The coolest 'when owners resemble their pets'

'Padfoot' For Adoption

Forgotten: Harry Potter star Berry is looking for a new home

Homeless after Harry Potter: Canine movie star Padfoot needs a loving family (and they can even be muggles)
By Mary Mcconnell
Last updated at 3:27 PM on 26th September 2011

While Daniel Radcliffe has gone on to forge an illustrious career on the stage and screen, the fortunes of one of his Harry Potter co-stars have not been quite as lofty.

Black German shepherd Berry, known to millions of children around the world as Padfoot from Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, is looking for a new home.

The ten-year-old mutt, who played the animal version of Gary Oldman's character Sirius Black and the godfather to Radcliffe's character Harry, can no longer be looked after by his owner, Paul Thompson.

Trained stuntman Mr Thompson, said he spends too much time away from home to give Berry the attention he deserves.

He told the Sunday Express he is also looking for a new home for Berry's life-long pal Porridge, a German Shepherd cross.

Porridge is also a star of the screen, with roles in The Bill and the TV adaptation of Zadie Smith's novel White Teeth but at the age of 13 the roles have now dried up.

Mr Thompson, said: 'I found myself spending a lot of time away from home. The dogs needed more attention then I could give. It was a difficult decision to make but one I had to accept was best for the dogs.'

The 52-year-old from Elstree, Herts, said he had arranged for the pair, who have been together since they were puppies and cannot be separated, to be fostered by animal re-homing charity German Shepherd Dog Rescue but so far no one has offered them a home.

For more information go to www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk

Screen star: Berry played the canine version of Gary Oldman in Harry Potter And the Prisoner of Azkaban

Friday Find

Today's Friday Find is a Keeshond named Reid. Reid loves sitting in his fosters lap, enjoys grooming, and likes meeting new people. He is being fostered with other Keeshonden as well as a cat, and is house and crate trained. Reid is special needs as he has a Grade V heart murmur which will require extra trips to the vet and medication to make sure he remains healthy and active. Reid is being fostered with Keeshond Lovers United, Inc.
Click here to learn how to adopt Reid

Keeshonden (plural for Keeshond) are a part of the Spitz family which includes other breeds such as the Pomeranian, Samoyed, and Siberian Husky to name a few. All Spitz types were originally bred as working dogs to be used for the purpose of hunting, herding, or sledging. Keeshonden are a medium sized Spitz that generally comes in wolf-sable coloration with distinct "spectacle" markings around their eyes. They are known to be the most people friendly and biddable of the Spitzes, making them quick learners, great with children, and wonderful companions.

Friday Find

Today's Friday Find is a lovely bonded pair of Peafowl. They are looking for space to roam in a rural area so their loud calls won't disturb the neighbors. Please consult your local Code Enforcement before filling out an adoption application. These precious Peafowl are being fostered by Sounds of Silent Spirits Rescue
Click here to learn how to adopt these Peafowl

The Indian Peafowl is the most beautiful of the Peacock species and is the national bird of India. They are forest birds that nest on the ground, but roost in trees at night. Peafowl are quite sociable and most will not stray far from home, but can also be kept in enclosures to ensure their safety. They are omnivores and enjoy dining on various plant parts, petals, seed heads, insects, and even small reptiles and amphibians.

Friday Find

Today's Friday Find is a whopper: 150 guinea pigs! You read that correctly. These poor little guys were dumped at a SoCal shelter and quickly absorbed by area small animal rescues Wee Companions & Orange County Cavy Haven. Many of these guinea pigs are skinny, suffer from various health issues and illnesses, and/or are pregnant. The rescues are in desperate need of funding and supplies, so here are a few simple ways you can help out:

Local folks:
1) They are in need of anything and everything as far as supplies and food** go
2) Offer to volunteer and/or foster
3) Adopt 1 or 2 or 3 of course! :)

Non-local folks:
1) The easiest option would be to donate via Chip-In which will be divvied up between the rescues involved.
2) You may donate or ship items directly to the rescues
4) As the Chip-In link says, some will be transported to UT & AZ so keep an eye on your local piggy rescue if you live in one of those states and are looking for a new BFF!

Items needed includes bedding, guinea pig food**, timothy hay**, water bottles, food dishes, etc etc
**Food and hay brands accepted are: Oxbow or KMS Hayloft

Guinea pigs hail from South America where they play an important role in the culture. They are traditionally used in religious ceremonies, folk medicine, and also as a protein source. As pets, they make delightful companions. They are a social animal that prefers having company of their own kind, however can be housed singly as long as a significant amount of time is dedicated to providing attention. Guinea pigs are the most vocal of the rodents and make a variety of noises. They are also quite intelligent and are capable of learning tricks. To learn more about guinea pig care, check out Guinea Lynx.

