Jenny volunteers some of her time at a cat shelter named Ollie’s Place.  I would love to regularly volunteer, but my schedule keeps me from doing so (until the summer, at least).  Though I can’t be physically present, I can still help out in other ways. 

Two people had contacted Ollie’s about donating large collapsible crates but they had no way to deliver them.  So we hopped in the car and headed from Brooklyn to Manhattan to pick up the crates.  It took a little while, and driving in the city is always stressful, but now there is room for a few more animals. 

If you don’t have time to volunteer regularly, offer to lend a hand (or your driving skills) when you can, picking up supplies or transporting animals.  It feels great to help, even if it’s on an irregular basis.          

As you can see the Daily Walrus has taken a few weeks off and you deserve an explanation.  Ryan and I are in the midst of planning the best vegan wedding ever!  We still love Wally and are continuing to do our best at helping animals but have been negligent in reminding others to do the same.  I would  like to take a minute to discuss vegan weddings with you in case you are planning a wedding anytime soon.

A vegan wedding is comprised of more than just delicious food, although that is super important.  We are in the middle of selecting a caterer that we feel can represent vegan food well.  We are looking at this as an opportunity to showcase vegan delicacies and hopefully our guests will be impressed and maybe even inspired.  Besides the food we have to be concerned about our attire.  I have finally secured a wedding dress that is not made with silk and we are exploring options for tuxes not made of wool.  In addition, we will be asking our bridal party to wear cruelty-free clothing.

We will be getting back on track with the Daily Walrus now.  You should expect, though, posts every once in a while on vegan weddings since we are becoming experts on the topic. 

And don’t worry, Wally’s grey suit is 100% vegan!

Staff here at the Daily Walrus are on our death beds from presumably the plague.  But we did not want to leave you, our loyal readers, without a tip for helping animals.  Scientists at Colorado State University have predicted an above-average hurricane season this year with at least one major hurricane hitting the United States.  In addition to this, it seems that tornados are a daily occurrence (or that could just be in my nightmares).  Whether you live in an area that is high-risk or low-risk (Atlanta got struck with tornados, nowhere is safe) you need to have an evacuation plan.

Your plan should include several necessary components.  First, figure out where you will go if you need to evacuate - find out now which places will allow you to bring your beloved animals.  Second, make sure that you have crates/carriers for the animals to be transported in.  This means that if you have ten cats but only one carrier (because you only take one to the vet at a time) you need to get at least four more!  I know that storage can be a pain, especially if you live in a tiny New York City apartment, but get creative - put a sheet over your carrier and it can be an end table, or you can just hide it in your closet or car like we do.  Finally, always have your pets’ medication available.  If your pet takes medicine regularly, do not wait until there is only one dose left before refilling - make sure you always have at least a weeks supply on hand.  The same goes for food.

Ollie’s Place, the shelter where Jenny volunteers, is trying to improve their fundraising tactics.  Are there any readers out there who can suggest tactics or events that have been successful for your favorite shelters?  If you have ideas, please leave us a comment.  If you would like to help out a FANTASTIC organization that helps stray cats find a new home in NYC, head on over to their homepage and donate a few bucks via paypal (the link is on the left hand side).  Thanks for reading and GO HELP OUT OLLIES PLACE!!   

Today on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lisa Ling went undercover to let viewers know about the horrors of puppy mills.  According to wikipedia,  puppy mills ”are large-scale dog breeding facilities that operate under substandard breeding conditions that provoke the development of chronic health problems, temperament issues, and hereditary defects.”  The animals are often sold through pet stores accross the country.  Winfrey, who had previously bought dogs from breeders, later stated ”I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show.”

Kudos to Oprah and to Ling for bringing this subject to the attention of their HUGE audience.  To learn more, click here  and here.  If you are thinking of adding a new member to your furry family, listen to Oprah and avoid the pet store in favor of your local shelter!
  

Next week for class, I (Jenny) have to compare two research articles on the same topic and discuss the methodology of them in a class presentation (I won’t bore you with the details of this project).  I am using this as an opportunity to teach my classmates about vegetarianism.  I have chosen two articles, which both come to the conclusion that vegetarianism reduces the risk for colorectal cancer.  So while I am blowing their minds with my skills in research methodology, I am also teaching them about the benefits of going vegetarian.  When you are given a class project, try to think of it as a way to teach your teacher and/or your classmates about living a cruelty free life.

We just received two coupons in the mail from Nutro Natural Choice for two FREE bags of food (one cat and one dog).  Our animals don’t eat Nutro, but we will still make good use of these coupons.  They can be redeemed for food you can donate to your local shelter.  We suggest getting on as many pet food websites you can think of and looking for coupons - you may even find some for the brand that you use.  You can also sign up for mailing/e-mail lists for coupons.  Remember, though, that it really only helps the shelter if you redeem the coupon for them.  Shelters run predominantly on volunteer services and do not have the time to make a pet food store run to cash in the coupon for food. 

On April 10th celebrate ASPCA’s Spay Day 2008!  Wear orange in support of the ASPCA and, if you are in the NYC area, head on over to Union Square to join the festivities. 

 Interestingly, The Humane Society held their very own Spay Day on Feb 24th.  One of the cool aspects of this event is the online photo contest.  Site visitors were asked to upload pics of their furry friends and tell the world how much they mean to them.  Can you believe that a pic Jenny submitted of our very own Luigi won an Honorable Mention?!?!  To check out the pic, click here and scroll down towards the bottom of the page.  That’s our boy!    

A commenter named Moi directed us to the pet care section on gomestic.com.  One post in particular, by Dr Kristie Leong, caught our attention.  We have had plenty of friends in the past who loved their pets dearly, but lit up a smoke regularly.  It should be no surprise that second-hand smoke is dangerous to pets.  There is a long list of harmful side effects in humans - why wouldn’t pets face similar risks?

If you haven’t made the decision to give up smoking for your own health, Do it for your pets.  You may be harming your companion animals every time you take a drag of a cigarette or cigar.  You give them healthy food, clean water, brush their teeth and take them to the vet regularly.  Why pollute the air they breath with toxins?  It just doesn’t make sense. 

For more info, check out the links below…

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Can-Smoking-Increase-Your-Dogs-Risk-of-Cancer.96085

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/3/268

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/309/6959/960/c

If so, head on over to the VegCooking Blog where you can enter to win a prize pack offered by VegNews Magazine.  All you have to do is leave a comment on the page stating why you should be the winner.  The prize includes a tote bag, vegan cookies, and a years subscription to the magazine.  VegNews is a great resource, especially for those new to veganism. 

If you have ever been curious about vegan food, check out the VegCooking Blog for great vegan recipes.  If you aren’t vegan, try one of the recipes out this weekend and we bet you’ll be floored by how great an animal-free meal can be.