Banjo & Millie's Newest Addition

That's right, we have a new addition to our household. And his name is Pablo... Let me back up and tell you how we met Mr. Pablo and his introduction to our home!

Some of you may have read about my involvement with FETCH a Cure, a local organization that raises money for canine (and feline) cancer awareness/research. This past weekend was its biggest fundraiser, the Pets on Parade Gala, which took place Friday night at the Science Museum. Leading up to this event, artists paint and decorate large steel pups that are then auctioned off at the gala to raise money for Companions in Crisis, the wonderful FETCH financial assistance program to help families pay for treatment and care.

These steel pups spend their days stationed around Carytown (thanks to these kind "foster home" organizations: All Fired Up, Nacho Mama's, The VEC, Ellwood Cafe, Mezzanine, Mongrel, Pink, Murphies, Helping Hands, Franklin Goose, and World of Mirth) leading up to the big event to help generate excitement about the upcoming fundraiser, and on the night of the gala, they are the stars of the show on the auction block.

Needless to say, I was quite surprised when my husband raised his bid number on the last pup of the night, "Picasso Pup," designed by artist Jessica Norris. Inspired by the recent, highly successful Picasso exhibit at the VMFA, Jessica used the master himself's style to create a pup that honors Picasso's love of his own dachshund, Lump. Going once, going twice, SOLD to the two crazy dog lovers in the back (that's us)!

We couldn't be more excited to not only have one of these unique pieces in our home, but we are so happy to be able to contribute to FETCH a Cure's cause. Not only was the event itself a blast, but we got to hang out with other pet lovers in the area, like our friends over at Richmond Pet Lovers and the Richmond Animal League! All in all, a great night for a great cause.

And without further ado, meet Pablo!

Blogging the Change: FETCH's Pen Pals

With our new involvement in FETCHaCure, we were really pumped to learn about Blog the Change. And since we are still relatively new to blogging, we are excited to see how we might be able to help spread the word. We feel small sometimes, like we can't do much as just one small voice, but a bunch of small voices in unison add up.

So Blog the Change asks that we make a fresh commitment to act on behalf of animals. And that's what Banjo & Millie are doing. There are so many causes that we want to support, but thought we might have the most impact by focusing on just one for the time being, and that's FETCHaCure. We hope that through our involvement with the organization, we can educate our followers and inspire them to get involved too.

In my previous post on FETCH, I explained that FETCHaCure works on behalf of pets and their owners who are or have been affected by cancer or aging. The organization also has a program that I have mentioned called Pixie's Pen Pals. Banjo is a veteran of Pen Pals. He was taken from a shelter where he spent two years, and was trained in a Virginia correctional center by the inmates with the help of two trainers. This gives the inmates the chance to bond with the animals, reinforcing responsibility, patience, and tolerance, and it gives these now fully-trained dogs a second chance to find a permanent home.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a new furry family member, I highly recommend checking out one of these Pen Pal Pups. Not only are they in need of a home, but you get the added benefit of getting a dog who is already fully trained!

Volunteers for FETCHaCure!

Banjo & Millie want to help FETCHaCure! Back in November we attended the Million Paws Walk in which proceeds went to help find a cure for canine cancer. Though we are blessed to have two happy, healthy dogs at present, we know how painful losing a pet is. So when we received an email from FETCHaCure asking for volunteers, we jumped at the chance to see what we could to do help. (And Banjo just so happens to know something about the FETCHaCure Pen Pals Program. That’s because Banjo is a Pen Pals veteran! Before Pixie’s Pen Pals was a part of FETCHaCure, it was called SOS (Save our Shelter) Pen Pals program. Our sweet Banjo was in a shelter for 2 years - which I find just absolutely impossible to believe as he is one of the most loving, gentle and well-behaved dogs I have EVER known. And I’ve known a lot of dogs. But thanks to Pen Pals, Banjo became trained at a Virginia correctional institution before receiving his therapy beagle certification, and now he goes to work every day in the prison. But more on that at a later time.)

So last night we attended FETCHaCure’s first volunteer meeting of 2011 to see how we could get involved in the organization and are so excited to get started! There were 35+ volunteers present at the meeting, all of which were so excited to see how they could help. Being in a room with that many passionate dog people is inspiring. We are total strangers who happen to share a bond that requires no explanation. For me, it’s the things like this that really energize me and give me a purpose that is greater than some of the trivial things of day-to-day life. Thanks, FETCHaCure for your work, and for letting us be a part of it. We can’t wait to see what wonderful things the organization does this year! Look for posts to come about what FETCH does for canine cancer research as well as the ways we are going to try to help contribute!