Local Nonprofit Fuzzy Dog and Cat Rescue Saves Animals' Lives

Santa Monica based nonprofit Fuzzy Dog and Cat Rescue, Inc. has rescued, rehabilitated and placed nearly 200 animals since 2005.

Scooby-Roo's Story

Credit: Bark Pet PhotographyScooby-Roo was found covered in scrapes and wounds on his chest.  He was cowering in fear and fighting to live.  Poor little Scooby-Roo was found missing limbs and he was thumping around to get by.  He was most likely born without his front two legs and that’s why his people no longer wanted Scooby-Roo.  He is only 7 months of age and a bundle of joy.  Last week he was custom-fitted for his wheels with the donations that came in from Michael Jackson Fans, and celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Shannon Elizabeth. ABC News recently covered the story:

Angel's Story

"Angel" (Credit Fuzzy Rescue)A volunteer was at a local vet’s office getting monthly antigen shots for her personal dog with allergies. There was a woman sobbing in the lobby and we asked her why she was crying.  She regularly feeds her dogs chicken and steak bones, and one of her dog had gotten a steak bone lodged in her esophagus near the larynx (see the x-ray below).  She didn’t want to pay money for the dog’s surgery, and/or refused to take the dog to the emergency for this matter.  She propped the dog on the treatment table, and opted to put her down.  This dog, whose name is Angel, was wagging her tail and licking the owner’s hands waiting to be killed.  Her teeth were covered in tartar and she was unspayed.

Angel's X-Ray (Fuzzy Rescue)They could not see this dog die, so they asked for Angel.  She is sweet and extremely mellow, 7 years young.  The owner signed a relinquishment form and Angel was rushed to Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine in Tustin.  The entire treatment cost Fuzzy Dog and Cat $6,500 because it involved oxygen, nearly a week of hospitalization, peg tube, tracheotomy, IV fluids, 8 medication and endoscopy to have the steak-bone removed.

Would you like to help? The organization is seeking donations to help pay for Angel's treatment.  And they are seeking a new home for Angel!

Fuzzy Rescue is a no-kill 501(c)3 nonprofit animal welfare organization.  All donations are tax deductible.  For more information, visit www.fuzzyrescue.org.

Thousand Oaks 2009 Community Attitude Survey Report Issued October 9th

Since 1969, the City of Thousand Oaks has conducted a communitywide attitude survey every 5 years to sample city residents' views on planning and other community issues.

The 2009 survey was conducted this summer by True North Research of Escondido.  They phone surveyed a "statistically representative" sample of 400 Thousand Oaks residents in area codes 91360, 91361, 91362 and 91320.  There are 94,000 adult residents in Thousand Oaks and 129,000 total residents. True North said with this sample they are 95% confident that survey results are within a +/- 4.9% margin of error.

Enough of that statistical mumbo jumbo.

They also did a supplemental web survey, sending postcards to residents in late August/early September - 2,785 people logged in and completed the survey (including me). But this survey was not considered "valid" because people were self-selected, not randomized.

Thousand Oaks residents by a landslide are happy to live here. 97% of residents are happy with the quality of life.  This is consistent with previous surveys, where this has ranged from 96% to 98% of residents. In fact, True North indicates in its report that T.O. residents are among the most satisfied residents among over 100 similar studies it has done in California.

There is lot of other information in the 68 page survey report accessible at http://www.toaks.org/survey/ but here are some things I found interesting:

Commuting

52% of T.O. residents commute outside of the Conejo Valley for their jobs, and 35% of those commute over 60 minutes round trip. In the larger web survey, 54% commute and 48% of those commute over 60 minutes round trip. These numbers indicate anywhere from 18% to 26% of Thousand Oaks workers commute more than an hour a day.  That's a lotta driving!!

What We Want More Of

People were asked what they want to see more of in Thousand Oaks. 27% (30% in web survey) want more family restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Lobster. 17% (23% on web) want more discount stores like Costco and Big Lots, 15% (17% on web) want more department stores like Target and ugh, Walmart, and 11% (12% on web) want more speciality goods stores like Dick's Sporting Goods and Babies R Us.

