Thanks to all our Second Quarter Awarded Franchisees for Supporting the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation!

Nation’s Largest Pet Services Company Rewards Top Franchises Based on Safety, Service and Success.

New York, NY, September 06, 2011 –(PR.com)– Camp Bow Wow, the nation’s largest pet services company, announces the five recipients of its Golden Paw Awards and one recipient of its Wag + Whiskers Award for the second quarter of the 2011 fiscal year.

The Golden Paw Award honors Camp Bow Wow locations based on safety, service, and success. Five winners have been chosen out of 110+ camp locations throughout the country. Winning camps set the bar for leading safety standards, top percentage revenue, along with philanthropic support for the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. The Golden Wags + Whiskers Award recognizes one Home Buddies franchise for exemplary customer service, safety compliance and top sales per quarter.

The winners of Camp Bow Wow’s Golden Paw Awards are:

• Camp Bow Wow Waukesha, WI
• Camp Bow Wow Portland, ME
• Camp Bow Wow Salt Lake City, UT
• Camp Bow Wow Chapel Hill, NC
• Camp Bow Wow Boulder, CO

The winner of Home Buddies’ Wags + Whiskers is:

• Home Buddies Roseville, CA

“My counselors and I are honored to be selected for Camp Bow Wow’s Golden Paw Award,” says Sharon Opfermann, owner of the Camp Bow Wow Salt Lake City, UT franchise. “Being a part of the Camp Bow Wow family means offering pet owners a premier place for their pup to stay and play while they’re away. To be recognized as a leader of the pack among so many other great camps is very rewarding.”

“Receiving the Golden Paw – Camp of the Quarter reward is a great honor for our Chapel Hill Team! It is an awesome recognition of the effort that our Camp Counselors put forth for our Campers, Clients and each other every day,” says Jeff Vaughan, owner of the Camp Bow Wow Chapel Hill, NC franchise. The Team has a true passion for what they do each day and to be recognized at the CBW Corporate level is a great testament of the Team’s dedication to supporting the CBW standards and mission to be the Premiere Brand in our business. Thanks!”

Winning the Golden Paw Award is really exciting for our staff,” states Sue Ryan & Rob Geller, co-owners of the Camp Bow Wow Boulder, CO franchise. “Being recognized by our franchisor and winning this award is evidence of all of the hard work that we put in each and every day. We are so proud of our team!”

“We are so pleased to win this quarter’s Home Buddies of the Quarter Award,” states Laura Hudson & Anne Lesemann, co-owners of the Home Buddies Roseville, CA franchise. “Our team is so proud of this accomplishment and of being recognized by the franchise. We are most pleased that the Camp Bow Wow franchise continues to offer new services to our clients and that we can honestly say to our clients that we have their pets covered, whatever their needs.”

“We are thrilled to honor our leading franchises with this prestigious quarterly award,” says Heidi Ganahl, CEO and Founder of Camp Bow Wow. “This awards program is a testimony to Camp Bow Wow’s high safety standards, exemplary customer service, philanthropy and overall financial success.”

Pure Puppy has finally arrived!  After four long years of research and development, Pure Puppy has launched with an array of 100% Pure, Natural, Biodegradable & Honest, grooming products for your furry best friend.  The products in the Pure Puppy Line Up include: Purify Gentle Cleansing Wash, Cuddle Nourishing
Conditioner and Snuggle Leave In Protectant, and are available in three, fruit infused, Natural ‘Flavors,’ Blueberry (Bliss), Pear (Fresh), and Mango (Nectar).

Pure Puppy is Free of Sulfates, Betaines, Preservatives, Artificial Fragrances, Artificial Dyes, Detergents, Emulsifiers, Urea, and Synthetic Ingredients.  Our formulas contain Natural, Gentle Foaming & Cleansing Agents derived from Milk, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Sea Salt, two Certified Organic Honeysuckle Extracts that act as preservatives, a 90% Certified Organic Blend of 15 Botanicals that hydrate, soothe and nourish the skin and coat, a Natural Dust Repellent, a Natural Deodorizing Complex, Vitamins A, B, C & E, Certified Organic Shea Butter, Herbal Extracts and Fruit Extracts.

