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6 Tips for Hosting a Party With a Purpose

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Ok, so you have signed up to host a Party With a Purpose. Thank you! To help, are a few tips to make your event a tremendous success:

Photo by Terje Sollie from Pexels

1. Make the evening itself light:

Remember, a party is a celebration! While sometimes the work that Calgary Humane Society does for animal welfare can often be somber, we have many happy success stories too! Keep the mood light and fun to encourage support and advocacy from your guests.

 

2. Involve your guests

Share your story about why Calgary Humane Society holds such importance in your life and community. Did you rescue a pet from us? Do you donate to us? Do you attend our events? Do you follow us on social media? By telling your own story, you are creating an authentic narrative that tells your guests what we do and why you are supporting us and why they should support us too.

 

 

3. Encourage guests to donate what they can

Whatever the amount is, guests should feel encouraged to donate an amount they are comfortable with. If your guests can only budget $20, that’s great!

 

4. The giving window

Even though the Party With a Purpose campaign is only three days, your guests can make a donation to your party up until September 4th, 2018.You can even send out a reminder to say “I’m still accepting donations and we’d still love your help.”

 

 

5. Start in your home

The easiest way to put on a Party With a Purpose is to start small and in your own home. Throwing a dinner party in your own home is easy and would require very little in terms of resources. Feel free to be creative and think outside of the box. Host a lemonade stand, bake sale or garage sale as your Party With a Purpose. The options are endless!

 

6. Don’t forget to share

Post your event and donation page on your  Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account. People often will donate even though they can’t be there. Be sure to tag @CalgaryHumane or use #CHSParty to join the movement across Calgary. We can’t wait to see all the fun you’re having!

 

Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels

The Big List of Fun Party Ideas for Party for a Purpose

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Party with a Purpose is fast approaching! Start planning your party now with our big list of fun party ideas. There’s ideas here for adults, kids, pets, school groups, corporate teams, and everyone in between!

Why not have a…

  1. Movie night
  2. Games night
  3. Wine tasting
  4. BBQ
  5. Birthday party
  6. Lemonade stand
  7. Dinner party
  8. Murder mystery party
  9. Garage sale
  10. Block party
  11. Tailgate party
  12. Craft night
  13. Karaoke party
  14. Corporate lunch
  15. Paint night
  16. Brunch
  17. Wing night
  18. Sports day
  19. Sleepover
  20. Bake sale
  21. Luau
  22. Casino night
  23. Spa party
  24. Potluck
  25. Tea party
  26. Ice cream social
  27. Garden party
  28. Ceramic painting party
  29. Pool party
  30. Hot tub party
  31. Costume party
  32. Bridal shower
  33. Family reunion
  34. Wedding
  35. Cookie decorating party
  36. Live music performance
  37. Hiking
  38. Picnic
  39. Yoga/fitness class
  40. Kids playdate
  41. Neighbourhood car show
  42. Baked goods exchange
  43. Baby shower
  44. Tailgate party
  45. Pet fashion show
  46. Cocktail hour
  47. Beer tasting
  48. Toga party
  49. TV show or sports game viewing party
  50. Pizza party

Have another great idea for a party? We’d love to hear about it on your personal fundraising page for Party with a Purpose.

If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? People all over Alberta are partying for a purpose – to help raise money for our feeding program. Every animal that comes to us has different needs, but every single one requires food. Did you know that Calgary Humane Society fed over 99,000 cups of food to our residents last year? That’s an amount equivalent to the weight of nearly 5.3 hippopotamuses!

Join us for our first annual Party for a Purpose on August 17-19 and invite your friends for a party to remember! Don’t forget to take pictures at your event and submit them to us so that we can share them on our website or social media pages.

The Scoop on Poop

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Everybody poops, including our pets. While dealing with this poop may be the least glamorous aspect of pet ownership, poop can be an important indicator of your pet’s overall health.

The first thing to remember is that every pet is different and your pet likely won’t have perfect poop every time. Many things can impact a pet’s poop, so variations in their number twos may not be a reason to panic. If you notice consistently unhealthy poops, or if their routine suddenly changes (e.g., they begin defecating outside of their litterbox despite having excellent house habits), please contact your veterinarian. This may be an indication of a health issue.

Shape – Healthy poop is usually log shaped. If it appears as small pellets it may mean that your pet is not getting enough water, or it could also be due to arthritis or pain making it impossible for them to hold the correct ‘pooping position’ for the time it takes to complete their bathroom duties. Poop that has absolutely no shape and resembles a puddle is diarrhea. If diarrhea lasts for more than a couple of days and nothing else has changed (food, environment, medications, etc.), contact your vet.

Colour – Normal poop should be brown. However, if your pet eats treats or food that has bright food dyes in the ingredients, it could result in an unusual bowel movement. Red in or on the stool could indicate blood, which would warrant a call to the vet right away. If your pet’s stool is black and looks tarry, that can be a sign of bleeding higher in the intestines and you should also contact your vet immediately. Stools that are odd colours (not caused by food dye) or extremely light in colour can be a sign of other serious illness, especially if the stool shows a consistent change from the normal colour.

