Celebrate International Assistance Dog Week with Lucy Pet & KTLA

Help Lucy Pet and KTLA TV celebrate International Assistance Dog Week!  Upload a photo of your pet to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #PickMyHeroLucy and tell us why he or she is your hero. To enter click here.

The Awesome Surfin' Jack

Surfin' Jack and me in Las Vegas!

There is a new canine star who has burst onto the scene whom I've come to know named Surfin' Jack. "Jack" is short for "Jackie" and she isn't just any old dog...she has an amazing story.

Surfin' Jack is a 2 year old Golden Retriever mix who was rescued from 'death row' at the Los Angeles East Valley Animal Shelter. She's a natural athlete and surfer who loves people and spreading smiles. This dog is a great example of how many truly amazing dogs (and cats) there are in shelters waiting for a good home. After being rescued, Surfin' Jack got some love and training, and went on to star in a Super Bowl TV commercial for the Lucy Pet Foundation. She has also been trained as a therapy dog to visit hospitals, nursing homes, and other folks. Surfin Jack is on a mission to help spread the word about Rescue, and also Spay & Neuter to help reduce the over-population of homeless animals. She also makes appearances from time to time with the Lucy Pet Foundation Mobile Spay & Neuter Van to educate people in local communities about this important cause. 

Surfin Jack wants to help other animals in shelters find a good home, so she is an ambassador for the Lucy Pet Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) registered animal charity. In the meantime, Surfin' Jack has now inspired a line of dog shampoos by Lucy Pet Products and has her own line called Surfin' Jack Coconut Moisturizing Shampoo and a Conditioner too! The best part of this line of shampoos from Lucy Pet Products is that they are Products With A Cause, so the profits go directly to the Lucy Pet Foundation. Surfin' Jack is able to help animals in shelters by raising money for an animal charity that really makes a difference! 

With Surfin' Jack at Blog Paws in Nashville TN

Long time readers of this blog know that I am an animal advocate and like to give back to animals any way I can. This is partly why I am proud to serve on the Board of the Lucy Pet Foundation to find more ways to help this charity help animals. Her social handle is @SurfinJackDog on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter...and now Surfin' Jack has her own website. I'm glad I've gotten to meet this amazing dog and can't wait to see all the amazing things she will be doing in the future. Keep an eye on this dog, she is going to be a star.

September is National Service Dog Month

For the past several years I've considered it a privilege to work with and help raise money for non-profit guide dog organizations across the US. 

Right here in Palm Springs, the Guide Dogs of the Desert are a local organization that really helps change lives for the blind and visually impaired. It takes 2 years and $40,000 to train a single guide dog, which is given at no charge to a visually impaired person. My employer, Natural Balance Pet Foods has been a big supporter of guide dog programs for many years. Once again we are partnering with Petco to help with another fundraiser. 

This year, we've expanded it to National Service Dog Month. There are many types of service dogs; and this September we are highlighting Guide Dogs and Military Working Dogs. Our co-founder Dick Van Patten is passionate about helping non-profit animal organizations, so this comes naturally to our company. When we learned about a new National Monument to honor Military Working Dogs, we wanted to help raise money to get the monument built. Part of the funds raised during Service Dog Month will help fund the monument.

This is the first time in history that an animal is being elevated to National Monument status. Approved by Congress and signed by the President, the challenge now is to raise private funds to get the monument built. Check out this video message from Dick Van Patten and Jimmy Van Patten about National Service Dog Month:

I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to go to Congress and help with this project. I met with US Congressman Walter Jones (NC), who sponsored this project in Congress.

John Burnam, Congressman Walter Jones and Rick Rockhill

I'm so honored to be associated with this project, it makes me feel proud to work for Natural Balance Pet Foods. From September 2nd through September 22nd, you can go to any Petco store nationwide and donate at the register to help support National Service Dog Month. 

This September, please consider making a donation at your local Petco to help support and honor Service Dogs. Guide Dogs and Military Working Dogs deserve our support!