“SHELTER ME: LET’S GO HOME” PBS BROADCASTS – WEEK OF MAY 19

janeSHELTER ME: Let’s Go Home” (Episode 2), sponsored by Halo, continues airing this week.

The project’s creator, acclaimed filmmaker Steven Latham, wants to engage the public in finding solutions to put a stop to the nearly four million dogs and cats euthanized every year in the United States.

Actress and animal advocate Jane Lynch is hosting this episode of the one-hour, emotionally charged television special.

Shelter Me: Let’s Go Home” features stories about shelter pets that went from rescued to rescuer. The episode follows individuals who have adopted shelter dogs and are now volunteering at a hospital.

Shelter Me also shares the dramatic rescue of homeless puppies, an innovative mobile spay/neuter clinic and a family adopting a beautiful cat at an animal shelter. Finally, the film also tells the amazing story about our hero firefighters who train shelter dogs for search-and-rescue.

SHELTER ME: Let’s Go Home” will air in the following cities this week:

Columbus: WOSU
Sunday, May 19 at 5 p.m

Kentucky Educational Television
Monday, May 20 at 10 p.m.

Milwaukee: WMVT (channel 36.1)
Wednesday, May 21 at 9 p.m.

San Diego: KPBS
Wednesday, May 22 at 10 p.m.

OETA – The Oklahoma Network
Thursday, May 23 at 10 p.m.

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SHELTER ME, episode 2, is currently airing on PBS throughout the country. Here’s the schedule: 2013 Schedule – Episode 2

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BOY AND DOG EACH GET SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE – TOGETHER

scotch-plane-lgIn a heartwarming twist of fate, a boy recovering from a heart transplant and a dog with an uncertain future are beginning new lives – together.

Angela McGhee, president of S.A.V.E. Rescue Coalition in Houston, Texas, knew Scotch, a gentle pit bull-lab mix she had in her care, would be a perfect family dog. She also knew that finding homes for pit bulls in Texas was not an easy thing to do. However, as she always does, she worked hard to find Scotch his forever home through a variety of channels, including Facebook.

She was surprised to receive a query from a woman in Bono, Arkansas. Melanie Leon was looking for a wonderful dog for her 11-year-old son, Gabe, who had undergone a heart transplant a year ago.

Click here to read the complete story.

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ELLEN, A SOCIAL MEDIA FORCE FOR GOOD, REACHES TWO MILESTONES

Ellen_TwitterJust last month, we announced that Halo co-owner and animal advocate, Ellen DeGeneres surpassed 18 million followers. Less than a month later, she reached another milestone – 19 million followers! She tweeted:

“I can’t believe I have 19 million followers. If we all held hands, it would be really nice.”

Boy, that would be nice to hold hands with all 19 million followers!

In addition, Ellen also reached 10 million “Likes” on her Facebook page. Here’s what she had to say:

“Thank you to all of my 10 MILLION Facebook fans! It’s incredible. I appreciate each and everyone one of you so much. Especially my favorite. You know who you are.”

Ellen users her amazing social power for good and we are honored to participate in her posts about animal advocacy such as Redbox donating proceeds from “Shelter Me” rentals to the Halo Pet Foundation.

Make sure to get Ellen’s Twitter updates by following @TheEllenShow and “liking” her fan page at Facebook.com/EllenTV.

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TRACIE HOTCHNER: LOWER YOUR DOG’S “CARBO PAW PRINT”

newtracie2No, that is not a typo – I do mean “carbo” as in CARB as in carbohydrate (not his carbon) paw print!

My book The Dog Bible explains why we have to consider kibble as only a part of our dog’s daily diet. If you are feeding dry food only, it’s important for your dog’s overall health and weight to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in their bowl and replace it with a protein source and some form of vegetables.

We know for ourselves that a balanced meal with a variety of items on our plate is healthier because we then get our nutrients from different sources. Eating in this balanced way can also keep us slimmer, rather than eating a diet that is carb-heavy. Dogs also need variety in their diet from a variety of sources..

If you take kibble as a foundation, then you can add whole, less-processed foods including protein and veggies. A great way to do that is to feed about half the amount of kibble you usually feed and then add some protein like meat, fish, cottage cheese or eggs – and a variety of cooked or raw vegetables, too. Halo’s Spot’s Stew in a can is a perfect way to do this because you can rotate different proteins and all the recipes include whole cooked vegetables just the way a stew for people would – and you don’t have to worry about supplementing the diet to make it balanced.

What I have done for years is to use Halo kibble as the foundation of my dogs’ dinner, rotating proteins so I serve a different one with each new bag. Many friends and radio listeners who have switched to Halo because of its superior recipes, have also discovered that they need to feed smaller quantities because it is made from such nutritious ingredients that you need less of it to satisfy hunger. This means they are lowering their dog’s “carbo paw print” and in so doing are reducing one of the possible causes of obesity.

Less carbs overall means less kibble. Feeding a “grain free” kibble does not solve the problem because all kibble is carb-heavy by its very nature. All kibble has to begin as a dough of some kind, before it can become the kibbled shape.

Just as people gain weight from eating foods that are heavy in carbs, so does a dog pack on the pounds when his diet does not have enough quality protein to balance the carbohydrate load. Many of the successful diets for humans depend on reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein – to lower that “carbo pawprint” for your dog, give the High Protein idea a test run on your dog. I’ll bet you’ll be trying it soon on yourself!

Posted in Guest Blogger, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition, Talk Radio, Tracie Hotchner | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RESCUE DOG RESCUES U.S. VETERAN

andrew_teka_lgThe following is one of the incredible, inspiring stories featured in “Shelter Me”, a PBS film by Steven Latham. Hosted by Katherine Heigl, “Shelter Me” aired nationwide last year and is now available for rental at Redbox. From April 23 through April 29, Redbox donated 100% of rental proceeds of Shelter Me to the Halo Pet Foundation.

The Halo Pet Foundation is dedicated to supporting shelters and rescues and best of all, 100% of foundation funds go to help pets! For more information please visit: “Shelter Me”.

When Andrew Trotto, U.S. Army, 168th Combat Action Battalion, came home from Iraq, he was struggling with anxiety, depression and anger. Over time, his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) grew to the point that he didn’t know how he’d survive another day. But a sweet rescue dog named Teka changed all that and gave him a reason to live.

Although Trotto was struggling with PTSD, he didn’t know where to turn. “I was a machine,” he says. “It’s hard to ask for help when you’re in that kind of position.”

Click for here to ready the complete story.

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