Monday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Monday Pet Roundup! The model today is my daughter's cat, Cinnamon, playing with some new toys.

* Election season is upon us. Maybe we should consider this way to vote: According to the AP, the Washington (DC) Humane Society held an election that went to the dogs. Bone-shaped dog biscuits with each of the two mayoral candidates names were placed in front of canine voters. The dogs voted by choosing which bone to eat. Some (hungry) dogs voted more than once.

* In more political news, USA Today reports on an adorable rescue mutt Hewitt, who "helps" County Councilman Dave Somers work in his office in Everett, Washington. Wait until you read how Somers acquired the dog.

* Firefighter Dayna Hilton and her dalmatian are doing great work educating children about fire safety. If you know any kids who like to color, check out her new Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Coloring Book . It's a great way to spread the fire safety message to children. Congrats on the book, Dayna and Sparkles!

* Love cats? I hope you've seen this UK Ikea advertisement, gone viral on You Tube with more than 600,000 views so far. These are some beautiful cats. Check it out here:




* I think a parrot would make a great pet, but I have no idea how to care for one. Here, Martha Stewart and an animal expert offer a brief introductory video about owning an African Grey Parrot. Did you know they like to be misted with water?

* If you enter this contest, you could win $500 worth of pet care services. Just send Fetch Pet Care a paragraph and/or photos or video to show "How far would you go for your pet?"

What about you? I think we all would do just about anything for our pets, but can you go too far? How far is too far?
And do you think dogs can do about as good job selecting a politician as anyone? lol

Meet Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog

For Firefighter Dayna Hilton, the biggest blessing is knowing that Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog saves lives.

Dayna is serving her 10th year as firefighter with Johnson County RFD #1 of Clarksville Arkansas. She loves her job, but what she loves most is educating children to help keep them safe. And that's a mission Sparkles helps with every day.

Unfortunately, Sparkles started off in a hoarding situation. Living with 62 other dogs in Oklahoma wasn't easy, but Sparkles strong spirit shone through. Luckily, Dayna Hilton came along, scooped her up, and offered the pup a fur-ever home and a job.

As part of the department's Fire Safety Team, Sparkles assists with educational programs, appears in schools and on videos, and helps children understand what to do in the case of a fire emergency--such as recognizing the firefighter and crawling low under the smoke.

When little 5-year old Angelica Riggins of Tulsa Oklahoma awoke to smoke and fire in her home, she remembered what she'd learned from a recent presentation by Sparkles. Angelica says: "I was in bed under the 'cobers' and the smoke came. I crawled out of bed and crawled low, just like Sparkles showed me to. I said, 'Come on Daddy, you have to get on the floor and crawl low like Sparkles.'" As soon as the two made it out the front door, the home erupted in flames. Thanks to Sparkles, everyone was safe.

Media Hound
Sparkles has participated in a Congressional briefing in Washington DC, appeared in magazines such as Cesar's Way, and FIDO Friendly, and on television including FOX and friends, and PBS KIDS Sprouts.

Sparkles also stars in his own books! Dayna is author of two books about Sparkles, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog (also available in audio book) and Sparkles Goes to Boston. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the books goes to Sparkles foundations to keep kids fire safe.

I'm happy to get to know Dayna and Sparkles. Way to go with your pawesome work educating children in fire safety!

Check out Sparkles' blog, Facebook page, or Follow Sparkles on Twitter.