Raw diet for pets??

Since Emma has been sick we have been doing a lot of research about health and pets. I was surprised to see how many pet owners are doing raw diets for their pets. These diets include serving their animals a heap of ground beef, or other meat, combined with super chopped veggies.

Has anyone tried it? What were the results?

Happy Friday!

Heidi
-The LOH intern

Sick day with Emma..

So my sister's dog who has been with out family for about 12 years, became really sick last weekend. My sister took her to vet and Emma was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that is leaving her blood cell count pretty low.

Hopefully we caught it in time an the steroid and antibiotic she is on will help her get better and get her blood cell count up.

Each one of my sisters and I have taken a day off of work this week so we could spend it with Emma, just making sure she is still feel ok.

Yesterday was my day and it really made me think about how important it is to keep a track on your pet's health. It also made me think about the poor pets that are getting left behind at foreclosed homes. How are they supposed to get help if something is wrong with them?

Meet one our rescue pets Amelia.
Amelia was left at a house with no food and about two-inches of green sludge for drinking water. At the vet's, it was discovered that Amelia was suffering from hip dysplasia. How was she supposed to fend for herself? How was she supposed to get to the vet for medical care?

We are in the process of raising money to get Amelia the hip surgery she needs so she can live a pain free life. Her face is a reminder of the trust pets put into their owners and her owners are a reminder of the way that trust is sometimes broken.

There should never be a reason to abandon a pet.

If you want more information about Amelia or what to help pay for her surgery visit our website.

I will keep you updated on Emma's condition. She is going to the vet on Saturday to check her blood levels. Keep your prayers up that she is improving!!!

Heidi
-The LOH intern

Yay for Petwalk!

Hey everyone! As you know, PetWalk was on Sunday and it was awesome! The weather even cleared up just for the day. A little chilly but it was so much fun.

We had a great location for our booth. It was set up right up front and we got to meet a ton of cute little (and some huge) pups!

Both my sister Katie and my hubs Todd came out to help us work the LOH booth. I was extremely happy they could make it because we really needed their help.
So many dogs came out to take part in the walk and make friends with all the booths.

We met dogs in wagons...
We met blue buffaloes...
We loved up on some foster dogs who are up for adoption (this is Kiki and Katie!)
We played with some our old LOH friends...
(This cutie is one of our rescue pups that was adopted, a true LOH success)

We even met some of our LOH members personal pups who came out for the day...
Shari and her incredible loving friend Max

One of the best parts? At the end of the day Purina donated all of their leftover cat food!!!!
All of these boxes are getting delivered to our super amazing foster parents to feed their cute kitties waiting for adoption!

At the end of the day we raised over of our $5,000 goal. But guess what, donations can be made up until March 7th!! So if you didn't get a chance to donate to Lost Our Home before, there is still time! Just follow this link. We had a great time so how about we end on a high note. Make a last minute donation to help us out. Don't forget every penny, dime and dollar goes right to the pets and the owners who need our help!!!

We have some exciting events coming up so I will keep you informed!

Thanks for the support!

-Heidi
The LOH intern

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!

Sunday is Petwalk! We have just done an incredible job raising money for Lost Our Home. We have currently raise $5,500 but let's not stop there! How about a 1 day push on Saturday to raise another $1,000 and reach our new goal!

Don't forget to come out to Tempe Town Lake on Sunday and meet me at the Lost Our Home booth!

Have a great weekend! I will post pictures on Monday of our great event!

Sign up to walk or donate HERE!!!!


-Heidi
LOH Intern

Just a little thanks...

I am so excited that I met, no, EXCEEDED my fund raising goal! However, I could not have done it without help from some amazing people. I just wanted to give some shout-outs to those who helped me!

My sister Laura and her dog Emma.


Emma has been such a well behaved and loving, loyal dog her whole life. Laura totally understands the importance of taking in the everyday mutt. You get the best of a couple breeds when you pick a mutt!

My parents.

For 20 years they paid for vet bills and food for some good little kitties and doggies we have had. They also are taking care of my old tuxedo cat, Oreo. She really enjoys sleeping by their fireplace so they are graciously letting her retire with them in Northern Arizona.

My Father and Mother-in-law.
Todd's parents have adopted a couple incredible rescue cats. If you ever want to see the Arnold Schwarzenegger of felines, just ask to see a picture of their tabby Tyson. He is a monster, but as sweet as can be.


My fellow journalism student and just a great friend Randi.
Randi has never questioned my extreme love of my cats. I really appreciated her supporting the PetWalk. She really wanted to come be there on Sunday but she has to go out of town.


Our awesome neighbors Nick and Sarah

along with their two beautiful girls Fiona and Karlene
They would be the first people I would call if one of my kitties did something cute or I had a cat story to tell.

