3:25pm

First Official Visit to CMHS

We traveled to Columbia, Missouri to visit our two heroes, Libby and Amanda. Wow, we discovered they are becoming journalists in the making with their Animal Talk video blog. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out, it’s pretty cool. We spent the afternoon with the Executive Director, President and Vice President of the board, reviewing their wish list and discussing potential makeover opportunities around the existing shelter of which we think there are many. … read more

6:27am

We Have A Winner

We have a winner! I am happy to announce that Central Missouri Humane Society of Columbia, Missouri won the most votes from pet lovers across America in the second National Shelter Makeover Contest. My sincerest congratulations to Amanda and Libby and the thousands of pet lovers in the Columbia community who rallied around Central Missouri Humane Society. That is what the National Shelter Makeover is all about: communities coming together to support their local shelters and help… read more

6:02pm

Agreement Reached on Shelter Makeover 1

Dear Friends: Zootoo is thrilled to announce that we have fulfilled our commitment to the winner of the 2008 Shelter Makeover contest! Those who know me see and experience my passion for the health and well being of animals every day. We created the Shelter Makeover contest as a way to improve the care and treatment of animals across the country and increase community awareness of their local shelter. Zootoo remains committed to the Shelter Makeove… read more

3:28pm

Shelter Makeover I

Dear Zootoo Community, I am shocked and saddened by the latest information I have just received indirectly regarding Randy and Stray Rescue in St. Louis. I've reached out to Randy and plan to meet with Randy and his board to resolve any of these misunderstandings. I am sure there is going to be a lot of stuff in the media but stay tuned, I will keep everyone updated. Because we love Randy, we love Stray Rescue, and we want to see Randy's dream of his shelter i… read more

3:24pm

Humane Society of the Nature Coast

Saving Pets in the Sunshine State Wow, what a reception we received at the Humane Society’s annual Adoptathon event at the local park. There were hundreds of screaming people and pets, all trying to make a difference in the community. Joanne and her volunteers and board of directors do a fabulous job in bringing awareness to their humane efforts in Brooksville. For Joanne, this is a family affair, since her husband is also the Shelter Manager. They have an excellent loca… read more

7:41am

Liberty Humane Shelter

Sandra and her family Sandra, her family, friends, volunteers and the community are working hard to improve the humane care and education in Hinesville. This is the first location I've been to where the Animal Control and the city shelter are together. They actually share the same building. I met the Animal Control officers and they seem to have a good working relationship with Sandra to save as many animals as possible, but still too many are euthanized. Sandra and her family of … read more

7:36am

St. Tammany Humane Society

Pets in the Parish First, I have to say that if it were a Gumbo contest, they would definitely be the winner. We were picked up by Vaughn and Lisa and they gave us the history of the shelter and the various hurricanes that have passed through over the last several years. Not unlike most of Southern Louisiana, their shelter site gets flooded when it rains. Yes they have lots of needs from space to upgrades but work wonders with what they have to improve the health and comfort of th… read more

7:28am

Habitat for Horses

Mustang Charity. Jerry and his volunteers are certainly mustangs when it comes to rescuing horses. We visited Jerry, his volunteers and his "Ranch" where he had approximately 80 horses in various stages of rehabilitation. Everything from "skinny" horses (those that were starved), to beautiful "belgian draft" horses. They had an impressive volunteer program with over 100 active volunteers from places as far away as Israel and Germany. They certainly qualify, and are indee… read more

11:06pm

Austin Humane Society

Frances - from Kennel Manager to Executive Director Austin, you have a great leader for your organization, you should be proud. We certainly got a Texas size welcome, but no barbecue! Frances and her volunteers certainly are full of the "Big Texas" enthusiasm and passion. We took a tour of the facility. They certainly had one of the best spay/neuter programs with the Texas A&M students. What an asset they have. They are land locked so any improvements they do will be i… read more

