Pet Pardons Reaches 10,000 Pets

As many of you know, I'm the Co-Founder of the facebook application, Pet Pardons. When asked about my proudest accomplishment thus far, my answer is just that: Pet Pardons. 

This week, the 10,000th animal shelter pet was posted on the app, representing a massive milestone for Chris, myself, and so many deserving rescue pets. With each life saved, with each pet adoption, and with each shelter pet smile... all of the craziness is worth it. 

I'll share more about that special pet in a minute... but first, I'd like to give you a quick look behind-the-scenes at Pet Pardons...

In December, 2010, fellow Co-Founder and friend, Chris Hoar, and I launched the Pet Pardons app. The idea was simple: utilize the sharing power of facebook to save the lives of pets on death row in animal shelters.

In creating the app, we wanted to give animal shelters, animal rescues, networkers, and volunteers the ability to easily post pets in need of help. We wanted to give the public the ability to get involved in saving those lives. And most importantly, we wanted to give these deserving shelter pets the chance to live.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well... in theory, yes. But trust me, when it comes to the day-to-day operations, things can get a little... um... crazy...

Each day, Chris and I work tirelessly behind-the-scenes at Pet Pardons, busting our asses to save as many lives as possible. Contrary to popular belief, there's no "Pet Pardons Corporate Headquarters." We don't meet in some fancy office, with big desks, lush couches, and computers that always operate as promised. 

Chris lives in California; I live in Mississippi. We work from our own crappy couches, using crappy, crashing laptops and even crappier, busted cell phones. This makes things... well... interesting...

My cell phone has a little, um... water damage-ish. It dies daily... and right now, I can't afford a new one. But as you can probably imagine, this makes it pretty difficult for Chris to reach me about issues with the app, and he can get a little irritated at times. Well... sorry dude. I'm pretty irritated too. My cell is a piece of shizz. 

When things go wrong, as they often do, Chris and I scramble to make things right--and fast. But of course, there's a 2-hour time difference between Chris and myself... and my 2 hour gain isn't always appreciated by Mr. Hoar in the early morning hours...

I try to remind him that I hate mornings enough for the both of us, but that never seems to help my case. The interruption in sleep can make Chris a little pissed, which makes me a little pissed. Or a lot pissed. This man acts as if I invented the time difference?!?! 

But instead of being professional and serious, I choose to tell inappropriate jokes to make him laugh. That's the only way we get through most days, considering that our "job" is to look at images of pets on death row in the animal shelter. Laughter keeps us sane.

So, clearly, things don't always go as planned. There are days when all of the facebook apps crash for no apparent reason... which is always super-fun for us. There are other days when those ever-present facebook errors decide to be extra-awesome by temporarily disabling most--or all--of our app's features... and we really appreciate that.

When this happens, Chris and I bust our asses a little more... and with a lot of effort and some offensive cuss words... we somehow manage to make things right again. 

And even though I give him a hard time, I'm honored to work with Chris on Pet Pardons. We're great friends who truly love what we do, and we're inspired by the lives of the shelter pets we're able to save each day, as well as the amazing pet adoption stories.  

Because to date, 10,000 pets have been posted on Pet Pardons, and more than 5,000 lives have been saved because of our work. That's huge. 

So, back to that special 10,000th pet. Her name is Emma, a brokenhearted American Bulldog awaiting her fate at Nacogdoches Animal Shelter in Texas. Emma was surrendered by her owner when he was called to serve overseas in Iraq. Now, Emma is waiting... in a dog shelter... with a dream of the pet adoption that will save her life. Please... help us save her. Click the link to Advocate for Emma NOW!


CLICK HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR EMMA!

*From the bottom of our hearts and those you've helped save, thank you for using Pet Pardons to make a difference in this world. These shelter pets need you, and you're always there for them. That's nothing short of incredible. 

Pet Pardons Saves Another Life

Last week, Daisy Beecher began Advocating on Pet Pardons, the facebook app that allows users to get involved in saving the lives of real shelter pets. Being a huge animal lover, Daisy was thrilled to support such a lifesaving and noble cause.

Through Pet Pardons, Daisy became aware of the heartbreaking and tragic reality for shelter pets in America. Due to the vast pet overpopulation, millions of pets are sitting on death row in shelters… waiting to die. For Daisy, this reality was eye-opening and heartbreaking, and she sat at her computer and wept for these precious, innocent souls who have done nothing to deserve this tragic fate.

For the first time, she could see the consequence of those who do not spay or neuter their pets... the consequence of those who buy from breeders… the consequence of those who see a precious family pet as nothing more than a disposable object. For millions of shelter pets each year, their lives are the consequence.

But instead of letting the pain overtake her, Daisy began taking action. She started Advocating on Pet Pardons daily, in addition to emailing and calling shelters to find ways to help or donate. She was driven by the knowledge that she now had the power to save these special lives through Pet Pardons.

In seeing their faces… through reading their stories… Daisy began connecting with every pet in a very personal way, and she made a silent promise to each that she would do all she could to save them. For one special pet, that promise would mean everything…

The very first dog Daisy saw on Pet Pardons was a death row baby in Somerset, Kentucky named #81. This precious boy didn’t even have a name… just a meaningless number with no love behind it. Daisy saw his little face, and her heart shattered.

With only days to live, his chances of ever getting out alive seemed so bleak. Daisy connected with his photo in a way she didn’t know possible. Maybe it was because he was the first pet she saw, or maybe it was his adorable 1 inch legs… or the despair in his eyes, but Daisy just knew she had to save him.

Upon seeing his photo, she emailed the Pulaski County Animal Shelter about adoption. When they didn’t get right back to her, she assumed the worst… and she sobbed uncontrollably. But yesterday, she finally received an email from the shelter regarding her request. They put her in contact with a transporter who could help get #81 from the shelter in Kentucky to Daisy’s home in Connecticut!

#81 was scheduled to die in a Kentucky shelter today, 4.6.2011. But because of Pet Pardons, #81 will not die. Instead, he will soon be transported to his new home in Connecticut, with a family who will cherish him forever.

Pet Pardons is saving the lives of shelter pets every single day. YOU can be a part of this. YOU can make a difference. YOU can save a life. Yes, it is heartbreaking to see their photos and read their stories, but YOU can change their world. YOU can help give them happiness! With a simple click of the Advocate button, YOU can be a part of their happy ending!

Please, save a life. They are waiting for you, and they don’t have much time…

*To start saving lives today, Install the Pet Pardons app & click the Advocate button!

*Please “Like” the Pet Pardons fan page to do even more to save lives & share in the successes!