A long-time family friend (and fourth sister) Stephanie.
Stephanie herself recently adopted a full-grown dog, which is a life saver since many adult dogs have a harder time getting rescued.

I also wanted to thank Todd's co-workers and my sister Katie's co-workers. They all really stepped up to the plate right away and gave me some of my first donations.

We still have a couple days until PetWalk. Just because we reached our fund raising goal doesn't mean you have stop donating or telling your friends to donate. You even have time to still sign up and walk with us! We are so thankful for the money we raised and so are the pets and pet owners who's life you might just have changed!

Endless Thanks!!!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

I only have one thing to say

WE DID IT!!!!!!
What did we do? Follow this link to find out...if you already know, thank you so much for your support. I am doing a special blog tomorrow to give shout-outs to some people who helped me reach my personal goal! Sorry about the short blog tonight. We had to take Scioscia to vet tonight. She has a small cold but it is normal in new kitties. She received some medicine and should be feeling better any day!

Today was a good day!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

I promised you a big announcement!

Want another reason to participate in PetWalk this Sunday? Need a new reason to sponsor a walker on team Lost Our Home?

Meet Scioscia! (Pronounced Sosha) Named after this SciosciaScioscia was my Valentine's gift from my husband, so I let him pick the name. Todd is obsessed with Angels baseball and he really loves Mike Scioscia as a coach.

We adopted her during the PetSmart adoption weekend! Right away her personality showed when we opened the cage to look at her. She was instantly rubbing on our hands, purring and playing with us. I fell in love instantly.

When we brought her home, big sister Nunu was a little weary.

The last kitty Nunu lived with was my sister's cat Princess Coco Chanel and she wasn't the nicest kitty of the bunch. Nu is still trying to figure out this little firecracker.

Scioscia is really winning everyone over. Our first order of business was giving her a bath. No kitty smells that great when they had to spend the day in their cage. While she wasn't to thrilled with the bath part, she really enjoyed the snugging while I warmed her up.She is such an incredible little kitty. You just look at her and she starts to purr. She is the happiest when she can curl up on your lap and take a long nap.

When I told Scioscio about Petwalk and Lost Our Home, she immediately tried to get online and make some donations.
Then she realized she can't type very well and doesn't have a bank account. So she asked me to tell all of you how happy she is that she found a new home to live in, how nice it is to know someone is going to feed and love her for the rest of her life and how wishes that all of the other kitties and doggies looking for homes could get them.

We are now just six days away from our walk at Petwalk and we have reached the 84% mark of our fund raising goal. We only have to raise $825 more to reach this awesome goal we set for ourselves. Only $800 more, it is nothing! We can totally do this!

As I am typing the blog this morning, Nunu is running around the house playing with all of her toys (noisy balls just make her go nuts) and Scioscia is curled up on my lap purring blissfully. I know how much I love this kitties and I know that all of the pet owners who are going through financial difficulties and are struggling between buying groceries for themselves and keeping their pets healthy, love their animals just as much. With your help, we can eliminate the worry of where the next bag of pet food is going to come from or how they are going to pay for a vet bill. With your help, we can continue to foster these loving pets who have been abandoned and are just looking for a new home. These times are tough and if we all just band together and give a little, we can change the lives of pets and pet owners.

Make a pet as happy as Scioscia.
Please follow this link to the Lost Our Home Team Page for the PetSmart Petwalk. You can click "donate to the team" or pick anyone of our walkers to sponsor.

I hope everyone had a great three-day weekend!

Heidi, Nunu and Scioscia
-The LOH intern and friends

Big Big Big Event!

Ok guys, so I know I promised you a profile on a kitty today, but there is a huge event this weekend and I felt that it would be a great fit for my Friday blog post.

PetSmart is hosting their National Adoption Weekend this weekend from February 12 to February 14!



Could there be any better way to spend Valentine's day then with a new little cat or dog? Is there any better gift than to give a pet a second chance at life?

PetSmart is hoping to place more that 16,000 pets in homes during this weekend event.

Plus, on top of all the great perks that already come with adopting a rescue animal, PetSmart is going to include some great freebies with any pet you take home!!!

Speaking of PetSmart, we have about one week left before PetWalk in Tempe! Lost Our Home has reached the 56% of fund raising goal but we need you to make our $5,000 a reality! Don't forget that every single penny, dime and dollar goes right back into our foundation and to the pets and owners who need help!

Donate Now!!
Sign Up To Walk!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy your Valentine's holiday!

I might have a big Monday surprise for you!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

Exciting News!

Hey everyone! So I have really exciting news...

My sister Laura is going to adopt a rescue dog!

