U.S. Shelter Dogs in a Lather Over Aussie Family’s ‘Bathe to Save�

by Mary Simpson

Updated: March 3rd, 2022 Published: June 7th, 2017

u s shelter dogs in a lather over aussie familys bathe to save

Rub-a-dub – homeless dogs are California are getting ready for a good scrub this weekend. That’s because the “Bathe to Save’ tour is comin’ to town!

On Sunday, June 11, homeless pooches in Los Angeles, California are cleaning up their act and putting their best face forward in their quest to find forever families. The event is part of the ‘Bathe to Save Tour’ led by the Amos family of Australia (yes, land of koalas, kiwis and roo’s) and it aims to pretty up America’s shelter pooches to help make them more appealing to potential adopters. Hey, any dog in need is good enough for me but let’s be honest, a good scrub never hurts!

The family’s commitment to helping shelter dogs has become more pilgrimage than tour as it hits 150 cities in 50 states and is expected to spruce up more than 25,000 family-seeking pooches along the way. Even bigger is the anticipated $1 million they expect to raise in support of animal shelters.

Partnering with pet industry leaders Wahl and the GreaterGood.org, the Amos’s travel with their three kids and a mobile dog washing vehicle known as Bubbles the Big Blue Dog (and yes, that’s exactly what it looks like) lathering up pooches across the land. The free event is open to the public and gives visitors the opportunity to hook up with their potential fur-kid by participating in a fun speed-dating style meet and greet with adoptable dogs – hosted by none other than Larry King!

If you already have a dog, bring him along for some free rub-a-dub-dub time in the Big Blue (all bubbles courtesy of Wahl pet shampoo) or enter him in the talent show portion of this event. Food, entertainment, adorable adoptables and a well-coiffed mutt make for a day of good clean fun! For dog lovers who just can’t make the date in their community, you can still show your support by donating to the cause.

The family will be touring now through to April 2018 and every dollar raised on the tour goes to GreaterGood.org, a charitable organization that will distribute cash grants to animal shelters across the country. To see if they’re coming to a town new you, visit the official Bathe To Save website.

As dad Amos says, “One bath at a time, our goal is to save the lives of dogs that would otherwise be euthanized.”

Mary Simpson

Sharing space with three seriously judgy Schnoodles and a feline who prefers to be left alone. #LivingMyBestLife

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Jolly Pets is the brand behind innovative, durable, and unique pet toys that are made entirely by domestic manufacturers – and every holiday season, they make an effort to spread joy, kindness, and love to all the pooches in need. This season, collaborating with 19 influencer ambassadors, they are once again heading their # WeGiveaJolly charitable campaign. Starting from November 28th until December 25th, Jolly Pets will donate a high-quality toy for every single purchase made. The toys will go to rescue dogs at 19 animal shelters in the USA, each represented by the influencer ambassadors, as announced by the marketing director of Jolly Pets, Louisa Casto. "The holiday season is a time for giving, and what better way to make a difference in the lives of shelter dogs than through the power of play and companionship. Jolly Pets understands the importance of providing joy and comfort to dogs awaiting their forever homes, and # WeGiveaJolly exemplifies our commitment to this cause," said Casto. "We believe that every dog deserves love, care, and happiness regardless of their circumstances. That's why we're excited to kick off our annual # WeGiveaJolly campaign, collaborating with compassionate ambassadors and animal shelters to make a real difference in a dog's life."This campaign will bring true holiday cheer across the country, especially to rescue dogs who are in dire need of some love and compassion.The ambassadors, shelters, and locations are as follows:@guidingeyesfortheblind for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Yorktown Heights, NY@goodasgoldens for Canine Companions, Sacramento, CA@Jack_the_Sleeper for Fort Worth North Animal Care and Adoption Campus, Haslet, TX@moosethegoldenretriever for Rescue Village, Russell Twp., OH@cheriethesurfdog for Frenchies United Rescue, Claremont, CA@incredibullstella for Animal Help Alliance, Las Vegas, NV@iheartpgracie for Animal Care Centers of NYC, New York, NY@2rockstarlabs for Crossed Paws Animal Shelter, Woodsfield, OH@koda.laredo for Hoosier Bulldog Rescue, Indianapolis, IN@posies_pocketful_of_praise for Pickens Humane Society, Liberty, SC@ziggy_loving_life for Home Fur Good Animal Rescue, Phoenix, AR@maligator_apollo for PAWS Chicago, Chicago, IL@remingtonpup for Great Pyrenees Rescue Society, Spring, TX@gvl_golden_girls for Dog Squad, Greer, SC@enzo.and.bella for Friends of Detroit Animal Care & Control, Northville, MI@benny.n.lola for Humane Society Silicon Valley, Milpitas, CA@leuleu_theblue for the Pet Alliance Sanford Shelter, Orlando, FL@the.hero.dogs for Hot Mess Pooches, Homer, IL@fosterkittenhq for The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Arlington, VA"By participating in Jolly Pets # WeGiveaJolly campaign, our customers are not only providing joy to their own pets but also extending that joy to shelter dogs waiting for a loving home. It's a small act of kindness that can profoundly impact these dogs' lives," Casto said. "We encourage using the hashtag # WeGiveaJolly on social media to encourage friends and family to participate in this heartwarming initiative."To learn more about the # WeGiveaJolly campaign and to shop for Jolly Pets' durable and innovative pet toys, visit  https://jollypets.com/pages/wegiveajolly-annual-toy-drive.

