Rachael Ray

Animal shelters compete for chance at $600,000 in prize grants for saving more animals NEW YORK-The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is gearing up for tomorrow’s start of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, where a total of $600,000 in prize grants are up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs. The 49 contestants will work to save more animals - during the months of June, July and August 2013 - than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011. “Starting at midnight tonight and continuing through [...]...

Dear Pet Lovers: I am wondering about safe toys for dogs. My 4-year old lab mix loves fluffy stuffed animal toys with squeakers in them but rips out the squeakers within hours. She also likes raw hide but I recall a friend telling me they are unsafe. Can you recommend some safer toys for dogs? Thanks, Sadie’s Mom Dear Sadie’s Mom: The safest toys are hard rubber, Nylabone and Kong-type toys. Sturdy rope toys with knotted ends are generally safe but as with all toys, even the safest, supervise your dog. If he starts to pull out the separate pieces of rope, it’s time to toss the toy. As for raw hide, the issue is that these toys can become choking hazards as the dog [...]...

Woo hoo! I am thrilled to announce the results are in for the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge.  This year’s challenge shelters saved 56,232 dogs and cats across the country! That’s an increase of 14,376 more lives saved than last year. The first place winner, City of San Antonio Animal Care Services, saved a total of 4,054 lives during the course of the challenge. Check out the entire list of winners at www.aspca.org/100K. What truly makes this challenge a success are the stories of dogs and cats that found their perfect families. Like Maggie, who arrived at the City of Bloomington Animal Care & Control this summer.  She was incredibly thin, pregnant and in pretty rough shape. After giving birth [...]...

Are you ready? In just three short months, we’ll find out if 50 animal shelters hailing from 24 states across the U.S. will smash last year’s record of 52,484 beautiful animals saved! The 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, challenges animal shelters nationwide to find loving homes for lost and abandoned dogs and cats, and  looks to award more than $500K in prizes-including a grand prize of $100,000-to the those who save the most lives. The fascinating part of the $100K Challenge is the innovation: each shelter creates their own plan to save more lives.  If the past is any indication, we’re expecting to see lots of new and creative ideas, and an incredible effort from all of the shelters. We’re really [...]...

If you have a pet, you know that they provide companionship, exercise, and love. And now there’s one more reason owning a pet is good for families - a new study in the journal Pediatrics shows that kids who grow up with pets during their first year of life are healthier in some ways than kids who don’t. The study specifically showed that kids who lived in a house with a dog during that first year had fewer respiratory tract infections, ear infections and used fewer antibiotics than pet-free households. Researchers attribute the findings to the possibility that kids with animal contacts early in life might possibly build a greater resistance to some illnesses.  Cats were also shown to have a [...]...

Look at that sweet girl Chloe - with a stomach ache. One day last week she was crying all day. I thought it was because it was 90 degrees and we have no air conditioning. Then at dinner time she ignored her food and I knew something was wrong. She is a lab and typically wolfs down her food in about 10 seconds. I knew she hadn’t eaten anything bad (that I knew of) and then remembered she had jumped into this not-suitable-for-swimming-lake in our neighborhood (it smells horrible) when she was chasing a duck the prior day. The next day additional evidence of her upset stomach was all over the yard - and house. Yuck. I figured her upset stomach [...]...

More than half a million votes were casts. And the final results are in! The 50 shelters that will compete head-to-head to see how many dogs and cats they can save have been chosen by you, the voters. To see the full list of shelters and final votes, visit http://challenge.aspcapro.org ...

If you have big dogs who shed (like me), you probably have tumbleweeds of fur rolling across the plain of your kitchen floor now which can only mean one thing - yes, spring is here and it is shedding season. We upped from one yellow lab to two this fall which means two times the fur. Here are some tips on how to get a handle on your dog’s shedding. Brush your pet! Regular, even daily, brushing is best. Brushing will also make your dog’s coat softer, cleaner, and less likely to shed. Many dog owners swear by the FURminator - a “deshedding tool” available at PetSmart and other major pet stores.  Whatever brush you use, make sure to choose the one [...]...

Exciting news - Earlier this year we told you that Rachael Ray and the ASPCA have partnered together for the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge! The $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking competition that inspires animal shelters across the country to get more cats and dogs out of shelters and into the loving homes they deserve. Watch Rachael’s video and learn more about the $100K Challenge, and how you can help! You can vote once a day for your favorite shelter at http://www.votetosavelives.org ...