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 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”- Acts 20:35

 Jonah’s Place 2013 Accomplishments

July –               Incorporated Jonah’s Place

                         Obtained Jonah’s Place Domain

August –          Jonah’s Place Website up and running

TNR’d six cats

Rescued Gidget

Rescued Boots

Jonah’s Place Blog, Facebook page and Twitter started

September –    Mailed application for 501c(3) status

                        Became a Petfinder member

                        TNR’d five cats

PetsMart Training- 3 Part Series on Social Media

Attended Biz to Biz Event in Miami

First fundraising campaign completed – Cookies for the Cause

Rescued Ruby and her two babies

October –        Participated in PBSO Adoption Event

Attended SCORE Dispelling the Myths about Non-Profit Training

Jonah’s Place First Newsletter went out

Rescued, Vetted and found Forever home for  Tonk

                        Rescued, Vetted and found Forever home for Dex

Partnered with United Methodist Church, Rummage Sale & Craft Show

                        Participated in Boo At the Zoo, Palm Beach Zoo

Created Jonah’s Place Inaugural T-shirt

               

November –    Rescued Hope

                        Held Yard Sale Fundraiser

Attended Basic First Aid for your pet Training through PB Veterinary Specialists

Jonah’s Place Ebay storefront for fundraising is up and running

                               

December -     Rescued Tilty, Betsy, Bandit and Rex

Attended Petfinders and Petco Adoption Option Event in Miami

                        Applied with Petco to be an Adoption Partner

                        PetsMart Training-Effective Fundraising Strategies & Can’t We All Get Along?

The first monthly ‘Partners For Hope’ postcards were mailed out

                         Met with pet therapy expert to discuss the Jonah’s Place Pet Therapy Program

                        Officially launched the Cat Colony Relocation Project

                               

Watch for our 2014 List of Expected Success!

Happy New Year and Thank you! Thank you to all of you that have helped, supported, donated and prayed for Jonah’s Place!!!! 

Rescue Mission: Operation Christmas

I was listening to the radio today and heard a description of Christmas that was unlike any other I had ever heard before, “Christmas was a rescue mission.” 

Contrary to popular, modern day belief, Christmas was not started by Santa Claus and his elves or by department store giants in order to add to their year-end bottom line. While Christmas as we know it today does have a lot of commercial roots, it is at the end of the day a time to remember the very beginning of an unparalleled act of love and the ultimate sacrifice. It was a rescue mission to save us, from ourselves. 

This verse has become one of the most popular verses from the entire Bible so I am sure most of us have heard it at one point or another (thanks to the Tim Tebows of the world), but have you ever really considered what it says? Take a minute and read it slowly to yourself….

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God gave a gift to us - on Christmas day this is symbolized all around the country in the form of giving gifts to friends and loved ones. Have you ever considered that we give gifts because He gave first? 

Jesus is the reason for this season. Now, I realize that this is not a politically correct view these days. The way I look at it is that Jesus was either a complete mental case or he was who he said he was – the Son of the Living God. Due to my own personal experiences in life and the fact that Jesus is more popular today than he was two thousand plus years ago (and what mental case do you know of that has had that kind of deep, lasting, life changing impact on society and the world?), I believe the latter…that He was, and still is, who he said he is.

The awesome thing about this is that *YOU* too can receive the gift – the original gift that started it all.  It doesn’t take any magic trick or blessing at an altar. Right where you are, just take a moment to invite God and his son Jesus into your heart. Either say this out loud out or from your heart:

‘God, I believe in you and I believe that your son Jesus died on the cross for me to have salvation and to take away my sins. I want to become a new person with You in my heart and I want to be with you in Heaven when the time comes for me to leave this Earth’

Now that is the Ultimate Christmas Gift!

P.S. Here are some more resources for you…

       http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

       http://www.joycemeyer.org/EverydayAnswers/BecomeAChristian.aspx

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Michelle Brockman for

Jonah’s Place

Your Dog Recognizes Your Face...But in Pictures Too?!

If you have ever had a pet dog, you know for sure that they recognize who you are - that you are their person. Research has now taken things one step further and determined that they recognize you not only in real time but also in pictures! Now this is pretty impressive stuff. Here is a report from CBS news on the matter...



"Your dog may be able to recognize your face in a photo. That’s the latest from the University of Helsinki, which published the results of its study in the journal Animal Cognition this December.

According to Science News Daily, the researchers had dogs look at facial images of familiar humans (such as their owner) and other dogs in the family, as well as unfamiliar humans and dogs they’d never encountered. Then the researchers measured the dogs’ eye movements as they viewed the photos.

Scientists say that while the dogs viewed the faces of other dogs for longer than the human faces (backing up findings from previous studies), the canines studied also studied the faces of familiar humans for longer than unfamiliar ones.

Additionally, when the dogs were given upside-down photos of faces to view, they viewed those in much the same way that humans do. While the pups stared at the inverted pictures for just as long, they tended to focus more on the eye area of the upright photos.

“Familiar faces and eyes attracted more fixations than the strange ones, suggesting that dogs are likely to recognize conspecific [relating to the same species] and human faces in photographs,” the study’s authors conclude."

Pretty awesome huh! I know I have a new found appreciation of my dog's intelligence, how about you?

