Peak 2 Peak gondola. Super awesome! I didn’t expect the ear popping.

It’s time to get all Bob Barker on y’all – PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR ANIMALS!

The BC SPCA Hospital in Vancouver provides quality veterinary care for thousands of sick and injured stray animals in the Lower Mainland. It offers low-cost spaying and neutering as well as a wide range of veterinary services to the public.

Puppies and kittens are super cute. Things become rapidly less-cute when you think of the thousands of animals abandoned and surrendered every year because of unexpected pet breeding.

The SPCA believes (rightly) that cost shouldn’t prevent anyone from doing the responsible thing with their pet, so they offer low-cost spay and neuter clinics throughout the province for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the procedure.

In fact, every adoption fee includes a certificate for spaying or neutering your new pet at one of the SPCA’s clinics and the procedure is a condition of adoption.

Of course your pet is wonderful, and who wouldn’t want a tiny, baby version of it.

But there are too many animals out there who already need homes. Please help the SPCA so they can continue to ensure no new, unwanted animals are brought into the world!

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

For Luke. Hopefully these are as good as gumboots?

So what’s up with this whole “Chill on the Hill” thing I’m at?

It’s sponsored by Nestea to bring a little bit extra awesome to mountains across Canada this summer.

The Whistler Itinerary is:

10 am : Chill on the Hill Whistler starts!
10am-4pm : Volleyball Courts Open
10am-4pm : SnowPark Open
10am-4pm : InteractiviTEA Tent Open
11am-11:30am : Meet & Greet with Olympic Snowboarders (Tent)
12pm-12:45pm : Protest the Hero play (Mainstage)
1:30pm-2:30pm : Tricks Competition (SnowPark)
3pm-4pm : The Stills play (Mainstage)
4pm : Chill on the Hill Whistler closes

So far we’ve checked out the volleyball courts and snowboard park, and tried a bunch of Nestea drinks and mocktails.

And then we found the open bar!

Thanks to the fine folks at Nestea for hosting us, and a few other bloggers, at this fantastic event – and if you missed it this year, I’m sure with the success of this year’s event (everyone’s having an amazing time here!) it’ll be back again next summer.

Of course, I’m a teensy bit sad (okay, it’s awesome here, so not really) that I’m missing out on the great local camaraderie going on at Workspace with the other Vancouver Bloggers doing the blogathon – there are lots of great causes to sponsor, so don’t worry if the SPCA isn’t your bag (though it really should be), check out the other participating bloggers.

And if the SPCA is your bag, don’t forget to donate!

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

A bunch of events you can attend to support the BC SPCA and Paws for a Cause:

The adoptathon just happened (pictures here) but you can still get a pet of your own!

There will be a float in the Pride Parade, August 2nd

There’s a rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery, August 29th

And a gala at Opus on November 4th: Dress to the Nines-Lives depend on it!

Follow @BCSPCAVANCOUVER and @PawsforaCause on Twitter to keep up with updates!

For Hannah!

Guest Post from Laura of Sparkly to Single

Puppy Love

Animals have always played a major role in my life and I believe they are what caused me to develop such a strong sense of empathy. I have memories from my childhood of the black cats my parents had since before I was born, Hector and Basil. When I was a young teenager, we had two more cats named Freckles & Sparky, this time ginger females. At the age of 15, my family got our first dog, a golden retriever named Jasper. While I love all animals, the day we brought him home and Sparky hissed and swatted at him with her claws was the day I learned I am a dog person.

But a pet never really tugged at my heartstrings until the day I got a puppy of my very own; not my parents’ dog, but MINE. Having grown up with a golden retriever, I always thought I wanted a large breed dog. So when my fiance wanted a Shih Tzu, I didn’t think I could love it the way I loved Jasper. I thought when we arrived to pick out our puppy from the litter, that I would be the sensible one; the one who could ask about the puppy’s health and walk away if she wasn’t suitable for us. How wrong I was – the moment I laid eyes on Sierra, I fell in love with her instantly.

The bond that formed between Sierra and I goes beyond breed, beyond looks, beyond logic. It’s just pure, unconditional love. That was how I learned that I don’t need to seek out a particular breed in the future, I don’t need a puppy, I don’t need a “perfect” dog. A dog just needs love and a commitment to proper care for them, and they will devote themselves to you unconditionally. That relationship, in and of itself, is perfect.

Because of this realization, the next time I adopt a pet, it will be from the BC SPCA. Until then, I support them by being a responsible pet owner and by supporting them financially, which is why I’m donating to Jen for this Blogathon.

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

For Chris. Not enough snow for snow angels…

Not only does the SPCA shelter animals people typically think of as pets, they work to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife around the province.

The BC SPCA rescues more than 1,800 deer, birds and other wildlife every year through its shelters and through Wild ARC, the BC SPCA’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre located in Metchosin on Vancouver Island.

Living in the city, it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of BC is made up of forest habitat, home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. It’s what makes BC Beautiful, and protecting and rehabilitating the animals that belong to that ecosystem is important work.

Won’t you donate so they can continue?

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

We made it up! Coming soon: peak2peak gondola ride!

Waiting to head up the mountain with the Nestea team. I’ll be taking my Bikini Snow Angel photo (per Chris’) request once we get to the peak.

Any other sponsors have requests? It’s not too late to submit your ideas!

We made it!

The work of the SPCA most people are familiar with is the sheltering of companion animals – cats & dogs, birds, rodents, bunnies, etc.

Each year the SPCA finds new homes for more than 19,000 abandoned or surrendered animals. Almost all of the BC SPCA’s 36 branches post photos and stories about homeless animals online so that potential adopters can view animals at home before visiting their local shelter.

Of course we got our dog from the SPCA, and I know many friends who have rescued their cats and dogs from the SPCA and organizations like it. Many of the dogs and cats that end up in shelters come from the puppy and kitten mills that produce the cute animals you see in pet stores. Of course I encourage you to always check out your local shelters as a first (and hopefully only) option when looking for a new pet.

And if you’re not in the market for a companion animal right now, perhaps you feel like donating to the well-being of the hundreds of animals who are waiting for their forever homes

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

The Sea to Sky’s had quite a bit of construction on it in preparation for the Olympics. I haven’t been on it much since most of the construction has been completed, but so far it looks so, so much better than it did the last few times I drove it.

The wider lanes and safety barriers make it seem a lot more suited to being the major thoroughfare it’s been for over a decade now. The upgrades were long overdue, and it’s good to see them finally complete.

And yes Neil, Gus is driving carefully

I’m blogging for 24 hours straight to support the BC SPCA

Pledge through the Blogathon Site
or
Directly through the SPCA Paws for a Cause donation portal.

Sustinence