The following post comes to us from guest blogger Krissy Gogel. A web designer and cat mommy, Krissy can be found online at 6bdesign.com.

Continued from part one…

Sorry, No Vacancy

This time around, we decided to find a no-kill shelter for the kittens instead of raising them ourselves. Because we could only find four people to take five of the six kittens from the first litter, we figured that a shelter would be more successful finding these kittens good homes. But we had no clue that, due to factors like the mortgage and housing crisis, all of the no-kill shelters and rescues were completely overcrowded and not accepting new animals.

While I was busy calling and emailing different organizations to place the kittens, “momma cat” was moving them. A week later, thanks to a good neighbor, we found them – under her house. I spent an entire day in the sweltering August heat in a crawl space, under a house with a flashlight. I eventually found four 5-week-old babies, which we did take in. I was expecting to find six or more.

A Tragic Discovery

About two weeks after the under-the-house rescue, a neighbor knocked at our door to tell us that she had found the missing kittens. I went into complete shock when I saw them. (more…)

The following post comes to us from guest blogger Krissy Gogel. A web designer and cat mommy, Krissy can be found online at 6bdesign.com.

I live in a busy suburban neighborhood located minutes outside of Baltimore City. Between people ignoring the stray cat population in the area and all of the un-spayed/un-neutered “house cats” that are allowed to roam the streets, my neighborhood has become home to an overwhelming amount of feral cats.

If you live in an area overrun with stray or feral cats like I do, there are countless reasons why you should act to help them, one of which, Marley, is sitting next to me right now.

Hey, That’s Not a Rake!

In April of this year, I went to my shed for a rake to begin the process of cleaning my yard in preparation for summer. Instead of a rake (although I’m sure it was in there), I found six beautiful 4-week-old kittens; two of which had horrible eye infections. (more…)

Meet Ziggy, this week’s adorable winner! This puppy had a rough start — taken from his mother at just three weeks old, he couldn’t even chew dog food at first and didn’t really know how to socialize with other dogs. However, over the following few months, he persevered and turned into a little ball of energy. His new mommy adopted him at four months old, having faith in little Ziggy, even though she was told that he was very hyper and not smart enough to train.

And boy was she right to believe in this pup! A recent obedience school graduate, the now 10-month-old Ziggy has been making his mom proud ever since. He gives lots of cuddles, loves to play with his squeaky toys, and will try just about anything to get a tasty treat. In fact, he has been known to attempt to trade his toys for a handout, once trying to secure a green bean by offering up his favorite toy, as if to say, “I will give you this awesome toy for just one tiny little bean.”

Ziggy will soon be receiving some treats of his own, with his Halo goodie bag on its way. This cute little pooch sure does deserve it!

Think your pet should be next week’s winner? Just head over to the Halo Pets MySpace Page and send us a picture of your favorite furry friend!

Enjoy reading the Halo Purely For Pets blog? Subscribe to our RSS feed so you’ll never miss an update!

Three cheers for Mulan, our Halo Pet of the Week! Mulan is an adorable Shar-Pei, who resides at The Ferret and Dove Sanctuary in Florida.

This wonderful girl hasn’t had it easy, as she nearly lost her life when her former owner was forced to give her up. The local pound had a policy of destroying breeds that were deemed aggressive, and unfortunately, Mulan’s breed would have fallen into this category.

The Sanctuary rescued her though, and she couldn’t be a sweeter girl! They call Mulan the peacemaker-dog, and she is said to be very protective of the doves and rabbits that she lives with. She even wants to go outside to be with her birds when there’s bad weather. We’re proud to present Mulan as our Pet of the Week and hope she enjoys her Halo goodie bag!

Think your pet should be next week’s winner? Just head over the Halo Pets MySpace Page and send us a picture of your favorite kitty or pup.

Enjoy reading the Halo Purely For Pets blog? Subscribe to our RSS feed so you’ll never miss an update!

Serena, my dog, only has three legs. She didn’t always have three legs; but one day cancer took one of her legs from her. After her surgery I pictured what every pet owner fears…that my best friend wouldn’t have as good of a life as she did when she was four-legged.

One month later, my tripod made her comeback in agility as a three-legged dog. She stole the show and proved to every four-legged dog that she was a force to be reckoned with. Three years later, she has one champion title and continues to earn points towards a second title.

If your pet just recently experienced an amputation, or if you are facing such a decision right now, you should know that having a pet with three legs doesn’t mean they will have a poor quality of life. From my own experience, the human has a harder time with the amputation then the pet.

Most diseases or injuries that require a pet to have a leg amputation are painful. By removing the painful limb, the animal can start to heal. Most pets will be up and walking on three legs about 8-12 hours after surgery. Although I work in a veterinary clinic and have dealt with many amputees, the initial shock of seeing my own dog as a three-legged dog is something I will never forget. Once Serena was fully recovered from surgery, I followed some simple steps to ensure that she would be as happy as any “normal-abled” pet. (more…)