Michelle Brockman for
Jonah's Place


Link to original article: http://cbsloc.al/1fpVPnq
Photocredit: Denver Post file photo

A Life Lesson From White Christmas....

Simmons, the Toothless Wonder Dog

 The Background…

In July of 2008 I received a desperate plea from a friend to help re-locate a toothless mastiff named Simmons who was facing being turned in to Miami-Dade Animal Control. This would likely have meant death for Simmons. In case you are wondering, Simmons had been on a medication as a puppy that caused all of his teeth to rot away. With no teeth to hold his tongue in, it is permanently hanging out of his mouth!

Back to the story…so, I contacted everyone I knew and asked how we could band together for this sweet boy. Miracles happen when a small but dedicated group of people come together for a common goal! A mastiff rescue in Pennsylvania stepped forward to foster Simmons until a permanent home could be found. Now the REAL challenge: how on earth would we get him up there?! Once again, dedication, commitment and compassion paid off. A rescue transport group came forward and agreed to arrange a free transport for him from Miami to Pennsylvania. Each transporter drove an hour long leg up the east coast and then drove back down to their original starting spot. My sister Christina and I drove the second leg of transport and Simmons eventually made it to his foster home.

I received an update a couple of weeks ago about what Simmons has been up to. I hope this is as touching for you to read as it was for me. It just goes to show you what great things even a small group of people can accomplish and the miracles that lie in store for us when we live our lives with compassion and love.

The Update from Simmons’ ‘Mom’…

“Last week I had to run some antibiotics back over to the personal care home where I work, for a co-worker whose dog was ill. I decided to take Simmons along for the ride and let him visit the residents on the Dementia floor where I work.

This is a picture of Bob with Simmons. Bob has terminal cancer. He has no family that comes in to visit him. Bob is a gifted musician, former pilot, and was in the service. His whole life was packed away in boxes when he came to the home. No one even bothered to unpack any of his belongings. I waited until he went to an activity and I decorated his room with all of his personal items and had polka playing when he came back. He told me that he played the accordion on the cd that was playing.

Bob very rarely talks, very rarely smiles and most of the time sits alone in his room. He was sleeping on his bed when I called to him from out in the hallway and told him that I had someone who wanted to meet him. He sat straight up in bed with a huge grin the minute that he saw Simmons and called him into his room. Bob smiled and laughed for the next 40 minutes!!

Every time that I tried to leave, Simmons would lay back down on the floor next to Bob to have his belly rubbed! Bob kept repeating...."Simmons, my big baby! Yes, you’re a big baby!!", petting him the whole time. I got a feeling that Simmons will be making more trips in the future to the home.”

This is what Jonah’s Place is about. Making a difference - one life at a time…to positively impact our fellow man and God’s precious creatures.

Michelle Brockman for Jonah’s Place, Inc.

P.S. You can get in on this Life-Changing action. We are in great need of partners. Please click on the link below and show that you support what we are doing…

http://jonahsplace.org/partners

Pet Safety 101: Holiday Hazards You *MUST* Avoid

 

While we prepare to spend Thanksgiving Day with friends and family, there are often some hidden dangers to our pets that can be overlooked in the excitement. Below are six hazards to avoid to make sure that ALL members of your family have a safe and happy day. 

#1 - Hot Ranges and Burners. Be sure to keep your pets out of the kitchen and off the counter/stove! With so much cooking going on, a cat or dog is likely to try and investigate the good smells that are tantalizing their taste buds. Soft pads on their feet will burn quickly and easily so this is definitely a big one to keep an eye out for!

#2 - Bones. I can’t emphasize this enough! Some loving pet parents believe that a scrap bone is a kind gesture to include their pets on the festivities and this cannot be any further from the truth. Bone fragments, especially turkey and chicken bones, splinter easily and can cause internal bleeding and other life threatening situations. 

#3 - Table Scraps. It’s a good time of year to remember that animals cannot eat the same foods we do. Many common ingredients used in holiday dishes are poisonous or toxic to pets (onions, garlic, chocolate, raisins, grapes, turkey/chicken skin, etc. etc.). It’s always best to err on the side of caution and avoid table scraps all-together.

#4 - Watch Your Doors. When entertaining guests during the holidays, it’s good to remember that not all pets handle the company or excitement well and often times guests may not have the animals and their safety immediately on their mind. Often times, entry doors get left open for extended periods of time which gives your pet the perfect chance to escape. This actually happened to someone in my family one year – their dog ran out into the street after the front door was left open by a guest and was hit by a car...thankfully her injuries were not life threatening. A scary lesson to learn the hard way!

#5: - Candles. With all the hustle and bustle during holiday gatherings, attention usually isn’t paid to mundane things such as candles. If you have pets and also love candles, holiday events may be a good time to forgo them. It is very easy for a cat or dog…or guest…to knock a lit candle over and cause a fire. Instead, opt for pre-lit electronic candles. 

#6: - Turkey Strings. The string used to wrap and cook turkeys is a cat fantasy come to life. Please immediately discard any string and foil in a tightly closed trash can. Strings can cause choking and intestinal blockage which could be deadly. 

We hope these tips serve as a good reminder. From our home to yours, all of us at Jonah’s Place wish you and your pets a Safe, Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Michelle Brockman, Leslie Mendenhall and Stephanie Perkins

JonahsPlace.org

Reference: Petplace.com