Friday Find

Today's Friday find is a lovely Collie named Princess. Princess is a muy bonita Spanish speaking Collie that is re-learning her commands in English. She was loved very much but her family could no longer meet her needs. She is currently being fostered with Greater Collie Rescue of IL, Inc.
Click here to learn how to adopt Princess
(make sure to check out her buddy, King as well!)

Collies are a herding dog that originated in Scotland and was used for droving cattle and sheep. Their popularity is due in part thanks to the tv show "Lassie." Lassie was the epitome of the Collie breed being a devoted family dog, gentle with children and other animals, intelligent, biddable, and, of course, charming.
***Please note that Collies can have an Ivermectin sensitivity. Ivermectin is an ingredient found in some heartworm medications, so check the label and choose your meds wisely!

Friday Find

I decided to start doing something new called Friday Find. The idea is to feature a different adoptable pet found on Petfinder.com each week, and give a little bit of background about the breed.

My first Friday Find is a cute little Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix named Noomi.

Noomi is estimated to be about 2 years old and weighs in at a petite 24 pounds. She is said to be housetrained and loves to snuggle! She is being fostered with Project Rescue Chicago
Click here to learn how to adopt Noomi

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are part of the Terrier group which means they are intelligent, energetic, and tenacious. They are also quite people oriented and gentle around children which earned them the title of "Nanny Dog." Their affinity towards people and eagerness to please makes them very trainable and a versitile breed.

Rescue Dogs Turn Vick House of Horrors into House of Hope

Rescue dogs arrive at old Vick home: wavy.com

Rescue Dogs Arrive At Old Vick Home
Home to become dog rescue facility

Updated: Monday, 27 Jun 2011, 10:07 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 27 Jun 2011, 6:07 AM EDT

SURRY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) - The first of many rescue dogs arrived Sunday to the home once owned by Michael Vick in Surry County.

It was once the home of dogfighting rings, but now the home is officially becoming a dog rescue facility.

A rescue group called Dogs Deserve Better bought the 15 acre property in May.

The group plans to renovate the property and make it a state of the art facility for hundreds of dogs who were either chained or penned.

"We want this place to be a memorial to all the dogs who lost their lives here," said Tamira Thyne with Dogs Deserve Better. "I don't want our dogs here, because I do think there's been a lot of sadness and a lot of pain here."

The group is in need of volunteers and funding.

If you would like to donate time or money, visit www.dogsdeservebetter.org .

Dog Trainer Receives Tony Award

Dog Trainer Makes History at Tonight's Tony Awards

Tonight’s Tony Awards telecast will be eye and ear candy for fans of the New York theater. But even if Broadway show business isn’t your thing, there’s one feature of tonight’s program that’s sure to appeal to Dogsters. In a historic first, the prestigious Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater will be awarded to … a dog trainer.

William Berloni – Bill to his friends – is the founder of William Berloni Theatrical Animals and director of animal behavior at the Humane Society of New York. His specialty is discovering K9 stage stars at animal shelters, then prepping them for a run on the Great White Way.

He’s so modest, and he makes it look easy, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds, as Bill’s memoir “Broadway Tails,” explains. Dog trainers who work in movies have the luxury of re-takes. Dogs who perform in live stage productions only get one shot at stardom: You mess up on stage, your career is over. Berloni’s dogs never mess up. They are the creme de la creme of K9 talent – true professionals who work hard to earn every ovation they get. And to get his dogs to achieve their best, Bill uses only positive, gentle training methods.

The story of how Bill secured his unique niche in dog training reads like a Broadway-bound play itself. Back in 1976, director Martin Charnin was getting ready for the opening of a musical based on a popular comic strip about an orphan girl and her best friend, a sandy-haired mutt. Charnin charged Bill, then a 19-year-old aspiring actor, with securing a dog for the production, and training the K9 to do tricks on cue.

Bill, who had loved and worked with dogs since childhood, was happy to volunteer as the trainer in exchange for his actor’s card. After visiting various animal shelters in his home state of Connecticut, he discovered the perfect dog to play Sandy. A dog star was born. Sandy the mutt charmed and delighted fans of the musical “Annie,” on and off the stage.

As everyone knows, the musical “Annie” became a blockbuster. Berloni’s professional destiny was sealed. He wouldn’t act after all; instead, he’d be the force behind Broadway’s fabulous, four-footed stage performers, motivating and guiding his proteges all the way to superstar status.

