Today Jen and I rolled into New Orleans, Louisiana to help shelter pets find their loving permanent homes. A warm beautiful day greeted us as we set up the mobile adoption unit in front of the Southern Animal Foundation on historic Magazine Street. Some wonderful people and animals joined us for this event, including an 8-week-old Pug mix that was rescued with her mother from the local shelter. They both found their families through the efforts of Zeus’ House Rescue, a rescue group who joined us for this event.

Through the course of the day, we met many people and pets, but none stand out like Bella and Deiter. Bella and Deiter are two Dachshunds who survived not only Hurricane Katrina, but also the recent earthquake in Haiti. They were both adopted by Paul and Christine Fowler shortly after Katrina from a temporary shelter set up in Celebration Square. The Fowlers moved to Haiti where Christine was stationed as an AIDS relief administrator. Paul couldn’t find his girls after the earthquake. Fearing he had lost them, he was about to give up looking through the ruble of their former home when he heard a bark! Bella and Deiter had survived the quake by hiding under a bed, which cushioned them from the debris. The family has since returned to New Orleans and has become local celebrities. Meeting these two happy little dogs, you would never think they had been through so much. It was such an honor to meet them.

We head off now to Birmingham, Alabama to meet up with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. If you live nearby, we hope to see you there.

James and Jen

What a spectacular day we had here in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the dogs were barking. Our shelter partner for this event was the West Palm Beach Animal Care and Control.

There was a steady flow of people coming onto our mobile adoption unit to look at all the dogs, cats, puppies and kittens available for adoption. By the end of the day, 10 furry companions went home with their new families. This event was great because it also spotlighted the West Palm Beach Animal Care and Control’s Spay Shuttle, which is a low-cost spay/neuter mobile clinic outfitted with a picture of a cat and dog riding a space shuttle. It offers services throughout the West Palm Beach area, including spay/neuter, vaccinations and general health checks, providing much needed assistance for pet owners.

Jen and I had a wonderful time here. We even got to play with a baby pot-bellied pig that was also up for adoption. We are now on our way to Sarasota, Florida for our Tour For Life event with the Humane Society Of Sarasota County. There are some great things planned for this event, so we hope to see you there.

James and Jen

Glad to be back on the Tour For Life®. Mike and I switched out in St Louis. I am glad to be back for my 4th Tour For Life and to work with the groups that I have worked with for the last few years. Deb has caught me up on all the previous events. Can’t wait to get started!

Well, the event in St. Louis was a success. This year, the APA of Missouri brought along their Mobile Adoption Unit to the event with their animals and that gave way to invite a new group to join us at the event. The group’s name is Vet-Pet Rescue. They are a group that was put together by a local vet in the community and it runs through foster homes. They have no shelter to speak of.

It was a beautiful sunny day on a busy street, so we had a lot of passer-bys come in and take a look at all the animals we had for adoption, and because of that, we had a few go home. Even the Pet Supplies Plus was grateful to be part of the event. They were handing out flyers and had posters and notes in the store stating when the event was occurring. To top things off, the manager was offering 20% off anything in the store to whoever adopted that day.

The animals were really great – friendly and sweet. I couldn’t believe how many people showed up to the event. Compared to last year where there was hardly any foot traffic and only 1 adoption, this year, it was packed and we had a total of 10 adoptions between both groups! The APA of Missouri worked really hard in setting up all of this and as always were really glad to participate again in the Tour For Life.

This year, they adopted out 2 puppies and a 9-month-old Pit Bull mix. They had a few other people that were interested and hopefully will go back to the shelter and adopt. The Vet-Pet Rescue had a great day. They adopted out 2 puppies, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. Oh…did we happen to mention that one of the dogs was an 8-year-old Shih-Tzu rescued from a puppy mill and one of the cats was a 7-year-old who had lost her home and found herself in a shelter? These were our top adoptions of the day. One of the volunteers for Vet-Pet Rescue told us when they hold adoption events, they are lucky if they can get one of their animals adopted and on this day. they adopted out 7. Like we said…the event was a success.

