Keep on Truckin'Thu, Mar, 2007 Under the cover of darkness, Claire and Warren begin their journey west – Tour For Life 2007 has now officially begun. "California, here we come."
Harrisonburg, VA.Wed, Mar, 2007 Today was the big Tour for Life kick-off for Route #2 in Harrisonburg, VA. What a perfect day to have an event; the weather was amazing. We partnered with the Rockingham- Harrisonburg SPCA and couldn't have met nicer people and loving animals! Every one of the cats was super sweet and the dogs were even sweeter. Each dog spent the day out of their cages with a volunteer and enjoyed treats and toys supplied by Petsmart. One of the darlings we met, a pit bull named Kodiak, was king of the toys and by the end of the day, found himself surrounded by 6 squeakies! A little black lab mix pup was so well behaved – she learned how to sit within a few hours of teaching. All in all, we had a great day and can't wait to keep the tour rolling! Southern HospitalityFri, Mar, 2007 What a rough day we had on Wednesday. We were headed off to Florida for our next event when barely a few miles out of Harrisonburg, we heard a loud pop and the vehicle started sputtering. It sounded like a muffler problem, so we headed to a local muffler shop called BJ's, where Bill was very helpful and told us we actually blew a spark plug, and we needed a new heater coil. He sent us to Todd at Dave's who was just as nice, but didn't have the right tools. We were then sent to Dallas Hollar Ford back in Harrisonburg. Within 3 hours, they had us back up and running. We are so appreciative of the work that they did in helping to save lives. Sometimes we're so focused on the big picture, we forget about the smaller things that keep us going. Thanks so much to all the folks in the service center for being so in tune with our needs. Here's to southern hospitality!! Redding, CaliforniaFri, Mar, 2007 Welcome to Redding, California where the sunshine greeted all the happy people looking to adopt, as the first event of our tour began. A caravan of rescue groups gathered at the Shasta shopping plaza, with North Shore's mobile adoption unit at the center of the activities. A constant stream of people enjoyed the festive atmosphere, and many new homes were found for the shelter animals. SacramentoMon, Apr, 2007 Today we find ourselves working with the city shelter, the county shelter, and rescue groups from the Sacramento, Ca. area. Our location is the Cesar Chavez Park right in the heart of downtown Sacramento. This is "Cesar Chavez" day – a holiday enjoyed by the locals – celebrating immigration reform. Surrounding the fountain at the center of the park, North Shore's adoption mobile was the center, flanked by the other support groups and animal shelters. People from all walks of life enjoyed the beautiful weather. The adoption of dogs, cats, and even a rabbit brought a smile to the faces of all. Our thanks to all the participants!! We look forward to working with you again!!
Oceanside, CaliforniaMon, Apr, 2007 The southern most location in California for Route 1, started as a foggy, grey, and grim day. Our drive to the North County Humane Society and ASPCA Shelter proved to be rewarding. Grey skies turned blue, as the sun came out to play. The excited dogs being transported to the event location were soon enjoying the day, proudly displaying their "ADOPT ME" vests.
Jacksonville Humane SocietyMon, Apr, 2007 If these first 2 events we had are any indication of what is to come, we're going to be having a fantastic tour. Today’s event was in Florida with the Jacksonville Humane Society along with 4 other rescue groups. Everyone was so nice and working so hard for the same goal: to find homes for the pets in their care. We had such a great selection of pets, from Thai, the grey and white chatty kitten (still looking for a home at the Humane Society), to the gorgeous 6 year old Persian I fell in love with (yes, they tried to get me to adopt!). The dogs ranged from a chunky 2 year old, red lab to the 8 month old Chinese crested and the newly named 2 month old Dobie puppy, "Princess Cassie." As much as we love seeing animals go home, it's just as important to see so many groups working together. Next stop – Mississippi!! Coming Full CircleThu, Apr, 2007 We had our event today with the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport. After Hurricane Katrina hit, the Humane Society was in need of help and we came to their aid. When they celebrated the grand opening of their new shelter NSAL was also there to wish them well. Now we have truely come full circle by having them as one of our shelter partners for Tour For Life. It was a beautiful day and we had a fantastic bunch of animals with us. The volunteers that helped us out were from a group called "Hands On" and they had come all the way down from Wisconsin! Not only did we find homes for pets, but the Humane Society handed out a large number of vouchers for low cost spay/neuter, another life-saving service provided by them. We're off to Birmingham Alabama for our next event... Back to BirminghamFri, Apr, 2007 Simply put, we love the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and all the folks that work there! GBHS was our partner during our huge Hurricane Katrina rescue and have been Tour partners for two years. We always get such a great reception and thoroughly enjoy working with them. At the event, local radio station, 102.5 "The Bull," broadcasted their morning show with Patty and Dollar Bill from the event, and the most amazing couple, Hub and Joy Harvey were taking photographs of people's pets. We met a pup named Frisbee who had such a sad story. He was thrown from a car window on the highway! It saddens me to hear these stories and know such cruel people exist in the world, especially to a four month old puppy. He was so sweet and gentle and only wanted to be everyone's friend. He's the pup in the photos you see wearing the bandana. I invite everyone with pets at home to give their own pet a little extra love to honor all the pets that aren't as lucky as Frisbee to have found a place