Today, Bill has a stable of some 30 Sandy mutts, all veterans of various “Annie” revivals, and all adopted from animal shelters (that’s one of them in the photo above, taken at last year’s Tonys). He works with many other breeds and mixes as well, from pit bulls to poodles (like the toy poodle he trained for “Gypsy,” starring Bernadette Peters). Remember Chico, the famous Chihuahua who starred as Bruiser in the Broadway blockbuster “Legally Blonde”? He’s a Berloni discovery, as is Toto in Broadway’s “The Wizard of Oz” and Pi the Boston Terrier, the sweet scene-stealer in Susan Stroman’s “Double Feature” for the New York City Ballet.

He’s soft-spoken and modest, but Bill is a legend – and other legends have tipped their hats to him. Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles of “Grey Gardens” and “Gimme Shelter” fame has a doc in the works about Berloni; famed photographer Elliott Erwitt shot an iconic image of Berloni and Sandy sitting on a park bench; director Mike Nichols tapped Berloni to train the animals (dogs plus a cat) for the Tom Hanks movie “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

But the thing we love most about Bill Berloni is this: He’s steadfast in his loyalty to shelter animals, and remains dedicated to raising awareness of the heartbreaking numbers of dogs in animal shelters across the country whose talents too often go unnoticed. He always gently urges everyone he meets to try following his proven m.o. for success: Find and adopt pets from animal shelters. Whether they perform on Broadway or just do tricks for you and your family, those dogs are the ones with star quality to spare.

Bravo, Bill - Dogsters will be cheering as you pick up your richly deserved award tonight. Knock ‘em dead!

Hotel for Dogs + Pedigree

There is a new dog movie coming out soon made by Nickelodeon called Hotel for Dogs. For every ticket purchased, Pedigree will make a donation to help shelter dogs.

On the Hotels for Dogs website they have a "meet the pups" section where you can read about their stories and the all too common reasons dogs are dumped.

Most if not all of the dogs casted were, indeed, rescues.

Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl IV

Tired of the same old Super Bowl™ pre-game show? Looking for some excitement before the opening coin-toss? Before the big men in pads take the field for their gridiron battle, watch some players that are ready to rumble and "ruff" their way to victory. We've traded in linebackers for labradors and quarterbacks for corgis and we're releasing the hounds for PUPPY BOWL IV on Sunday, February 3, from 3-6 PM (ET/PT).

From baby beagles to mini dachshunds to mixed breeds — viewers are in for a fantastic lineup that's itching to play in a winning combination of tackles, puppy penalties and fido first downs. The renowned Harry Kalas, voice of NFL Films, returns to call the play-by-plays of this year's game.

For all the feline fans, the BISSELL KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW is back! The lively kittens show off their moves on a glittery stage and chase each other around the field. Tom Petty's performance has nothing on these tiny tabbies and cuddly calicos which prove that watching curious kittens batting around a toy mouse is all the entertainment you need. It's the pick of the litter for halftime shows!

And this year, viewers are able to see all of the frolicking like never before. For the first time, PUPPY BOWL IV will be broadcast in high-definition, capturing all of the thrilling action of our cute and cuddly pups in stunning clarity.

Tune in on February 3rd at 3 pm e/p to get in on the action!

Check out the starting lineup
Starting lineup brought to you by these shelters.

Vick dogs make their debut

The gag order is lifted as the last defendant is sentenced and Bad Rap opens up about their experiences and discoveries made when evaluating the ex-fighting dogs.

See video, pictures, a timeline, and the entire process on Bad Rap's website here- A Second Chance for the Vick-tims

Their blogspot has also been updated and can be read here

These dogs were immediately labeled "ticking timebombs" by PETA and HSUS who took it upon themselves to decide it was best that they be put down with no further evaluation because of their fighting background. But evaluation of these dogs may help reinvent how to assess prior fighting dogs and show that shelters need to treat them on an individual basis instead of generalizing. You may recall that only ONE dog failed the rigerous temperament test admistered by both Bad Rap and the ASPCA.

Thanks to good people like Bad Rap and ASPCA EVERY dog no matter what breed, size, or background has an equal chance at finding that perfect home.

I am pet friendly!

Make sure everybody knows it by ordering custom license plates that donate proceeds directly back to spay and neuter programs in your state. To find out if your state has these Pet Friendly plates, or other ways you could help out spay and neuter programs, check out this website!

Mutts- Shelter Stories