Till we meet again in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jen and Deb

Upon arriving at Precious Pets Rescue in Clarksville, TN we were met by the most gorgeous Rottweiler named Bear, a year-and-half-old bundle of mush masquerading as a big, tough, macho dog. What a face – what a personality – what a success story! Once at our event – it was not long before Bear had several suitors seeking his companionship for their families. In the end, he found his perfect family and new home with a young couple who had recently lost their Rotty. When they met Bear, it was impossible to NOT adopt him. He has it all, looks, charm, intelligence and snuggle factor (he thinks he is a lap dog) – Bear is a great dog!

There were many other participants there with us besides Precious Friends Puppy Rescue. In addition there was: Second Chance & Happy Tails Rescue, Leader of the Pack dog trainer, Dale McCluskey, Clarksville/Montgomery County Humane Society, Cats R Us and Gracie’s Doggie Boutique.

A highlight of the day for us was watching a female Bulldog making her social rounds at the event in one of Gracie’s handmade doggie outfits; a bright yellow dress covered in bees, fashionably tied at the “waist” with a black ribbon tied into a bow. She really was the cat’s meow. Wait, no that can’t be right…well anyway, she was so adorable and entertaining.

We head out to St. Louis next. Mike will be heading back to New York and Jen Lewis is flying in to join me for the remainder of the Tour For Life® 2009. Jen and I will have more news from the Tour ready for you from our next event, so be sure to come back and join us.

Deborah and Mike

Hello All,

Just a quick update on the events of the day in Indianapolis. The day started off a bit cloudy and chilly, but by the end of it, seven animals had found homes. This was the second day of a two-day event. The Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (normally closed on Sunday) was open to carry on the mission of Tour for Life, and promote adoptions. Between the two days, there were close to 20 rescue groups that joined the AC&C at their location. Overall it was a successful weekend where 24 animals found their forever homes. And even a few more “temporary happy endings” where a few animals from the shelter found their way into the rescue groups.

All in all there was a ray of sunshine today. There was a female dog that had come into the shelter earlier that week that happened to be pregnant. As we were getting our tour through the shelter, we passed by her cage, and as a side note: the kennel was very noisy. There was a small squeaking to be heard, as we looked into her cage we found two puppies that were just born. Along with the shelter workers, we helped move her and her puppies to a quieter location. As the day progressed, we kept checking on her and by the end of the day, she had given birth to seven puppies. She was such a sweet dog. Some mothers are very protective of their babies, but she let us pick them up and she would snuggle up to us for comfort.

There was a Great Pyrenees Rescue there and at one point, there seemed to be a gaggle of them standing around together (there was close to a dozen of them there). There were some other dogs from the shelter that were quite memorable. Two in particular. One named Steve and one named Rocco. Steve was a stray dog that was picked up by a shelter worker as he was walking down the block on a rainy day. He was a bundle of energy that had found his forever home and was waiting to be picked up because he had to be neutered. Rocco was a favorite among the volunteers and we soon found out why. He was a loving dog that was full of energy and always looking for another treat. He was very well behaved when everyone came over to say hello, although it has been said he can still act like a puppy. Unfortunately Rocco did not find his forever home but we are hoping he will in the coming days.

Well it has been a good time had here with our friends at the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control and look forward to working with them on future events.

~ Jen and Christina

We had an unfortunately quiet day in St Louis with the APA of Missouri. Our event site was at beautiful Queenie Park outside the Museum of the Dog, but I spent the day with Luna, a gorgeous big-boned cat that hung out with me in the front cab of the truck. It’s sad at the end of the day of falling in love to see them go back to the shelter, but knowing that they are well taken care of makes it better. We’ve been meeting a lot of dogs on Tour that have been at their shelter for some time and no one quite knows why. They are the overlooked dogs who are as sweet as can be, but can’t seem to find the right match. We saw that in Keeger, a sweet black Lab mix who just wanted to sit next to you and spend time with people. As we seen dogs like Keeger get passed by, we want to remind everyone that there are countless homeless pets looking for homes, and the only way to end pet homelessness is to ADOPT from a shelter – not a pet store or other avenues. Let’s get these guys into the wonderful homes they deserve!!