Laura is defiantly a dog person and both of the dogs she has had in her lifetime were rescue dogs.
The first dog Laura ever got was named Niki. She was a cute little black and brown mutt we rescued right from the pound. Niki was super sweet and very tolerant with two imaginative kids.

Laura's current puppy is named Emma.
We picked her up from outside a Wal-Mart. We are pretty sure she is a mix of Australian Shepperd and either Chow or Golden Retriever. (Maybe a mix of all three!) Emma only wants to make you happy. She had one accident in the house as a baby and felt so bad about it she never did it again. If you need a poster puppy for rescue pets, Emma is your girl.

Now that I have moved out of my sister's house and in with the new hubs, Laura decided she has more room to take in another puppy.

There never was any doubt that she would pick a dog that needed to be rescued.

Our search has already started and she has put in some adoption forms for a few puppies. Stay tuned to see who the newest member of Laura's family is!

Tomorrow is pet day! Don't forget to stop by and see one of cutie pie kitties that is up for adoption!


Enjoy the evening!

Heidi
-The LOH Intern

Come meet me on the 21st!

Hey everyone! So I just found out I will be working the Lost Our Home booth at the PetSmart Petwalk on February 21, 2010! I am so excited to get to meet some of our amazing volunteers and see all of those cute pooches out for a walk that day! If Nunu would let me put her on a leash and take her out for a walk that day, I totally would.

However, she is pretty tolerant when I dress her up for Halloween...

I won't push my luck with that! ( That is Nunu as a pirate Halloween 09)

So far it looks like it is going to be a lovely Arizona weekend!
I will see you at Tempe Town Lake!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

Walk Walk Walk
Sponsor Sponsor Sponsor

Two weeks to make our goal!

13 days until Petwalk!

We have reached the 42% mark on our $5,000 goal. It so amazing to see the generous donations that people are making. I know we can do it!

However, we still need your help to make it all the way.

Are you busy February 21? You can Sponsor a walker!

Did you know that your donations can actually save a pet from having to be given up for adoption?

Lost Our Home also provides financial aid and offers a food bank for struggling pet owners. We want to keep pets in their homes with their families. You can make this happen!

Walk with us or sponsor a walker in our Petwalk!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

Friday is pet day!

Happy Friday! What an exciting weekend coming up with the Super Bowl! I really want to use Friday posts to show off a pet of ours that is up for adoption. So each Friday I am going to tell you all about one of our awesome pets and about their back story.

Just to show there isn't any special treatment because of my love of cats, I am going to start with a perfect pooch!

Meet Honey:
Is there anything sweeter than that face? Honey was left behind at a foreclosed home with 6 one-week old puppies to take care of. Now that her puppies are old enough to eat and be on there own, Honey is looking for her own home filled with love.

She is a Shepard mix, is spayed and housebroken. She would be a wonderful addition to any household.

Don't forget the free dog training!

If you want to get information on Honey or check out one of our other amazing animals head to our adoption web site.

Enjoy your weekend!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

My world of rescue pets...

Confession...not one of my pets I have ever owned has been a pricey pedigree pooch or kitty...and I think they have made the best pets ever.

The first cats I ever had were an accidental litter from my cousin's (after that quickly fixed) cat named Calico. They were brothers named Rusty and Sandy. Sandy was one of the most loyal cats I have ever known. I got them before I started preschool and Sandy lived until Christmas break when I was in 7th grade. He was an incredible playmate for a bored 5-year-old and never complained when I dressed him as a baby and pushed him around in a stroller.

Then came Oreo.

We adopted her as a kitten from a rescue organization. She survived moving from Arizona to Virginia and back again. She can hunt a mouse like nobody's business. If she sees you sitting down, you better be sure she is coming to sit on your lap and purr till she is blissfully drooling. She has recently retired with my parents up in Northern Arizona where she spends her days sleeping by the fireplace instead of hunting mice. I wouldn't dare one to try and make itself comfortable anytime soon though!

I know I love the cats, but I do have a soft side for the pups too. Meet my sisters dog Emma.
(Warning, if you meet this dog in real life you will automatically be smitten and tempted to try and smuggle her away. Knowing my sister, I wouldn't recommend that.)We got Emma for free outside of Wal-Mart. If you want a dog that is sweet, smart and loyal Emma is your girl. We don't know what she is, but she is one amazing mutt! If we could clone her, we know everyone would be wanting to get an Emma. You can't help but fall in love with her when you see her walking around with that constantly wagging tail.

Finally, everyone knows Nunu's story.
That picture always makes me laugh. It just shows her curious personality. I wasn't using zoom right then, she just got that close to camera to see what I was doing.

