ResQwalk App Wants You To Step Up To Benefit Animal Rescues

by Lydia McNutt

Published: April 28th, 2015

resqwalk app wants you to step up to benefit animal rescues

Walking doesn’t just get you from point A to point B. Thanks to a free mobile app, every step you take earns money for animal charities.

Dogs love their walks almost as much as they love their two-legged companions, so here’s a great chance for us to give a little love back to those loyal, faithful furballs, one step at a time. And yes, there’s an app for that! ResQwalk is a free mobile app for iOS and Android, designed to raise funds for animal charities, simply by walking. Since ResQwalk’s launch less than a year ago, participants have walked more than one million miles and raised over $68,000.

One small step for man, one giant step for animal-kind

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2.7 million healthy animals are euthanized every year in the animal shelter system. On the flip side, 2.7 million are adopted to happy homes. Thousands of shelters and rescues make it their mission to tip the scale in favor of our furry friends, but they can’t do it alone. Here’s where ResQwalk steps in – along with its pedestrian participants. By simply downloading the app, supporters can walk, hike, step, stroll and saunter their way to earn donations that go to animal shelters in need.

Animal lover Bailey Schroeder founded ResQwalk with the objective to “make giving easy,” recognizing that people want to do something to help, yet don’t always have the money or the time to give. But who goes a day without taking at least a few steps? Here’s a unique opportunity to put your feet to work for a good cause.

Did you know?

The average American adult takes around 5,900 steps per day. Experts say that we should get in 10,000 steps a day. And if added health benefits aren’t enough of a motivator to get you to take an extra 30 minute walk, then we’re pretty sure that ResQwalk will!

How It Works

Each week, a corporate sponsor makes a donation that gets divided among a pool of shelters based on how far their supporters have walked. Add the increased awareness and the resulting manpower, and ResQwalk’s efforts go far beyond dollars.

ResQwalk currently supports 1,700 animal rescues across the U.S and Canada, with the goal of adding another 3,000 to the roster in the next year. The search is also on for a long-term corporate partner to make those weekly donation pools a little deeper.

Let’s Get Steppin’!

Apart from spending some quality time with your doggies (and if they enjoy their walks, then your kitties, bunnies, hamsters, parrots…), while getting some fresh air and good exercise, you can also earn money to help those furry friends. Do you really need any more good reasons to take a walk?

You can download the ResQwalk app right now (an updated version of the app is coming this summer) on iTunes or Google Play.

Lydia McNutt

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Text A Woof: Dogs Trust Launches First Ever Canine Emojis

Say it with a furry emoji! Dogs Trust releases the first ever dog emoji keyboard, featuring 23 of the most popular breeds in the UK. It had to happen but I guess I was expecting something like this to emanate from tech-savvy and pet-crazed China or the US. But no, jolly old England is the first to introduce a pooch-faced emoji for dog lovers around the world. It seems those Brits are a clever lot who not only adore the estimated nine million pooches sharing their homes, but were quick to spot an opportunity to promote pet adoption by jumping on the world’s fasts growing language bandwagon and developing a keyboard that allows the user to insert a dog-face emoji. Related: ResQwalk App Wants You To Step Up To Benefit Animal Rescues What’s the connection between a key-stroke and pet adoption? The emoji keyboard features 23 of the UK’s most popular breeds and it was developed by the Dogs Trust charity in a bid to highlight the many types of pooches sitting in the organization’s rehoming centers awaiting their forever homes. From Staffordshire Terriers to Cocker Spaniels to German Shepherds and more, each of the featured emojis represents the image of an actual dog from one of the 20 Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres in the UK and Ireland. Related: Walk For A Dog App Helps You Get Active For A Cause According to Dogs Trust CEO Adrian Burder, the group is keen to see even more breeds added to the current list of 23. It’s all about celebrating canine diversity and the wonderful varieties of pooches calling the U.K. home. It’s expected that from the added exposure offered through social media, a greater awareness of the need to adopt will naturally emerge. Dogs Trust Emoji is available to download for free on Apple iOS and Google Android now! [Source: Dogs Trust]

