As Mom and I continue to bring Pay It Forward Pets into being, we are staying consciously aware of just what size of pawprint we will be making as a company on the planet. Today we pondered how much of an impact we were making by driving and shipping our products to our clients. Since Mom has to drive a big pick up to accomodate the transportation of our horsey friends and their food, she is really concerned about what that driving is causing. Add to that, all the carbon emissions from shipping, traveling, etc. and you have one big environmental bone to pick.

Here are some of the cool options that we found today to help us off-set and reduce our overall carbon emissions.

The Conservation Fund's  "Go Zero" Program   They are helping us to calculate our carbon emissions and then plant trees to balance the use. Being a dog, I am all about more trees.

Terrapass

Be Green's eMission Solutions.

There are more options than you can shake a stick at. Who knew that one little company could make such a big impact? And we haven't even begun talking about recycled/renewable packaging, sustainability of product materials, what kind of light bulbs we use?....whew! This old dog is certainly learning new green tricks!

Anyone know of any others they care to recommend? Which reminds me, if anyone knows where I can find recycled tennis balls please let me know. Woof!

Hi everyone. Reily here checking in. Apologies for not writing in so long.

It's been a very busy spring/summer. Mom's been busy researching and planning Pay It Forward Pets, LLC and I...... well I have been too busy out playing in my pool, chasing my tennis ball and sunbathing in our warm weather .....you know... working hard raising the vibration on the planet with my joy.

Mom and I were yapping over breakfast this morning and we decided that since we don't have a lot of extra time right now to find pupular topics to write about that we would instead share our current journey with you. Since all things around here tend to be animal related we thought the information might just resonate with a few readers.

The first big thing is that Mom has made the BIG decision to go back to school and fulfill her greatest dream of becoming a holistic veterinarian. Yahoo! She said she was too old but we animals around here have been begging her to do it for years. It will be so nice not to have to plan getting tummy aches and bruised hooves and goopy eyes just so she can practice and realize just how good she is at helping us critters. She's finally listened to us and now we can all relax and watch the comedy of her freaking out in preparation of vet school.

The second fun occation around here is that we are all creating a sustainable animal wellness company called Pay It Forward Pets. We will go into more detail about the organization in a little while, but suffice it to say for now, the company is being formed with the express purrpose of making the world a better place for all animals. At Ol' McShelly's Farm we go to great lengths to use only sustainably minded products and services. We carnivores in the house have even boycotted meat that has suffered in factory farms. We are now yappy to share all the earth and animal friendly products that we eat and use with the world.

So that's what we are up to in the world. For the next several months Mom will be sharing her vet school journey at her personal blog and we will all be sharing our adventure of creating Pay It Forward Pets here at ours. It has been quite some ride thus far. Who knew starting a company could be such monkey business? For all of you who have ever dreamed of mainfesting your soul's purpose or are bringing conscious, sustainable small business to the masses, we think you'll find our adventure a hoot.

One of our dearest friends and favorite holistic horsewomen is now offering certification courses in her holistic horsemanship philosophy and technique. We are proud to pass this information along knowing that all who partake will walk away inspired and fulfilled. Garnering the wisdom and experience that Anna brings to the table is well worth the tuition, not to mention all you will learn about the equine language and relationship. Your horse will thank you, but even better yet, you will thank you.

Whether you're a horseperson or not, this course will be life changing. Do give it a look-see.

** Interviews between one of our super cool  fellow Zaadsters and Anna can be found at:
                                Anna Twinney's Unique Approach To Reaching Out

       Thank goodness Mom makes our food for us! We'll never have to worry about this:


Some of you may have heard already, there has been a Nation-wide recall announced for some canned and pouch cat and dog foods.  Please take a good look at any foods you currently have to make sure it is not included in the recall. (link below) There are many of the majors on the list (Iams, Science Diet, Nutro) so it never hurts to just check.   

 www.menufoods.com/recall  

The contaminated foods have caused dogs and cats to become sick, "showing signs of kidney failure."  Symptoms include drinking a lot, vomiting, loss of appetite, and lethargy.   

