Too cute!

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From: World Wildlife Fund - ecomments [at] wwfus.org
Date: Oct 1, 2007 1:30 PM
Subject: WWF: Carve a Pumpkin for Conservation

Carve a Pumpkin for Conservation
Going Wild With Pumpkins

Photo via Johnny Huh

This Halloween, show your support for conservation by displaying pumpkins carved with WWF nature-themed stencils!

Want a jack-o-lantern this Halloween that all your neighbors will be talking about? These WWF nature-themed stencils make it easy and fun for the whole family to carve a great pumpkin… and creatively show your support of conservation! You can also win a prize for your creation by entering the Going Wild With Pumpkins photo challenge from Snapfish by HP if you visit www.snapfish.com: wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=V3DKfX24ff6OJBm6OJDfvQ..

It’s fun and easy to participate!

1. Download your favorite WWF Wild Pumpkin stencils from the HP Activity Center.

2. Carve wild pumpkins with your friends and family.

3. Shoot digital photos of your favorite wild pumpkin display.

4. Upload your photos to Snapfish and share with the world.

5. Vote on Snapfish for your favorite Wild Pumpkin photo and compete for a chance to win 100 different prizes.

Get Stencils

Upload Photos

Learn more about Going Wild With Pumpkins, check out WWF’s 10 Green Halloween Tips and discover the ways that WWF is working to save wild animals and wild places.

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World Wildlife Fund
1250 24th St. NW
Washington, DC 20037-1193
www.worldwildlife.org/index.cfm

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Tagged: animals wwf world wildlife fund holidays halloween pumpkins pumpkin carving contests wildlife conservation stencils snapfish photos jack o’ lantern festive fall october flickr kcfreecycle

Los Angeles – LA Animal Services is suggesting pet owners get their pets micro-chipped before the 4th of July. More animals are lost during the 4th of July celebrations than at any other time of the year. Loud noises from fireworks frighten animals due to their heightened senses of hearing, and they will do anything to escape the noise. This behavior is usually unpredictable and out of character, and it may include chewing through a leash, jumping through screens and glass windows, digging under a fence, jumping over a wall, bolting away from the owner, and running into traffic.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to help ensure your pet’s protection. Just follow these five simple guidelines to make July 4th a great holiday for both of you!

• Don’t take your pet to fireworks displays. The explosions of the fireworks are loud to the human ear. Imagine how loud it sounds to your dog, who can hear sounds up to 60,000 cycles per second — that’s three times greater than the human ear can even register.

• Do not leave your pet in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects, even death, in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen. This practice is also illegal in the state of California.

• Keep your pets indoors in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals become destructive when frightened, so be sure you’ve removed any items your pet could destroy or may be harmful to your pet if chewed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him company while you’re attending 4th of July picnics, parades, and other celebrations.

• If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.

• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.

• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal care center, where they have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

Two forms of ID are always best when it comes to protecting your pet. If an individual finds your pet, the first thing he or she will look for is an ID tag. If your pet is taken to a shelter, it will also be scanned for a microchip. LA Animal Services micro-chips pets for $25.

(Via ms2 and the DDB mailing list.)

Additional resources:

Keep Your Pet Safe on July 4th, from the HSUS

4th of July Precautions for Pets, on iVillage

Excitement turns to fear for pets on Fourth of July, in the Oakland Tribune

Keep Your Pet Safe on the Fourth of July, from the Sacramento SPCA

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Tagged: kcfreecycle animals holidays observances 4th of july july 4th fourth of july pet companion animal dog canine cat feline fireworks companion care

You might be wondering what the heck National Pet Theft Awareness Day has to do with Freecycle, so allow me to ’splain.

Every year Last Chance for Animals sponsors a National Pet Theft Awareness Day. While LCA’s definition of “pet theft” includes the obvious examples - literally, a thief who steals your dog, cat, snake, etc., from your home, yard, car, or whatnot - actions that we might not otherwise think of as “theft” are included as well. For instance, if an individual were to respond to your “free to good home” ad and promise to give your beloved Fluffy a good, loving home, and then turn around and sell her to a research lab - well, that’s pet theft. To be more specific, theft by deception. And it’s one of many reasons why we do not, under any circumstances, allow members to request or offer animals of any type on KC Freecycle.

For more information on our no-pet policy, please see our shelter page. You’ll find guidelines on adopting out an unwanted animal yourself, as well as a list of resources that can help you place your animal in a good home. If you’re looking to adopt, you can search the local shelters and rescue groups by type of animal.

Another great resource, which I’ve used with much success in the past, is Pet Finder. It allows you to search for a specific type of animal (if you want to adopt a furry/feathered/scaled friend) OR view a list of rescue groups in your area (if you need to rehome and animal). In fact, I recommend it over our shelter listings, simply because the groups update the information themselves!

In this vein, if you notice a mistake in any of our listings (or know of an organization that we’ve overlooked), please let us know. You can contact me personally at kelly [at] kcfreecycle [dot] org.

If you’d like to spread the word about National Pet Theft Awareness day, visit StolenPets.com for more information, as well as a slew of campaign materials.

Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day, too!