Only today and tomorrow left! Here is today's dog of the day: Alvin

Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month is a great way to raise awareness about the countless dogs living in shelters across the country. In our small way, CityDog wanted to help increase awareness by featuring a dog a day on our blog, hoping that someone, somewhere, would adopt -- either one of the dogs we featured or a dog from their local shelter.

Unfortunately, there are just two days left -- for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month, that is. Adoption is something that can be done 365 days of the year! Today's dog is Alvin.

Alvin is a great little guy who desperately wants a home to snuggle with his new family! Alvin came to the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) from another shelter with no prior history. He is approximately six years old, weighs 26-pounds and is a beagle-mix. He is extremely sweet, loving and gentle and just simply needs a warm lap to curl up on.

Alvin's adoption fee includes neuter services, identification microchip, collar and I.D. tag, initial vaccinations, one month of pet insurance, a certificate for a free veterinarian exam, and plenty of support and information from the experienced staff at OHS.

To learn more about adopting Alvin, please click here.

October's dog of the day: Clyde

Clyde is a sweet guy with a heart of gold, who is waiting to find that special companion to take him to his forever home. Clyde came to PAWS as a stray from the Lynnwood, Wash. area and is five years old. He's got white fur with a cute black spot over one eye. Clyde would do best in a home with children aged seven and older. He's fun and goofy and absolutely adores people. Clyde is great on the leash and friendly to other dogs. He's eager to meet you!

To learn more about adopting Clyde, please visit is his profile page on Petfinder.com.

To celebrate Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month, all adoption fees of canines over six months old are reduced to $75 for the month of October at PAWS.

Halloween is just a few days away and if you're still searching for the perfect canine costume, here are a few ideas courtesy of the DogFiles!

October's dog of the day: Gracie

Look at that face!

This cutie pie is Gracie, currently residing at King County Animal Care and Control in Kent, Wash.

Gracie has this to share about herself, "I am a very friendly and energetic girl. I love to go for walks and know how to sit on command and am good on a leash. I am also learning how to 'stay' as well. I would love to go to a home where I'll get lots of exercise, playtime and of course, love."

To learn more about adopting Gracie, please visit her profile page on Petfinder.com.

October's dog of the day: Gus

Meet Gus, our dog of the day for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month. Gus currently resides at King County Animal Care and Control in Kent, Wash., waiting for his forever home.

Here's what Gus has to say about himself, "I am a very sweet guy who loves going for walks. I know how to sit on command and am pretty good on a leash. I do like to investigate smells, so I can get a little distracted while I'm on my walks, but I come back when called with a whistle to get my attention. I am very friendly and love meeting new people."

To learn more about adopting Gus, follow this link to his profile on Petfinder.com. And please share this post with your dog loving friends and family!

October's dog of the day: Geronimo

Geronimo is a sweet, kind, blind cocker spaniel that was picked up matted and confused on the street in San Jose, California. This gentle boy needs a special home where life is consistent and mellow with loving and caring humans. Geronimo loves being with people, which he shows by snuggling up close, making sweet, contented snorting noises, and wagging his darling nubby tail. His rescuers at Muttville think he’s about 10 years old; he is fine with other dogs and cats, too. Geronimo seems to be house-trained, and guess what, he snores. So sweet! And, this guy will be a guest along with Fido Factor on San Francisco's ABC Channel 7. Woof! 

To learn more about Geronimo and how to adopt him, click here. 

October's dog of the day: Merci

Meet a very special dog currently residing at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Merci is our dog of the day for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month.

Dog-O-Ween tomorrow at Seattle's Genesee Off Leash Area

This is one of our favorite annual events -- Dog-O-Ween!

Tomorrow, October 24th, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. it's COLA’s (Citizens for Off Leash Areas) 10th annual fundraising event, Dog-O-Ween. Hundreds of dogs and their humans turn out to this event dressed in creative costumes to win prizes, mingle with fellow dogs and dog lovers, and support a great cause. KMTT - The Mountain's John Fischer will emcee and yours truly is one of the judges. There will be raffle prizes to win, silent auction items to bid on and vendor booths to visit. But best of all is the canine costume contest where pooches and their peeps strut their stuff for great prizes. For more information, visit dogoween.org.

For information and directions to Genesee Park, click here.

Here are a few of last year's "weiners:"

October's dog of the day: Gable

Gable is a strapping, five-year-old husky/Alaskan malamute mix who was brought to PAWS in Lynnwood, Wash. when his owners could no longer care for him. Playful, sweet and active, Gable loves a good adventure and would make an excellent addition to a loving family.