Adopter Visits a Dog Every Day for 2 Months to Earn the Pet's Trust

Alva, a fearful dog who spent over 500 days at Austin Pets Alive! shelter has found a loving home thanks to an adopter who believed in her. According to Dr. Ellen Jefferson, a veterinarian and the CEO and president of Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), Alva first arrived at the shelter in 2019, as a puppy. Alva was transferred to APA! from another shelter after it was discovered that she had cerebellar hypoplasia. This congenital neurological condition affects the part of the brain that controls movement, leading to mobility issues. “We’re a shelter that generally takes animals from other shelters when they can’t afford long-term medical treatment,” said Jefferson, according to PEOPLE. The shelter quickly found a home for the young puppy, but problems emerged as Alva grew up.A common issue for dogs with severe mobility problems is that they don’t get out as much as healthy dogs. They spend most of their time inside a loving home with people who take good care of them. Unfortunately, these dogs miss a vital part of socialization as they aren’t exposed to new people, animals, and situations during puppyhood. As the home Alva grew up in became busier, she attempted to bite the people who came over for a visit. This type of fear aggression is common for dogs with mobility issues because they can’t get away. Sadly, Alva ended up back in the shelter because she became territorial, defensive, and fearful. While the shelter looked for a perfect adopter for Alva, the behavioral support team and volunteers worked with the pooch daily. “She got the best care she possibly could, with so many people taking her out every day,” Jefferson shared. “She had a wheelchair made for her.”Although Alva made immense progress with her mobility and behavioral issues, no one showed interest in adopting her for more than 500 days. Luckily, Alva wasn’t destined to stay in the shelter forever! Alva’s future changed when Joe Rotunda saw her on Instagram in July. Although he wasn’t looking for a new pet at that time, he immediately knew that he wanted to give Alva a loving home. “She shined. She had this almost tangible will,” Rotunda said. “I saw all these videos of Alva running, playing, and falling down. And every time she fell, she pulled herself back up. Every time a challenge presented itself, she did not go around it; she went over it. And I was very inspired.”It was love at first sight! Rotunda didn’t hesitate for a second, instead, he drove to APA! to schedule a meeting with Alva. “She was very wary of me. She was very nervous, concerned, and anxious,” said Rotunda about Alva’s initial reaction to him. “But, you could tell she was so loving and affectionate around the people that she knew.”To earn Alva’s trust, Rotunda kept coming back. That meant visiting the shelter every day for two months! “She needed someone who would not give up on her. And I never questioned that decision,” he explained.Over time, Alva who lounged and nipped at him at first, started to approach Rotunda and feel safe in his company. By October the APA! and Rotunda agreed it was time for Alva to spend the night outside the shelter.Before Alva arrived, Rotunda transformed his home to make it inviting and as comfortable as possible. He blocked a large section of the living room to make a private play area and added several crates to give Alva room to decompress.Alva arrived on Friday night, and when the APA! caretaker came to collect her the next day, it was obvious the dog wanted to stay. “She did not want to leave the house. She did not want to go back to APA. And she’s been here ever since.”Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Lost Tortoise Found After 3 Years

A story about a lost tortoise in Florida proves that reunions can happen even years after losing a pet, and that social media can play a huge role in reconnecting people with their lost pets.

What Shapes Your Dog’s Personality? Harvard Neuroscientists Reveal

No two dogs are the same – each pooch has a personality of their own, complete with unique quirks and traits. But why is your dog the way they are? What shapes their personality and character? Why do they behave in a unique way, even when they belong to a certain breed with a distinct set of traits?This is the question that Erin Hecht, assistant professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, is trying to answer. She is doing this through  The Canine Brains Project and recently held a  talk - centered on canine neuroscience - that was organized by Harvard’s Brain Science Initiative.According to Hecht, dogs have the potential to teach us so much about brain development, especially considering the fact that they were domesticated about 20,000 to 40,000 years before the present – which, on the evolutionary timeline, is quite recent. “Darwin saw dogs as a window on mechanisms of evolution,” Hecht said. “When we’re looking at dogs, as a natural experiment and brain behavior evolution all we have to do is look at their brains and see what evolution did in order to satisfy those selection requirements.”Hecht’s efforts were benefited by her lab, which performs MRI scans of dog brains – roughly 100 per year. They also conduct owner surveys that examine dogs’ work skills, especially those “ancient” ones, like hunting, guarding, herding, fetching, and so on. All this is then compared to breed parameters, like body size, skill size, and overall shape. “About 80 percent of the dogs living on the planet today are what’s known as village dogs. These are free-ranging animals that live as human commensals. So they’re living within human society, but they’re not pets,” Hecht said.Through such research, Hecht is hoping to determine what exactly shapes a dog’s personality. Through her lab work, she connects personality and skill differences in dogs to six special regions of their brains:-the regions controlling drive and reward -olfaction and taste-spatial navigation-social communication and coordination-fight or flight -and olfaction and vision“There has been very strong recent specific selection in individual breeds rather than founding effects in ancestral founding populations,” Hecht said. “So then we can look at behavior and ask whether the types of behaviors that different lineages have been selected for historically … [explain] each dog’s anatomy and these six brain networks. And it seems like there are some interesting relationships here.”But most importantly, it is concluded that these neural pathways are greatly impacted by the shape and size of a dog’s skull. “It stands to reason that if you’re manipulating the shape of a skull, you’re going to be manipulating the shape of the brain,” Hecht said. “But this confirms that dogs with these extreme skull morphotypes have impacts on their brain anatomy that likely affects behavior.”She also adds that even though some dogs have a brain “makeup” that suggests a unique disposition, it doesn’t “lock” them into a set behavior pattern. This is especially true for working skills. “Training is almost always necessary. I have yet to hear of any particular breed of working dog, where it’s just born knowing how to do its job,” Hecht said.So, a look “inside” your doggo’s brain might reveal why they are just the way they are. Would you be curious enough to let scientists take a peek?

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