Tag Archives: shelter

Chicago_Oak-Park_Hands-to-Paws-Holiday-Donation-Drive

Chicago & Oak Park Hands to Paws Donation Drive another Huge Success!

Big Wags and Thank You to all our wonderful Pet Parents! You did it again! We had the honor of delivering your gifts of food, supplies, toys, money, and more to Chicago Canine Rescue and Animal Care League.

Your participation in our Hands To Paws Holiday Donation Drive means so much to the dogs & cats and to the volunteers at the shelter who love them! Thanks for helping us make the holidays a little brighter for those pups and kitties awaiting their forever homes! Learn more about Out-U-Go!’s mission to give HUGs and support the people and places finding forever homes for pets in need.

Downers Grove Hands for Paws Hinsdale Humane Society Donations

Downers Grove Out-U-Go! Pet Care Hands For Paws Holiday Donation Drive

Thank you so much to all of our generous pet parents and staff who made our annual Hands for Paws donation drive a major success. Together, we donated to Hinsdale Humane Society and West Suburban Humane Society:

  • 20 Packages of paper towels, toilet paper, and paper plates
  • 12 Bottles of bleach and liquid detergent
  • 16 Packages of disinfecting wipes
  • 21 Bags of dry food
  • 180 Cans of wet food
  • Bones, toys, treats, garbage bags, towels, batteries, postage stamps, office paper and money!

THANK YOU!!!

naperville-hands-for-paws-holiday-donation-drive-naperville-area-humane-society

Naperville Out-U-Go! Pet Care Hands For Paws Holiday Donation Drive

We are overwhelmed and grateful beyond belief for the participation we received this year for our 4th annual Out-U-Go! “Hands for Paws” Holiday Donation Drive!

We will now have the honor of delivering all of these amazing donations to the very deserving pups and kitties at the Naperville Area Humane Society.

We have the most generous pet parents around and cannot thank you enough for making this a huge success!

Meet Ralphie, rescued from Tallahassee Last Hope Rescue

Meet OUG! Tallahassee Rescue Dog, Ralphie!

Meet Ralphie, a handsome devil and super sweet rescue dog from Last Hope Rescue in Tallahassee. Ralphie won the dog lottery and is now part of a wonderful, loving family!

He is one of our all-time favorites—sweet and laid back but loves a good romp with his water bottle butterfly toy! He also specializes in couch-snoozing and cuddling. Visiting Ralphie is truly a pleasure!

OUG! helps homeless pets like Ralphie every day by giving HUGs. HUGs, short for Home-U-Go!, is our way of supporting the humans of rescues and shelters finding forever homes for pups and kitties in need.

OUG! Madison Pet Care Dane County Humane Society Unleashed & Uncorked Pet Fundraiser Event

Unleashed & Uncorked: Dane County Humane Society Pet Fundraiser Event

Out-U-Go! Madison Pet Care joined the Dane County Humane Society in a night filled with wine tasting, art for sale, and live bluegrass music. The Unleashed & Uncorked pet fundraiser event took place on Friday, September 27, 2013, and all proceeds raised (totaling $15,000!!!) went to Dane County Humane Society for its programs and services helping shelter pets in need!

Table Talk: How to Feed your Pet the Natural & Healthy Way

Guest Blogger:  Many of our pet parents are interested in feeding their furry friends a healthy & natural diet so we thought we’d check in with the experts over at Boulder’s Natural Animal Hospital for some advice.  Boulder’s Natural Animal Hospital is a full service veterinary hospital located in Boulder, CO.

 

If you take some time to think about the trends and changes in the food products you find at your grocery store, you’ll notice that things are very different than they were even 5 years ago.

With more consumers adopting health-conscious and environmentally-conscious eating habits, natural and organic options have sprung up everywhere! Similarly, many companies have introduced ‘healthier’ options such as natural and fortified foods for your pet. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know what foods are right for your pet and what’s just plain hype. Have no fear: in this post, your friends at Boulder’s Natural Animal Hospital would like to help shed some light on the tricky subject of pet nutrition. We’ll discuss some things to look for as well as those to avoid and why, so you can be a savvy shopper and the best possible pet parent. Bon appetit!

