A dog can change your life

I watch dog videos almost every day, but today I was moved by this one. A dog definitely can change your life. Leader Dog for the Blind is an organization that "empowers people who are blind, visually impaired or Deaf-Blind with skills for a lifetime or independent travel, opening doors that may seem to have closed with the loss of sight."

They have different programs and one of them is the Prison Puppy Program. This beautiful video shows how prisoners can give meaning to their lives by helping others. They train the dogs for one year and then, as hard as it is, they let their friend go to help someone who needs a guide dog.

Enjoy the video and visit the Leader Dog for the Blind website. You can help by volunteering or donating.

Foodie Thursday: Treats and Rescue

Those days when your dog watches you pull out a package from the pantry and starts jumping and rolling around… he knows! There are some delicious treats inside, and you know that package is more than just a bag of treats! Rosie's Barkery had the wonderful idea to print a picture and information of rescues that customers nationwide will read. They pick 3 rescues every quarter to spotlight on the back of the bags.

Treats that make dogs happy and help you promote your organization! That is a great treat!"Through The Rescue Ally Project, we’re promoting rescues on our treats bags, online and on all of our marketing materials as well as donating 10% of the proceeds to them. It’s our way of supporting the rescue troops who fight the good fight with a victory in every bite!"

If you want to find out more about The Rescue Ally Project, watch this video.

The treats are hypoallergenic, gluten-free and made in the USA. You can find them in flavors like peanut butter, cheddar cheese and sweet potato pie.

Designing for a Good Cause: Citizens for a Breed Neutral. Reynoldsburg

Pit bull type dogs are good dogs. There are many misconceptions about the danger of having a dog like this at home. Some times this go to an extreme in some cities where they prohibit to own a pit bull. Pit bulls for Reynoldsburg is a group in Ohio that is fighting against Pit bull ban. They requested my help as a volunteer through the organization Creative Paw to design a logo to reflect their goals and to have an identity as a group.

Based on the information I received, I created a logo that represents any breed and to meet their goal to have a breed neutral law. The dogs in the logo stand out with a white silhouette against bright colors and the heart in the middle represents the Love and Compassion all breeds deserve.

"The goal of Pit Bulls for Reynoldsburg is to lobby City Council for a breed neutral law, educate people about the shortcomings of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), and promote better alternatives."

The group needed a second logo/Illustration for a T-Shirt for citizens of Reynoldsburg (and other cities in the future) to wear as a walking billboard and create awareness of how Bad Laws Hurt Good Dogs. This is the logo/Illustration for the campaign.

I initially created different options for the logo and they really liked them! The group kept all options to print on T-Shirts too and they opened an online store "in an effort to remove the ban in Reynoldsburg by purchasing merchandise from a new site called Freedom of Dog. Proceeds will go to legal fees to fight the ban in court as well as educational materials to promote awareness to local residents."

These are the different options for T-shirts and merchandise. If you want to help, you can purchase the products at this link.

It was a pleasure to design the logo and images for a good cause! Please support this group by sharing this post and leave a comment if Pit bulls face the same challenges in your city. If you want to share ideas with this group, please visit their Facebook page.

The Yellow Dog Project

Every day I take Winnie for a walk at the park and I always look around for kids or other people who sometimes approach and try to pet her without asking. Kids come running towards Winnie because they just want to play. She is a sweet dog but we rescued her from an abusive home and even if she is now a happy dog, something inside still makes her fearful of people. She never bites anyone, but I want to prevent that to happen.

That's why I found the Yellow Dog Project so great. It is a global movement for parents of dogs who need space. "Yellow Dogs are dogs who need space - they are not necessarily aggressive dogs but more often are dogs who have issues of fear; pain from recent surgery; are a rescue or shelter dog who has not yet had sufficient training or mastered obedience; are in training for work or service; are in service; or other reasons specific to the dog."

This movement wants to teach people the best way to approach. You need to always ask the owner if you can pet the dog. You can find resources for training or where to buy gear on this link. You can also just get a yellow ribbon and tie it to your dog's leash.

This movement is growing, but many people doesn't know about it yet. Spread the word with your family and friends! and if you have a dog who needs more space… this is a great idea!

For more information go to the Yellow Dog Project site.

Images in this post are from the Yellow Dog Project page.

Flower Power for Pit Bulls

Every time I go to the park or the beach I see some beautiful Pit Bull dogs. They are sweet and deserving of love like any other dog. Many organizations and people fight to change the perception that they are dangerous by nature.

This is the case of French photographer Sophie Gamand who created a series of photographs named "Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution" to show the dogs in a different light.

"This project started as an excuse for me to discover more about pit bulls. Like many people, I admittedly had prejudices against them. But as an active volunteer with many rescue groups, I often came in contact with pit bulls and was slowly warming up to their sweet nature. I decided to confront my apprehensions and explore their soft side in a visual way."

Sophie portrayed them like hippies from a fairy-tale character, feminine and dreamy. To do that, she approached some rescue groups that happily collaborated with the project.

To read more about this and enjoy the rest of the beautiful photographs, go to her website.

Designing for a Good Cause: ITSOA

Some time ago, I was approached by Kristi, a dog lover and founder of ITSOA (International Team to Save Olympic Animals) She started a Facebook page - initially named "Save Sochi Dogs"- for a good cause, to spread the word about adopting stray dogs from Sochi. She now has about 8,400 followers from around the world. The mission of ITSOA is to "inspire the International Olympic Committee and the future host cities & countries of the Olympic Games to ensure that no animals are harmed or exploited in the name of the Olympics."

I am excited to participate with this cause. I designed the logo for ITSOA as a simple icon that incorporates the Olympic rings colors and represents the paw of a dog (or other animals as well) With the help of volunteers we can make a difference and make sure animals will not be harmed in the next Olympic event.

If you are interested to volunteer, visit the Facebook page for a list of open positions or contact ITSOA at ITSOAjobs@gmail.com

It feels so good to contribute to a good cause!