dog
Enriching The Lives of Homeless Pets And Families
I’ve been so grateful to my friends who have been there for me during this past year with lots of personal issues including my mom’s ailing health. The kindness of others has given me so much strength and I’ve been looking for a larger scale way of giving back.
I’d been yearning to get back to fulfilling that side of my heart again. This past fall I visited the Interfaith Hospitality Network of 
Greater Cincinnati and learned about its Pet Support Program.
I’d been looking for a larger scale opportunity to give back for those who have shown me so much kindness. IHN’s Pet Support Program touched me on many levels – when homelessness and financial hardship hit a family, it hits everyone in that family…including the non-human animals.
Then, in early December it occurred to me when I looked at all of Dawson’s unused toys. Among other things, boredom can be a cause of behavior problems that could make finding and keeping low income housing and shelter difficult for those families. Dawson’s unused toys could be enrichment for pets whose owners wouldn’t be able to provide them – or for those pets who are being cared for by IHN while their owners are working through what they need to work through.
The idea for Gifts for Best Friends was born.
From March 14 to April 18, we will be collecting gently used HARD dog and cat toys, and new hard and soft toys. There will be drop off locations. Additionally, I am looking for individuals and organizations who would like to organize an internal collection 
among their co-workers, congregations, group members.
Special thanks to the very talented Erik Pietila for creating the beautiful artwork for the campaign!!
Please visit this link to learn more on my pet training website. Also, I will be posting updates on my So Much PETential Facebook page. Please mark yourself as *attending* or *interested* to get updates.
And, if you would like to be involved with a collection, please be in touch!
Drop Off Locations
Care Center Vets
6995 E Kemper Road
513-530-0911
General area – Montgomery/Symmes Township
Earthwise at Harper’s Point
11328 Montgomery Road
(513) 469-7387
general area – Montgomery/Symmes Township
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati
990 Nassau Street
513-471-1100
general area – near downtown
Mason Community Center
6050 S Mason Montgomery Rd
(513) 229-8555
general area – Mason
Pet Wants – Findlay Market
1813 Pleasant St
513-721-8696
general area – Over the Rhine
Pet Wants – Cincy Kitchen
1409 Vine St
513-621-3647
Pleasant Ridge Pet Hospital
6229 Montgomery Rd
(513) 351-1730
general location – Pleasant Ridge
Western Hills Animal Hospital
5500 Glenway Ave
513-922-2266
general area – Western Hills
United Pet Fund Helps Those Who Help Animals – You Can Too!
All I have to do is look into those deep, beautiful eyes of our Sam – and so many other great dogs who I have worked with or gotten to know – and you can’t help but have a huge appreciation for the dedicated staff and volunteers who run our 
area dog and cat shelters. They have a very important job to do. Thousands of animals have their fate in these people’s hands and hearts to find them a forever home. And so many families have come to know that beautiful, unconditional love given off from an animal they adopted.
Introducing United Pet Fund
There is a somewhat new nonprofit, the United Pet Fund, whose sole purpose is to help those incredibly valuable animal care and service organizations to be sustainable. It is called United Pet Fund and it is founded by a Blue Ash veterinarian, Dr. Zeke Zekoff.
United Pet Fund has provided scholarship funds for volunteers of these organizations to attend continuing education conferences; handyman service for assistance with repair and maintenance of shelters; pet health days in under-served areas; emergency funds when needed for unexpected predicaments; and has provided nonprofit leadership management and trainings to shelters and rescue groups.
In an email from Dr. Zekoff, he shared: “We are working on becoming a national resource and support organization for the smaller ‘mom-and-pop’ ACSOs. Our goal will be to become a Nonprofit ACSO-member Services Organization that will provide basic business services needed by all nonprofits to become successful. Eventually, with the advantage that comes with large number of members, we hope to offer access to discounted business services for our members, including, but not limited to products and services that are needed by all nonprofit animal service and care organizations: Legal and Accounting, Insurance, Public Relations, IT services, Credit/Financing Services, Pet Products (including food and health supplies), Webinar-based training in Nonprofit leadership and management skills, as well as Animal Behavior and Health needs. The list can go on, but we have place to start. With all these in one location, with a central organization that understands the needs of the smaller ACSOs, the animals served by these organizations will be the ones in the end that benefit.”
Kyle’s New Hope Animal Rescue Saves Lives
Located in Sharonville, Kyle’s New Hope Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals who have run out of options. Dogs and cats that are injured, abused, abandoned and neglected will be provided veterinary care and surgery to be rehabilitated and adopted into loving homes. All animals will receive up to date vaccinations, be spayed or neutered and microchipped… all in an effort to reduce the amount of unnecessary euthanasia in shelters and hospitals. I am very familiar with Kyle’s New Hope because I have volunteered for them. Their love for the animals who have come into their lives is truly heartfelt.
You Can Help
Tomorrow & Friday (August 22 & 23, 2013), United Pet Fund and Kyle’s New Hope Animal Rescue are partnering with two back-to-back fundraisers.
Wags to Riches Casino Royale is tomorrow night from 6 pm to 10:30 pm at the Manor House located at 7440 S Mason-Montgomery Rd. in Mason. It is a fun night of dinner, Casino Games hosted by Black Diamond Casino Events with prizes, an animal caricaturist-bring your pet’s photo and more.
On Friday from Noon until 6:30 pm at the Bel-Wood Country Club in Morrow will be the Golf Classic with lunch, a cookout and great prizes. For cost and registration information, please visit this link: http://www.unitedpetfund.org/upfc_home.php
You can also call Towne Square Animal Clinic / Kyle’s Veterinary Hospital at 513-520-7571 or 513-793-1875 for information.
Downtown Cincinnati Dog Park, Because Of One Man And His Dog
It is not unusual for Craig Beachler, a medical device representative and territory manager, to drive hundreds of miles in between hospitals every week. After all, an important part of his job is being there during surgeries to ensure doctors don’t run into any snags when it comes to using his company’s products.
And good thing for Craig – or I should say Captain – that hospitals happen to have covered parking because where ever Craig travels for work, Captain travels too. A large dog bed in the utility vehicle’s back makes the long drives comfortable. By the way, Captain is Craig’s large 60 pound plus mixed breed who knows how to open door knobs that aren’t securely locked.
The roommates live in a downtown Cincinnati apartment surrounded by large buildings, busy streets and lots of concrete…but no grass. Lucky for them, there is a dog play area in the neighborhood called Fido Field.
Okay, so really, it’s not because of luck that they have a place to run and play fetch.
One man’s determination.
The year was 2005 when Craig and his dog (then a different dog) moved to downtown Cincinnati for a job at P&G, but there weren’t a whole lot of options close by for people and their pooches.
If you’ve ever met Craig, you know he’s not one to sit back and not take action on things that are important to him. He met with city leaders. Together they found a site on Eggleston Avenue and began drawing up plans for a dog park, but when the economy took a hit the park was no longer a city priority.
So Craig was given the plans and moved forward independently, recruiting volunteers and raising money on his own. A lofty endeavor seeing as the 
budget he came up with for it was over $300,000. Procter & Gamble was the largest donor – giving Craig $50,000 toward the park.
Fido Field has been open now for several years and the responsibility continues for Craig, who continues to fundraise and spends time on weekends maintaining it with help from friends. Among them are Erin Kidwell who is helping with communications and Tiphanie Hodges who helps with special events.
Fido Field is located at 630 Eggleston Ave; 45202. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. Please visit their Facebook page for updates.
Wednesday is DOGust 1st Day!
A Dog Brings Out Our Best