11:04pm

Humane Society of Cherokee County

This is one of the few shelters we’ve been to that is primarily managed by men and it’s great to see men with a passion to help pets because the norm is that it is mostly women that run the shelter. So congratulations country boys! Like a lot of shelter, this one is in desperate need of almost everything. Definitely needs a sign off the highway so you are able to find the place. I’m asking all the city and county officials to be helpful on making this signage happen on behalf of the sh… read more

11:02pm

Central Missouri Humane Society

Girl Power Two 13 year old girls, Amanda and Libby, led the city of Columbia to be the first point earner in the makeover contest, for which they earned an additional $10,000 for the shelter. Wow, what a spark these two girls are. They are best friends, animal lovers and just wanted to help. And help they did. They didn’t start the contest until January 15th with less than 60 days left to earn points for the shelter. The shelter was in 859th place. I spoke to the e… read more

11:00pm

Safe Haven of Iowa County

Rinthea and the volunteer team from Iowa. Who would have thought in the farmlands of Iowa, Rinthea and her team would start a shelter from an old barn. And yes I mean a barn. She’s bringing humane education to this rural area and has created a support team of a thousand. When we arrived at the barn, there were 100 volunteers standing in 27 degree weather to welcome us. Wow, we were impressed. Rinthea is dreaming big and taking big risks to save cats and dogs in this rural area. … read more

10:58pm

Humane Society of Barron County

Dave and Dari, Co-Presidents of the shelter, met us at Rice Lake Airport with all of the city officials and welcomed us to Wisconsin. This provided a great opportunity to talk to them about bringing shelters and communities together. Humane Society of Barron County is in the northwest part of Wisconsin which is a very rural area. The staff and volunteers are working with the community to transform the humane society. This is a big task and a big job, but in the end it is a big reward in that… read more

10:57pm

The Washington County Humane Society

Marnie – she was so nervous that she could hardly speak to her group of volunteers. She was able to find her words and share her thoughts with the many volunteers that showed up to welcome Zootoo. Again, here is another heartfelt woman with so much love for animals that I’m honored to stand next to people like this. They do such great animal rescue work. Marnie and her volunteers are preparing the shelter for kitten season next month and are getting ready to adopt out a litter of… read more

10:55pm

Cat Nap From the Heart

Two cat ladies and cats everywhere with a few birds and some critters. Something interesting that I never knew, according to Bobbi the Executive Director of the shelter, having birds around the adoptable cats helps with their anxiety. Bobbi and all her volunteers are all very cat-centric cat lovers. Yes they make a difference in the greater Chicago area caring for cats and getting them adopted. They turned an old grocery store into a “market” for cats and cat lovers. A must stop if you … read more

10:54pm

Friendship APL

In Memory of Paula This blog is donated to Paula, a dear member and supporter of the Friendship APL, who passed away in January. This shelter was one of the most amazing shelters we’ve seen operated on a relatively small budget, but seems to be doing three times what a normal budget would allow. This is all because of the dedicated volunteers that are giving up their time and energy to work at the shelter and rescue these animals’ lives. The shelter sits on 6 acres … read more

10:52pm

Ten Lives Clubhouse

Cat House on the Creek Marie – what a powerhouse and leader to lead Ten Lives Clubhouse and her volunteers. I’ve only known Marie for a few hours but I have to tell you, she has at least 10 lives herself. She gave up a big corporate job to start and organize the Ten Lives Clubhouse for cats with no pay and taking on bank loans to buy this building. Wow, what dedication and passion there has to be to make that leap. She and her volunteers purchased an old abandoned … read more

10:50pm

Jefferson County SPCA

Linda, Linda, Linda I love a person that doesn’t quit. The old saying is “you got to be in it to win it.” And if you’re not in, you can’t win. Well let me tell you, Linda and her community of supporters know how to win. Thanks to the community of Watertown, they’ve really rallied to Linda’s support to make it possible for them to be in the top 20 again. And I might add that Linda and the Jefferson County SPCA is the only shelter back in the top 20 from last year… read more