-Christina & Jen

Today we find ourselves in Harrisonburg, Virginia at the Rockingham/Harrisonburg shelter on Old Furnace Road. The director Ann and her staff are anxious to load up and get things rolling. It’s been two years since we’ve had the pleasure of working them and we are looking forward to a great day. The shelter is now using the ASPCA’s “Meet Your Match” program. The program allows them to assess the pets based on specific criteria, including things like aggression, separation anxiety and other behavioral issues.

The day started at 5:45 am, as Ann and Claire headed off for a live interview at a local television station. Now at the shelter with a truck filled with dogs and cats, we make our way to our adoption location, a Pet Smart off the main strip in town. Joined there by the Augusta SPCA, Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline, Inc., Cat’s Cradle, The Successful Mix (a pet behavior counseling and dog training program), as well as Glamour Puss Creations, the adoption and education process began.

By day’s end, an exhausted crew enjoyed a job well done! Our thanks to all, we look forward to working together again!

Claire and Warren

Good mornin’ ya’ll and welcome to Nashville Tennessee – the country music capital of the world. Our event takes place at the Metro Animal Care and Control shelter on Harding Avenue near the airport. Judy Ladebauche and her wonderful staff greet us as we return to one of our favorite stops along our route.

The parking lot is filled with rescue groups, micro chipping services, a flea market, and musicians everywhere. All proceeds go to the shelter, in an effort to improve the well-beings of all the animals up for adoption.

Our dear friend, Emmy Lou Harris, had her rescue group “Bonapart’s Retreat” participating in the activities. This year we were blessed to have her perform for the crowd. She has been nominated as an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor she truly deserves. Congratulations!!

The day started out clear and sunny, however, the rains came by mid afternoon and soon we found ourselves retreating into the shelter where the festivities continued without a hitch. Music filled the hallways as the adoptions were in full swing. This year we had a total of exactly one hundred adoptions!! WOW!!

We hate to leave, but in the morning, we make our way to Virginia. Thank you for being a part of Tour for Life, and we’ll see you next year.

Your Friends,
Claire and Warren

We couldn’t have asked for a better day in Clarksville! Our friends at Precious Friends brought out some of the cutest dogs we have seen so far, and we’re happy to report that quite a few of them found homes.

Precious Friends works closely with North Shore Animal League America throughout the year providing us with puppies for adoption, while promoting the importance of spaying the moms of these puppies. While we spent the day playing with all these animals, we got word that whoever didn’t get adopted at the event would be going to the Animal League for Adoptathon!

We can’t wait to get back home and see all those cuties once again, but hopefully, a few will have found homes before we get back.

~ Christina & Jen

Upon entering our event location at Lakewood Village Shopping Center on McCain Blvd., a familiar face smiles at our arrival. “Your back again, welcome North Shore Animal League America, welcome Claire and Warren,” said Marilyn Hall of the North Little Rock Friends of Animals Shelter. This is the sixth year that Claire and I have had the pleasure of working with her, Billy Grace and all the staff and volunteers we’ve come to know.

In addition to the rescue groups that have joined us from year to year, we also included free micro chipping for the first fifty dogs, an added bonus for pet owners.

Our afternoon brought a surprise visit from “Rockin’ Dogs” a troupe of circus-like dogs performing tricks for the crowd, sure to bring a smile to your face.

We always enjoy the warm hospitality and enthusiasm of our friends in Arkansas; we wish them continued success.

Happy trails to you…… until we meet again.

Claire and Warren