That's no fun at all! This is THE VERY reason Mom stopped feeding us mass produced products and switched to a natural diet. Boy are we ever glad she did.... the fresh stuff tastes so much better and we all feel so great! The research she has been doing for several years has been pointing in this direction. It was only a matter of time before it happened. It is unfortunate to say but most veterinarians recieve large profits for promoting some of these products. Many were not given the nutritional educational in school and are at the mercy of pet food companies who are generally in the business to make profits. 

If change is to be made it is going to have to come from animal guardians educating themselves and demanding a higher standard of fare for us beloved companions. Think of it this way, you wouldn't feed your human baby the same highly processed, chemically tainted kibbled or canned food everyday for the rest of their life. So why would you do that to us animal family members? We need a diet based on a variation of whole organic foods just like humans do for optimal wellness.

Do let Mom know if she can answer any of your questions or make suggestions for alternate products. We will be blogging about this information as more is learned and sharing some of our favorite recipes and such. 


To better educate yourself, we offer a few book recommendations that have very valuable infomation about animal wellness, vaccination side-effects, natural diet, etc.   

The Nature of Animal Healing
Author: Martin Goldstein D.V.M.  

Food Pets Die For
Author: Ann N. Martin  
 
Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health fo...
Author: Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble  

This could actually turn out to be something very positive. It is bringing attention to a subject where change is LONG overdue. Lets intend that all animals stay well through the recall and that more people become proactive about standards being raised to benefit us animal companions.

Peace and biscuits,
Reily

Wow.... has it been that long? Mom has been hogging the computer spending all her time creating Pay It Forward Pets (we'll be telling you more about that very soon!) and hasn't let me blog one time in months!

Today I rebelled and threatened to withhold cookies (yes, it works in reverse too) if she didn't let me share something I have found recently. Obviously she agreed. Girl Scout cookies are powerful bargaining tools! :)

So with great excitement I share with you our winner of today's Animal Ambassador Extraordinaire Award..... Miss Aimee(Roo) and her website in support of us animals appropriately called Aimees Animals. Four paws up for Amiee and all she is doing to spread the message of compassion and kindness toward Kindred Spirits. We are grateful that she was kind enough to pass on our dear friend Jaime's story to all her readers. We love you Aimee!

                                                                      

This year we all got to befriend a special little turkey that shared our home for awhile. He quickly became my buddy so I am honored to share this message of compassion with you all today. Thanks to the wonderful people at HSUS for this years humane message:




A vegetarian dinner is a humane choice for this year's Thanksgiving feast.
This Thanksgiving, your family and friends can share a holiday celebration that gives loved ones—and turkeys—a reason to be thankful. Choosing heart-healthy and animal-friendly holiday fare not only protects your health, but also avoids supporting the abuses commonplace on turkey factory farms.

Whether you enjoy prepared turkey alternatives or homemade recipes, vegetarian options can be the centerpiece of a memorable holiday meal, and can help create a more humane world. But even if you're not yet ready to replace all your meat products this holiday, you can still help farm animals by adopting one of the other Three Rs: You can reduce your consumption of animal products or refine your consumption by choosing products from animals raised in the least inhumane conditions possible.

Take Action
» You can help turkeys this Thanksgiving by signing our Petition for Poultry.

"This Thanksgiving, we can enjoy foods that are healthy for our families, giving ourselves and turkeys reason to celebrate," says Michael Greger, M.D., HSUS director of public health and animal agriculture. "Simply by choosing from the wealth of delicious, easy-to-prepare vegetarian meal options, we can leave saturated animal fat, cholesterol and animal suffering out of our holiday festivities."

Tragic Abuse

After enduring lives of frustration and suffering, tens of millions of turkeys are slaughtered for Thanksgiving meals. Most are bred to grow at an unnaturally rapid rate, preventing many of the birds from even walking normally. They also suffer from chronic health problems, including heart disease and skeletal disorders. Producers amputate parts of turkeys' beaks, toes and snoods, virtually never using painkillers in the process. After an often painful slaughter, they arrive on our tables.

Turkeys and other birds raised for food are left without protection from even the most terrible cruelties. The federal Animal Welfare Act does not cover animals used for food, and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act is interpreted to exclude birds killed for human consumption. And most states' anti-cruelty statutes exempt standard agricultural practices, no matter how abusive.