10:49pm

Potsdam Humane Society

What a community, and what support we were shown at Potsdam Humane Society. Bonnie and her team of volunteers (and yes I think there are a few Clydes in there because we got one heck of a police escort) are providing a great service not only to Potsdam, but to all the surrounding communities as well. They have a small shelter, very well organized. The great news is they have 5 acres adjoining them so they are ready for expansion. The mayor greeted us not only with a key to Potsdam, b… read more

10:47pm

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue

Wow, talk about a small, beautiful place in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. I can see why they call this place Angel Acres. Not only is it beautiful, but the volunteers are angels as well. The “angel” work and adoption work that Jo and her volunteers do with these rescue horses is wonderful. Yes, they are in need of everything from more volunteers, to more food, to more donations. I certainly can say that this is a great example to the horse world and the rescue world in general. Th… read more

10:46pm

St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Society

The Patron Saint of Hunters from Belgium This 16 acre property was left by Geraldine R. Dodge to create an organization to help save pets forever. The management and volunteers of St. Hubert’s have done and are doing a wonderful job to fulfill this legacy of Geraldine R. Dodge. The property and building all seem to be beautiful until you take a closer look. The shelter and offices have been converted from a barn and is “long in the tooth.” They have grand plans t… read more

10:44pm

Liberty Humane Society

From City Garage to City Saints One of our first visits on the Shelter Makeover Tour was to a location in Jersey City, New Jersey that was an old converted city garage, and now has been turned into a place where saints come and help needy pets. This group of saints is known as Liberty Humane Society. I was very impressed with the work they have done. They took an old city garage and converted it into a shelter with the small resources and donations that they’ve been a… read more

10:40pm

Minn-Kota PAAWS

Warm Hearts in the Frozen Tundra The warm reception at PAAWS was especially appreciated because of the -20 degree weather we had that day in Fargo. PAAWS is located right in the city of Fargo and they have beautifully repurposed an old office building to accommodate all their cats, with sufficient room to expand. This is primarily a cat rescue and shelter, except for one beautiful little puppy, Bella (who thinks she is a cat too). Wow, what dedication and passion we see in Lori an… read more

3:54pm

Kids, Pets & Autism

I’ll be the first to admit that I know lots about kids, and probably more about pets, but very little about autism. But I have witnessed kids with autism around pets, and oh, what a difference. Therapy pets make such wonderful companions -- cats, dogs, rabbits, horses and other types of pets as well. Dogs seem to be the most effective for lots of reasons, but I think it’s their licks that make the kids the happiest. We need to do more to find these kids companions that can make a differe… read more

4:53pm

Going the Wrong Way

Whenever we go through hard economic times, more pets are abandoned. People lose their homes and can’t take their pets with them. People lose their jobs and cannot afford to feed them. Or people feel they just have to cut back, and deem their pets expendable. It’s sad…but it’s true. This puts an extra burden on overcrowded, underfunded animal shelters. Of course, hard times also put an extra burden on community governments and budgets. We understand that. But whil… read more

3:04pm

A plea to President-elect Obama: Adoption is the O…

During your acceptance speech last night, which was a great and compassionate speech, you told your daughters – and the world – that you are getting them a puppy for the White House. As a passionate pet lover, I was happy to hear that the tradition of pets in the White House will continue after the Bushes and their two pure-bred terriers move out. But as the candidate who promised change we can believe in, I hope you will break with tradition and ADOPT your new dog from an animal shelter.… read more

11:29am

Confidence Saved the Cat

You know the old saying, “curiosity killed the cat.” I wish that were the case. But in fact, it’s not curiosity it’s euthanasia that’s killing an estimated 5 million cats and dogs each year. It’s awful, and I’m determined to do something about it. That’s my passion – getting cats and dogs and all animals out of shelters alive and happy. The pet food industry has been very good to me and my family, and I’m determined to give something back. Our pet lovers�… read more

2:12pm

What About the Animals?

