After staying at a chic, dog friendly hotel in Santa Barbara I learned of an amazing organization that helps shelter & rescue animals by providing them with some of the basic necessities while they’re trying to be adopted out.  Operation Blankets of Love is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes new and recycled blankets, comforters, towels, toys and other pet related items to different shelters around the southern California area (click here to see all of the current locations).  These basic items are proven to lower the animals stress levels, helps keep them comfortable and in return that lowers euthanization rates because the animal is much less aggressive & anxious.   Think about it for a second; if you have ever been to an animal shelter you have probably seen a poor, scared dog tucked away in the corner.  They usually aren’t being very social, probably stressed out of their mind and barking at each person that passes them.  Your first impression probably isn’t a very good one.  Could you, yourself imagine being in a similar situation; trapped in a cold, concrete room with out anything to keep you busy or to keep you warm?  Think of how irritable you would be!  Well, animals are the exact same way.  According to The Humane Society of the United States, 4 million dogs & cats are put down which is like one every eight seconds.  Not only does Operation Blankets of Love pamper shelter animals with a little love they also find abused, neglected and sick dogs homes.  They really are like a 911 call for all animals and animal organizations out there.

Most people around me know that I have rescued both my Chihuahua, Diego & my chi-weenie, Penny from shelters and possibly from a future of being euthanized.  When I adopted Penny, the vet assistant said that she had aggression issues and that basically she was an unadoptable dog.  She was scared, starved, abused and uncomfortable being kept in a cold cage for over three months (the majority of dogs in shelters are only kept around 72 hours before they are put down)!!  Despite what we were told we all took a chance on her and she has turned out to be the friendliest dog I have ever come across to this day (with ZERO training on my part).  She has never bitten anyone, loves life and is amazing with kids, so, when I came across Operation Blankets of Love it made me realize that if Penny had a cozy little bed inside that cage she would have felt more relaxed and warm and probably would have been adopted out a lot faster, she was lucky because she had time on her side and most dogs don’t.  I am always wanting to help out rescue dogs from the high risk kill shelters but that takes a lot more space than I have living in San Francisco.  I don’t have a yard, extra room and already have two pups of my own, but, Operation Blankets of Love really makes it so easy to help out and even though it seems like such a simple idea it really adds up into something huge which ends up saving thousands of animal lives a year just by making them more comfortable and more adoptable.  Below is a little info on how to get started…

So here is how the progress goes…

I contacted, Elieen (818-402-6586 or email: eileenobol@aol.com), the founder of Operation Blankets of Love, to see if I could get something started up in the San Francisco bay area.   Elieen was super friendly, very motivating and eager to help me out.  I work for JanSport, which is a part the huge corporation, Vanity Fair.  VF is an amazing company to be a part of and they are always looking for volunteer opportunities for their employees, so I set up a meeting with our HR department to discuss holding a blanket drive.  JanSport shares our headquarters with The North Face and Lucy so there are hundreds of employees that walk through the front doors daily (most being animal lovers as well), so I knew that this would be the perfect place to host a blanket drive.  My meeting is set up for next week so I plan to keep you all updated on my progress and to show you just how easy it is to put on one of these events from the ground up.  They can be put on at pet stores, schools, office buildings, basically anywhere that has a little bit of extra space.  Seriously, who doesn’t have drawers full of old towels, blankets, comforters and toys?!?   I am also planning on designing a few different flyers for my blanket drive and I will upload them on to The Changing Buzz, so anyone can use them for their own blanket drive.  It’s a new year, become inspired, don’t ignore this huge problem & help out… its super easy!

xoxo,

tcb

ps: check out Operation Blankets of love below on Animal Planets show, Pit Boss.

Normally, I am not a fan of the good ‘ol ‘stash but during the month of Movember (formally known as November), the Movember Foundation wants men to sport their best handlebar, creeper scruff or soul patch to “change the face of men’s health” by raising money and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer.  A man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every 8 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 18 minutes, around the clock 365 days a year.  Those are alarming stats and a good reason to join in on this movement.

It’s pretty simple, go to: www.movember.com and register yourself or a team.  You will then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom your mustache while raising as much money and awareness about men’s health as possible.   All you MO sisters out there can also support the men in your life by registering as part of a team and work to collect donations for the cause.

Check out the Movember site to learn more about getting involved in the month-long movement and to find an end-of-month gala to flaunt your new facial hair and possibly be crowned Mr. Movember 2009.  Make this Movember the mustache ride of your life!!!