Soft Landings Waterfowl Rescue – Melanie Simmonds

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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Lost Dogs of America – Susan Taney

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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Stop Puppy Mills – Kate Macfall

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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Dr. Patty Palumbo – Search & Rescue of Central Florida

In this episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, Dr. Patty Palumbo shares her insights on the world of search and rescue, her veterinary practice, and the unique challenges and rewards of both professions.

Dr. Palumbo entered search and rescue to give back to the community and bond with her dog. Her dogs are trained to be human remains detection dogs, and she highlighted the extensive training both handlers and their dogs undergo, including yearly certification tests that are stringent and challenging.

In the world of search and rescue, there are various types of search dogs, each specializing in different aspects, such as tracking, trailing, water rescue, and more. Dr. Palumbo emphasized that a dog’s drive and enthusiasm for work are more important than their breed, making it an inclusive field for most dog breeds.

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Kathy Boyle – Chapin Hill Advisors

In this episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the privilege of speaking to Kathy Boyle. Kathy is the founder and president of Chapin Hill Advisors. Chapin Hill Advisors, Inc. Kathy is passionate about animal rescue and educating children about healthy alternatives for better living.

Kathy joins us today to talk about the Golden Project.

Kathy has been very passionate about animal rescue for the last 25 years. She has always had a lot of her own animals, ranging anywhere from guinea pigs and chinchillas to dogs and horses. Kathy brings to our attention that most rescues lack organization.

Most rescues are volunteer-based and bring in very little revenue, this makes it hard for a rescue to stay functional and efficient. Kathy’s frustration with rescues is that they do not run like businesses. They do not have systems in place to keep things running smoothly. They don’t use adoption software or email marketing software that is readily available and at their fingertips.

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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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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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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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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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