to care for him. Go 'Bama!Sat, Apr, 2007 Everywhere we go, the folks seem to be getting nicer! We had an event in Florence, Alabama today and did 78 adoptions! With the number of groups that were working with us today, everyone was so cooperative and even sent folks to the other groups if they didn't find what they were looking for. We met a humongous Saint Bernard that we named Mozart. Mozart was well over 100 lbs and couldn’t fit in any of the cages. That didn't stop us from taking him to the event. He rode in the front cab of the vehicle with us and was one of the 74 animals that went home today. Our new friend Kenny, one of Florence's animal control officers, wants us to come back at least three times a year to do an event like this. This kind of an event is a reminder of how important the Tour is for some shelters that don't have the outlets to find homes for their pets. We might not make it back three times a year, but we'll be back next year! MourningSun, Apr, 2007 With heavy hearts Shirley and I spent today in mourning. This morning we saw on the news that the Jacksonville Humane Society's main building burnt down early Saturday morning, one week after our event with them. What a horrible thing for our dear friends to have to deal with. We immediately contacted them and offered any help that North Shore could provide. They lost almost all of their cats, kittens and puppies. When we heard the news this morning, we were in shock, and when we spoke to our favorite person at the shelter, Terry, we were in tears. The heroes of the fire department did everything in their power to get animals out, but with flames as high as 30 feet, there was only so much those men and women could do. We offer our services and our condolences to the folks in Jacksonville and invite everyone in the area to offer their help. I ask everyone out there to say a prayer for the animals that lost their lives and a prayer for the staff that they can fight through this and reestablish themselves as a force in the community helping to save animal's lives. We continue on with the Tour with heavy hearts keeping Jacksonville Humane Society in our thoughts every day. Albuquerque, New MexicoSat, Apr, 2007 Greetings to all from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our day began with a dark and cloudy sky, filled with snow showers. Yes that's right, snow showers. Would you believe the day before, temperatures were in the 80's? As one of the locals proclaimed, "That's Albuquerque for ya." Climate changes of 35 to 40 degrees from daytime to evening are common place, and the norm for this area.
Merriam, KansasThu, Apr, 2007 Not even the weather can deter us from our goal! Our event with Animal Haven in Merriam, Kansas was set to be a great day. They had a great selection of animals, a great location at Wal-Mart and had a ton of media coverage. Unfortunately, mother nature was NOT cooperative! It was very chilly and VERY windy, we even had a few snowflakes. Regardless, with all the exposure that the group recieved they were very pleased with the results of the day. The weather didn't effect their volunteers either, these women were bundled up and walked dogs throughout the whole event. Hopefully next year the weather will be more cooperative and we can send so many more animals home. April 14, 2007 San Antonio, TexasSat, Apr, 2007 "Viva La Fiesta" - Welcome one and all !! It's that time of year again when all the locals are in party mode. Saturday April 14thSat, Apr, 2007 Rain, rain go away.. well, you know the rest.. We spent a rain soaked Saturday in St Louis with the Animal Protective Association at a great pet store called the Pet Market Place. We actually had quite a few people come out regardless of the weather and found homes for a few of their long term dogs. Dedication truely describes these volunteers and workers that didn't complain, didn't let the rain get to them and instead made the best of a dreary day. We met a great group of friends who took their friend to the event to adopt a dog for his birthday gift. That's what I call good buddies! Sunday April 15thSun, Apr, 2007 Things are looking up! We had a great day in Indiana at the Humane Society of Indianapolis. There were about 10 other groups in attendance, including some cats and dogs from Indianapolis Animal Care & Control that were on board the mobil unit. The shelter was able to do almost three times the amount of adoptions they usually do on a Sunday! We met some really great people and as always love to see so many groups working so closely together. If you were at the event you would've seen the herd of Great Pyrenees', about 10-12 giant white dogs all hanging out looking for homes. It was a big dog lovers dream! The day certainly went to the dogs. With only 7 felines finding homes, it's proof that kitten season has rolled in. Please remember, if you are thinking of adoptiong a kitty this summer that adult cats need homes too. Maybe go down to the Humane Society and meet Samantha, if you are like me and love fatty cats! What a sweetheart! April 15,2007 - Houston, TexasSun, Apr, 2007 Last night, after a very successful event in San Antonio, Texas, we made our way to Houston, Texas. Our friends at the Citizens for Animal Protection Shelter greeted us with open arms. It's so good to see everyone again, and as always, all the hard working employees and volunteers, together with all the invited rescue groups, our event was a hugh success. April 18, 2007 N. Little Rock, ArkansasWed, Apr, 2007 Welcome to Arkansas, the Natural state. We begin our day meeting up with the North Little Rock Friends of Animals at the Lakewood Village Shopping Center on McCaine Blvd. Before we could get set-up, there were people ready to adopt. Only 1 in 10 find a permanent home and life on the street is typically short and miserable. April 21, 2007 Nashville, TennesseeSat, Apr, 2007 Our event is about to unfold as we enter the parking lot of the Metro Animal Control shelter in Nashville, Tennessee. Our dear friends have been at it again making sure a splendid time would be guaranteed for all. |