Josie - available for adoption at Casa de los Gatos

Casa de los Gatos
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Raise a Glass for the Cats
Wine tasting fundraiser at CataVinos Wine Shoppe – 3063 N. Alvernon Way
4 to 6 p.m.
$20 includes 6 wine tastes + snacks
Don’t miss the silent auction, raffle and gift sale. Come meet other cat lovers.
Accepting donations of scoopable cat litter and canned cat food at this event. Sounds purrfecto!

Hermitage Cat Shelter
Sunday – April 17
5 to 8 p.m. at Double Tree Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way
Feline Groovy
My apologies to Simon & Garfunkel on their famous song, Feelin’ Groovy’ but what a fun idea to trip back to the groovin’ 60s all to benefit the Hermitage Cat Shelter. Enjoy dinner, live music, silent and live auction. Tickets cost $50/each or a table of eight for $375. Visit the website or call 520-571-7839 to reserve tickets. Cool!

Delta Society Pet Partners
Wednesday, April 20
6 to 7:15 p.m. at Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital
Learn how you and your pet (dog, cat, rabbit, or other domesticated species) might qualify to cheer up patients in hospitals, bring joy to seniors in assisted-living centers, help children learn to read, and much more. This is a great session to gain a better understanding of all that is involved with becoming part of the Loving Angel Paws volunteer group as a Delta Society Pet Partners therapy animal team. Meet and talk to current volunteers. Humans only invited to the informational sessions. The cost is free.
Pre-registration is required as space is limited. RSVP to TherapyPetsAZ@gmail.com

FAIR
Saturday, April 23
3rd Annual Valley Animal Hospital Tucson Canine Classic
This is a pet-friendly and family-friendly event billed as Tucson’s largest dog-walk and Pet Festival! Walk/run 5K or 1 mile with hundreds of friends to raise funds for local rescue groups. People without dogs are also invited. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Foundation for Animals in Risk (FAIR) and hundreds of dogs in need.

Visit the Pet Festival and the 50+ exhibitors. Food, fun, music, Doggy Fashion Show, Doggy Talent Show, Kids’ and Puppies’ 100 yard dash and much more. Vaccination Station will provide free microchips to the first 100 participants and discounted ones for the rest.

Humane Society of Southern Arizona
Friday – April 29
5:30 to 9 p.m. – Tucson Country Club
“Puttin’ on the Dog” is a unique fun-filled extravaganza benefiting the homeless animals within our community. (Blogger’s note: I went two years ago and am going again this year perhaps with my greyhound. This event is a blast!). Local celebrities model high fashion accompanied by their cherish pets. Tucson Originals’ restaurants provide the hearty hors d’oeuvres and libations. The silent auction is huge, plus a lively live auction, and much more. The cost is $125/per person in advance or $150/at the door + $10/per pet which includes a bandanna + dog biscuit buffet. The money raised helps dogs and cats in our community.

Arizona Greyhound Rescue
Sunday – May 1
Dog wash fundraiser
Driveway of Pantano Animal Clinic – 8333 E. 22nd St.
8 to 11 a.m.
Splish splash give your dog a bath for a great cause. The first dog wash of summer is hosted by Arizona Greyhound Rescue. No appointment necessary and all dog breeds are welcome!
Cost: bath – $10, nail trim – $10 or $15 for both. Such a deal! And the dogs love the pampering. Many volunteers are needed for this event. Girl scouts, boy scouts, church groups, youth groups (must be 15 years old), vet techs (to trim nails), or anyone who wants to have a great time and burn lots of calories. It’s great exercise.

Tucson: Oscar Meyer Weinermobile Rolls into Humane Society, Park Place Mall

Tucson Tails just learned that the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be parked at the Park Place Mall on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 2 to 5 p.m.  During that time you can peek inside this exotic hot dog on-a-bun shaped vehicle. Kids can color and win prizes and kids of all ages (that’s you and me) can send e-postcards to their friends and receive Weinermobile whistles.

The 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Of course, it has its own Wikipedia page. The first Weinermobile was designed in 1936. Every year Oscar Meyer hires a dozen college graduates to sign on for one year to drive this special vehicle around hosting numerous events like at the Humane Society. There are six different regions represented – Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and middle South. Patrick and Maria will be your hosts while in Tucson; their official title is Hot Dogger.

When you adopt a pet from the Humane Society of So. Ariz. during the time the Weinermobile is around, your pet gets a special prize. Also any weiner dogs that make an appearance, also receive special prizes. Is there a Dachshund Club in Tucson?

If you can’t make it to the Humane Society at the Park Place Mall (5870 E. Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85711) on Feb. 10, the Weinermobile will also be parked at Wal-Mart located at 18680 South Nogales Highway, Green Valley, AZ 85641 on Friday, Feb. 11 from noon to 5 p.m. and at Wal-Mart located at 7150 E. Speedway, Tucson, AZ 85710 on Saturday, Feb. 12 from noon to 5 p.m.

When I asked how many miles per gallon does the Weinermobile get – I was told that they don’t count the miles but count the smiles per gallon. Okay. Whatever.

Now if I can just get the Oscar Meyer jingle out of my head…

(Photo is courtesy of Kraft Foods.)