This week, on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Jenneth Begay and Shyler Lowley shared the unique challenges of operating a Navajo animal shelter and explained how Rez Solutions & Animal Shelter is dedicated to reducing the unwanted, abandoned, roaming dog and cat populations in the Navajo Nation.

Jenneth Begay and Shyler Lowley, veterinary technician and veterinary aide, respectively, with Rez Solutions & Animal Shelter are working under the guidance of Dr. Kelly Upshaw, the founder of the organization. Jenneth and Shyler provide a variety of veterinary services to the Navajo Nation, including vaccination clinics, spay/neuter clinics, and Coggins tests. Jenneth highlighted the limited access to pet healthcare on the reservation, pointing out that only four veterinary clinics serve an area roughly the size of West Virginia. Of these four clinics, most do not provide services for large animals.

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This week, on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Paulette Quiroga-Jacklin shared valuable insights on the essential care requirements for donkeys and debunked common misconceptions about their diet, behavior, and handling.

Paulette Quigora-Jacklin is the founder of Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter and Refuge, a haven for abandoned, abused, neglected and unwanted donkeys. With years of experience in donkey care, including rehoming over 200 donkeys as a satellite adoption center for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, Paulette made the decision to open her own shelter in 2019. Healing Hearts is committed to rehabilitating, training, and rehoming donkeys, while also educating the public on responsible donkey ownership.

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This week’s episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats featured Kathryn Wysocki who shared insights into the fascinating world of pet skunks, highlighting their unique characteristics and offering expert tips on proper skunk care.

Kathryn Wysocki is the founder and president of Pet Skunk Advocates and Rescue (PSAR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering and rehoming pet skunks and domesticated non-releasable wildlife. Although skunks are unconventional pets, Kathryn underscored several qualities that make them wonderful companions. Skunks are hypoallergenic, shed only once per year, and come in a wide range of coat colors. Additionally, Kathryn emphasized their affectionate and childlike personalities, which make them even more endearing as pets.

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This week, on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Lori McMaster discussed the unique aspects of caring for miniature equines and explained how Helping Our Miniature Equines works to save horses from slaughter and neglect.

Lori McMaster is the CEO of Helping Our Miniature Equines, also known as HOME, an organization dedicated to rescuing unwanted miniature horses and donkeys and finding them loving, forever homes. Lori and her partner Barbara Gordon founded the organization in response to the high number of animals in Southern auctions and kill pens, coupled with the growing demand for miniature equines in the Pacific Northwest. Each of HOME’s equines receives all necessary physical and mental services including veterinary, dental, farrier, nutritional, training, and socialization. With a passionate team of up to 100 volunteers, HOME has successfully adopted out over 70 miniature equines since its inception.

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In a recent episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Kathy Boyle discussed the importance of pet estate planning and shared how The Golden Project is working to save golden retrievers from shelter life and the threat of euthanasia.

Kathy Boyle is the president and founder of Chapin Hill Advisors, a firm that offers succession, business, estate, and personal planning to family-owned businesses and high net worth families. She is also the founder of The Golden Project, a nonprofit organization that rescues dogs throughout Texas, with a focus on golden retrievers.

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This week, on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Stacy LeBaron examined the growing pet affordability crisis and explained how PAWSitive pantry is helping keep families and their beloved pets together.

Stacy LeBaron is the president and chief feline officer of PAWSitive Pantry, a nonprofit committed to supporting pets and their families during times of hardship. Stacy has been involved in animal welfare for over 3 decades. Among countless other initiatives, she hosts The Community Cats Podcast, a weekly program that advocates cat sterilization and welfare.

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This week, on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Melanie Simmonds offered expert advice on raising waterfowl and explained why domestic ducks should never be abandoned at a pond.

Melanie Simmonds is the director of Soft Landings Waterfowl Rescue, a nonprofit corporation committed to rescuing and rehoming abandoned domestic waterfowl, as well as providing care and sanctuary for those with special needs. After reading the poignant passage “Postcard from Your Duck,” Melanie was inspired to volunteer at her local duck rescue, Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary. She quickly fell in love with the ducks, taking over the operation with her husband Mark in 2019, and rebranding it as Soft Landings.

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This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Jill Steinberg discussed the importance of feline population control, and explained how The Cat Network is working to humanely reduce cat overpopulation.

Jill Steinberg holds the positions of secretary, treasurer, and board member at The Cat Network. Founded in 1995, The Cat Network is a nonprofit organization that educates the public on the necessity of spay/neuter and provides low-cost spay/neuter services for homeless, stray, and abandoned cats. Additionally, The Cat Network acts as an adoption referral service, facilitating adoptions by finding homes for fostered cats.

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In a recent episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Susan Taney offered valuable insights into locating lost dogs, and employing preventative measures to protect dogs from becoming lost.

Susan Taney is the founder and former director of Lost Dogs Illinois, a nonprofit organization that helps owners search for their missing canines. Once the Lost Dogs network expanded to other states, Susan co-founded Lost Dogs of America to serve as a centralized database of information for animal recovery. Susan has extensive experience in the world of animal activism with over 30 years of animal shelter work under her belt.

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In a recent episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Kate Macfall discussed the cruel treatment of animals in massive breeding operations known as Puppy Mills and how The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is working to expunge them.

Kate Macfall has served as the Florida state director for The HSUS since 2012. Kate is a lifetime advocate for animal rights who has worked with numerous non-profits to enact protective legislature for pets and wildlife.

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