Walk For A Dog App Helps You Get Active For A Cause

Don’t just take your dog for a walk… take your Walk for a Dog with this super cool (and super charitable) app! Imagine taking something that all good dog owners do anyway – that is, walking their dog – and using it for social good. Well, that’s exactly what smartphone app Walk for a Dog does, and all you have to do is walk your pooch! Created in 2013 by software developer Doug Hexter, who has a rescue dog of his own named Cassie, Walk for a Dog is a free and easy-to-use app that allows pet owners to time and map walks with their canine companions. Related: ResQwalk App Wants You To Step Up To Benefit Animal Rescues Every step you walk together means a donation to a shelter or rescue organization of your choice, so not only do you and your pup get to enjoy the health benefits of walking with one another, but you also get to give back to other furry friends in need. Does it get any better than that? Walk for a Dog is currently partnered with almost 7000 rescue operations across the US and so far, over 3 million walks have been taken for shelters and rescues in all 50 states. Donations to the shelters are made possible by sponsorships, advertising and investors, and you can also make a personal gift to the organization of your choice directly through the app. Related: walkzee Kickstarter Wants To Pair Dogless Walkers With A Shelter Pooch Walk for a Dog is making such a huge splash that its parent company, Wooftrax, was recently presented with a “Best Business Act” Hero Award from The PeaceJam Foundation, which counts the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu among its supporters. The awards ceremony took place on June 14, 2015 in Monte Carlo and was led by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel. We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that the folks over at Walk for a Dog must be doing something right… right? Interested in walking your dog for a good cause? Head on over to the Walk for a Dog website to find out more. The app is also available as a free download for both iPhone and Android devices.

Earn Wellcoin Points, Buy Shelter Dogs A Healthy Meal

Now your healthy lifestyle can help hungry animals. With the Wellcoin app, log in your healthy choices and earn points that buy meals for shelter pets. I love to multi-task. If I can be doing two things at once – or better still, three or four things at once – I’m a happy camper. So the thought of being able to feed shelter dogs while getting in my daily run or walk (depending on my mood), is right up my alley. I think a lot of people think this way and happily, so do the folk at Wellcoin where it seems the creator of the World’s First Health Currency has teamed with natural pet food company Halo, Purely for Pets to enable you to deliver up to 15,000 free bowls of food for shelter animals while doing your daily workout routine. Related: Walk For A Dog App Helps You Get Active For A Cause How it works? Firstly, it’s free! Yes, it costs you nadda. You sign up for a free account on wellcoin.com or download the free app. Talk about sweat equity, right? All work, no pay! Apparently the recently launched organization’s mission is to help North Americans lead healthier lives. As a member you earn virtual currency by claiming and verifying that you have completed healthy activities throughout your workday. This currency can be used in the Wellcoin Marketplace for goods and services offered by local merchants and national brands. Over 70 merchant partners (including a lot of the really good ones!) such as Skechers, Reebok, Whole Foods Market, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Sports Authority and Pure Barre, have joined the Wellcoin Marketplace. Related: ResQwalk App Wants You To Step Up To Benefit Animal Rescues Here is where the multi-tasking comes into play. You can generate a donation of 10 meals to hungry pooches and cats for just 1,000 Wellcoins – an amount that can be earned by logging healthy activities over just a few days. And these “healthy activities” don’t have to include marathons or mountain climbing; simply running, walking or eating a healthy meal will do the trick. The unusual yet rewarding partnership between Wellcoin and Halo, Purely for Pets is a first-of-its-kind philanthropic partnership providing thousands of the organization’s members the ability to use their “currency” for good. Just think, when you head out to the gym or enjoy that salad (versus burger with fries), your efforts will help feed shelter pets including those at SPCA of Westchester County (Westchester, NY), Humane Society of Central Oregon (Bend, OR), San Francisco Animal Care and Control (San Francisco, CA), Arizona Animal Welfare League (Phoenix, AZ) or ASPCA (New York, NY). Wellcoin Founder, Glenn Laffel, MD, PhD says, “We think Wellcoin has enormous potential as a tool that enhances charitable giving. Not everyone can participate in charitable runs or walks that are held on specific days, but everyone does at least some healthy activities every day. Wellcoin can turn those healthy activities into donations.” Okay, can you think of any better reason to strap on the runners and head out for a brisk one? The Wellcoin app is free to download on Google Play and iPhone.