Times are tough. No doubt about it. As the financial crises deepens, everyone’s looking to blame someone, and there’s plenty of blame to go around – the politicians, the bankers, the consumers who borrowed and bought beyond their means. But there’s a very large and important part of our population that deserves no blame, yet will feel plenty of pain: the hundreds of thousands of pets who will be abandoned because people can’t afford them; the millions of pets in shelters who won’… read more

7:12pm

Zootoo's Top Cat needs your pet recipes for a TV s…

OK ----Listen up all you zootooers that cook for your dogs or cats. I am going to be on a national tv program in Dec. and would love to get some great recipes to talk about and cook up if the time allows. So, they have to be quick and easy to make as well be good and healthy for your pets. I will mention your name if I use your mixing-------thanks to all in advance. Topcat Richard Zootoo.com read more

9:56am

Everyone's a winner by Richard Thompson

Choosing the winner of the first Shelter Makeover Contest was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. We saw 20 deserving shelters in 20 enthusiastic communities during our tour of the finalists. But we had to choose 3, and ultimately one. The makeover winner, Stray Rescue of St. Louis, met all the criteria we were looking for in terms of need, community commitment, best practices, and efforts to get more animals adopted. Many of the top 20 did. But what gave Stray Rescue of St Lou… read more

12:38pm

Chesapeake Sunset 5/1/08 Visit # 20

We rolled into the Chesapeake Bay area as our last but not least Shelter Makeover Tour number 20! Shelter President, Nancy Schwerzler greeted us with a very warm speech on a very warm spring evening. There were many officials and past officials who were determined to show Zootoo how much they believed in Cecil County SPCA. Jean, the shelter manager, took us on the tour. Jean and her staff had a great operation going. Jean took us to a spacious cat room that actually had a window open to … read more

12:37pm

Outbreak of “Zootooitis” in Saint Louis 5/1/08…

Randy Grim came down with a case of Worryitis because he worried about every detail in planning for a visit from the Zootoo Crew. I’m not sure which is better—Worryitis or Zootooitis, but he’s been cursed with both! Randy’s Worryitis certainly is benefiting the animals and community all throughout Saint Louis, Missouri. WOW! What a morning. Randy’s city was in full force as supporters, pet lovers, city officials, and sponsors all crowded the blocked off street. There were even t… read more

12:30pm

Double Dogs and a Hare 4/30/08 Visit # 18

Yes we started out at Double Dogs Restaurant with some amazing chocolate milkshakes. And yes, the pounds keep coming on. The owner of Double Dogs, John Morrison, met us at the airport in Bowling Green, Kentucky and drove us to a very exciting welcome with fire trucks, and a roaring crowd of hundreds of volunteers and supporters. The Bowling Green Humane Society is located on a divided 4-lane highway with great exposure but a very little sign…but I knew I could fix that! The first thing… read more

12:29pm

John, Paula, and Kim, the Henderson Heroes 4/30/08…

It all starts with people like John, Paula, and Kim… but it continues with volunteers and supporters like those from Henderson, Kentucky. The Henderson Humane Society has done a complete turnaround from the challenging conditions the shelter was once in all because of these dedicated individuals. The Zootoo Crew was picked up from their hotel by Paula and Kim, who were anxious to get the day underway! We were soon greeted by local animal control units who share the shelter with HHS- wo… read more

10:18pm

Cheryl and the Little Shelter on the Prairie 4/29/…

If there was an award for the smallest shelter, Pets Without Parents would get it! The shelter itself held 9 dogs and 9 cats- at full capacity. But you’d never guess this small shelter in the small town of Teheran, IL would have such a LARGE community turnout. We were escorted to the shelter by a fire truck and two police cars. Even the town sheriff said he’d never seen so many people in one place at the same time and thanked us for being there. Cheryl, the shelter founder, was searching in … read more

9:59pm

What a MAX Operation! 4/25/08 Visit # 15

The Maxfund Animal Adoption Center in Denver, Colorado was a well run operation in all facets of animal sheltering. From the operating room to the impeccably kept laundry room, Maxfund’s shelter founder, Nanci, had it running to a “T”. Maxfund also had many community outreach programs like a program for the handicapped and we met the young boy who started a kids’ volunteer program. The shelter also offers food donations. During our tour we saw a man come in for food for his dog and he r… read more

