Holiday Giveaway: Win The Little Blue Dog Three Book Series for Kids!

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Kid's Book Giveaway: WIN The Little Blue Dog Series!

We’re super excited to be working again this year with children’s book author, Karen J. Roberts! She’s the creator of The Little Blue Dog series of books and we’re bringing you a chance to WIN all three of them in time for the holidays. Promoting compassion for animals and responsible pet ownership, Karen’s books are sure to become favorites of all dog-loving kids:

The Little Blue Dog
2013 National Indie Excellence Award Winner

Based on the real life story of Karen’s adopted dog Louie, The Little Blue Dog is the first book in the series. Fall in love with Louie as he shows courage and hope for a second chance as a shelter dog.

The Little Blue Dog Has a Birthday Party

The second book in the series, readers can follow Louie’s journey as an adopted shelter dog. He continues to warm our hearts with his gentle nature and generous spirit.

The Little Blue Dog Goes to School

The third book in the series, The Little Blue Dog Goes to School teaches children about tolerance and the important role service and therapy dogs play in our lives.

karen

About the Author:

An avid animal lover and pet owner her whole life, Karen J. Roberts became active in animal rescue in December of 2011 when she adopted her little dog Louie from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Ma. After losing both her parents to cancer in the previous year, she felt an overwhelming need to do something positive. Adding Louie to her family sent her on a mission to find a way to help the countless animals who end up in shelters across the United States through no fault of their own. She wrote The Little Blue Dog as a way to tell Louie’s story and raise awareness and funding for animal rights and rescue organizations. Learn more at her book website: http://thelittlebluedog.com/

Her Mission:

Creating books for kids with lovable characters in engaging stories with a message of kindness, humane choices and the importance of compassion for animals to provide our younger generations with the tools to effect social change.

Check out Karen’s books on Amazon. You can read the reviews and order copies. They make great gifts!

Enter to WIN The Little Blue Dog 3-Book Series for Kids

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Help Celebrate Shelter Pets Today (and Every Day!) #CelebrateShelterPets

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shelter pet project

Today, shelter pets will take over Facebook for the fourth year in a row! Help celebrate and spread the word about pet adoption. People are three times more likely to go to a shelter or rescue group if they have talked to someone else who has. Be that someone!

All you have to do is post a photo and story about your adopted pet to your Facebook profile today. Be sure to tag the Shelter Pet Project, and use hashtag #CelebrateShelterPets. And feel free to share your post to our wall so we can celebrate together since Daisy is an adopted shelter pet, too!

Support National Mill Dog Rescue By Gifting Christmas Music from Dahna Bender

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Dahna Bender Christmas Music CD

Here’s a great gift idea that supports a fantastic animal cause! It’s a Christmas Music CD from Dahna Bender. This talented artist is using her beautiful voice to support National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR). Profits from her Christmas Giving of the Heart album go to support the work and mission of NMDR to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home discarded puppy mill dogs and to educate the general public about the cruel realities of the commercial dog breeding industry.

I’ve been getting in the holiday spirit listening to the Christmas classics on this CD, including Silent Night, Winter Wonderland and lots more long-time favorites plus a few that were new to me.  Here’s the back cover from the album jacket so you can view the full list of songs:

back cover

Christmas music always makes a thoughtful gift, but this one is truly a special one because it supports a cause so near and dear to all of us pet parents. The album is available on Amazon and you can learn more about the artist, her background and work, at dahnabender.com.

You can also connect with Dahna and listen to some of the songs from the album on her Facebook Page.

Vote for Your Favorite State Farm Neighborhood Assist Programs

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I’m so happy to have been asked to help spread the word about a fantastic initiative, the State Farm Neighborhood Assist Program. Each year, State Farm generously donates to nonprofits across the United States and Canada. State Farm Neighborhood Assist lets you help decide where the money should go.

neighborhood assist

How It works:

First, Facebook users submit causes that they think deserve a $25,000 grant. Next, the State Farm Youth Advisory Board narrows down the submissions to the top 200 and pairs them with nonprofit organizations that can help make them happen. Finally, Facebook users vote to select the top 40. Each winning cause will receive a $25,000 grant, for a total of $1 million!

I grew up in Detroit and have experienced first hand how much of a need there is for community assistance programs like this one and how they can make a difference in the lives of neighborhoods, kids and families. Now, being a pet blogger and mom to rescue pup Daisy, I’ve also come to be more aware of all the causes supporting animal rights and protection. No matter what type of cause is most important to you, I think it’s so cool that State Farm has started this program and that they are asking all of us to get involved and help choose the grant winners who will receive these much needed funds!

How You Can Help:

Find and vote for your favorite State Farm Neighborhood Assist programs and encourage your friends to do the same. You can vote 10 times per day for any combination of worthy causes and you’ll find categories including Animals, Youth Job Training, Literacy, Community Beautification and lots more.

Here’s a PAW-tastic example of one of the winners from last year’s program. Paws Place Dog Rescue received a $25,000 grant from State Farm and used it to help purchase a much needed new van to transport their shelter dogs that needed to find new homes! Check out the video:

Visit the State Farm Neighborhood Assist website to learn more about the program. You’ve got til April 22nd to help support causes near you and/or that are near and dear to your heart. I’m headed over to vote for my personal favorites today and hope you’ll take a moment to do the same!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of State Farm and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Today is Giving Tuesday: Give Back To a Cause You Care About #GivingTuesday

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Giving Tuesday
We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but have you heard about Giving Tuesday? This year, a new tradition will hopefully take hold. One that involves giving to causes that help others and spreading the word to help encourage others as well. Giving Tuesday is a simple idea. All you need to do is find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to join in acts of giving. Then tell everyone you can about what you are doing and why it matters.

What cause you choose to support is up to you. Whether you choose to donate money, time or goods and services, every little bit helps! There are so many great organizations that help veterans, natural disaster victims, animals and other important causes, but do take time to research and make sure that you know where your money is going and how it will be used. One resource I like is Charity Navigator. Over the past 10 years, Charity Navigator’s free charity ratings have enabled millions of donors to access unbiased information before making a donation. You can search for a charity by name, or by topic if you’d like to discover a new cause or see what causes others are supporting. They’ve got an entire category devoted to Animal Welfare and Rights, too!

So, although we are in peak shopping season, I just wanted to take a sec and make sure you knew about this special new day! Be sure to help spread the word using the hashtag #GivingTuesday and follow @GivingTues on Twitter to keep up with the latest news.