Consistency –  A doughy poo that can be picked up without leaving remnants behind is ideal. If your pet’s poop is very hard, it is possible your pet may be constipated or have a lot of fur in their stool. Large amounts of fur in the stool can be a more common problem for cats, who may ingest their fur while grooming. Problems with poop consistency (poop that is pudding-like, watery, or gelatinous) are often one of the key signs that a pet is not feeling well. This could be due to a number of things, including eating something they shouldn’t have, an illness, parasites, or food allergies.

Content – Does your pet’s stool contain things that aren’t poop? Foods that are harder for your pet to digest may reappear in their excrement. Large amounts of mucus or slime in a pet’s stool can indicate a digestive issue or digestive upset. If you routinely find foreign objects in your pet’s poop, it could be a sign that your pet has pica. Pica is a condition where a pet will habitually eat non-food items. Pica can often be managed by ensuring that a pet does not have access to the non-food items they like to eat. Pica can sometimes be an indicator of other medical issues, so if your pet is eating non-edible items frequently it is recommended that you get in touch with your veterinarian.

Stool can be a great indicator of potential health issues for pets, so our Animal Health and Animal Care teams at Calgary Humane Society spend a lot of time looking at piles of poop. We use a Fecal Scoring Chart to help determine if an animal is healthy or may need additional monitoring. You can print off this chart for your own use at home. An ideal score is 2 or 3 on the chart.

We hope this article will help you spot anything out of the ordinary when it comes to your pet’s bowel movements. If you are ever in doubt about your animal’s health, we recommend contacting your veterinarian as soon as possible.

 

Q&A: How Does a Shelter Reach Capacity?

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In the first six months of 2018, Calgary Humane Society took in just over 2000 animals. As an open admissions shelter, we take in any animal that needs our help. This can lead to our facility quickly filling to – or going over – capacity at busy times of year.

Calgary Humane Society does not euthanize for space or time. This means that all adoptable animals will stay with us until they find a home. To help as many animals as we can, we sometimes hold emergency adoption events to free up space for incoming animals. We also reach out to our invaluable foster families to find temporary placements for as many animals as possible outside of the shelter. Sometimes we will be able to work with other local shelters or rescues to transfer out some animals if they have space available.

A few different factors can lead to Calgary Humane Society being over capacity, including:

  • The time of year. The biggest increase in intakes is in the summer. This is mostly due to the abundance of baby animals, especially kittens, that are born in the spring. This is also the time when people move before the start of a new school year, resulting in pet owners surrendering their animals because they are moving to no pet housing or won’t have enough time for their pet when the school season starts. Christmas and the holiday season can also be a busy time for Calgary Humane Society. This is when our Pet Safe Keeping and Emergency Boarding programs are most often utilized because of additional family and financial stress.
  • Seizures and natural disasters. Calgary Humane Society took in over 120 animals during the 2013 flood, and some stayed in our care for up to 4 months until their owners were able to return to their homes or find other accommodation. A sudden intake during an emergency or following a large seizure can quickly fill all of our available animal spaces.
  • Economic conditions. Calgary’s economy has made a significant impact on pet owners who may find themselves suddenly without a job, without the means to afford a pet, and maybe even without a home. Calgary Humane Society takes in these animals when owners find themselves in difficult situations and want to help their pet find a new family.

It is our goal to keep animals with their families. Thankfully many issues that lead to people surrendering their pet can be solved. Calgary Humane Society encourages anyone who feels like they have no other option to call us at 403-205-4455 to speak to our admissions department about potential alternatives to surrendering.

Snake Mythssss Bussssted!

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Myth 1: Snakes are slimy.

Snakes are shiny, not slimy! People often confuse reptiles and amphibians. Snakes are reptiles, which means they are covered in shiny scales while amphibians, like frogs and salamanders, have slimy skin. If you ever get a chance to pet a friendly snake you will notice that they are very smooth. Remember to always pet a snake in the direction of their scales, as petting them the other way is uncomfortable for the snake. (more…)

Critter Adoption Event

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Starting today until the end of the month we’re letting you choose your own adoption fee on ALL rabbits, small critters and exotics! 🐇🦎🐭 All rabbit adopters will also be entered to win 1 of 2 rabbit gift baskets valued at $150 each 🐰

Visit www.calgaryhumane.ca/adopt to see all of our available critters!

*Please note some exclusions on animals may apply.

How to Show Your Cat Affection

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The truth is, not all cats enjoy being hugged, even if it’s International Hug a Cat Day. Being held in a tight embrace, often above the ground, can be a scary situation for a kitty. You especially shouldn’t hug a cat that you don’t know well. If your feline friend isn’t one for hugs, we recommend trying some of these other ideas to show your cat a bit of extra love.

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Black Dog Syndrome and 7 Reasons Why Black Dogs are Awesome

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Black dogs are often overlooked in shelters because of something known as “Black Dog Syndrome”.

There’s several explanations as why black dogs might not be adopted as quickly as light-coloured dogs. It could be because black dogs are often portrayed as mean or violent in films or that a stigma against certain types of breeds has put people off of adopting other black dogs. Sometimes potential adopters might pass by a black dog due to superstitious beliefs, similar to the phenomenon surrounding black cats (see our blog post on why it takes so long for black cats to find a home for more information).

 

We think black dogs are awesome! Here are our top 7 reasons why we know this is true:

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