Every spring my dogs, Mila and Pepper, wait with anticipation for LA/SPCA's Dog Day Afternoon. They are a social duo who enjoy meeting up with their canine friends for this great celebration of the human/canine bond. They (or maybe we) are also a competitive bunch who enjoys challenging our friends in the annual competition to see who will use their high flying skills to catch the most Frisbees and have the most fun at the event. Even my three year old daughter, Isa, gets into the spirit of the day kissing the adorable (and slobbery) Boxer at the Boxer Rescue Kissing Booth and decorating dog bones at the kid's tent.

I hope you and your four-legged friends will accept our invitation to join in the fun at the 26th Annual Dog Day Afternoon in Audubon Park, scheduled for Sunday, April 6th. Dog Day provides the perfect setting to bond with your canine companions. Whether you want to compete in the contests, or just want to lay back, enjoy the music, and make a hairy friend or two, this is the Day for all Dogs to celebrate. Music, contests, food and many licks are the order of the day.

If you can't be here in person, we hope you will be a "virtual" participant through a new and exciting on-line component of the event. Create your own fundraising page, upload a picture, add a message, then e-mail family and friends, or make a gift in support of a team. All out-of-area registered on-line fundraisers will have their event t-shirt mailed to them. You can even create a page for your cat!

We are looking forward to seeing you in person or on-line for Dog Day Afternoon.

With Woofs and Meows for all,

Sincerely,

Ana Zorrilla, CEO

Dog Day Afternoon may appear to be just about the canines in our furred community but there's a lot to be said for the sophisticated, frisky, and always fashionable felines. We all know every dog must have its day, but every cat lover knows that behind every great dog there's often a great feline.

So can Dog Day Afternoon be as significant for felines as it is for the dogs? The Louisiana SPCA recently put together a panel of felines to get their perspective to answer just this question and we were surprised to learn that the felines on our panel found it to be a purr- fect afternoon for them, too.

Hi, my name is Roscoe and I am a shelter dog who was adopted by my family from an Adoption Day at Jefferson Feed. I LOVE Dog Day Afternoon because it's my chance to see old friends and meet new ones!! I took my whole family to Dog Day last year and it was pretty special, because it was the first year we were back after Katrina.

Annie's story began on July 15, 2004, when, weak and emaciated, she was brought to the LA/SPCA shelter on Japonica Street. Strong in spirit but weak in body, Annie began her journey of recovery. Her road was paved with the love and attention of countless members of LA/SPCA and New Orleans German Shepherd Rescue, as well as foster families who worked tirelessly to provide Annie with all that she deserved, and more. LA/SPCA was delighted to let all who followed Annie's story know of her successful adoption to human mom Melissa in May of 2005, just short of 10 months after she arrived at the shelter.

We in the shelter business talk often about 'forever homes.' Those are the places where animals are received with open arms and loved all the days of their life, never to be homeless again. Annie's home was truly a forever home. We received the news through Toby of New Orleans German Shepherd Rescue, that Annie passed away after nearly three wonderful years in her forever home.

Not in New Orleans? No problem. You, like the cat lovers, can still be apart of the event even if it's just in cyber spirit. Create a webpage and tell your story. We will even ship event t-shirts to anywhere in the country for all out-of-area registered on-line fundraisers. Join in the fun and support Dog Day Afternoon 2008!!

You can use the link below to create your own interactive LA/SPCA Dog Day web page that allows you to upload a photo and special story about him or her! The website is secure, fast and easy to use. A couple of people have already set up their pages and it's a really exciting new way to spread the word about the human/animal bond and share your special stories. Join us, all for the love of animals. Set up your own page today! (The close of on-line fundraising will be 4:00pm, Wednesday, April 16, 2008. Prizes and Chairdog positions will be determined after close of fundraising.)