Information Sources for News, Events, Programs

They asked people to list their top 3 information sources used for learning about City news, events and programs.  The top 5 sources were The Acorn (41%), Ventura County Star (29%), Internet (general) (26%), City website (22%) and City newsletter (14%). WOW!!  The Acorn blew away the VC Star on this question.  Maybe because The Acorn is delivered free of charge weekly and it because it focused very specifically on highly localized news. 

But even more shocking was that 73% of the 2,785 web survey takers say they use The Acorn compared to 46% for the VC Star. Then the 3rd top choice in the web survey, at 26%, was utility bill inserts.  What the??  Only 2% of phone survey takers mentioned utility bill inserts.  Ironic that only 5% of the web survey takers listed the internet as a top 3 choice vs 26% in the phone survey.

Something tells me this was a poorly designed question.  There is way too much disparity between the 400 person phone survey and the 2,785 person web survey results. But kudos are still in order for The Acorn.

Survey Methodology

This year's survey cost $30K according to The Acorn. The last survey done in 2004 cost half that I believe because it was done by the City. The 400 person "randomized" approach this year was new. In prior years, the survey was physically mailed to nearly 12,000 households at random with a 27% response rate. Response rates using this approach ranged from 27% to 37% going back to 1979.

Well that's it! For more details, visit this article on The Acorn website and this one at the VC Star.

Camarillo Artist Chuck Trunks Selected as One of 12 Essential Artists by 1800® Tequila

Chuck Trunks, whose work has been prominently featured throughout Conejo Valley Guide, has outdone himself again as one of only 12 artists selected for special limited edition 1800® Tequila bottles.  One of Chucks' originals, "You Got a Problem?" will be featured, in color, on a limited quantity of bottles of 100% Agave Silver Tequila! 

Congratulations Chuck!  Visit Chuck's website at www.trunksart.com and the 1800® Essential Artists website at www.1800tequila.com/essential.

United Parents: Local Nonprofit Helping Families with Children Having Mental, Emotional, Behavior Problems

United Parents is a parent run, non-profit, professional organization providing services to families with children who have mental, emotional and behavioral problems. United Parents was founded over two decades ago on the principle that parents helping parents makes a difference in shaping a better future for our children and our community.

Do you know a child (or parent) that:

• Is Suicidal
• Always angry
• Makes you always angry
• Has trouble in school
• Needs help with drugs
• Is a teen parent
• Is always sad
• Gets violent for NO reason
• Is always disruptive
• Makes you feel out of control
• Causes chaos in your home
• Has no hope

What we do

• Support—so parents don’t feel isolated
• Respite—parents can take a break, regroup
• Education to help manage special challenges
• Activities for children, encouraging competent, pro-social behaviors and random acts of kindness
• Knowledge about effectively navigating the many “systems” touching our children.
• Advocacy so children receive services to help them succeed in schools and the community.
• Peer to peer advice & guidance during difficult times.

“A parent’s hope for tomorrow”

If you know a family struggling to raise a child with emotional, behavioral and/or mental disorders, maybe we can help.

Monthly parent support groups in Simi Valley, Fillmore, Camarillo, Westlake Village (recently formed), Oxnard and Northridge. Foster parent association meetings in Ventura. There is also a new support group forming in Agoura.  United Parents offers free childcare during these sessions.

Visit www.unitedparents.org or call 805.384.1555 for more info or CLICK HERE for a flier.

Lifelong Conejo Valley Resident Helps Animals Through Her Art

It was through Twitter that I recently came into contact with Stella Violano, a lifelong resident of Newbury Park.  Stella is a professional artist who has a distinct passion for painting animals.  In fact, she has dedicated thousands of hour of time to an organization she founded called Art Helping Animals (www.arthelpinganimals.com). AHA raises funds for non-profits that help animals in need.

Take a look at this amazing montage of some of the over 200 paintings of homeless animals that Violano painted between 2000 and 2006. All of the animals shown found loving homes.

And I love this touching video of Brigette, a homeless senior dachshund who found a home through Old Dog Haven, a charity supported by AHA. Violano's work transforming the aging pooch into Queen Elizabeth is magical. 

Given the Conejo Valley is named after a rabbit, I asked her if she had any bunny art to share with us.  Oh she certainly does!  I selected 3 of the 6 pieces she sent my way. If you like these, let me know and maybe I'll post more at a later date!

For more of Violano's work, visit http://smvstudio.com and http://paintingaday.blogspot.com.