RECOMMENDED: Dog-friendly find offers outdoor patio for pooch and fine-dining without the froufrou for you

My latest dog-friendly restaurant discovery: épicerie on Hancock in Central Austin's Rosedale neighborhood. Described as a "cozy French-Louisiana-inspired café," by austinculturemap, it's gotten good "yelp" reviews too. austineater.com calls it: "Cést Adorable!" 

Tomlinson's sends out recall alert on Honest Kitchen and Nature's Variety

Thanks to good neighbor Tomlinson's for forwarding this alert for products made by The Honest Kitchen and Nature's Variety.

There's still time to RSVP for Austin's No-Kill Anniversary Party TONIGHT

Event Details: 

You are cordially invited to join Austin Pets Alive! in celebrating the two year anniversary of Austin being a No-Kill city.  Enjoy live music from Graham Wilkinson, drinks, and appetizers in the company of fellow Austinites and No-Kill supporters.  Guests of honor will include Texas State Representative Eddie Rodriguez and Austin City Council Members Mike Martinez and Laura Morrison, as we recognize them for their outstanding work.

No-Kill is a journey - not a destination - and we must continue to work as a community to save our four-legged friends.  One hundred percent of ticket sales and donations go to Austin Pets Alive!, a 501(c)3 organization focused on saving the lives of those animals at risk of euthanasia.  APA! has saved over 18,000 animals from euthanasia, and has been a key player in making Austin a No-Kill city. 

We look forward to many years of No-Kill to come, but need your support to make it happen. 

Complimentary appetizers are provided by Pink Avocado Catering, accompanied by drinks from Tito's Handmade Vodka. Full bar available for cash or credit purchases.  Live music performed by Graham Wilkinson, and DJ stylings from Dub Academy.  Guests each go home with a goodie from Cowgirl Treatery to top it off!

Thank you to our generous sponsors who made this event possible: Best Friends Animal Society,Austin Subaru, The Belmont, All Natural Canine, ATX Investments LLC, CultureMap, Citizen Generation, Austin Bar Association's Animal Welfare Committee, The Matula Family, Battalion Roofing, and Owleyes Tee Shirts.

The Time Has Come for Texas to Eliminate Gas Chambers as a Form of Euthanasia for Shelter Dogs and Cats

from: Texas Humane Legislation Network

Shelby Bobosky Vice-President

Topics: 83rd Legislative Session, Sodium Pentobarbital, Animal Shelter Facilities, Gas Chamber, HB 858, Euthanasia, Carbon Monoxide

Over one hundred thousand homeless pets are euthanized every year in Texas shelters. Despite the overwhelming stance that euthanasia by carbon monoxide is cruel and inhumane, unsafe for workers and costly, it is still used to end their lives in approximately thirty shelters in this state. Representative Eddie Lucio III (D) recently filed a bill (HB 858) to end shelter euthanasia of dogs and cats by carbon monoxide and it is time Texans tell their legislators that using carbon monoxide in a shelter is unacceptable.

There has been a recent nationwide trend to get rid of this outdated method of euthanasia. Virtually every shelter agency agrees that euthanasia by injection (EBI) is the preferred and humane method for euthanasia. U.S. Congressman Jim Moran (D-Va) introduced House Resolution 736 in July of 2012, which opposes the use of gas chamber euthanasia and supports state laws that replace them with lethal injection. Pennsylvania banned gas chambers in October 2012 and Louisiana did so as well in January of 2013. In fact, over thirty Texas cities have stopped the use of carbon monoxide euthanasia within the last five years ranging from larger cities like Sherman ending gas chamber euthanasia in March of 2012 to small cities like Terrell, ending in 2010. This switch from carbon monoxide to sodium pentobarbital with Texas cities large and small demonstrates an overwhelming change in attitude towards shelter euthanasia.

The word euthanasia means "good death" and death by gas chamber does not meet this definition. With the continued advocacy of our THLN members, we can put an end to this outdated method and help restore the name.

To learn more, please click here to read our EBI Fact Sheet.

To find out who represents you, please click here.

ASPCA partnering with discount pet pharmacy: Worth looking into

from: aspca.org

The ASPCA is partnering with Paramount Rx, a full service prescription benefits manager focused on consumer driven healthcare, and Health Savings Access, an affinity marketing company serving the healthcare community, to offer the Save a Pet Rx and Help a Pet Rx prescription card programs, which feature special offers on prescription medications for you and your pets.

The Save a Pet Rx card can be used the next time your pet needs a prescription filled and is accepted at more than 54,000 national, regional and community locations. The Help a Pet Rx card is also accepted at more than 54,000 retail locations nationwide and can be used when you need to fill a prescription for yourself or a family member.

For each purchase, the ASPCA will receive $1.25 to support neglected and abandoned animals, effective until June 2014. To participate in the program, simply present either card at any participating pharmacy, along with a copy of the prescription. You can visit the links above to learn more about the program, including available medications and participating drug and grocery store pharmacies.