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Wish Your Dog Could Understand You? New Study Says They Can!

You don’t have to be a dog owner to know that dogs can learn and understand commands like “sit” or “come”. But, a new study has made a groundbreaking discovery that dogs also know that certain words stand for specific objects. This finding won’t come as a big surprise to any dog owner who has ever asked their pup to “go get your toy” and, a minute later, been handed a chewed-up rubber ball or slobbery stuffed animal. Scientists have long been interested in learning whether dogs can truly associate words with objects. However, researchers couldn’t figure out whether dogs and other animals get a mental image when they hear an object's name. This would suggest that dogs have a better understanding of language than believed before. Researchers in Hungary have discovered that in addition to being able to respond to commands such as “sit”, “roll over”, or “stay” dogs can also grasp the essence of nouns. This relationship with language is called referential understanding, and it has been unproven in dogs until now. “When we are talking about objects, objects are external to the dogs and dogs have to learn that words refer, they stand for something that is external to them,” explained the study’s co-lead author, Marianna Boros, of the Department of Ethology at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.To get some answers about what is happening in the dog brain when it processes words, Boros and her colleagues asked 18 dog owners to bring their pooches to the lab along with five objects the dogs knew well. The objects included balls, slippers, leads, rubber toys, frisbees, and other items.Researchers instructed the owners to say the words for the items before showing their dog either the correct object or a different one. For example, the owner might say “Rover, look, the ball”, but hold up a lead instead. During the tests, the researchers measured the dogs’ brain activity using non-invasive electroencephalography, or EEG. The idea was to see whether EEG could offer a better insight into dogs’ understanding of language. The brain recordings showed different patterns in the brain when the dogs were shown an object that matched or didn’t match the owner’s spoken word. The difference was even greater for the words owners believed their dogs knew well.The same results were seen when humans performed these tests and are widely accepted as people understanding the word well enough to form a mental image of the object they were later shown. “We expected that if a dog really understands the meaning of the object’s word, it will expect to see that object. And if the owner shows a different one, there will be a so-called surprise reaction in the brain. And this is exactly what we found,” said Boros according to ABC News.Lilla Magyari, also of Eötvös Loránd University, and the other co-first author, said that although some other animals have shown some degree of referential understanding of language, they have typically been trained to do so. In dogs, she explained, such capacities seem to be inborn and don’t require any particular training or talent. Researchers stress they aren’t claiming that dogs understand words as well as humans. Future studies are needed to determine whether dogs can generalize in the same way humans learn to as children.This study raises an interesting question of why, if dogs understand nouns, more of them don’t show it. One possible answer is that dogs know more than they are willing to show us.Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Meet the Lancashire Heeler, the AKC's Newest Dog Breed

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Let's Talk Turkey... and Why the White House Pardons One Each Year

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How Do I Train My Dog to Wear a Muzzle?

