue) for Dr. Lisa to examine, and my mother had the oppurtunity to see it up close and personal. The whole day was quite an exciting experience for her. Thank you for all you do, and when the time comes to narrow the field to 10, please consider STHS! They are truly a quality organization!
Danny (aka redneckalien)

Richard, I want to thank you for your visit to STHS! I am very proud of our shelter and all of the work it does in this community. Winning the makeover contest would allow our facility to expand and house many more unwanted pets in St. Tammany Parish. This will definitely help us achieve our goal of making St. Tammany Parish a "no kill zone". I am in awe of the fact that you were able to start this online community that has already been so beneficial to animal lovers and pets every where. I love seeing our employees Zootooing away during their breaks. Many "Zootoo Addicts" have been created! Thank you again for all that you do. My heart belongs to St. Tammany, and yes, we will make better signage occur! I'm glad you liked the gumbo! Perhaps on your next visit we can introduce you to crawfish. In parting, I would like to conclude with a poem from the St. Tammany Humane Poets Sociey:

Zootoo has visited,
Will we win?
Right now I just hope
To be in the top 10!

Supporters and friends
came out in the crowd
When Richard arrived
It became quite loud!

With a smile on his face
and a shining demeanor
he spoke to the crowd
about the Zootoo fever!

The visit is done
we will see what will happen,
Thank you ZooToo staff
This has been a lot of fun!


Lisa

Dear Richard, What a buzz you created at the St. Tammany Humane Society this past Friday! Your motivational speaking skills are off the chart, and the staff, volunteers, board members, friends of the shelter, and local politicians could not have been more receptive to your no nonsense ideas on getting shelter pets out of overcrowded shelters and into permanent homes. I wholeheartedly agree that education is the cornerstone of any long range plan to solve issues that all shelters face, such as, animal overpopulation, abuse and neglect. Educating our children to become more compassionate human beings not only makes our world a better place for animals, but for people too! Thank you, Mr. Zootoo Guru, for helping to make this world a better place for us all by giving so generously of your time, your talent, and your treasure..................

Richard,

We were all so excited to have you visit our shelter. I would love nothing more but to see every shelter across the country get the needed funds to improve their facilities, but we aren't there yet. So naturally, my heart is with my home shelter. I have been a volunteer at St. Tammany for a year and as you mentioned, they do a wonderful job with what they have. But our parish is growing by leaps and bounds and with that growth unfortunatley brings more and more pets being surrendered. We are having to turn pets away a on daily basis because we just don't have the space. I know every shelter in the top 20 is deserving of the makeover but I hope Zootoo will see the need for our shelter to make it into the top 10 in Vegas!

Again, thank you and God bless.
Pam Edwards Moore

Thanks so much for coming to take a tour of our shelter. I do not live in St. Tammeny Parish but I support them fully because they are a no kill shelter. That means so much to me to see that their good deeds are paying off for them. They really do deserve this. As you can see many people are behin them 100 percent and have been trying to gain as many points as possible to help them along. I'm really glad you enjoyed our food as well. It is something you definetly won't forget and will want more of. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to come and see this shelter that does great things.

Richard,

Many thanks for your visit and your kind words. My wife, Pam, volunteers at the shelter, and I know she and the other volunteers put their hearts and souls into it. There are so many animals in need of love and attention. This shelter provides it in spades.

I'm also gratified to hear that you've partnered with The New York Post. I'm a freelance writer who writes for the paper on a weekly basis. You and Rupert make one helluva' team.

Again, thanks for visiting St. Tammany Parish's shelter.

Best,

Brian Moore

A great many thanks to you, Richard, and Zootoo for taking the time to vist STHS! St. Tammany certainly hopes to be able to keep up all the good work it has been doing. We pray that God will indeed grant us a blessing!

Thank you so much for visiting our little shelter!!

It is so exciting to be one of the top 20 shelters! I know we worked really hard along with all the others to have this wonderful opportunity. Thank you so much for taking the time to come out and visit us, it seems like you enjoyed some good southern hospitality.

STHS is one of the only no kill shelters in the area and it could really use the money for some upgrades so that they could help better protect even more animals, especially when the hurricanes come. Thanks again!

A big thanks to Richard and Julia for visiting the STHS! What a wonderful opportunity to share with the country all of the wonderful things about our no-kill facility! Yes, we need to update some areas of the shelter and grounds but the STHS does an awesome job with what we have. Thank you for taking the time to visit our shelter.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our shelter. The STHS is in dire need of a makeover, but like you said, they do the best they can with what they have. I'm proud to be a volunteer for the shelter and hope that America sees what a great place it is and awards it the prize.