If you would like to learn more about this handsome boy, check out Gable's profile on Petfinder.com.

Because Gable is over six months old, his adoption fee is just $75 for the month of October, which is a total steal -- and, it includes spay/neuter surgery (if needed), initial vaccinations, a microchip, and a free health exam certificate from a local veterinarian.

October's dog of the day: Frankie

Meet Frankie, a one-year-old Australian cattle dog and pit bull mix and total cutie pie. Frankie has a very loving personality and enjoys hanging with his people and playing with other dogs. Frankie would do best in a family with children over the age of 12. Found as a stray, Frankie now resides at PAWS, located in Lynnwood, Wash.

To learn more about this sweet boy, check out his profile on Petfinder.com.

October's dog of the day: Posey

This sweet girl's name is Posey -- a Shiba Inu mix currently residing at PAWS in Lynnwood, Wash. Posey is a calm, well mannered girl who loves to hang outside and visit with other dogs. Posey would prefer a home with adults and is also selective about her playmates, so would do best as the only dog in the home. To learn more about Posey, visit her profile on Petfinder.com.

Reminder: Special for the month of October at PAWS: All dogs six months and older are now $25 off, making the adoption fee only $75. And, that includes spay/neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, a microchip, and a free health exam certificate from a local veterinarian.

Meet Mickey, a special needs dog at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

You can help support the special care of these special pets by beginning or renewing your Best Friends membership as a Guardian Angel. Your donation helps cover the costs of the care of the latest arrivals needing urgent help. Click here to become a Guardian Angel.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Celebrates 25 Years

October's dog of the day: Montana

To finish out Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month (October), we are showcasing a homeless dog a day from Northwest shelters in hopes you or someone you know will take a fancy to one of these furry faces and give them a loving, forever home.

Meet today's dog -- Montana -- a lovely black and white Australian shepherd, with beautiful brown and blue eyes. She is 10 years old and looking for a forever home where she can spend her golden years with a loving family. Montana is gentle and easy-going, and would love to hang out and watch some TV with you. Montana is currently at PAWS, located in Lynnwood, Wash.

To learn more about Montana, visit her profile on Petfinder.com.

To celebrate Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month, PAWS has reduced all adoption fees of canines six months old and over to just $75 for the month of October.

Oregon's Project POOCH Qualifies for Mutt Madness Competition

Project POOCH is one of two Oregon rescue shelter groups nominated for Rachael Ray’s canine competition dubbed Mutt Madness.

Based on the NCAA March Madness, the bracket-style competition asks that voters select their favorite shelter. The top prize is $50,000; second prize is $25,000 (that's a lot of bones for a small shelter). For every week that Project POOCH remains in the competition, more money is earned for the program.

To enter the contest, log in and register. To begin the voting, click on the POOCH panel. A detailed profile of the POOCH profile opens. Once the window opens, simply click on “vote." You must vote for one candidate in each of the brackets before submitting your final vote. Check back each week to cast your vote for the next round.

For over 15 years, Project POOCH has successfully paired at-risk shelter dogs with incarcerated youth. The youth train the “death row” dogs and prepare them for adoption to “forever” homes. The youth learn patience, responsibility and compassion, while the dogs earn a second chance and a loving family.

To enter the Mutt Madness competition, click here and cast your vote for Project POOCH!

One-day telethon raises over $260,000 for Oregon Humane Society

Portland, Oregon - On Sunday, October 18, thousands of television viewers tuned in to the Oregon Humane Society's Tenth Annual Telethon to End Petlessness, setting an all-time record for supporting animals in need.

Televised live on Portland's KATU Channel 2, the four-hour telethon succeeded in two of its most "close to the heart" endeavors for the day: Finding homes for 78 dogs, cats, rabbits, and rodents and raising over $260,000 to help the community's homeless companion pets.

If you didn't get a chance to tune in and make a donation , you can send your Telethon to End Petlessness gift today to:

Oregon Humane Society - Telethon Donation
PO Box 11364
Portland, OR  97211

Woof!

October's dog of the day: Red

October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month, so each day for the rest of this month, we will feature a dog available for adoption in the Northwest. Today's pooch is Red, a 7-year-old pit bull terrier available for adoption at the Seattle Animal Shelter.