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Golden Retriever Survives 65 Days Alone in the Alaskan Wilderness

It’s always tragic when a beloved pet dog goes missing, but this was particularly hard for the Mahoskey family, whose senior golden retriever vanished in the Alaskan wilderness. The family was unsure that they would ever see Stella again. Luckily for them, Stella is one tough cookie. Stella’s adventure began in early July when she was enjoying a quiet evening with her family on the back deck of their Sitka home. According to local news outlet KCAW, an unexpected burst of fireworks startled a 13-year-old Stella and sent her dashing into the wilderness. Sarah and Jerrom Mahoskey and their two kids, Kai and Quinn, searched until nightfall but had yet to locate Stella. The next morning, the family grew even more concerned when they realized that their pooch hadn’t returned. Their worries increased even further when the neighbor told them about the bear attack that happened the previous night. “They said, ‘Did you hear there was a bear that attacked a dog last night? We had the windows open in the back of the house, and my wife heard this altercation that sent chills up her spine. And basically, I don’t think your dog could be alive,’” Sarah recalled to KCAW. However, Stella’s family still had hope that she was alive, somewhere, in the woods. The Mahoskeys spent the summer checking out trails near where Stella went missing and followed up on any lead or potential Stella sightings reported by their friends and neighbors. After two months and many investigated reports, Sarah told a friend, “I feel like there’s a 1% chance that she’s out there, and so I cannot let go.”Then, in early September, more than two months after Stella disappeared, the family received a phone call from Tim Eddy, a friend of Jerrom, who was working at the quarry that day.“He said ‘Do you have a golden retriever?’ And Jerrome said, ‘Well, we did have a golden retriever.’ And he says, ‘Well, I think this is your golden retriever,’” Sara shared. Jerome hopped in his four-wheeler and drove to the quarry, where he spotted Stella.“She was on the cliffside, and it was basically this ash and rock that was the same exact color as her,” said Sarah. “She totally blended in. The fact that Tim saw her -  I just kept saying to him, ‘How did you see her?’”Considering the lack of food and water at the quarry, the Mahoskeys don’t believe Stella was there long. The family suspects the quarry looked like a familiar ground to Stella, who grew up around Jerrome’s excavation business. After more than two months in the wilderness, Stella weighed only 30 pounds - that’s nearly half of her regular body weight. Sarah believes that Stella likely foraged to survive. “She has always picked her own berries when we are out hiking,” Sarah explained. “And she loves dandelion roots.”In addition to being underfed, the golden retriever also had a large gash on her left side, possibly from the encounter with the bear. “We think she probably hunkered down for quite a while, and just probably wasn’t able to move a lot and knew that it needed to heal,” said Sarah. “She obviously found a safe space, because the fact that she was bleeding and wasn’t found by that bear or another bear again is quite a miracle.”Upon her safe return home, Stella was examined by her vet, who placed her on a strict diet for the first 10 days. Now, she’s eating well and has already gained 11 pounds.Although Stella can’t share everything that happened during the time she was lost in the wilderness, she hasn’t changed much. According to Sarah, the only difference is that Stella is now definitely hungrier than before. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

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Human-Cat Amputee Duo Teams Up To Help Others Through Animal Therapy

