We are all saddened by the lost of our founder, Amber, who dedicated her life to helping others. While cancer robbed us all of Amber’s energy and enthusiasm, her spirit will continue to inspire us to protect the animals she loved so much. To honor her memory and her passion for animals, the WellPetUSA Board and staff created “Amber’s Pets.” These pets will be a special beneficiary of the Meow Bow Wow fund each year. One family will be awarded up to $2,000 to help offset medical costs for a pet afflicted with cancer. Stay tuned for more information.

Amber’s passion for animals was at the heart of her vision for WellPetUSA. She was well known to stop traffic on busy freeways to rescue a stray, or jump a fence to rescue an abused pet, or crawl under bushes and cars to get a litter of kittens. 

So, her dream for an organization that would promote pet rescue and educate the public on pet welfare became a reality when we co-founded WellPetUSA. Her passion and vision were able to make WellPet what it is today. Through her efforts, countless dogs and cats found forever homes and brought joy to loving families.

Amber lost her battle with cancer on May 1, 2008. Yet her dream and spirit continues to live on in the hearts of the volunteers and board members that share her passion. WellPetUSA is Amber’s legacy and it is in good hands. As co-founder of WellPetUSA and as a board member, I am committed to continuing on with her work with the help of all the many dedicated volunteers that make up our organization.

Cats and dogs continue to be abused and commercially exploited. Animal welfare and public education is still in short supply. Much work still lies ahead for us, but together we can make a difference. Through your contributions and volunteer work, we can continue to honor Amber’s memory and her ongoing dream for WellPetUSA.

Sincerely,

Dr. Luis Pedraja
WellPetUSA Co-Founder and Board Member

Become a friend to WellPetUSA, show your support, donate, volunteer, etc….

 Join WellPetUSA on:

• Facebook - Join here by adding the Causes application.
• LinkedIn - Add WellPetUSA to your LinkedIn profile here. Note, all requests will be pending moderator approval.
• MySpace - Add the Causes application and become a friend to WellPetUSA.

As you may know,  WellPetUSA is an entirely volunteer based organization. Therefore we rely upon the donation of funds and time. The donation of time is especially critical from our staff, advisory council and Board of Directors.

WellPetUSA is pleased to announce some new staff hires:

•  Jacqueline Read (jacqui@wellpetusa.org) joins as Editor, writing for WellPetUSA’s newsletter and blog.
• Richard Roberson (richard@wellpetusa.org) joins as Deputy Executive Director, Finance responsible for directing all of WellPetUSA’s fiscal requirements and budgets.
• Katie Manion (katie@wellpetusa.org) joins as Development Director, reporting to Richard and responsible for WellPetUSA’s fundraising efforts.
• Edwina Lewis (edwina@wellpetusa.org) joins as Grant Direcotrs, reporting to Richard and responsible for grant research and writing to assist WellPetUSA in its fundraising goals.
• Jason Thompson (jason@wellpetusa.org ) joins as Director of Information Technology responsible for WellPetUSA’s technology strategy and infrastructure.

We thank these individuals for the donation of their time and commitment to WellPetUSA. You can read more about each’s background on our staff page.

If you are interested in volunteering your time to help WellPetUSA, please review our available staff, advisory council, and Board of Director positions. If you have interest in volunteering on one of the teams assisting Jacqui, Richard, Katie, Edwina, or Jason please feel free to email me at heather@wellpetusa.org to discuss your commitment and interest level.

Here is looking forward to a great remainder of 2008 for WellPetUSA!

Thanks,

Heather Read

Chairman, Board of Directors

WellPetUSA Inc.

Reuters reports that rapper DMX has been arrested in Phoenix, AZ on charges of animal abuse and drug possession.

Police first raided his home in the Cave Creek community near Phoenix last August. They found 12 distressed pit bulls and three dead animals partially buried on the property as well as a number of firearms.

An indictment was issued on seven counts of animal cruelty after the August raid. Police staged Friday’s raid to arrest DMX on charges from their initial investigation. This time, they also found unspecified illegal drugs and five more pit bull puppies, which they removed from the house.

… DMX pleaded guilty in New Jersey to animal cruelty charges in 2002 for neglecting some 13 pit bulls, according to news reports. As part of his sentence, he was required to make a public service announcement against animal abuse. 

This article from Canada details the story of Maggie May. Maggie May was rescued by her owner from a puppy mill and was just inducted into the Purina Hall of Fame for rescuing her owner from carbon monoxide poisoning in her home.

The owner, Sueanne DeCourcey said:

“A firefighter told me he had seen lots of cases like this and I was one of the lucky ones. He said if I didn’t have a dog to wake me up, I probably wouldn’t be alive.”

There are currently 138 animals — 114 dogs, 23 cats and one horse — in the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

According to the Dallas Morning News, city officials are proposing changes that would limit owners to 6 pets (dogs and cats) per household.

April 27 – May 3 is National Volunteer Week in the United States. Do you have extra time to spare and are looking to help further the animal wellness cause? Consider volunteering with WellPetUSA. Volunteer opportunities are listed here.

National Poison Prevention Week was March 16 – 22, 2008. Are you interested in learning more about poison prevention for your pets? Watch these videos from YouTube:

• Broadway Animal Hospital’s 5 tips to Poison Prevention
• ASPCA’s tips on Poisonous Plants

Remember to keep the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center phone number handy: (888) 426-4435