September 2018 Newsletter

Thanks, Lisa for this great close up pic!

"Versa is proudly modeling her Lucky Pet Tag!"
-Lisa Baskin, Nashville TN

And this cutie is Khaleesi.

-Wendy Farris of Independence KY

Thank you to everyone who has submitted pictures of their pets! If you have a great picture of your pet (showing off our tag would be nice!), you can submit it here.

If you haven't seen your picture submission in our newsletter, check out our facebook page. Once there, you can see lots of pet pics, submit more and chat with us or other pet fans!

It all started out as a huge misunderstanding a year ago. Tony Alsup is a truck driver from Greenback, Tennessee. He also has a huge soft spot in his heart for pets, especially pets that tend to get overlooked for not being "cute" enough. But I'm jumping ahead; let us go back a year ago when this story started.

Hurricane Harvey was taking aim at Houston and Alsup saw a post on social media asking for help from anyone who could help evacuate pets still in shelters in the path of the storm. Alsup responded and said that he was on his way in his semi-truck. The shelter prepared for Alsup to take dozens of dogs in his truck. But Alsup meant that he could take a few, riding up in the cab with him. Oops.

So Alsup did what almost no one else would do. He went out, bought an old school bus and came back to get the rest of the dogs.

"I'm a man of my word. If I give you my word, it's gonna get done" Alsup said.

Since that first rescue, he's chased storms across the south and even Puerto Rico, making it his mission to see that every pet needing help gets it.

Two weeks ago, with Hurricane Florence threatening a wide swath of the Carolina coast, Alsup was there in his pet rescue bus. He drove to shelters in 4 cities about to be hit by the storm. He loaded and transported the last 64 dogs and cats that had nowhere else to go. He drove them inland to a friend's shelter in Foley, Alabama. There, the pets each received the spa treatment- warm baths, grooming, and fuzzy towels. Each pet will find a spot in a foster home or one of several shelters throughout the country committed to finding forever homes for these pets.

“It’s so easy for people to adopt the small pets and the cuties and the cuddly,” Alsup said. “We take on the ones that deserve a chance even though they are big and a little ugly. But I love big dogs, and we find places for them.”

Our hats are off to you Tony Alsup, and everyone helping pets in times of trouble, especially the pets that might otherwise get overlooked.

See more about Alsup's Florence mission on the Greenville News website.

Mark Cowing and his 12-year-old border collie, Fly, live in a suburb 24 miles northwest of London, England. Fly suffers from cataracts and is blind.

Late last month, they were on vacation, caravan (RV) camping on Lepe Beach, a pebble beach stretching along the south coast of England. The beach attracts vacationers for long hikes and swimming when it's warm enough. The Isle of Wight, just three miles offshore, protects the beach from the rough waters of the English Channel on the other side of the island.

One afternoon, Cowing and Fly were playing on the shoreline when Fly, for reasons only he knows, ran into the water and began to swim to the Isle of Wight. Cowing first watched, trying to understand what was happening. But it made no sense. He began yelling for Fly. But Fly didn't stop.

"When he got 20 or 30 feet out I had to strip off, down to my underpants, and go and rescue him," Cowing said.

Cowing fought the current while trying desperately to keep an eye on Fly. Once in the water, he quickly lost sight of him. He now realized that he was in trouble as well. He waved his arms and yelled for help. Suddenly an older man in a kayak was there and was able to help get Cowing back to shore. The man in the kayak was gone before Cowing could even thank him.

The activity on the beach had gotten the attention of the RNLI (Royal Navy Lifeguard Institute), somewhat a combination of our Coast Guard and Lifeguards. Cowing explained about Fly but assumed that his older, blind dog would not have been able to keep swimming this long. He also suspected that RNLI wouldn't be able to use their resources to rescue a dog. But he was wrong.

RNLI members called in a Coast Guard helicopter, the only way to search a large area of water. Within minutes, the spotters saw Fly struggling in waves about 600 feet from shore. They directed an RNLI lifeboat to the spot. A diver jumped into the water and was able to help Fly into the lifeboat.

Safely back on the beach, Cowing thanked everyone involved in the dramatic rescue. He is still trying to find the kayaker and thank him properly.

No one knows what Fly was thinking but luckily, he seems to have come through the ordeal unscathed.

Mr. Cowing added: "I was in tears when I saw him, he's my boy. I just felt a complete and utter idiot for what I did.
"When we got back to the caravan he had four packets of dinner and a pork pie and went to sleep.

See more on the BBC News website.

At the Factory

It's time for some spooky pet tags! Order these glow in the dark tags for your pet's ID or they make great Halloween party decorations or gifts. The glow really does GLOW! Other shapes available as well.

Look for helpful pet information on pets and Halloween on our pet blog soon! Like us on Facebook and you'll know when we add new articles.

We've added some articles to our website with information useful for pet owners. Last month we added our list of popular pet names for the last year. Just how common is your pet's name?

Finally, a true life video depiction of the expression, "herding cats".
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A couple wondered how their golden retriever's favorite stuffy kept missing wash day. So they set up some cameras to find out....
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You may also call 1-800-543-TAGS and mention the coupon code; one of our happy, helpful customer service representatives will gladly give you the discount.