Story for the Bellevue Reporter

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Humane Society Helping Pets Find a Home for the Holidays

By EMMA MCGRAW

 

The holidays are a time meant for spending with loved ones; whether that be family, friends, or adored pets. This season the Seattle Humane Society is holding its Home 4 the Holidays celebration on December 11th and 12th to help match prospective owners with the perfect new fuzzy companion.

To help promote this program and find loving homes for pets, for the month of December adoption fees will be waived for cats one year or older.

“This is our hardest demographic to adopt out,” said Katie Olsen, the shelter manager at Seattle Humane Society, “and we’ve found waived adoption fee’s to be quite successful over the past few years.”

This time last year 601 pets, many of which being older cats, were adopted through Home 4 the Holidays according to Olsen. As the organization’s statistics site 3,232 cats adopted for all of 2009, this is a successful amount of felines finding much needed homes around the holidays.

While many shelters do not approve of the giving or getting of pets as presents, it remains a popular idea every year around the holidays.

“We continue to discourage people from giving pets as gifts” said Divya Kumar, the media relations associate for the Seattle Humane Society. “However, if they are looking for a new best friend or to bring home a new family member, we do encourage people to adopt from the local shelters.”

People who look elsewhere more than likely will get a new puppy or kitten from a pet store or puppy mill, according to The Seattle Humane Society, which are interested in profit rather than the well being of the animal and finding the right fit for the owner.  Home 4 the Holidays and the waived adoption fees are meant to help draw people towards considering adoption if they are hoping for a new pet in their life.

“We decided to start waiving the adoption fees for cats two years ago, to help us stay competitive during this busy time of the year” said Kumar. “Since we have seen an increase in the number of cats coming in to the shelter, this promotion helps us reach out to the community and find homes for them.”

Jen Dwyer, a proud dog owner, is happy her family got their pet through the Humane Society rather than from a store or breeder.

“We found a really great fit through adopting a shelter animal,” said Dwyer. “My dog is so loving and sweet natured; he has always been one of my best friends.”

The Seattle Humane Society is hoping for another successful Home 4 the Holidays celebration this year, and to help match even more animals needing homes with people looking for a new cuddly companion in December.

“We love this program, it’s a great way to reach out to the community” said Olsen.

For more information on the Seattle Humane Society and/or adoptions visit    http://www.seattlehumane.org or call (425) 641-0080.

Story link: http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/bel/community/111820759.html

Enterprise Story and Video

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

UW commemorates Veterans Day at Medal of Honor Memorial

By EMMA MCGRAW

UW Newslab

Students, alumni and families gathered around the Medal of Honor Memorial on the University of Washington campus to honor their soldiers this Veterans Day.

“This is a place rich with history, and full of powerful symbolism,” said Eric Godfrey, the Vice Provost for Student Life. “All of these memorials remind us of those who took extraordinary action for our country.”

Having eight Medal of Honor recipients as alumni, the University of Washington has the most of any non-military college in the country, according to Godfrey. The star-shaped memorial located in the center of campus was created in November 2009 to honor these men, and is now used as the location for celebrating Veterans Day.

Other memorials on the campus include the refurbished Clark Hall, which is the traditional home to the UW’s Navy, Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).  Memorial Way, one of the main streets running through campus, is lined with sycamore trees in tribute to World War I veterans from the UW.

“We have been brought together by the service of our predecessors,” said Simon Briant, an ROTC cadet and senior at the UW.

The sentiment was felt by many at the ceremony, as the campus’s uniformed ROTC cadets stood at attention around the memorial and alumni and students looked on from the lawn.

“I’m honored to return to the University of Washington today, where I was an ROTC recruit during the Vietnam War,” said John Bridge, a speaker at the event. “This is a time for us to honor service; a time to remember sacrifice.”

Current Air Force recruit David Dinero felt as well that the day was an important time for him and others to reflect on the actions of veterans.

“We are here to take a stand for people who have served for us; to commemorate those who have done a lot and done things we haven’t done yet,” he said.

After the traditional wreath of red, white and blue flowers was placed upon the memorial, the crowd moved to Kane Hall where cake and coffee was served. Four of the Medal of Honor recipients were present and gave autographs in the lobby.

The university invited the community to these events to honor men and women throughout the region for their dedication and service in the Armed Forces, and this extended to veterans past as well.

“Seeing what our predecessors have done allows us to push on,  and replicate what they’ve done and follow in their footsteps,” cadet Sean Combs said of the honorees being present. “Veterans Day is meaningful to me.”

 

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re_B8MzL5GE

Story for the North Seattle Herald

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Halloween: for the dogs

Emma McGraw

 

With Halloween fast approaching, kids and adults alike are preparing the perfect costume to celebrate the season. But what about the family pet? More and more beloved canines are getting into the festive mood as well.

Pet apparel and accessories have been ever popular with many stores and pet boutiques, selling custom collars, sweaters, booties, and many other items to keep your pooch stylish. Halloween costumes are no different, and there is a bounty of choices to pick from.

Chain-store Petco has a special seasonal section dedicated to finding just the right look for your dog. Options include “Peace Bus” where your canine friend can be transformed into a yellow hippie van covered in flowers, “Pirate” with an accompanying hat accessory, or a sequined “Ladybug” with antennas.