In Red's own words, "I'm a super smart boy and eager to please, so naturally I'm very obedient and learn quickly. I walk well on the leash, and even know to sit at curbs before crossing. I know lots of other things too like 'sit, stay, come, okay, no, up, drop, leave it and high five.' I'm completely housebroken and I always tell my people when I need to go out. I enjoy long or short trips in the car, and I've been crate trained as well.

True to my breed, I'm the most loyal, loving animal you will ever find. I adore my humans and my very favorite thing is to be with them, no matter what they're doing. As an adult dog, I'm very good at snoozing and just hanging out. I love to meet new people and enjoy people of all ages. I play well with my foster dad's young godchildren. I LOVE to play fetch and swim and roller blade. I'm always good at being mellow with my people but especially if I've been out to run and play.

I have a big playful streak that will make you laugh. I can tell when you're ready to play and will entertain you with my antics and the way I "talk" to you when we're playing. For some reason my people think it's funny when I sleep on my back with my paws in the air, but I just think it's comfy and maybe (hopefully) I'll get a belly rub. I

I'm not too fond of cats and would do best in a home without them. I like other friendly dogs but I'll definitely need to meet yours first if you want me to join your family (I'd probably prefer to be an only child). Now you know all about me, so now all that's left is for us to meet, and for you to take me home!"

For more information about Red, here is the link to his page on Petfinder.com.

It's time to vote for the winning dog to grace the cover of CityDog

We need your help! Please pick the winning dog to grace the cover of CityDog Magazine. Over the course of the summer, we held five cover dog model searches, raising over $4,000 for area animal welfare organizations. Hundreds of dogs turned out to walk the catwalk and compete to be on the cover and these are our five finalists (to vote, scroll to the end of this blog):

Murphy helped raise over $1,000 for the Doney Memorial Animal Clinic at Thriftway in West Seattle.

Tazz helped raise close to $1,000 for the Seattle Humane Society at FidoFEST.

Scout helped raise close to $500 for PAWS at PAWSwalk.

Mulligan helped raise $500 for Pasado's Safe Haven at Kirkland Uncorked.

Shi Shi helped raise close to $1,000 for Reading With Rover at Fremont Oktoberfest.

VOTE NOW

Not only will the winning dog grace the cover of the Winter 2009-'10 issue of CityDog, but ALL of the dogs entered in the model search will be featured in this issue. To subscribe to CityDog Magazine, click here.

To check out ALL of the dogs entered in this year's CityDog cover dog model click here. Woof!

Surf Dog Ricochet Raises Over $8200 for Quadriplegic Surfer

San Diego, Calif. -- Ricochet, the "Surfin’ for Paws-abilities" surf dog, exceeded her fund raising goals, and won 2nd place in the large dog category at the Surf City Surf Dog event on October 11th in Huntington Beach.  

Ricochet has been leading a fund raising campaign for Patrick Ivison, a 15-year-old quadriplegic adaptive surfer for the last several months. As part of these efforts, she and Patrick performed a tandem surf demonstration at the Surf City Surf Dog event last Sunday with the goal of raising funds, as hundreds of onlookers enjoyed the tandem pair. 

Ricochet’s fund raising goals were twofold: Raise enough money to cover the $2000 cost of Patrick’s new service dog, Kona from Pawsitive Teams, a local service dog organization. And, raise at least $5000 for Patrick’s intense physical therapy at Project Walk.

The WebMD Health Foundation, who is thrilled to help Patrick reach his goals, made a kick off donation of $3600, which helped Ricochet raise a total of $8200. Donations are still being accepted -- to donate, click here.

Despite injuring her paw two days before the event, Ricochet was determined to do her job for Patrick, and competed in the large dog category of the surf dog competition, where she placed first. Ricochet then went on to the finals where she won 2nd place in the large dog category, and Patrick happily accepted her prize. But, Ricochet says “The best prize was raising more than $8200 for Patrick, and doing our tandem rides, which put a huge smile on Patrick’s face!” 

Patrick suffered a C4/5 spinal cord injury as a result of an un-insured driver backing a car over him when he was a child. Patrick was diagnosed quadriplegic, and has used a wheelchair ever since, but uses an adaptive board to surf. 

Ricochet was slated to be a service dog for people with disabilities, but had to be released from that role due to her strong drive to chase birds and other small animals, which could be dangerous to a person with a disability. She went from service dog to SURFice dog, and is now fundraising for charitable causes.

