Happy Furry Friday!

It's a furbulous day here in Dallas, Texas! We are proud to say we have partnered with Castor & Pollux Pet Food! As the leader and maker of America’s #1 organic pet food, Castor & Pollux has set a new standard with the most comprehensive portfolio of purposeful pet food. We are sad to announce that Renaldo will be leaving us, but that we will have a new board operator starting Monday! We have a furry Friday in store for you with Marc Peralta of Best Friends Animal Society, so stick around. First up, Maura Davies of the SPCA Texas!

Maura Davies

Maura Davies is the Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) of Texas.

SPCA Texas Rescues

The FurBall went swell! The Furball raised over $330,000! The only way that the SPCA can continue to do what it does for animals, so don't forget to donate if you can. It's hurricane season, and the SPCA is gearing up to save animals just like they have in the past with hurricane Katrina and hurricane Harvey. Bernadette says don't get rid of your pets! So many people so carelessly give their animals away. How sad. The SPCA focuses on keeping animals in homes and out of shelters. The SPCA tries to identify the issues owners have surrounding why people would give their animal up and help them.There is a new approach to natural disaster animal rescues. They were having troubles before getting animals back to their owners after hurricanes because they were immediately just going into rescue. Now, the SPCA takes a difference approach where they work with the local groups and have a coordinated response. Bernadette points out that social media has helped some groups with animal adoption, but Maura says that social media has actually been detrimental. But, as for community building and bringing people together, social media has proven effective.

Marc Peralta

Marc Peralta is the Chief Program Officer for Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends is a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. In addition to running lifesaving programs in partnership with nearly 3,000 animal welfare groups, Best Friends has regional centers across the country. They operate the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals. Prior to joining Best Friends, Marc served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He has also served as interim CEO for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Best Friends Animal Society - Puppy Mill Awareness

Today we are talking about puppy mills. Best Friends Animal Society thinks that there are upwards of 10,000 puppy mills in the US. With the use of the internet and Facebook puppy sales, puppy breeding is running rampant. Puppy mills are factory farms for dogs. The animals only get the bare minimum of care and are bred for profit for the human. It is not only dogs, cats get bred rapidly too! Any store or person who breeds animals should register with the federal government, but many don't. Please adopt and do not shop! If you do choose to purchase an animal, try and find the source. Get to as close to the "mill" as you can!If you think there is a puppy mill in your area, help your friends and family understand the ugly truth of puppy mills. Tell people that while a puppy mill puppy may need a nice home, the more money you give to puppy mills, the more you keep puppy mills going. They typically aren't illegal, so education is the best way to deter purchases. Only 3 states have completely banned puppy mills. California has actually banned typical puppy mills! Unfortunately there have been some loopholes, but the goal is to completely close all the loopholes and end puppy mill sales completely.

Thank You

A big thank you to our guests, Maura Davies and Marc Peralta. To donate to Best Friend Animal Society, click here! Every little bit counts. Look into fostering! Get engaged with your local shelter. Fostering opens your home for an animal for a future owner!Thank you to all of our One Life Radio listeners. We truly appreciate each and every one of you, so If you’d like to hear more from One Life Radio, please subscribe to our podcast.If you have any hot ideas or burning questions, email us at info@oneliferadio.com. Bernadette loves hearing from listeners.And, last but never least, thank you to our sponsors. We couldn’t do the show without you; Crazy Water, Sunwarrior, Enviromedica, Flunada, VEGWORLD Magazine, Castor & Pollux, Paleo Magazine, the Well Being Journal and the ISSN. Visit our sponsor page for some great offers just for One Life Radio listeners!