Things to Look for

  • AAFCO Approved Foods: The motto of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is  “Feed Safety & Consumer Protection – Over a Century of Partnership & Progress”. This organization certifies pet foods that meet at least the minimum requirements for nutritional content. As such, seeking foods that are approved by the AAFCO is a good baseline. It’s also important to note that the AAFCO has not established official definition for the words ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’. So don’t be fooled by fancy language on the side of a bag.
  • Please Pass the Meat! Many people have made the choice to eliminate the consumption of meat from their diets. Some may also choose to feed their pet’s vegetarian fare. As a pet owner who places your companion’s well-being at the top of your list of priorities, it is imperative to note that dogs and cats are carnivores. Biologically, they need real meat and the proteins that come along with it to thrive. On the same note, Fido and Fluffy have not evolved to utilize grains as a source of nutrition. This means that rice, corn, and other carbohydrates are unhelpful at best and downright dangerous at worst. The only reason they are added to most pet foods is because they are less expensive and make the meal chunkier.
  • Watery Food: Though it may sound a little bit strange, the “waterier” your pet’s food the better. Dogs and cat’s alike need a large amount of water in their diets to stay hydrated. For their more wild relatives, a large amount of their daily water comes not just from drinking, but eating as well. This is because the bodies of prey animals are composed of up to 70% water! Compare that to your standard dry kibble and you might see a problem developing. If possible, feed your pet wet food at least a few times per week, but strive to make the mushy stuff a daily part of their diet if possible.

Things to Avoid

  • Enhanced, Fortified, Blah Blah Blah: If you put our ‘Things to Look for’ list into practice, you can forget all of the hype-filled claims that fortified foods come with. Remember that dogs and cats are biologically programmed to derive everything they need for optimal health from a natural diet. Additives can be harmful whether they present a short term danger or cause complications over time. In dog foods you should strictly avoid any brands that contain BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin and propyl gallate, as they are known to be harmful and some are even carcinogens. For both dogs and cats, avoid foods that contain artificial preservatives in favor of those preserved with vitamins E and C.
  • By-products: The first ingredient in your pet’s food should be meat… and we’re talking REAL meat. Remember that your pet is a carnivore by nature and his body is fine-tuned to receive the maximum benefit by processing and using the nutrients from prey animals. Fillers and meat by-products sometimes contains additives that can be harmful to your animal companion. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if the meat isn’t human-grade, you shouldn’t feed it to your pet.
  • Overfeeding: This tip might be a bit different than the others that we’ve discussed so far, but we feel that it is just as important. America’s pets have a weight problem, just like many of our people. The key to a happy and healthy pet is feeding them the right things in the right amounts. Pets don’t have the mechanisms in their minds to turn town a delicious bowl full of food if it’s sitting on the floor in front of them all day. Make sure you feed your pet the proper amount of food for their particular size and breed and you’ll have a much happier camper on your hands.

We hope that you’ve found these tips to be helpful and informative. Some pet parents may decide that trying to navigate the complex world of pet food brands is too risky and preparing a home-cooked diet is the way to go. If you would like to explore the home-feeding option, schedule an appointment with one of the skilled veterinarians at Boulder’s Natural Animal Hospital – just call 303-494-7877.

– The Boulder’s Natural Animal Hospital Staff

www.bouldersnaturalanimal.com

 

 

Help a Shelter win $25K!

Dog lovers everywhere—unite!  Neglected and abandoned dogs need our help—and all we have to do to help them is vote for the Buddy Foundation in an online contest!  The Buddy Foundation is a Chicago area no-kill animal shelter that provides food, shelter and medical care for homeless dogs (and cats) until they can be placed in their “forever homes.”  If Buddy is one of the top 4 vote getters in EMCs 100 Ways of Giving contest, they will win $25,000!  That amount of money will help save hundreds of precious animals!

Please see the link below and take one second out of your day EVERY DAY THRU OCTOBER 8th to vote for The Buddy Foundation.  On behalf of Albert, the Husky with the hazel eyes, Copper, the sweet, lumbering Bloodhound, and all of the other Buddy dogs, thank you for your help.  ARF  ARF and WOOF WOOF!

http://thebuddyfoundation.sc102.info

 

 

Bark in the Park – May 7

Out-U-Go! is proud to be participating in the Anti-Cruelty Society’s Bark in the Park on May 7 at Montrose Harbor in Chicago. This event brings out soooo many cute pooches and their owners.

What an amazing way to help raise money for the homeless dogs and cats in the Chicagoland area. And….lots of fun pet related activities and vendors. We hope to see you there! For more information, please visit http://www.barkinthepark.org/