Juanita Mengel from Amanda, Ohio, and her five-year-old dilute tortoiseshell cat Lola-Pearl, make a unique therapy team. The 67-year-old Mengel is missing a leg, and her fluffy feline is missing a left hind leg. This special duo is one of an estimated 200 therapy cat teams registered in the US through Pet Partners. This nonprofit organization puts together owners and their pets as volunteer teams. They aim to provide animal-assisted therapy in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. “A therapy animal is an animal who’s been assessed based on their ability to meet new people and not just tolerate the interaction but actively enjoy it,” said Taylor Chastain Griffin, the national director of animal-assisted interventions advancement at Pet Partners. This organization registered nine different species of animals as therapy animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds, horses, mini pigs, alpacas, and lamas. Therapy cats are less common than therapy dogs, and people are often surprised to see cats in this role. However, Griffin studies the impact of therapy cats and emphasizes the importance of cats in therapy teams. There’s a lot of research on other therapy animals, especially dogs, so there is often a ‘shock factor’ associated with therapy cats because many people don’t know these felines exist. “They go into a setting and people are like ‘Whoa, there’s a cat on a leash. What’s happening?’” said Griffin. According to her, cats inspire people to connect to them in a way that’s not seen with other kinds of therapy animals. Juanita Mengel knew that her cat Lola-Pear would be an excellent therapy animal a month after she adopted her. The feline’s therapeutic potential became clear after Mengel took her to an amputee conference. “She was so good with people I just knew she would be a good therapy cat,” said Mengel. “People really were attracted to her, too.”During a recent limb loss support group, Mengel pushed Lola-Pearl around in a cat stroller labeled “Therapy Cat’, so participants could pet the cat as she woke from a nap. When she wasn’t sitting in a stroller, Lola-Pearl could be found brushing against participants’ legs or cuddling in their laps, bringing a smile to the face of every person she decided was worthy of her company. “She’s very intuitive of people,” said Mengel.Although Lola-Pearl is very special, she isn’t the only cat Mengel owns. Mengel, who lost her leg after years of surgeries following a near-fatal car accident, is a mom to seven cats, most of whom have disabilities. “They find you, you don’t find them,” she added.Lola-Pearl was only a few weeks old when she was found with her back legs completely twisted together. The kitten was unable to walk and was brought to Mengel’s friend at a shelter in Missouri. Unfortunately, the vets there couldn’t help the feline. The shelter located a specialist in Iowa who was able to splint Lola-Pearl’s legs in order to save them. However, it was clear that the left hind leg was beyond saving and the vets decided to amputate. Mengel adopted Lola-Pearl after she recovered from the surgery and they formed the unique therapy team. After everything Mengel has been through, she is extremely grateful for Lola-Pearl and appreciates all the good work they do together. “It’s a really rewarding experience,” she said. “I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit.” Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

UK Dog Is Recovering After 130+ Coins Were Removed From His Stomach

Missing any cash? An owner from Swindon in the UK did and was shocked when he discovered how his money went missing. The vets were equally shocked because they discovered that Charlie, the little  Bichon Frise, had eaten 133 coins, equalling more than £18!The mischievous little Bichon was taken to Thameswood Vets in Swindon, after the owners became concerned for his health, thinking he was ill. Their doubts proved true. A quick ultrasound revealed an obvious obstruction in the pet’s tummy. At first, the vet thought it was a piece of plastic, and scheduled an operation to remove the obstruction. But the surgery left him shocked. "It was a surprise for everybody,"  said vet Matheus Nerone, who carried out the surgery. Because once the stomach was opened, a “hoard” of 133 coins was discovered, adding up to £18 and 20 pence. "We opened his stomach and found 133 coins inside him," Dr. Nerone explained. "We did find some pieces of plastic there as well - but the owners had no idea that he had eaten the coins."Everyone was left scratching their head, wondering how on earth did Charlie ingest so many coins. "I don't think they had been there that long - maybe the night or two nights before he came in - because of the size of the obstruction there.” the Dr. said. "He felt sick so if he had eaten those coins a few days ago, he would have been sick before then."Of course, the doctor revealed that it is not uncommon for dogs to  ingest all sorts of things, especially loose change. "It does happen but usually they stop after having a couple of them [coins] - but 133 coins is an impressive amount!"Luckily, the surgery went well, and mischievous little Charlie is now making a good recovery. Thanks to the owner’s keen eye, a real tragedy was prevented, as Charlie could have been in big trouble without quick attention. "Many coins contain zinc which can be poisonous and lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and a lack of appetite," Dr. Nerone clarified. "We are monitoring his blood, but we are hopeful that everything's going to be fine."So next time you’re missing some change, consider all the possibilities!

Why is My Cat Suddenly Acting Aggressive?

