Val Heart, renowned animal communication expert, and Kathleen Prasad, president of Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA) and animal Reiki expert, will present a 75-minute teleclass entitled “3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Animal’s Health and Behavior” this Saturday, June 19th, 2010, at 11:30AM Eastern time. Tuition for the class is $20 half of which will be donated to SARA for their important work with shelter animals.

This is a wonderful opportunity to hear two of the most important practitioners in the field of animal care. Val Heart is well known as an animal communicator, hosting “The Real Dr. Doolittle” podcast among her many other activities.

Kathleen Prasad is a pioneer in the practice of Reiki with animals and is the co-author of “Animal Reiki: Using Energy To Heal The Animals In Your Life”. SARA is Kathleen’s latest project, the mission of which is to bring Reiki to animal shelters and refuges all over the world.

Don’t miss this important event! Register now at:

http://www.valheart.com/healing_animals_class.html

Your registration includes a free download of Val’s podcast interview with Kathleen on “The Real Dr. Doolittle”. See you on the call!

John

As many of you know, I am a member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA). The mission of the SARA is to improve the lives of animals living in shelters, to increase adoption of those animals and to bring relief to shelter staff who are suffering from burnout and compassion fatigue. Our goal is to boost adoption rates in shelters nationwide by reducing stress and supporting healing in shelter animals and their caretakers. Reiki, a Japanese meditative healing modality, is successfully used in hospitals, cancer centers, hospice programs and AIDS clinics worldwide and it is now used to bring healing to animals.

SARA has taken on the daunting task of bringing Reiki to shelters and setting up shelter Reiki programs in order to not only bring Reiki to the animals but also teach Reiki to the volunteers and staff of these animal organizations. SARA currently has 22 participating shelters across the United States and in England who are dedicated to spreading the word of the success of Reiki with animals.

The president and co-founder of SARA, Kathleen Prasad, will be an official speaker at this year’s American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) conference in October. Kathleen will be presenting three 1-hour educational lectures about the benefits of Reiki for animals.

We believe partnering with the veterinary community will play a key role in SARA’s success. As part of the conference agenda, the conference has an exhibit hall just outside the lecture classrooms, and between lectures, participant vets and vet techs will be walking through and learning more about the variety of holistic therapies and products represented. We intend to have a booth in the exhibit hall representing SARA. Volunteers manning the booth will offer sample Reiki treatments as well as educational information to help build a bridge of understanding between Reiki and the holistic veterinary community.

Needless to say, this is a tremendous opportunity to get SARA’s message out. Of course, such an effort will require a substantial financial commitment. To that end, SARA is appealing to its friends, members and supporters to help raise the necessary funds.

Here are some of the many ways you can help:

• make a tax-deductible donation through our website homepage: www.shelteranimalreikiassociation.org
• make a tax-deductible donation by check, payable to:
  
  SARA/MarinLink
  369B Third St., #156
  San Rafael, CA 94901
  
• donate miles for flight or hotel
• buy our Animal Reiki Handbook
• pass this message along to friends you think would be interested in our cause
• tweet this post!

The Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA) has just announced its new blog. The SARA blog will feature articles and stories from Reiki practitioners working with animals and staff in shelters, preserves and refuges.

SARA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing Reiki to shelter animals through visiting practitioners and training of shelter staff and volunteers. SARA members may be practitioners or teachers of Reiki. Kathleen Prasad, co-founder of SARA and co-author of “Animal Reiki”, has a vision for SARA which includes standardized training for shelter personnel and standards for practitioners offering Reiki to the animals.

Visit the SARA website for more information:

http://shelteranimalreikiassociation.org

John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d79ArrL8VRg

Some animal rescuers actually do have wings. A group of private pilots donate their time and talents to transporting rescued animals to the promise of better lives.

Pilots N Paws is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting in the transport of animals from overcrowded shelters to areas where they have a much better chance of being adopted into a forever home. This week, September 12-20, 2009, PNP’s goal is to transport 5000 animals. The purpose of the campaign, aside from saving these animals, is to call attention to PNP’s mission and make more people aware of their service.

If you’ve ever been involved with traditional rescue transports, you know how difficult it can be to coordinate multiple drivers covering multiple legs of a long journey to get one or two animals from point A to point B. PNP is able to transport many more animals in one hop, saving a great deal of time and resources.