Pure Puppy is the safest, healthiest and greenest product for you, your puppy and the planet.  For more information visit your local Camp Bow Wow or visit their website at www.purepuppy.com.

The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation loves helping people and pets from our Camp Bow Wow family, thank you Denise for sharing your story with us!

Brutus chose me when I went to the Humane Society. I wanted a German Shepherd and I got the perfect German Shepherd…mix.  Not a day went by without someone commenting on how beautiful he was. Brutus was so much a part of my life that after years as an executive assistant, I quit and went to work for Camp Bow Wow so I could be with him as much as I could. We had a wonderful time at camp. We both made so many friends.
Brutus passed away 6 months ago at the age of 7 from a ruptured disk in his spine. The neurologist said it was one of the worst three he had seen.
The purpose of this story is to say that I could not have been luckier to have worked for Camp Bow Wow during this horrible time. My manager is the most wonderful person I could have asked for. The Camp Bow Wow clients came together and started leaving donations to help with the vet bills, and then, I was presented with a check from the Camp Bow Wow Bow Wow Buddies Foundation for a Buddy Fund Scholarship.
We had a wonderful memorial for Brutus at Camp. Friends, clients, co-workers, and pups all came together to share memories. I am so grateful for everything that everyone did for me during this time. I have since changed jobs but not a day goes by that I don’t let people know about the generosity of Camp Bow Wow and all the other “dog people” that I was fortunate to meet during my time there.
Camp Bow Wow will always have a special place in my heart filled with memories of good times.

Denise

Denise Harris, Camp Scout in Columbia, MD, becomes a town hero for helping find a lost dog named Winston!  Congratulations!

ELLICOTT CITY – Winston’s little paws have done some serious walking lately.

Let out by some neighborhood kids, Janet West’s playful pooch was no where to be found.

“I was thinking that I would find him that night, that he didn’t go very far,” said Janet.
Days passed and concern turned to worry. Janet and a few friends posted fliers and turned to Facebook.

“We started an event page help find Winston.”
“This little white dog came running up he was very friendly but skittish. We thought he was neighborhood dog, we thought someone would be pulling up calling his name,” said Katie Engels.

Little did his owner know where Winston wandered…

“33 miles… Yeah we were sure somebody was looking for him and they were. They were just not looking in the right spot, “said Katie.

Through hail, sleet and snow Winston traveled from Ellicott City to Damascus. Katie’s Craigslist ad was spotted by a family friend and the celebrating began.

“It’s the very best outcome. It’s been a great lesson for my kids to be a part of and follow it through to see that happy ending,” said Katie.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/howard_county/little-dog-makes-a-big-journey

http://columbia.patch.com/articles/friends-salute-winston-the-lost-cockapoo-that-found-his-way-home-with-video#video-5291984

People around the world continue to be concerned for the Japanese people following the terrible tragedy that struck their country less than two weeks ago. Animal lovers especially understand how a disaster of this magnitude has not only affected the people who suddenly became homeless, but also affected their beloved pets.

Responding to the horrific earthquake and Tsunami which devastated Japan, The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, headquartered in Boulder Colorado, is assisting the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, presently on location in Japan.

The Bow Wow Buddies is deeply involved in this fundraising campaign, through their website and 140 plus franchises across the United States. The target dates for this fund raising drive are from March 15 – March 30.

Visit the Bow Wow Buddies’ Facebook Page.

A Little Bit about the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation:

Promoting the health and welfare of all animals around the world is the mission of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Their primary goal is finding both foster and permanent loving homes for unwanted animals. Additionally, the Foundation promotes humane education and treatment of animals, and investing in research and veterinary medical care for animals suffering from illness.

Bow Wow Buddies also launched the K-9′s Against Cancer campaign, and funds an annual scholarship at CSU Animal Cancer Center, one of the most renowned facilities in the world.

Bow Wow Buddies’ philosophy is that “all animals have the same basic needs — clean food and water, shelter and love.”

Due to the animal overpopulation around the world, abuse, neglect and animal suffering is on the rise. During 2011, the organization’s financial efforts will be focused on the On Our Way Home Project along with installing fencing into participating shelters and a grant program focusing on shelter play yard socialization. All of these endeavors are targeted to increase the adoptability of shelter animals.