Webster’s dictionary defines shelter as a place of protection. To shelter something is to protect them from the elements, give them food and a place to stay. It is commonly used for homeless people and animals. With the devastation caused by the recent hurricanes, many of the people here in southeast Louisiana have become all too familiar with that term and have learned that it means so much more. It means that someone cares. For the homeless, both animals and people, it offers hope: Hope for a brighter future, hope for a forever home.

That is what the St. Tammany Humane Society offers to the homeless pets. The past few years in this community, where dealing with contractors and insurance adjusters became a full time job, the services that this wonderful shelter provides took a back seat to the needs of a large population struggling with the devastation. Unfortunately, St. Tammany Humane Society’s needs were growing exponentially. Yet, with only a small staff and volunteers, the shelter persevered. Thanks to the publicity ZooToo has brought, this community has rallied and with the support of its new friends, our small shelter finished number 3 in the points phase of the ZooToo Shelter Makeover Contest.

As a friend of St. Tammany Humane Society and a lifelong animal lover, I want to thank you for your vision, for creating ZooToo and this shelter makeover and for giving us hope for a better future for all animals. Your dream has made the dreams of many others come true. There will be no losers in this competition and many furry four-legged winners.

Erin Hebert
ETH911

Thank you for coming to visit STHS. Two (out of three) of our current "fur babies" have been adopted from there, and I have to keep my husband from visiting knowing that he'd bring home more (ha ha). As you know, this shelter could REALLY use the win and put the money to wonderful use. My school-age daughters are looking forward to the summer, so that they can go volunteer again and play with and walk the dogs.
Thank you for all your wonderful work.

Thank for visiting the St. Tammany Humane Society. The Zoo Too makeover could be a great opportunity for the shelter to be one of the the best in the region. I have adopted many loving animals from the shelter over the years and hopefully will adopt many more. I would love to see the shelter expanded for the benefit of all the animals. The cat cottage gives the cats a feeling of a home. I'm sorry your visit didn't include the fundraiser " Woofstock". It's always fun. Darlene Scheuermann

Thank you Richard, Lisa,and Zootoo for coming to STHS. We have a great group that with help can make an A-One home for a lot of needy animals. I love the fact that STHS is a no-kill shelter. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there to enjoy the fun.

Thanks Richard for coming to our shelter. The St Tammany Humane Society certainly deserves the makeover, but even more so, they do a fantastic job with what they have, which isn't much. A makeover would afford them an opportunity to improve in all aspects. My family respects them highly for being so wonderful and a no-kill shelter. These animals did not ask to be here, but they are and we need to take care of them until they find homes of their own.

I just wanted to say that it was exciting to see you and the Zootoo crew at the STHS. Hope you liked the cajun music and the warm welcome. Thanks for having this contest and we hope to see you again soon, as winners.

Good evening, "TOPCAT" :). I would have been surprised had you not enjoyed your visit to the St. Tammany Humane Society. I began calling on this clinic almost 2 years ago (I am one of their "drug" representatives). I was immediately welcomed into their clinic with open arms. The people at this humane society have become more to me than just business associates...I am proud and honored to call them friends. They never cease to amaze me with all that they do for the animals at their shelter and the community. The staff from the bottom to the top are extremely dedicated and passionate about their cause. I have watched this shelter do what they can with what they have, and I am very proud of their continued accomplishments. I hope and prey that they will finally be rewarded for their efforts with a makeover that they truly deserve. I know that this decision will be a difficult one, but please know that St. Tammany Humane Society is TRULY deserving of such an honor and blessing. Kathryn Grimball

Many thanks to "TOPCAT"", Mr. Thompson, who visited St. Tammany Humane Society yesterday. Our hard working staff and devoted volunteers are the back bone of our shelter, and we are hoping for a big win in Las Vegas!! A new facility would be a blessing for all our deserving animal friends, and help us with our mission to make St. Tammany Parish a truly "no kill" community. Gail

Thank you for such a wonderful contest! STHS could really use some upgrades and w/out this competition- they may never get the shelter these animal deserve. When I heard about this from a co-worker, I knew it would be a great cause and immediately spread the word... in the end a couple hundred of my students participated and also became addicted to the website. :D

I'm glad you were able to try some of our wonderful food and experience southern hospitality. The outreach and community involvement on zootoo has been amazing. This really is a wonderful site. I appreciate what you, your team, and STHS's 6000+ members have done! You all are so awesome!

