We're excited to be part of the Piece for Shelter Pets blog hop today! This worthwhile cause has extra meaning to us this year because of a small dog named Joey. Below you'll find information about the Piece for Shelter Pets partners and their efforts to help the Petfinder Foundation, and you'll also find the story behind Joey the shop dog and how he inspired a fabric line. Enjoy!
October is national Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and some quilt industry professionals are partnering with the Petfinder Foundation to create awareness of Shelter Dogs (and Cats) that need “furrever” homes. It is an unusual combination but one that is working beautifully to help our furry friends.
These quilt industry professionals are animal lovers and have partnered together to help shelter animals in ways that are new and unique. So join us in the Piece for Shelter Pets Blog Hop and see how we are helping and how you can help.
The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM) - an international online only publication - partnered with the Petfinder Foundation to form the TQPM Small Kennel Quilt Team after Hurricane Sandy. The two organizations help animal shelters affected by disasters by sending Kennel Quilts for the displaced animals.
Sewing essentials are needed for Kennel Quilts and Aurifil Threads, Bernina USA, Island Batik Fabrics, Quilty Box and Benartex Fabrics have joined the TQPM Kennel Quilt effort to help the Petfinder Foundation.
Aurifil Threads created a Small Kennel Quilt Thread Kit last year and will be introducing two more Thread Collections at the International Quilt Market in Houston this month. A portion of sales goes to the Petfinder Foundation.
Bernina of America created a special edition Best Friends sewing machine this year featuring paw prints. They donated $30,000 to the Petfinder Foundation from the sales of the machine.
Island Batik is introducing two new animal fabric lines at International Quilt Market. A portion of sales will go to the Petfinder Foundation.
Quilty Box will offer special TQPM Kennel Quilt boxes and the Petfinder Foundation will be the recipient of a portion of their sales.
Benartex will introduce new fabrics at International Quilt Market which will benefit the Petfinder Foundation.
These quilt industry professionals are animal lovers and have partnered together to help shelter animals in ways that are new and unique. It is a way to join a larger effort to help our animal friends in times of need by doing what we love. We are reaching out to our quilting friends to ask for support and help for our furry friends.
There are so many shelter animals that want a home. This is a great time to check with your local shelter for your “furrever” friend or you can check out Petfinder.com. However if you can’t adopt at this time, there are numerous other ways to help and that will be shared on all our blogs. Please join us in this effort and Remember to Adopt –don’t shop!
Blog Hop Schedule:
10/5 – The Quilt Pattern Magazine/Nan Baker of Purrfect Spots
10/7 – Aurifil
10/12 – Island Batik
10/14 – Quilty Box (instagram)
10/19 – Benartex
10/21 – Petfinder Foundation
Petfinder 20th Anniversary Celebration
For the past 20 years, Petfinder has helped 25 million pets find their families through adoption. They wanted to use this moment to celebrate their incredible legacy with their shelter and rescue members while inspiring a new generation of pet lovers, just like you. They created a video and pledged to donate $200,000 to the Petfinder Foundation if the video reached 1 million views by October 24, 2016. Thanks to dedication and inspired help of the masses, they have already reached their goal! The donated funds will reward 20 shelter and rescue members with $10,000 grants, allowing them to keep doing the amazing work that they do!
This blog hop features two prizes. The giveaway runs from Wednesday, October 5 – 11:59pm on Tuesday October 25. Winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 26.
Prize #1:
1 Fat Quarter Bundle of Island Batik’s Fifi & Fido
1 LG Fifi & Fido Aurifil Thread Collection
1 Subscription to Quilt Pattern Magazine
One 3-month Subscription to Quilty Box
One Petfinder Foundation Bundle (Petfinder Foundation t-shirt, car cling and wristband)
One Joey the Shop Dog Bundle (fabric, a wristband, a button, and a window decal)
Prize #2:
1 Fat Quarter Bundle of Island Batik’s Happy Hounds
1 LG Happy Hounds Aurifil Thread Collection
1 Subscription to Quilt Pattern Magazine
One Petfinder Foundation Bundle (Petfinder Foundation t-shirt, car cling and wristband)
One Joey the Shop Dog Bundle (fabric, a wristband, a button, and a window decal)
Joey was adopted by Rose Ann Cook and her husband almost six
years ago. With only one eye and some health issues, he was not a likely choice
for adoption, but he’s made his home both with the Cooks and in Rose Ann’s
quilt shop, the Quilter's Emporium.
We asked Rose Ann to tell us more about Joey and his new
claim to fame, the fabric line!
Meet Joey the Shop Dog
Joey was adopted by Rose Ann Cook and her husband almost six years ago. With only one eye and some health issues, he was not a likely choice for adoption, but he’s made his home both with the Cooks and in Rose Ann’s quilt shop, the Quilt Emporium.
We asked Rose Ann to tell us more about Joey and his new claim to fame, the fabric line!
Why did Joey catch your eye?
What I can say? We haven’t been afraid to adopt dogs that have health or physical issues. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be loving, wonderful pets. As a matter of fact, I think they become the most grateful pets. We have no children—this is our calling to take care of dogs that otherwise would be put down. I love the phrase on the Joey the Shop Dog poster…”You don’t have to be perfect to be loved.” That says it all.
How did Joey start coming to the quilt shop?
I go to the shop every day, and I felt I needed to take him along to look after him. I tell our guests, Joey’s story and they start to feel protective over him… and they all fall in love. He’s a little fixture around the shop. Joey has such a fan club. Some customers only come in on “Joey” days. Joey even gets birthday cards from national and international customers in early November, which is when we celebrate his birthday!
How has Joey’s fame spread?