PNP does not charge for transports. Pilots donate their time and fuel costs. Tax-deductible donations are accepted on their web site.

Anyone may request and view transports by visiting PNP’s web site and logging in to their forum. Requests only require that an agreement already be in place between the sending and receiving parties before posting to the forum.

It’s wonderful to hear of organizations such as PNP willing to help rescued animals! You may visit their web site at:

http://pilotsnpaws.org

John

There’s a reason why many of the classic replays of the old Johnny Carson show involved animals. Here are a couple of daytime TV news folks trying to do a good thing and find homes for animals in need. This is probably best filed under “It seemed like a great idea at the time!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDpEyuWVVQ4

CritterReiki.com

Charlie lives on the second floor of an apartment building in the UK. He got tired of waiting around the single entrance door for someone to let him in each time he went out, so he devised his own way of getting back into his home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWwOXrHqas

John

This wonderful video tells the story of Thelma and Louise, two very unlikely best friends. The video is great, but there’s more to the story. Thelma and Louise have been adopted by a family with a similar pair of attached-at-the-heart animals.

Watch the video first, then click the link at the bottom of this post for the “rest of the story.” Enjoy!

Thelma and Louise have been adopted!

John

Madison - Favorite Furball Winner!

Happy National Hairball Awareness Day!

Announcing the winner of www.RomeotheCat.com and FURminator, Inc. “Who’s Your Favorite Furball?” Contest:

Drum roll, please…
…
…
…
…

Madison and her staff, Cindy!!

Madison and Cindy will receive a free FURminator deShedding Tool!

Congratulations to Madison and Cindy and thank you to everyone who entered!

Want your own deShedding Tool? Look for FURminator products at PetSmart, PETCO and other pet retailers.

John

This IS my happy face!

Don’t forget! Tomorrow, Friday April 24, is National Hairball Awareness Day!

The “Who’s Your Favorite Furball?” contest, sponsored by www.RomeotheCat.com and FURminator, Inc., makers of the FURminator deShedding Tool, is open until 9PM EST tonight. Get your entries in before 9PM to have a chance to win a FURminator deShedding Tool!

In addition to the free FURminator, the winner will get to see their favorite, funniest, furriest furball featured on www.PeoplePets.com and popular pet blogs (like this one!) across the Internet.

Entering is easy:

• Visit www.RomeotheCat.com and click on the FirstGiving link to donate $1 or more to Romeo’s FURPOWER campaign. This month’s beneficiary is Kitten Rescue of Los Angeles.
• E-mail your favorite, funniest, furriest furball photo (cats only, please!) to:

  romeo at romeothecat dot com

  Be sure to include all the required info. For complete entry rules see yesterday’s post.

That’s it, you’re done!

While you’re waiting to see your name in lights, check out these FURminator tips on preventing hairballs in cats:

Fuzzballs, cat scratches and dirty litter boxes may be top complaints from cat parents, but paws down, hairballs are among the worst of the worst. With peak shedding season underway, our cats are in full swing when it comes to grooming themselves, which means an increase in hairballs (since hairballs are caused when the cat swallows the loose hair).

Here are some recommended ways to prevent hairballs in cats:

• Regular Grooming: Hairballs occur when cats over groom. To help cats look and feel their best, it’s essential to regularly brush them. The FURminator deShedding Tool for Cats is recommended by vets and nominated by Tufts University School of Veterinarian Medicine as the number one product to reduce hairballs in cats. Using the tool on a regular basis, as well as the FURminator deShedding Shampoo for Cats, will help reduce shedding, thus reducing the amount of hair your cat ingests.
• Home Remedies: Try adding a little butter and canned pumpkin to your cat’s meals once or twice a week. The butter may loosen the hair clod and the fiber in the pumpkin can help move it through the system.
• Keep Hydrated: Encourage your cat to drink plenty of water by placing bowls in various places throughout the house. The water will help flush out the hair before it has time to clump in the stomach.
• Consult Your Vet: If you believe your cat has chronic hairball problems, ask your veterinarian to recommend a laxative supplement to help prevent ingested hair from forming hairballs.

See you back here tomorrow at noon for the announcement of the contest winner!

John