4:20pm

Lions, Tigers, and Bunnies; OH MY! 4/24/08 Visit #…

WOW Debbie is a spark!! She has competed with all the dog and cat lovers in this country and has rounded up rabbit and bunny lovers across America to help support the Midwest Rabbit Rescue. She led her community of Plymouth, Michigan to number 6 out of 1,000 competing shelters. What an accomplishment, Debbie! This morning we met at a local park in Plymouth. The community was already there waiting to cheer and wave their signs. The street was even blocked off for us and for a HUGE pink bun… read more

10:39pm

The Red Wing Drill Team and a Bagpiper 4/23/2008 V…

The Zootoo Crew was in a great mood moving on to the second shelter of the day, the Humane Society of Parkersburg in Parkersburg, WV. As we pulled up we heard a sound, (and no it was not a police siren) and you don’t hear this one very often…bagpipes! We also saw an age diverse crowd of supporters…from the YMCA daycare to retired volunteers, they were all there! One especially enthusiastic group was the Parkersburg High School Red Wing Drill Team. Every year they participate in dona… read more

10:38pm

Cheryl and the Sheriff 4/23/2008 Visit # 12

Cheryl is one of the reasons I am here, doing this contest, and bringing community and shelters together to get more pets adopted. She is the shelter manager and strength of the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley in Marietta, Ohio. The day started out with Cheryl meeting us at our hotel (the luxurious Hampton Inn) with Mayor Michael Mullen and the police chief to escort the Zootoo Crew… I drove with the chief, in the front seat, not the back! And the chief let me hit the siren button a few time… read more

10:21pm

Betty, the Prisoners and the Paintings April 22, 2…

Our next stop on the Zootoo Shelter Makeover Tour brought us to London, Ohio’s The Humane Society of Madison County. We got a great welcome from Betty and volunteer, Denver at the airport. Betty, one of the most wonderful ,dedicated hard working shelter managers—as many are — but what a extraordinary woman! Yet like so many other dedicated men and women we’ve seen across America helping pets and other pet lovers. One of the best programs that I’ve seen is Betty’s prisoner pro… read more

10:20pm

Cats, Cats and More Cats April 22, 2008 Visit # 10

No dogs...No rabbits...Just cats. 300 loving, eating, meowing cats. That's what the Zootoo Crew and our good friend Dean from HSUS, found when we arrived at the Cat Welfare Association in Columbus, Ohio. Kindra, the leader behind the push to become a Top 20 winner was all smiles because her volunteers and community did it! Together they worked so hard to earn this celebration on such a beautiful day. In clear skies and 75 degree weather, I declared a challenge to not only the peo… read more

6:56pm

Kelly and the 40 Communities 4/17/2008 Visit # 9

Kelly is not only the SPCA Cattaraugus County Shelter’s President, she‘s the glue that holds 40 communities worth of needy animals together; not to mention taking in pets that would otherwise be euthanized. We both share the belief that with love, nurturing, training and socializing shelter pets can become wonderful family members. That’s exactly what the SPCA volunteers do! They train and reward their pets, just like any family would at home. I see a lot of small dogs living in th… read more

6:19pm

Help me get Obama, McCain and Clinton to stand up …

My recent visit to western Pennsylvania coincided with the presidential primary campaign. In fact, Barack Obama was in the very next town, according to the shelter officers. And that got me thinking: if Zootoo.com can rally 400 people on a chilly Tuesday morning to show their support for the local animal shelter, what could someone like Senator Obama do? Or Senators Clinton or McCain? If only they would take up the cause of needy animals or at least talk about it.It's estimated that more than 9 … read more

2:55pm

Adoption Pros Serve Erie County 4/16/2008 Visit # …

The SPCA Serving Erie County is the most organized and well managed shelter I have seen on our tour! The people, the operations and procedures, and the space are carefully used. It’s all possible because of the great team work that the Shelter Executive Director, Barbara Carr, her staff and the volunteers working closely with the community and political leaders of Tonawanda, NY. We found lots of special relationships at the shelter and that’s exactly what Zootoo is promoting… people helpi… read more

