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Beth Soltysiak – Animal Friends of the Valleys

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Beth Soltysiak, Director of Development of Animal Friends of the Valleys (AVF).

Beth’s primary focus is to bring in funding for the nonprofit. Her sales, marketing, and fundraising background has allowed her to build a strong portfolio for the shelter.

Animal Friends of the Valleys is made up of people who are both animal experts and animal lovers! They want to be a resource for their community, helping their area become one of the best places in the country for pets and pet guardians alike.

As the nation’s largest sanctuary, Animal Friends of the Valleys aims to promote animal care through education and a humane, proactive animal services program. They provide adoption, animal control, spay/neuter, licensing services, and more. They look forward to the time when there will be no more homeless pets.

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Jayne Vitale and Thomas Frisina – The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jayne Vitale and Thomas Frisina of the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, one of the programs supported by the North Shore Animal League America.

Jayne has a background in the fine arts and entertainment industry. She has worked in the educational department of the North Shore Animal League America since 2011. In her role, she creates partnerships with various organizations and develops experiential programs that promote and support the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum. She has collaborated with schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, animal shelters, and other community organizations locally and globally.

Thomas has a Bachelor of Arts degree and worked in the film and television industry before joining the North Shore Animal League America in 2019. He helped develop Mutt-i-grees curriculum programs in various organizations, including schools, libraries, summer camps, and youth groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he organized Zoom town hall meetings to enable students to connect and share ideas as part of the Mutt-i-grees global ambassador program.

The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum was launched in 2010. It came from the play on the word Pedigree. 

The Curriculum was developed by Yale University’s School of the 21st Century in partnership with North Shore Animal League America. Today, the versatile Curriculum is used in schools, afterschool programs, special education settings, and other venues. Additional versions are: “Mutt-i-grees in the Library,” “Cats Are Mutt-i-grees 2,” “The Shelter Guide,” and “Paws Down Tails Up,” a physical fitness application and Muttigrees At Home for parents and caretakers.

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Kristina Bergsten – The Animal Law Firm

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kristina Bergsten, founder of The Animal Law Firm.

 

Kristina has been practicing animal law for about ten years and started her career in Media, in Pennsylvania. She was working for a family law firm and decided to take on environmental and animal law cases. in 2017, she moved to Colorado and started her own law firm. She started with just one office in Denver and has further since expanded to multiple states. This firm is focused on creative and innovative thinking to apply old legal doctrines to animal-related fact patterns.

 

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Phoenix Landing Foundation

Phoenix Landing is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) parrot welfare organization. They serve states from Maryland to Northeast Florida through their adoption program. The Phoenix Landing Foundation has a multi-purpose mission that includes providing educational activities; facilitating adoption for parrots; helping veterinary students; sponsoring research and conservation for wild parrots; advocating standards of care for birds; building and maintaining a sustainable organization; and ensuring that birds adopted through Phoenix Landing are physically and legally protected.

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PET TRUST TO KEEP PETS IN LOVING HOMES

Protect your pets even when you can no longer care for them! With Animal Care Trust USA, you can do just that with a pet trust. According to Atty. Peggy Hoyt, founder of Animal Care Trust USA,
“[Pet trust] is a trust that you can create where the beneficiary of the trust is a pet—a cat, a dog, a horse, a domestic animal, usually—in all 50 states… So, there’s no excuse for a pet parent not to have a plan for their pets.” Read more

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Sterling “Trapking” Davis

We meet all kinds of interesting people on All My Children Wear Fur Coats.  It was a pleasure having the opportunity to hang out with former rapper, turned feral cat trapper, Sterling Davis.  He is a world traveler, former military, music lover and cat fanatic.  Growing up, he says he was the only guy in his neighborhood that loved cats – he felt he could relate to their plight.  His personal motto is, “You don’t lose cool points for compassion.”    Read more

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Ann Brooks – Phoenix Landing Foundation

Phoenix Landing Foundation, founded in 2000, is an all volunteer parrot welfare organization.  The adoption center opened in 2010.  They serve states from Maryland to Northeast Florida.  They have a multi-purpose mission that includes providing educational activities; facilitating adoption for parrots, from parakeets to macaws; helping veterinary students; sponsoring research and conservation for wild parrots; advocating standards of care for birds; building and maintain a sustainable organization; and ensuring that birds adopted through Phoenix Landing are physically and legally protected.  Needless to say, they are very busy.   Read more

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Erika Gilbert – Grune Heidi Farm Rescue – A Heart for Horses

All My Children Wear Fur Coats was pleased to introduce Erika Gilbert, President of Grune Heidi Farm Rescue, a nonprofit organization whose mission and purpose is to educate the public (not just horse lovers and horse owners) for the purpose of brining awareness of the dangers facing the magnificent breeds of American Saddlebreds and Arabian horses.  The organization is focused on the prevention of abuse, neglect and the protection of American Saddlebreds and Arabian horses from the threat of slaughter.    Read more

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North Shore Animal League America

I had the pleasure today of speaking with Jayne Vitale, Director of Education and Your Programs, Tommy Frisina, Social Media Outreach Coordinator and Debbie Hibbard, Director of Gift Planning with North Shore Animal League also called Animal League America.  Each of these individuals is responsible for a portion of the day to day operations of North Shore Animal League America, located in Port Washington, NY.   Read more

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Old Dog Haven – Paula Moreschi

All My Children Wear Fur Coats welcomed special guest, Paula Moreschi, Development Director for Old Dog Haven, a senior dog rescue in Washington State to the show today.  Paul was first introduced to Old Dog Haven after she became interested in adopting older dogs.  She soon became a permanent foster home for a Final Refuge dog, and then began volunteering her time to fundraise for the organization.  She and her dogs have never looked back!  Read more

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