guideposts

Compassion and Action: Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary

Posted by Barbara Techel
Sharing a lovely, lovely story from Guideposts about another beautiful no-kill shelter.  Be sure to  watch the video of the interview- you may just fall in love with the shy, cute white poodle!

Glenn a stallion who is blind in one eye and must be in a corral alone was feeling quite lonely.  He now has a goat who keeps him company.
Story from Guideposts By Sharon Azar

“Look deep into the eyes of any animal, and then for a moment, trade places. Their lives become as precious as your life, and you become as vulnerable as them. Now smile if you believe all animals deserve our respect and our protection. For in a way, they are us. And we are them.”—Philip Ochoa Board Member, All for Animals

All things can be overcome with knowledge and understanding, and thanks to an ever-growing group of people who care deeply, there is an increasing awareness in the world about the dark world of animal cruelty. Having seen some pretty bad cases of animal abuse in my 30 years of rescuing dogs, it’s heartening to see some hope and light.  Click here to read the rest of this story.

 

A Soup Kitchen for Pets

Posted by Barbara Techel

 On behalf of Guideposts, I am sharing a repost of this wonderful story!!


Germany has been one of Europe’s strong economies, but things are changing for everyone. It began with the saddest story, as great ideas often do.

Claudia Hollm saw a TV show about a family who had to relinquish their dog because of economic hardship. The family simply did not have enough money to feed their beloved dog and with breaking hearts they relinquished him to a shelter where he died shortly thereafter of a broken heart after being so loved by this family for many years.

This pitiful story fired Claudia’s imagination and even though she holds down a full-time job, she managed to find the time to open a soup kitchen for pets including dogs, cats, rabbits and any other animals people had in their homes but were having trouble feeding. The organization, Tiertafel, (animal table), Berlin’s first soup kitchen for dogs, relies on donations and volunteers. “Making sure dogs don’t gohungry is just as important as making sure that people don’t starve,” Claudia says.

In 2008, with 19 offices nationwide, Tiertafel has helped 4,028 customers to feed 6,291 pets on a regular basis. It’s quite a miracle when you think about this number of animals who will not wind up on the streets or in shelters. Not everyone is eligible for help. Claudia says, “People have to show us official documents to show they are on welfare or have very low wages before we help them. If we see someone who is already poor get a new pet we won’t support them. We’ve had situations where we had to refuse people because they took on new pets, despite having come to us for their original pets…we have one case of a woman in Frankfurt who is in her 80s. Her husband died years ago and she is in ill health. This lady is so happy to have the help. She says if her cats die then she too has no reason to live. The cats are her children and they are keeping her alive.”

 

Here’s the link to read more of Tiertafel, the soup kitchen for pets:

 

Doggie Carrot Cake

Posted by Barbara Techel

I saw this recipe on line from Guideposts.  Sounds yummy!  Thought I'd share.

Doggie Carrot Cake

Ingredients1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon soy flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼-½ cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup honey

1 cup baby carrots, grated or ground

Preparation

1. Combine flours, baking soda and peanut butter.

2. Mix in egg, oil, vanilla, honey and carrots until well combined.

3. Pour mixture into a 9×9-inch cake pan.

4. Bake at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Eat your carrots! WOOF!