The point of all of this is, if we hadn't taken a chance on these pets we would truly be missing out on some of the greatest compaionship we have ever known. As I write this right now, Miss Nunu is snuggled up next to me on the couch, stretching out and kicking me every once in a while when she gets uncomfortable. She may not have any papers to say what breed she is, I don't even know what her mom or dad were, but it doesn't change her love and loyalty for me.

Next time you want to get a pet, take a chance on a rescue animal. You will find the best friend in a pet you have ever known.

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

Pre-owned pets can make the best pets...

What is the hardest part of taking on a new pet? The training!!!

What is the best part of taking in a rescued shelter pet? The training!!!

If you choose to adopt a rescue pet many times they have already received house training and medical attention!

Did you know that Lost Our Home also works with getting the wonderful pets we rescued adopted? We have an amazing selection of dogs, cats and ferrets that are up for adoption. You can even check out our awesome pets looking for loving homes online!

How cute is Casy?This precious pup will come to you fixed, vaccinated and with free doggy training!

Isn't Bonnie beautiful?She is good with other cats and already is litterbox trained!


These pets need your love! Just go to our adoption page for information on Casy and Bonnie or any other of our awesome pets looking for homes!

Don't forget Petwalk February 21, 2010!!!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

So what is going on?

I have a super exciting announcement about an event Lost Our Home is participating in on Februrary 21, 2010. It is the PetSmart Charities second annual Petwalk!



This is an awesome opportunity to come out and support Lost Our Home and enjoy some wonderful Arizona weather.

The walk is taking place February 21, 2010 at Tempe Town Lake. Participants can bring their well behaved pooches or come solo and walk in the name of a different pet. Don't forget cats, birds and other furry friends are still pets!

Can't make the walk? You can support one of walkers with any amount!

So why should you support this walk? 100% of all the money we raise goes straight to our foundation and straight to animals who need it. That is right, every single penny goes back to Lost Our Home!!

We have a set a goal of $5,000 for this walk and at last count we were 32% of the way there. We can totally do this, but we need your help!

Follow this link for all the information you need!

We will see you in Tempe!

-Heidi
The LOH Intern

How about some introductions....

Want to hear a startling fact? In Arizona it is estimated around 120,000 pets enter animal care facilities every year. Want to hear a sad fact? About only half of those find homes...

The current economic situation has not helped these facts out very much. With all the foreclosed homes came a new and terrible trend of pet owners leaving their pets behind with no food or water as they faced foreclosure. Some pets were left for weeks at a time waiting for the people they thought they could trust to come home and take care of them.

This is where Lost Our Home came into the picture.

Lost Our Home is a non-profit group of real estate professionals who began to notice the number of pets being left behind in foreclosed homes and knew something needed to be done. Now with a group of dedicated volunteers, they spend their own personal time rescuing these pets and placing them in loving homes.

So how does my path cross with the work of Lost Our Home? Why I am so passionate about the foundation?

Let me introduce you to my amazing companion Nunu...



Nunu came into my life by pure chance but I seriously can't imagine life without her.

Nunu belonged to some old neighbors I had. She was a birthday gift for one of the kids in the family when she was just a kitten. Soon the joy of having a kitten wore off and the family decided to no longer allow Nunu inside the house. She had no food or water.

Now, I love cats, I mean loooove cats. You can imagine my joy when the cutest little kitty would come running up to me when I went out to get the mail. It didn't take too long before I was spending more and more time outside loving this beautiful gray fluff-ball. Once the kids next door even told me the story of Nunu and how she didn't come inside anymore. I was appalled and immediately starting putting out food and water for her. I also started calling to her by saying "Nu nu nu, come here kitty kitty," and the so the same Nunu stuck.

Soon after I started taking care off Nunu strictly as an outside cat, the neighbors just moved away. They left without even thinking or asking about this poor kitty. Not like they were doing much to take care of her anyways.

I decided Nunu would be my outside kitty. I got her fixed and set up a nice little spot for her in the carport. However, it was undeniable that Nunu craved some love and attention.

I started to let her spend time inside while I watched television...then I showed her how to use the doggy door...then she pretty much became and instant member of our family.

She is the most loving cat and you probably wouldn't believe me if you met her if I told you she used to be homeless.

However, I knew that there were so many more Nunus out there, so when I needed to start a public relations internship for my journalism degree, I wanted to work with a company I believed in.

I heard about Lost Our Home in the news before and decided to see if I could possibly do my internship with them.

It all worked out and now I am excited to start my internship with Lost Our Home.

Guess I should tell you about myself. My name is Heidi. I am a native to Arizona and I love animals with a passion.

I asked my supervisors at Lost Our Home if I could keep a blog to write all about what I will be doing for Lost Our Home and to introduce you to some of the amazing pets and people this foundation is made of!

So stick around because it is going to be great Spring semester!

-Heidi
the LOH intern