For further information about the organization, email Bow Wow Buddies Foundation at info@bowwowbuddies.com.

Don’t you agree it is indeed heartening to learn how organizations such as Bow Wow Buddies, by working in tandem with others, are helping frightened and homeless animals, following this tragic event? Share your thoughts in a comment.

http://www.petside.com/petsideblog/2011/03/the-bow-wow-buddies-foundation-helps-tsunami-animal-victims.php

Here’s a news release that deals with pets missing since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan:
Camp Bow Wow, a national pet-services company, is working with the National Search Dog Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, to raise money to support the foundation’s group that is in Ofunato, Japan, to search for dog and cat survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.
The National Search Dog Foundation’s dog and human teams are conducting reconnaissance and primary searches as well as assisting with logistics and equipment preparation at Misawa Air Base in northeast Japan.
Through The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, Camp Bow Wow will give all pop-up donations made through its website  from March 15 to March 30 to the National Search Dog Foundation. Online payments are accepted through Pay Pal, or you can mail a check to the Camp Bow Wow corporate office:
Attn: Search Dog Fund
Bow Wow Buddies Foundation/Camp Bow Wow
1877 Broadway, Suite 101
Boulder, CO 80302
For more about the Search Dog Foundation and its Japan-relief team, go to the foundation’s website.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_lifestyle_animal/2011/03/help-teams-searching-for-missing-pets-in-japan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AnimalCrazy+%28Animal+Crazy%29

How to Be Entrepreneurial With Giving

Two wedding websites Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours created For Japan With Love to both help raise funds to aid the recovery effort in Japan and connect with other bloggers in support of the cause.

So far, Lydia Yeung, Ever Ours’ editor says that For Japan With Love has raised more than $5,500 — its initial giving goal — for ShelterBox, an organization that supplies emergency shelters and supplies to families around the world who are affected by disasters.

Then, on Friday, the sites are coordinating a moment of silence among bloggers. Out of reverence for the Japanese people who’ve perished in last week’s earthquake and tsunami more than 100 bloggers have vowed to keep their sites post free. For those interested in lending support, check out reach out to Ever Ours or Utterly Engaged. 

Online bakery Baking for Good already gives 15% of each purchase to charity. However, in light of the recent and ongoing destruction in Japan, it is now giving donations to Mercy Corps, which is providing emergency assistance in affected areas in conjunction with long term partner Peace Winds. Emily Dubner, Baking for Good’s founder and CEO adds that customers may also increase the automatic 15% donation that the company makes. “We have been touched this week to see customers adding $5, $10 and even $100 to their contributions to Mercy Corps.”

Or, you could even start your own doing-good cooperative. The Digital Signage Industry which includes several out-door advertising agencies, networks and producers have joined forces to offer free content and public service announcements to networks who have digital signs in public places. The goal is to encourage passersby and customers to donate to the Red Cross via texting 90999. The group also recently launched the website Dooh4Relief to explain their communal efforts.

Let’s not forget man’s best friend. Camp Bow Wow, a dog day and overnight camp out of Boulder, Colo., is throwing its support behind the National Search Dog Foundation, a non-profit animal search and rescue organization, which currently has a team in Japan’s coastal city of Ōfunato searching for dog and cat survivors. Through Camp Bow Wow’s non-profit, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, the company is collecting donations for the Search Dog Foundation through the end of the month.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/219360

With canine search and rescue teams, dogs are getting the chance to do their part for tsunami-ravaged Japan.

The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) requested that the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s California Task Force 2, a canine search and rescue unit, travel to Japan to aid in the search for survivors and missing people. Assisting them will be Fairfax County, Virginia’s, Urban Search and Rescue canine team.

Canine search team arrives in Japan after the tsunami. Search Dog Foundation photo. 

The team, already deployed, had only been back in the United States a mere 24 hours after assisting with earthquake relief efforts in New Zealand.

“I’ve seen some pretty gnarly stuff,” L.A. fire engineer Jason Vasquez, who works with a German shepherd named Maverick, told reporters. “We search night and day in buildings that might collapse at any minute…. For the handler, it’s a pretty stressful situation being so far from home. But the dogs — they don’t know the difference between a block away and 2,000 miles away.”

