Animals pat life

Everyone finds themselves in a pinch now and then. Sometimes that pinch feels a lot more like a vice clamping down on your ability to keep heat on in the house or even to put food on the table – or in your pet’s bowl.   That’s the core reason we’re so excited about our new Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center. Opening on July 15 , the center will offer an expanded array of low-cost supportive services including spay/neuter, vaccines, basic treatments like flea prevention. And it will allow our Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank to expand and serve more hungry pets in our region. Our new Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center isn’t meant to add competition in the veterinary community. We are simply filling a void. Meeting an unmet need. Our experience and hands-on work in our local communities has made it abundantly clear that there are still too many limited-income pet owners who cannot afford care for their pets. And it’s the pets who are suffering. We see them at our low-cost clinics grateful for ...

Rally and Uno were taken in by a Good Samaritan out of the kindness of her heart. Now, she wants to help them find families to call their very own through Animal Friends Home to Home Adoption program. Could you give one of these lovable guys the gift of a loving home? Rally Rally is a 4-year-old Mountain Cur dog. He is an energetic and lovable boy who can be found bouncing around outside one minute and sound asleep on your lap the next. He absolutely loves people and is one of the friendliest pooches you'll ever meet. Rally is also housebroken and neutered. Now, he just needs a loving family to give him the attention he deserves and the love he needs. Uno Uno is a 4-year-old Bulldog mix. He had a tough start to life when he was found abandoned with a broken leg while he was a puppy. Sadly, his veterinarian believes the break was likely from abuse. Thankfully, his leg has been all fixed up and he has since thrived, transforming into a goofy, lovable "lap dog" who loves eve...

By Eleanor Miller, Senior Animal Wellness Coordinator/Medical Coordinator  April is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and with the warm weather just around the corner, Animal Friends wants to be sure you have everything you need to protect your pets. Lyme disease can quickly become a serious issue not only for the animals in your life, but for you. Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing diseases transmitted by insects or other organisms in the United States. As the summer months quickly approach, it’s important to protect your pets against this debilitating disease. Lyme disease is more commonly found in dogs, but your cats, rabbits and other pets are also at risk of contracting it. Because western Pennsylvania has plenty of densely forested areas and no shortage of wildlife living right in our backyards, it is among the areas where Lyme disease is most prevalent. As the temperature climbs, larvae that have spent the winter months dormant grow into adults that can transmit Lyme disease...

Flounder found his way to Animal Friends a little over a year ago with his brother Sebastian. We knew immediately that these lovable boys were inseparable. Despite being infested with parasites and suffering from severe dental disease, these amazing kitties never lost their sweet, friendly personalities. Even after they developed IBD, a disease that attacks the digestive system, Flounder and Sebastian leaned on each other and relied on the love and care of our compassionate staff and volunteers. Sadly, at the beginning of the New Year, Flounder and Sebastian were separated in the worst way imaginable. Sebastian developed Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), an incurable and fatal disease and passed away. Being that FIP, although not contagious, has a genetic component, Flounder is potentially at risk of developing the disease. Despite Flounder's health concerns we are dedicated to finding him a loving home. Nothing would make Flounder happier than a cozy lap next to a warm fire. It...

Toby is a 9-year-old Shepherd mix who was rescued by an older woman from an abandoned litter of puppies. Sadly, Toby's rescuer passed away about a year ago and he has been living with a foster family since. He can be a little anxious at times, particularly when interacting with men. While he has been working hard to overcome his shyness and is happy and comfortable when the whole family is home, he is still a little uneasy when he's home alone with his foster dad. Typically, Toby is a well-behaved, social and playful guy! Although he has had limited experience with children, Toby has lived well with cats and other dogs. Toby's favorite activities are chewing his squeaky toys, enjoying a quiet night in with his most trusted human (and animal!) friends, and having his ears gently scratched. This handsome boy absolutely loves going for walks and despite his uneasiness, will even go for a stroll with his foster dad. Toby is a low-maintenance pup who is content and well-behaved ...

The Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center at Animal Friends will be a two-level, 18,400 sq. ft. center of hope and healing. The facility will allow us to significantly expand our low-cost spay/neuter and pet wellness services to those who are struggling most in our community. The main floor will house our public clinic programs while the lower level will become home to our Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank and Humane Investigations program.   The siding – officially called “long board” – is now being installed on the building giving it a whole new look which will blend in nicely with our wooded campus. There are elements of our original building, the Caryl Gates Gluck Resource Center, that are being replicated in the new Animal Wellness Center. The yellow framing on our window structures is just one example.   Excuse our appearance! Our entire site is looking a bit, well…dogged…as we tap into water and sewage lines, and lay conduit for our other utilities. But we know the mess is just temp...

Meet Barney, an incredibly brave 7-year-old orange Tabby who wouldn’t give up to get his second chance at a happy life. After his previous owner left him outside to fend for himself, he tried to join a colony of community cats. But Barney was accustomed to life indoors and was not prepared to live the life of a community cat – thanks to a compassionate man who fed and cared for the colony Barney survived.   But, as the caregiver soon began to notice, life wasn’t easy for Barney. He began showing up on the man’s doorstep, each time with more severe injuries. It seemed Barney was not being accepted into the colony and couldn’t protect himself. He knew he needed to do something but didn’t know where to turn. Help was not far off. Staff and volunteers from Animal Friends would soon visit his neighborhood. They were going door-to-door offering free spay and neuter services to the neighborhood residents through Animal Friends for Life. When we heard about Barney, we wasted no time and br...