I should probably be writing about the horrible pet food crisis we are experiencing but I don't have any answers and the situation changes every day. Should we cook our own foods for our pets? Will our pets get all the right nutrients? Should we try raw feeding? Who knows? I do know that everyone should keep up on the recalls and, please, do some research into what foods are right for your pet. In my opinion, the foods on the recall list are less-than-stellar choices but, either way, pets should not be dying from commercially produced foods. There are many premium foods available at the boutique pet supply stores all over town. For now, those seem like the safest bet to me. And now off to the column.
This week, we have a report from our East Coast correspondent Sandi Schiffman, keeping us updated on the fundraising happenings in New York.
Last week was Leonard Pip Rothstein's birthday bash. Lenny the Pug, as he is more commonly known, is owned by Lin Randolph, who is the organizer of the pug meet-ups in NYC. The fact that it was Lenny's birthday would not normally be any more of a celebration than any other dog's birthday, except that Lenny has a cause—Animal Haven Shelter ( www.animalhavenshelter.org ) .
In 1995, while Lin was planning a small party for Lenny's birthday, he was hit by a car and ended up losing his right hind leg. Lenny's recuperation and survival gave Lin a new focus in life: 'to help pets in need and raise awareness of health and safety issues.'
This year, Lenny celebrated his birthday with over 100 human and canine friends at the new Animal Haven Adoption Center in the city's neighborhood of SoHo. Guests paid $25-$35 admission and were treated to a variety of food, fun and finery! There were various stations where tokens could be earned and then traded for prizes. You could toss a beanbag into a hole ( and confidential sources revealed that you got as many chances as you needed for a successful toss ) , have your dog do tricks ( from the easy 'sit, stay, down' to the who-are-you-kidding 'crawl, hop on hind legs, dance' ) or buy raffle tickets.
The tokens could be traded in for upscale dog clothing, healthy treats, leashes, collars, bowls or pet carry bags. The raffle prizes were even more luxurious—including big baskets filled with pet food, supplements, treats, clothes, leashes, books and toys. There was also a silent auction for, among other things, an overnight stay at a casino hotel, a year of cocktail parties, a photo shoot and baseball tickets.
The dog treats on the canine Viennese table looked as good ( and some said even better ) than the human treats! There were cupcakes, donuts, doggy cookies and carob brownies. Music was provided by Pet-Rox.
Everything was donated ( including some people who turned their raffle winnings back over to Animal Haven ) . Lin and Lenny raised a whopping $4,000+ for the adoption center.