“This year it seems like a lot of people have been going with vampire” says Petco employee Toshi Mei. “Hotdog is always popular though. I think it was the first thing to sell-out after we put everything out.”

Local pet store Bark Natural Pet Care located in Ballard has found bat wings to be a favorite recently. Store owner Karen likes them “not only for how cute they are but for the comfort of the dog. They fit on the body like a harness; most dogs don’t mind them at all.”

While Bark Natural Pet Care doesn’t sell a lot of costumes, the owner still finds it worth carrying.

“Dogs are such a big part of the family, they often go trick or treating with them,” she says.

Zak & Zoe, a pet boutique in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, have an array of pet costume choices as well. Interestingly enough there are many animal-themed choices, such as pig, skunk, alligator and dinosaur.

Pet owner Hannah Levi is a fan of dressing her black chihuahua as a penguin, and has been dressing her up in outfits ever since she got her as a puppy. Inspired by other dog costumes she had seen, she got a small snap-able penguin hood off the internet and has used it the last few Halloweens.

“She looks so cute in it still,” says Levi, “and plus she hasn’t ever seemed to mind wearing it. I think she actually likes the extra attention.”

While partaking in Halloween costumes can indeed be great fun for owner and pet, it is also important to keep safety and comfort in mind.

The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a few suggestions and guidelines specifically on how to keep your pet safe and happy on Halloween. For example, make sure your dog enjoys wearing the outfit and that it doesn’t cause any extra stress. If your dog is tearing or pawing at the outfit, it probably doesn’t like wearing it. Also make sure there are no loose pieces that could be chewed on and become a choking hazard, as well as ill-fits that could become tangled.

Vets agree as well that it is most important to know your pet and be able tell if they are distressed by their costume. The Family Pet Veterinary Hospital in Ballard sees a lot of sick and hurt animals every day, but none have had to come in due to a Halloween costume snafu.  Employee Marianna Stepniewski doesn’t see any problems arising from this growing fad.

“I think it’s a pretty harmless thing; not really an issue we encounter here,” she says.

Her advice to pet owners wanting to keep their costumed dogs safe is to make sure breathing is easy and not restricted by tightness of the clothing. If there is a lot of panting, they may also be too hot in the outfit.

“Don’t leave them alone when in the costume,” she says, “supervise your dog to make sure they don’t get hung up or become restricted.

Dog-lover Hannah Levi is excited to dress up her companion for a night to celebrate Halloween, and plans to take her out for a walk to show the penguin costume off.

“She loves it and so do I,” says Levi.

Story for the Issaquah Press

Posted on Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Local dentist Theresa Cheng and staff are helping veterans and their family caregivers this November 20th, giving them free dental care in a show of gratitude for their service.

Only 100% service disabled veterans are covered by The Veterans Administration for only some types of dental work, meaning most don’t get seen by dentists. This goes for their caretakers and family as well.

“We are trying to show gratitude to these veterans who have sacrificed their lives,” says Cheng, “it’s our little part to give back.”

Cheng was first inspired to this three years ago by the article “For local Iraq vet and his mom, the healing never ends” in The Seattle Times about combat injured vet Rory Dunn and his mother Cynthia Lefever. The initial idea was to do something to help the mothers and spouses of injured vets, like Dunn’s mother, yet it soon grew to also encompass the vets themselves.

“Veteran’s are covered but moms aren’t” says Cheng. “But most vets don’t actually have coverage, and so we see more of them than the caregivers”.

Cheng and his staff are in their third year of doing Free Dental Care Day for Disabled Veterans and their family Caregivers, and are excited to be booking appointments for this November. Being a periodontist his office provides x rays, a periodontal exam, removal of infected teeth and general cleaning. If veterans or their caregivers need more intensive or restorative care, Cheng has compiled a network of 21 other dentists and oral surgeons interested in offering their help as well.

Veteran Nathan Murphy and his wife Christine have found great help from Free Dental Care Day. Last year both received an exam and cleaning while there, and Christine was even referred to another dentist when it was discovered her braces had snapped and her teeth needed special attention.

“I think it’s outstanding,” said Nathan Murphy. “A lot of us come back and don’t have the option of dental. With this economy it’s hard to get care you need; my wife went quite a while without any.”

Voni Brachvogel, mother to a veteran, is also glad to have found out about the availability of such services. After learning about it through her volunteer work helping families with loved ones in Iraq, she went last year for a check-up and cleaning.

“It was the best general care I’ve ever had in my life,” said Brachvogel. “I’ve never had anyone as professional, kind, and thorough as them. The whole staff was great.”

This year’s Free Dental Care Day is taking it up a notch, including an on-site masseuse to provide massages as well as gift bags filled with donated items from local businesses. Such goodies include Advil and toothbrushes from COSTCO, pastries from Panier Bakery, memberships to Gold’s Gym, as well as gift cards to Barnes and Noble.

“It’s very evident that people in this community want to give back to vets, but don’t really have an avenue to do it,” said Cheng, “it’s very touching.”

To schedule an appointment or ask questions, Theresa Cheng and staff can be reached at 425-392-8992. Or visit http://www.theresacheng.com/.