Help Japan

Over our last few posts, we have been full of excitement for Crufts and our new online store... but away from that, since Friday we have been following the situation in Japan very closely and our heart has been breaking. Words can not express the devastation there and we send SO much love to all the people and animals affected by the disaster. We want to highlight the animals of Japan in this post as they are the ones who have no voice to tell us they are hurting and are often overlooked. Here are some ways we can all help our Japanese fuuriends and of course their owners too. 

• ARK - Animal Rescue Kansai - this local animal shelter is preparing for a massive influx of animals following the quake and tsunami and already have some facilities in place and a team of experienced staff able to deal with traumatised animals. You can donate through paypal on their site. 

• Japan Animal Rescue and Support - the Japan Cat Network, together with Heart Tokushima and Animal Friends Niigata has formed Japan Animal Rescue and Support and are taking donations online through ChipIn.

• Join the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Facebook group and fanpage for up-to-date information on how to help.

• International Fund for Animal Welfare - they will be deploying a team to assess needs regarding animal rescue. They are encouraging support through donations, which will be used to buy pet food, veterinary supplies, vaccines and other necessities for animals needing help.

• World Vets - a non-government organization (NGO) that provides veterinary aid around the globe in collaboration with animal advocacy groups, foreign governments, US and foreign military groups and veterinary professionals abroad. They are getting supplies and a first responder team ready to deploy to Japan.

World Vets is the charity of choice for the Paws for Japan #Pawpawty on Twitter this coming week... on March 17th, instead of celbrating St. Patrick's Day and the 2nd year anniversary of the #PawPawty, there will be a day long event in conjunction with the Paws For Japan Day. If you'd like to get involved with Paws for Japan, here's how to pawticipate:

How to Participate

1. Grab the badge(s).

2. On March 17th, post, tweet, or share on Facebook about the World Vets effort for animal relief in Japan. Be as creative as you wish in promoting the cause!

3. We will create a blog hop using Linky Tools. Please add your blog link.

4. If you are a retailer and would like to donate a portion of your profits that day to World Vets relief effort, let me know and I will share that on Thursday. As always, giveaways are also a great way to support the cause.