Cats are well-known for their independent and aloof nature. It’s part of their mysterious and majestic presence. But what do you do when your once docile companion suddenly becomes angry or aggressive?Understanding why your cat may have shown such an abrupt behavior change is important. Why? This could be a sign of much bigger trouble that demands your attention. There are many explanations for this type of change in demeanor, including physical pain or illness. The best solution to create harmony once again in your home is to get to the bottom of it!In this article, we will look at the most common reasons for a cat to suddenly exhibit aggression and what you should do to help your furry best friend.What Does Aggression Look Like in Cats?If you are a first-time cat owner or have never encountered an aggressive cat, you may wonder what aggression looks like. Our feline friends aren’t always as outwardly friendly and affectionate as their canine counterparts, but aggression refers to behaviors that go a step further. Rather than being aloof or disinterested, an aggressive cat outwardly expresses upset, anger, and frustration toward a trigger.Cat parents who seek help with an aggressive cat often refer to their cat biting or swatting, causing physical harm out of nowhere. But there are often other signs of trouble that are overlooked or unnoticed.Early signs of aggression include:Thrashing or fast twitching tailDirect stareDilated pupilsEars flattened back against the headStiff or crouched postureRaised hacklesHissing, growling, or yowlingWhen these warning signs are ignored, a cat may feel they have no choice but to react further to protect themselves from the perceived threat or trigger. It is at this moment that a cat will swat or bite. Learning to recognize the early warning signs will help you prevent the situation from escalating to the point that someone is hurt.How Do You Tell if a Cat is Playing or Being Aggressive?Some cats, especially young kittens, may play in a way that is similar to or mimics the signs of aggression. This can make it harder to identify if your cat is truly upset or simply playing around. Luckily, there are a few minor differences that can help you differentiate between the two.When a cat is being playful, they usually have their claws retracted. This means they may swat at you during play, but they aren’t scratching or causing harm with that action. The same can be said when they pounce on you – landing on you with their paws, nails retracted. If your cat is biting at your hand during play, they often have a threshold they won’t cross. They may bite hard enough that you feel some discomfort, but they aren’t trying to break the skin.There is a grey area that shouldn’t be overlooked between play and aggression, where a cat either didn’t learn where that line exists or fails to acknowledge it. This is known as play aggression, which we will touch on later.

How Do I Manage My Dog's Separation Anxiety When I'm At Work?

No one likes to be separated from their cherished pet for too long. But going to work is unavoidable for most of us, and, inevitably, our pets have to stay home alone. It might not seem like a big deal to you, knowing you’ll be back after a few hours, but it is definitely a big deal for your dog. In fact, most pet dogs are affected by this separation so much that they can experience anxiety and stress, ranging from mild discomfort to severe panic. Needless to say, this is traumatic for your pet (and can result in destroyed valuables, too) so it’s important to learn how to help them manage anxiety when you’re away. Here are some tips to help you navigate your pet’s separation anxiety while you’re at the office. 6 Ways To Prevent Dog Separation Anxiety When You’re At WorkGoing off to work and leaving their pet behind is a challenge for many pet owners around the world, especially those who live alone. When you're at the office, you need to make sure your pet is safe and taken care of until you come back. But even when you organize everything, your pet might feel stressed out on their own - even when it’s for a few hours, your dog won’t know why you left or even if you are coming back which can be a trigger for a panic attack for some canines. Some, especially  velcro dogs, get so nervous and stressed that they develop a separation anxiety disorder. But even so, there are many ways to help your pet cope when you're at work, regardless of the severity of their anxiety – here are 6 ways to reduce stress for your four-legged bestie.Create a Consistent Routine:Dogs thrive when they have a routine. Establish a consistent daily schedule for feeding, walks, and playtime. This helps them know what to expect and when. You can create their schedule around your work hours, so your pet will not find it odd that you are not there when they know what to expect before and after your shift (e.g. walk and mealtime).Gradual Departures and Arrivals:Don't make a big fuss when leaving or returning home. Keep your arrivals and departures low-key to reduce anxiety. This helps normalize the process. Make it seem like you just popped out for a few minutes. If you help your dog understand it is not a big deal, they might pick up on your relaxed energy and stay calm when you depart.Offer Interactive Toys: 

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