Westcrest dog park in West Seattle is now accessible to dog owners with disabilities (KOMO 4 News video)

Oregon Humane Society Howlin' for Halloween Pet Adoption

Portland, Oregon – You'll be overjoyed when you bring an Oregon Humane Society pet home at Halloween. For all pets with orange, black, or orange/black colors in their fur, they will have their adoption fees reduced by 31% for the entire month of October. No tricks here – just a lot of furry friends who will be the treat of your life.

Up to and through Halloween, the Oregon Humane Society will be adopting out black cats, black dogs, and even black rats. OHS Humane Investigators assure us that there are no problems for black cats during this time of year and OHS’s adoption procedures and policies are in place to make sure all animals go to loving families. 

For more details on adopting a pet from the Oregon Humane Society, click here or call (503) 285-7722.
  

WHEN:

The last week of October (October 26 through November 1)

WHAT:
31% off adoption fees for all pets with orange, black or orange/black colors in their coats that are available for adoption

WHY:
OHS still has a waiting list of over 500 pets waiting for a spot at the shelter

WHERE:           
Oregon Humane Society
1067 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97211

CALL: (503) 285-7722, for directions and adoption information

VISIT: oregonhumane.org for information on how to adopt and to see an updated photo list of all the pets available for adoption orange and otherwise!

Kids Workshops at PAWS

Visit PAWS for a one-of-a-kind, hands-on workshop this October exclusively for kids. Each half-day session provides an interactive learning experience filled with activities, crafts and fun -- all about cats, dogs and wild animals! Next workshop is October 24, 2009. To learn more about the workshops, Crazy for Cats and Canines and Wild Wonders, click here.

Fall in Love: Enter the ASPCA Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Photo Contest

Who is your dog in love with—besides you, that is? Perhaps he makes googly eyes at your neighbor’s cat or tools around with your guinea pig? Maybe playing with your bird or grazing with your horse tickles his fancy. Whoever your pooch pals around with, the ASPCA wants to see them in action!

This October, for the ASPCA's Adopt-A-Shelter Dog photo contest, catch your pooch indulging in cuddly interspecies affection. The top five winners—selected by ASPCA staff—will receive an ASPCA Prize Pack and be featured on their website. So get clicking, shutterbugs—the deadline for entries is October 31! Click here for rules and to enter.

October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and here is the perfect event to find your new furry friend

Don’t miss the upcoming Barktoberfest adoption event. Meet hundreds of great dogs and puppies from across Washington in one location. Come meet the dogs Sunday, October 11th, noon until 3 pm at the Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell, Wash. Last year, over 80 families found their new best friends at Barktoberfest!

The Academy of Canine Behavior is located at 4705 240th St. SE, Bothell, WA 98021. Directions can be found at http://www.aocb.com/contact.

Why should you adopt at this event?

More than 100 dogs and puppies of all different shapes, sizes, ages and breeds from nine animal rescue organizations will be onsite available for adoption. Puppies, adults, small dogs, purebred and mixed breeds will be available. No need to buy a dog from a breeder and then have to pay for shots and spay/neuter--with these dogs all of that has been done and is included in the adoption price. The only thing these dogs need is a new home to love and protect them for a lifetime.

Experienced shelter staff, volunteers and trainers will be on hand to help you find the right animal for your family. The trainers will be available to answer your questions about any dog you are thinking of adopting. Shelter staff has evaluated each dog’s behavior and temperament. Adoption fees range from $150.00 to $250.00.

Need help picking out a dog or puppy?

Attend the Dog Ownership Basics Workshop with Trainer Robin Grannell

Saturday, October 10, 2009, 11 am to 1 pm at Canine Behavior Center, 7551 205th Ave NE Redmond, Wash.

Learn about options for acquiring a dog, how to select the right dog for your family and tips for successfully integrating the dog into your household. Workshop attendees earn early entry into the Barktoberfest adoption event. $20 per family.

For directions please visit http://www.caninebcenter.com/locations.nxg. The workshop is being held at the Redmond location.

Space is limited, so please RSVP to volunteers@pawsitivealliance.org or call 206.465.4116.

Participating organizations bringing animals to adopt include:

• Barks R Us
• Humane Society of Central Washington
• Everett Animal Services
• Grant County Animal Outreach
• Homeward Pet Adoption Center
• King County Animal Care and Control
• PAWS
• Yakima Valley Pet Rescue
• Wenatchee Valley Humane Society

Food Drive - The Animals Need Your Help

Times are tough, especially for the shelters and rescues relying on donations. In conjunction with the adoption event, we will also be holding a food drive. Will you consider bringing some pet food to our event? The food will be distributed to the shelters and rescues attending our event.