Hey everyone. I submitted a great picture of my dog Barkley into BAD RAPS "My Dog Is Family" photo contest. Check out and vote for him to be a part of BAD RAPs next calendar. https://www.360photocontest.com/contest.asp?page=viewInd&secure=on&id=7578&contestId=25 And let's not forget, it goes to a GREAT cause! Thanks, Rachel

Hello Site Viewers! I just wanted to take a moment and let you know a little about Going To The Rescuers that you may not be aware: We have a site that has EVERYTHING all in one site from adoptables, to urgent needs, to transport needs, to chat, to donation requests, bsl news, fundraising tips, and the list goes on. You can search by geographic location, breed, rescue, etc. to get the information you need. Come join a great resource and let them know that Rachel Guffin sent you! www.goingtotherescuers.com Thank You!

Ah I just missed the Founding Members award by less than a month. :(

Wow I thought it has been a year since I joined this wonderful website and it's been two this month! Shock and awe!

I've had the fun experience of learning that cats + down comforter = one very messy house!  Thinking I'm going to have to chuck my down comforter.  My youngest cat joys in pouncing the comforter to get the feathers to pop out of them and then he attacks them!  I haven't gotten any sleep since this gifted comforter arrived and the cats are active at 4 in the morning playing with the darn thing.  Did I mention my house looks like a hens house?!

It rained today and made it feel like Fall. It was great. We kept the windows open all day at work.

I'm so excited they're making a movie out of the first Percy Jackson and the Olympians book!  Due out February 2010.

We made it! The Butte Humane Society is in the Final Top Ten in the Zootoo Shelter Makeover contest. We are the only shelter on the west coast and the western central states to be in the running for winning a million dollar makeover. We definitely need this. Most of the dogs are housed outside in the elements and the cat room is overflowing especially now with kitten season. As a low kill shelter (we don't euthanize for space) we take in animal from high kill shelters from all over California when we have the room. With a bigger facility we'll be able to take in even more animals. If you'd like to vote for the Butte Humane Society follow the steps below: Vote for our shelter on Zootoo.com - April 13-19 The winner will be chosen by popular vote. You can vote up to 10 times per day. How to Vote: Register on zootoo.com. Upload a photo of you and your pet. Choose Butte Humane Society as your shelter (zip code 95928) Vote for us up to 10 times per day April 13-19th. If you need help registering call the shelter. Tell your friends, family and co-workers about the contest and how to vote - people can vote from all over the world. Talk to everyone you see and tell them about the contest. Get zootoo groups going at your school, club or organization Check out BHS's zootoo page for all the facts and information about the shelter. http://www.zootoo.com/shelters/zip95928_buttehumanesociety2

The standings are not official, but the Butte Humane Society is in the top 20 (hopefully we stay at #7) in the Zootoo Shelter Makeover.  The tour dates are planned and we are last on the tour.  I guess this is good so we will be fresh in their minds.

Well good news on the heartworm postive dogs.  They've all been paid for and some of have been adopted.  Yea!

Please help if you can, and let other people know who may be able to help.

URGENT: Help needed for pregnant and heartworm-positive dogs from shut-down breeding kennel

Butte Humane Society urgently needs help to save the lives of dozens of heartworm-positive dogs from a breeding kennel. A man in the nearby town of Forest Ranch had a breeding kennel and it was shut down because there were dead dogs found on the property. He is breeding mixed breed dogs, not sure why, but most appear to have some Malamute in them. There are 30 dogs and he is bringing them to us two at a time - so far we have taken in six, and so far all have tested positive for heartworm. One dog had to be euthanized for aggression, the rest are very adoptable, and many of them are pregnant. Our shelter cannot afford to treat all of these dogs for heartworm, because it costs about 425.00 to treat heartworm at our vet. And since the heartworms are transmitted to the unborn puppies, all of the pregnant moms’ puppies will need treatment after birth. Heartworm is fatal if not treated. After all these dogs have been through, we’d really love to save as many of these dogs as possible, but if we cannot raise money for treatment we will be forced to euthanize them. One dog rescue organization has agreed to take one of the pregnant females, but we are seeking donors and foster families to help care for the others. We are located in Chico CA but are willing to help with transport if any other rescues out there could take one or more of these poor dogs in need. If anyone can help us in any way, please call Butte Humane Society at 530-343-7917. For more information on these cases, you can directly contact our shelter manager Kim Thompson at 530-897-6000 or email kimthompson@buttehumane.org.

If anyone has been wondering where I've been, I've been over at zootoo.com trying to win my animal shelter a new makeover.  The top 20 shelters (with the most points) goes on to the second phase where the people come and look at the shelter to decide who wins.  So far the Butte Humane Society is #12 and moving up.  Woohoo!  It was a lot of work on a lot of dedicated peoples times, but we started at around 50 something and look where we're at now!  For those who don't know, Zootoo is a site for animal lovers and owners.  There's a lot of great information on here including animal news you don't usually hear about, and there's even a place to ask pet related questions and get answers from all over. 

Octorber It's time for Shelter Makeover II on zootoo.com. Now is your chance to earn points for your favorite animal shelter to try and win them a new building. I don't know what animal shelter doesn't need new digs. So check it out. JUNE June is proving to be a very dry month and that's not good this early in the year. I have been busy working on the Humboldt Fire here in Butte County with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group. We've been going in and evacuating animals and taking animals that owners or other people bring in. So hopefully I'll be back on here soon. MAY As promised my review of the Banff Mountain Film Festival is now available for reading. I hope you enjoy it as this is such a great festival to attend. APRIL What have I been up to lately? Well I just got back from the three night screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Downieville. What a great show! Look for my review soon to come. Besides that I am soaking up the sun when it comes out and getting ready to open up my house for summer. I can't wait for camping and BBQ's by the river. I hope all you guys have a great summer planned. Stop by and let me know what it is; I'd love to hear it. MARCH I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter and just a good weekend. It's actually warming up here at my parents home in the mountains. The snow is melting and I hope to get a snowshoe trip in soon before it's all gone. I can't wait to read about all the great spring reviews that will be coming out in the next few months. FEBRUARY It's February and you know what that means....NASCAR season! So I want to hear from all you fellow NASCAR fans out there. Drop by and leave me a note on what you think about the latest races. Boogedy...boogedy...boogedy!!! JANUARY Is anybody else loving this snow? Man I am. I grew up in the mountains were it snowed all the time in the winter. Now I live in a place were I am occasionally above the snow line and get some snow. This winter has been one of the nicer ones and it's been snowing like crazy. Thank goodness for four wheel drive (no thanks to a two wheel drive rental...Argh). I can't wait to go snowshoeing. DECEMBER Just a quick update with me. I've had minimal perusing sessions on Viewpoints. Unfortunately I haven't been able to stay on long enough to write any reviews (although they're on paper somewhere). Back in October I was rear ended by someone and finally got my new car to have it rear ended (while it was parked) 4 days later! :( So once everything settles down, there will be a mass posting of reviews. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND STAY SAFE OUT THERE!!!!! NOVEMBER A good tip to remember, always be polite to your fellow Viewpointers. It's okay not to have the same opinion as someone else. However, when writing a rebuttal to a review or another comment, make sure you're not rude or insulting. There are ways to get your point across and be courteous at the same time. It's great to see so many new faces and reviews at Viewpoints. I'm really excited to start reading what everyone thinks and looking forward to some new products being reviewed. I can't wait to see what everyone likes for Christmas gifts. The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Mohandas Gandhi