Animal-related things we’re excited about: Betty White calendar, postage stamps help animals; Found Animals’ new ‘ModPawd’; ‘Mr. Ed’ comes to DVD
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We can hardly contain our delight about these new products and services, which are making our animal-loving hearts soar. Best of all, proceeds from several of them benefit homeless or sick animals. Those are causes we can get behind!
-- Betty White, all year ‘round: The animal-loving Golden Girl -- who was recently honored by the L.A. Zoo for her service and has been called ‘Ambassador to the Animals of the City of Los Angeles’ by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- now has one more title to add to her resume: calendar girl. A 2011 calendar filled with shots of the 88-year-old actress goes on sale for $12.99 in September. Best of all, proceeds from the calendar benefit the Morris Animal Foundation, an organization for which White is a trustee. (We’re not sure which calendar we like best: White’s or last year’s Hot Guys and Baby Animals. And, yes, that last one is exactly what the title implies.)
-- Introducing a TSFW (Totally Safe For Work) webcam: Local animal charity the Found Animals Foundation, which works to combat pet overpopulation and support adoption agencies, recently launched The ModPawd, a great resource for animal lovers who are in the market for a new pet or simply want some expert advice on keeping their existing pet happy and healthy. The ModPawd is a state-of-the-art facility at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey that allows guests to watch adoptable cats and dogs on a 24-hour webcam. But it gets better: Every weekday from 4 to 4:30 p.m., online visitors from around the globe can tune in for a ‘pawdcast,’ where they’ll be treated to pet-centric tips from animal experts, updates on animal news and live Q&A sessions about pet care, training and more.
-- Sending mail, helping pets: A brand-new set of first-class postage stamps, which we first previewed for you in March, are available for purchase at post offices across the country and online. They feature photographer Sally Andersen-Bruce’s portraits of 10 pets -- five dogs and five cats -- that were all adopted from the same animal shelter in New Milford, Conn. They’re designed to raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption, and as a nice side bonus, they’re pretty darn cute. We’ve bought two sets so far, and suddenly we can’t wait to send letters!
-- First the bridle path, now the DVD player: Season three of everyone’s favorite talking-horse sitcom, ‘Mr. Ed,’ was recently released on DVD. Seasons one and two were also released over the past year, meaning more than 70 episodes of hapless-human-and-wisecracking-equine repartee are now available for your viewing pleasure. We are pleased to report that we love the show as much as we did when we first saw it (although Ed is a bit more PG-13 than we remembered).
RELATED ANIMAL PRODUCTS:
Chalet-themed cat house, easy-wipe pet placemats are stylish and functional (a rare combination)
What to get for the dog who has everything: A combination mustache-ball
-- Lindsay Barnett
Top photo: A publicity image released by Workman Publishing shows ‘The Betty White Calendar 2011.’ Credit: Associated Press