Wish I had been at STHS when you visited. What a remarkable person you must be to start ZooToo and have it grow so much. I am pullling for St. Tammanys, even though I have never been there, because of an e-mail that I received from a very nice young man who volunteers there. He e-mailed me on Anilmal Attractions and asked me to join ZooToo and support his shelter. I was so impressed that I couldn't not do it and I am so glad.

Hi again! It seems that you received a grand welcome at the St. Tammany's shelter. It is well-deserved. You have created a site which has inspired so many people to reach out and participate on behalf of our animal friends. I do thank God for blessing the earth with people like you. As for the staff at St. Tammany shelter, I must say that they are a dedicated group of individuals; who truly love animals, and who are truly going above and beyond to rescue and provide shelter for these animals. They offer hope to those animals who would otherwise be put down. They offer a safe haven for other animals to stay while they await placement in loving homes. May they be blessed richly for all the good they do for our animal friends. And thanks again to you, for taking the time to visit them. I'm certain they were honored by your visit.

Hi Mr. Richard,

I am so proud to have our local shelter recognized by such a huge organization such as yours. I am 13 years old, and I got one of my dogs (Pepi) from St. Tammany Humane society. I am going to start volunteering for the Humane Society, and I have become so attatched to all of the animals. I Love the staff, they have treated me and my pets well. I would be so happy to see our shelter win the cash, it really needs it because it is always getting new Katrina pets. The site really gives St. Tammany something to be proud of, it in the hard times we are oing through. Thanks for starting the site, STPHS thanks you!

Thank you so much for visiting our shelter. It is a real honor.

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Thank you so much for coming to visit us. We are excited to be in this competition. Zootoo is great for making people affiliated with shelters get together to help each other and get to know them. This is a great cause and I am proud to be part of it. Thank you for creating this and helping shelters around the country. :)

I live one parish over from St. Tammany, but I learned about this remarkable shelter from a co-worker who adopted a fur friend from them. They worked really hard to find her just the right dog and made a perfect match. I knew of their plight after our infamous hurricanes, so when I learned about the Zootoo Shelter Makeover contest, I was eager to do my small part to help. I don't have a lot of money or a lot of spare time, but I do have a lot of passion for causes I truly believe in, and I also believe that small groups of people can bring about huge change! Along the way, I met some really nice fellow dog & cat loving Zootooers, got some great advice on pet care and products, and had tons of fun sharing the antics of my own zoo. I told my university marketing class about Zootoo, and over 20 of my 30 students joined and had friends join. So, thanks to STHS, lots of people have had a lot of fun on this site. The rewards are multi-fold -- helping an incredibly-deserving shelter get the much-needed help they deserve AND gaining personal knowledge, satisfaction, and enjoyment in return. By the way, I'm over halfway to Zoomaster, and I'm not stopping just because Phase I is over - Zootoo is part of my life now. :-)

I'm glad you had a good visit to our state, albeit a brief one, and I regret that I couldn't join y'all, but work had me in chains. Come again anytime, and we'll throw some crawfish etoufee in with that gumbo!! :-)

Thanks for the feedback on the visit. One cannot help but have fun in Louisiana! I have never seen St Tammany's -- but having known Vaughn since he was about 13 (he is my husband's youngest brother) when he said he needed help, I knew it was for a good cause. And Vaughn's Mom said St T's REALLY needed the Makeover. I figured climate change (my usual day job, alomg with other environmental issues related to aviation) could spare me a few hours each day :-) I know I am biased -- but I doubt that you would ever find a more careful steward of the resources. And I am sure he wil get us all to pitch in to grow the pot :-)

Congrats and kudos to you on doing such an awesome thing -- God bless.

Many thanks to Richard and Zootoo. This contest is a blessing to all of the shelters who participated. We at the St. Tammany Humane Society have seen added adoptions, donations, and volunteers as a direct result of our participation in Zootoo. It truly amazes me that we have rallied over 6500 people to sign up on Zootoo in support of our shelter. Thanks Zootoo!

Congrats to St. Tammany's on an amazing finish! We are desperately seeking enrichment for our cat population and would love to see pictures of your "cottage." It sounds wonderful. Lucky kitties!
Patty-CMHS