9:06am

The Army Behind Jefferson County April 16, 2008

The Zootoo Crew has seen shelters in some interesting places. But Watertown, NY’s Jefferson County SPCA has a shelter in an extremely special place… Fort Drum Army Base. Right off the bat the Shelter Director, Linda, made it clear to me that this hurts and helps them. Soldiers move on and off of the base and they are either bringing in pets or leaving pets in the community when they go off on missions. It is clear that the whole town appreciates the work Linda did in helping care for… read more

9:22pm

Washington on the march! 4/15/2008 Visit # 6

Nothing wakes you up faster than a loud high school marching band with a group of excited pet lovers behind it. That was the Zootoo Crew’s welcome in Eighty Four, PA and the Washington Area Humane Society. We knew right away that today was going to be a BIG celebration. Kelley, the President and member of the Board of Directors was our host, brought us to The Bean Café for lattes and coffee to keep us warm and alert. Hollie, the owner, had been a top shelter supporter by opening her s… read more

5:37pm

Queen of Spay and Neuter 4/11/2008 Visit # 5

ZooMaster, Haley’s Mom, met the Zootoo Crew outside the East Brookfield, MA town hall early this morning…Haley in tow. Sheryl, the shelter founder and manager has impressively built up this clean, well organized, and small…small shelter from the ground up in 1999. Lots of volunteers and supporters rallied at the Town Hall to prove why they were the most deserving shelter…including Senator Brewer, who missed a meeting with judges to be at Second Chance’s side. Hope he doesn’t… read more

9:13pm

Rachel Goes to the Head of the Class 4/10/2008 V…

Onward to Bethel, Connecticut to see the Danbury Animal Welfare Society … and they were ready for us! Cheers from such an enthusiastic crowd of people. Signs and banners waving. This really got us going! Our Zootoo Crew got immediately to work talking to supporters and joining the big event. This was a community of five towns that were ready to win! The mascot dog, Mayor Burke of Bethel, Mayor Boughton of Danbury, and the State Senator Cappiello …all there to shake hands and praise… read more

7:39pm

Voorhees Makes Zootoo Taste Zoo-licious! 4/9/2008

For our next stop, The Voorhees Animal Orphanage in Voorhees, New Jersey’s Executive Director, Maria Clark got a little fancy. Myself and the Zootoo Crew were invited to a reception at the Lion’s Lake Banquet Facility…. Mighty nice! During introductions, I was surprised by how these guys introduced themselves, not by name but by the place in line they held in Zootoo.com’s Shelter Makeover points (i.e. - Second). Love that competitive spirit and passion! … read more

6:34pm

Layover at JFK 4/8/2008

Next up, Bobbi & The Strays in Queens, New York....not your typical shelter location or easy to find… in the cargo area of New York City’s largest airport, JFK. Approaching the shelter, we saw a crowd holding up Zootoo.com signs and heard chanting “Zootoo! Zootoo! Zootoo! And Bobbi! Bobbi! Bobbi!”…..WOW! On our shelter tour, we saw some cages that could use more bedding, a dog run that was hand built by the members of the shelter and a facility in need of repair. C… read more

6:23pm

Little Shelter with a Big Heart 4/8/2008

As we pulled up to our first makeover tour shelter visit at Little Shelter Animal Rescue in Huntington, New York, I was surprised to see that the entrances were decorated with bunches of Zootoo.com balloons. Right away… myself and the Zootoo Crew were greeted by Maryanne Chernovski, the shelter president of 20 years and welcomed with open arms by the staff, community, and volunteers. Breakfast was also awaiting us....nice! As our tour of the shelter began, it was easy to see … read more

10:10pm

Start Your Community Engines

I'm excited to begin the Shelter Makeover Tour of the Top 20 shelter winners. It's going to be a great adventure. I am looking forward to meeting you all personally and learning about your supportive community. We will be posting journals and videos from the shelter tour so check back regularly! read more