Start a Humane Tradition

Instead of starting your Thanksgiving celebration by purchasing a turkey raised on a factory farm, carve out a new tradition. There are many mouth-watering vegetarian options available for your holiday feast. Check out one of the delicious options available at supermarkets, such as Tofurky or UnTurkey, in order to satisfy your loved ones' craving for a filling meal. Surrounded by side dishes like mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce and vegetables, your holiday meal will be complete—and compassionate.

So, this Thanksgiving, gobble up an animal-friendly feast, and give turkeys reason for thanks!

Mom says there is a super cool company concept that she thought we should share with you all. Most of you are aware how dangerous it is for animals to travel in the belly of a plane......were not "cargo" for gosh sakes!

There is a potential company called Companion Air that is creating a special airline specifically for animals and their families. The animals will fly first class with their person(s) in the cabin of the plane. How pawsatively cool is that? They are currently seeking capital and are working out the details of the business.

The rates seem a little high compared to regular air travel but when you weigh how much our safety and health matters, it is a minor fee. Think too what setting this precedent will do for the other airlines! It won't be long before every major carrier designates certain flights or even certain back rows of all planes so that animals can travel with their people on every flight! The more people that request and use this service, the lower the prices will go.

Send them a note and let them know you commend them for being on the cutting-edge for compassionate travel and for making the statement that they find us valuable enough to fly first class! We're all sending pawsitive intentions to help them get this "off the ground".

Mom just recieved an email about an advertising campaign/competition that is being run in Australia that allows Pepsi drinkers to sign up and win part "ownership" in a racing Greyhound. The campaign proposes that one can buy specially marked bottles to either win $5 thousands dollars per day or "The Dog".

As dogs and dog lovers, we simply can't stand for any organization promoting an industry that is connected to excessive surplus breeding practices, often cruel methods by which unwanted dogs are destroyed, daily unfit living conditions, and the killing and maiming of bait animals, such as rabbits, during training exercises, that exists solely for the entertainment and profit of people-often at the expense of the animals' welfare.

We can all come together to tell Pepsi we don't approve. Vote with your dollar and tell Pespi you will not support them with your purchase as long as they choose to support an industry that exploits racing dogs.

To see which Pepsi brands to boycot click here.

You can contact them at: http://www.pepsi.com/help/help.php
or write or call them directly at:

PepsiCo, Inc.
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
(914) 253-2000



To learn more about the Greyhound racing industry and how you can help, see: HSUS Greyhound Racing Facts

Hi all.

As I look around I notice so many Zaadsters that share the love of animals here at Zaadz. Thus, I have created a Zaadz zAnimals Flickr photo pool so that we can see them all at a glance. Do stop by and share your beloveds(here or departed) photos often. Even include a story about them if you feel called. There can never be enough animal cuteness spread about the world.



Love and biscuits,
Shelly and Reily

Our dear friend and fellow zAnimal Ambassador, SixthSense, is heading up a really great cause for animals. Mom and I are intending to be there if all works out and we can get to LA that weekend. Do check out his event and come play if you can. It will be on tail-wagging good time!

HELP ZAADZ SPREAD LOVE TO OUR ANIMAL FRIENDZ - ANOTHA SEXY REVOLUTION EVENT 


WHO LET THE DOGZ OUT?! Whoever did it, this is your chance to walk em!

We will be helping out the dogs in Seal Beach Animal Care Center (SBACC.ORG) - it is a NO KILL animal shelter! I have volunteered at the shelter and it is an awesome loving place!

I have also been to the last year's WAG'N'WALK with several friends and it was AWESOME! I did not have a dog (my baby Flash passed away about 3 years ago), so I walked a dog from the shelter. All the dogs from the shelter took part in the walk AND IT WAS AMAZING. You can bring YOUR DOG if you'd like instead. You can also join us and walk without a dog (if you are a cat person;)

Whatever you choose to do, just come out and have fun with us, while helping this awesome animal care center.

I have created a ZAADZ LOVEZ ANIMALS TEAM page, where you can sign up for the event and/or show your love and support and donate a few bucks for our efforts to represent compassion and love.

Check it out: ZAADZ LOVEZ ANIMALS TEAM PAGE

Hope to see you there!

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE WAG N WALK HERE
ADDRESS WHERE THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE

MUCH SEXY REVOLUTIONARY LOVE,

SIXTHSENSE