Camp Bow Wow’s Bow Wow Buddies Foundation is raising money to support the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, which has deployed teams of search and rescue dogs to scour the wreckage in Japan for tsunami and earthquake survivors. The nonprofit will be taking donations for the cause until March 30, 2011. To donate, click here: bowwowbuddies.com/donate.

 http://petsadviser.com/news/japan-tsunami-dog-rescue-search/

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Camp Bow Wow, the nation’s largest pet services company announces the winner of its “On Our Way Home Project,” a philanthropic initiative through its non-profit organization, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, aimed at providing assistance to shelters in need across the country. The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, located in Pittsburgh, PA, will be the recipient of the program’s inaugural $50,000 grant.

Taking in more than 13,000 animals a year in both 2008 and 2009, the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is an “open door shelter,” turning away zero of the animals that are brought to the facility and has a 42% live release rate. The shelter has over 600 volunteers, 55 full-time employees, 13 part-time staff members and an adoption process foundation in place. This shelter was chosen as the recipient of the grant based on an internal franchisee-wide voting process and funded entirely from within the Camp Bow Wow franchise system, comprised of clients, franchise owners, vendors and corporate team members. As the shelter has an “open-door” system, it has been plagued with over-population of animals and lack of funding, due to donors typically allocating money and time to “no-kill” shelters.

At the local level, Camp Bow Wow franchises located in and around the Pittsburgh, PA area will be aiding in providing assistance to the Western PA Humane Society, by donating time, in-market resources and an on-site trainer from Camp Bow Wow’s behavioral program, Bow Wow Behavior Buddies. That, along with the $50,000 grant will provide: retrofit remodeling, creation of socialization yards, operational and marketing assistance, volunteer and training, fundraising support and more.

“We are so excited to work with the team at Western PA Humane Society to implement socialization as well as to help find ways to re-model and improve the current building.  Their commitment to increasing live release rates and enriching the lives of their animals is inspiring,” said Megan Allen, Director of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. “Through this grant, we hope to prove the success of socialization to our donors and sponsors thus helping to encourage additional funds to continue to grow the program.”

“The On Our Way Home Project grant program is living out a 10-year dream to leverage what we have learned through developing our Camp system into an initiative to ameliorate experiences of shelter dogs, increasing the chance of adoptability,” said Heidi Ganahl, CEO and founder of Camp Bow Wow. “I cannot think of a better way to commemorate our 10-year anniversary this week than to give back to such a deserving group of dedicated animal welfare professionals who will make truly positive changes in their communities.”

“Our hopes and dreams for our organization are to increase the live release rate of our dogs and cats and to provide all adoptable animals an enriching experience while awaiting their forever homes,” said Lee Nesler, Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. “The On Our Way Home Project will help our facility achieve these goals by providing spaces to enrich the lives of our animals, increasing the health and comfort of our dogs and cats and offering an aesthetic improvement of the shelter to make it more welcoming for visitors.”

Shelters are high stress environments for animals and Camp Bow Wow understands the benefits of social interaction in shelters (“enrichment programs”) and exercise, knowing that the resulting mental and physical enrichment of dogs can increase the likelihood of adoption. As a result, Camp Bow Wow plans to continue the On Our Way Home Project to provide operational assistance to one additional shelter per quarter in 2011 and will begin working with all applicants on the initial consulting plans in January 2011. Camp Bow Wow and the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation have raised all funds internally for the inaugural grant of the On Our Way Home Project are now seeking in-kind donations and sponsors to help fund the creation of socialization yards at the facilities of all 16 semi-finalists. Additionally, the 16 semi-finalists will also be working with the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation and volunteers in 2011 and are committed to incorporating socializations into their operations. The second runner-up finalist in the system-wide franchisee voting process was Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society in Bell Chase, LA.

For additional information about Camp Bow Wow, please visit: www.campbowwowusa.com.

For additional information about the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, please visit: http://www.wpahumane.org, or call 412-321-4625. The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is located at: 1101 Western Avenue, in Pittsburgh, PA.

To donate to the On Our Way Home Project, please visit: http://www.campbowwowusa.com/charity

 http://www.campbowwowusa.com/extreme-makover