He “tells” me what to write for an article in each of our newsletters. If there isn’t something from Joey in the newsletter, we actually get phone calls or emails from customers checking on him. He recently came in 6th place in the Houston SPCA calendar contest, so he’ll be featured in the 2017 calendar as well. This is very fitting because this is where we adopted Joey.
And of course the Joey the Shop Dog fabric collection?
My staff has been pestering me about this. I always felt that Joey would be the perfect subject for a fabric line. Not only is he popular in our little world, but everyone who sees him from out of town thinks that he’s such a cute little dog. When Benartex suggested that the line could have a charitable tie-in, I almost flipped with joy. It was more than I could ever have dreamed of, that they’d be so invested in this that they’d contribute money to a non-kill shelter. Not only do we get to share Joey with other quilters, we also get to help other animals.
The panel to make a stuffed Joey (shown above with the actual Joey)
How else has Joey helped the cause of strays?
From time to time, a customer will tell us that they found a stray animal. We encourage them to send me a pic and their details, and then Joey will include a story about his new “friend” in the weekly email. He has been pretty successful in that he has been able to find homes for almost a dozen dogs through the years. Joey does so much good.
How did the fabric line come to be?
I chose photos for inspiration, and many of the blocks in the panel are based on those photos. For example, Joey on the box moving cart. When we’re moving boxes in the shop, he’ll jump on and we’ll give him a little ride. 
The block panel:
You can follow Joey by liking his Facebook page and/or by
subscribing to Rose Ann’s newsletter.
Watch for the Joey the Shop Dog collection at your local
quilt shop and see all the prints here. Don't forget, 10% of sales for Joey’s fabrics will be donated to The Petfinder Foundation!
We don't have any pets but both our daughters have shelter cats.
ReplyDeleteWe have two dogs but neither from a shelter but we support our local breed rescue.
ReplyDeleteYes I have rescued a dog before and now I have a kitten - I actually adopted both him and his brother but one passed away know I have him and a friend adopted a cat that was about to have kittens and I adopted one of those - their names are Kirby Puckett and Mactavish - I love them to pieces
ReplyDeleteSo cute! Joey's story is sweet. I have a rescue, Hazel. Her older sister was a rescue, too. I love having dogs, and will only adopt. Thanks for the support of pets!
ReplyDeleteJoey is a cutie. Over the years we have had 4 cats and 1 dog. The dog and two cats were from the humane society. One cat our son found in the park and was only hours old. Think mom left her because she was runt of the litter. We had her for 18 years. One cat we purchased from a pet store. We have a calico now and she is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have rescued and rehomed several stray cats. We ended up keeping 5 of them and one went to my brother. They are all doing fine.
ReplyDeleteA coworker who feeds stray cats too (she is parent to 4 cats) decided I needed one of the strays she was feeding. Into my life came my beautiful & eclectic tuxedo cat Samson. He is so unique in personality that he was meant for me. We have been together 9 years now.
Plus I got a rescue Bengal cat from the Great Lakes Bengal Rescue. I drove 7 hours to pick up my precious baby after seeing his picture on Petfinder. I know I wanted a Bengal cat and got the idea of checking rescue groups after meeting another pet parent at the pet clinic. Once I saw Shaka's picture I knew he was the one for me. We have been together 8 yrs now.
I definitely support my feline friends. Ask any of the stray neighborhood cats that I have faithfully fed (and rehomed some) the last 4 years.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I have rescued and rehomed several stray cats. We ended up keeping 5 of them and one went to my brother. They are all doing fine.
ReplyDeleteA coworker who feeds stray cats too (she is parent to 4 cats) decided I needed one of the strays she was feeding. Into my life came my beautiful & eclectic tuxedo cat Samson. He is so unique in personality that he was meant for me. We have been together 9 years now.
Plus I got a rescue Bengal cat from the Great Lakes Bengal Rescue. I drove 7 hours to pick up my precious baby after seeing his picture on Petfinder. I know I wanted a Bengal cat and got the idea of checking rescue groups after meeting another pet parent at the pet clinic. Once I saw Shaka's picture I knew he was the one for me. We have been together 8 yrs now.
I definitely support my feline friends. Ask any of the stray neighborhood cats that I have faithfully fed (and rehomed some) the last 4 years.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Both my dogs were not directly from a shelter. The first was from a customer who was on route to drop her off at the shelter when my husband offered to take her. Our second was adopted from a rescue agency. I currently drop off pet beds, made from fleece and all my quilting scraps, to our local shelter. No fabric goes to waste!
ReplyDeleteWe have adopted a dog from a shelter before when our children were young. But we no longer have pets.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to meet Joey, he is adorable. Both of our cats are rescues.
ReplyDeleteJoey is the cutest. Our dog and our cat are rescues. My Petfinder Quilty Box is on order; I'll be sewing up quilts to donate.
ReplyDeleteI am a parent of a rescue pet. My dog, Beezus, was not who I was looking for. I wanted a small to medium, puppy, with short hair, instead I adopted an 80 lb, 6 year old, long haired lab. She is wonderful and has been a blessing.
ReplyDeleteTerri
missile102@gmail.com
My son has the best rescue boxer. The dog has been a great friend for my grandsons!
ReplyDeletenikilsend(at)outlook(dot)com
I personally don't have any pets but my good friend has a rescue dog as do my son and daughter in law! Both are wonderful, smart dogs!
ReplyDeleteI'm a shelter pet grandma. May daughter and her family adopted a dog several years ago. Bella is still getting used to people outside the immediate household....but when Mom and Dad are gone she lets me feed her!!!
ReplyDeleteLove that you are supporting such a great organization. Thank you so very much.
ReplyDeleteOne of my dogs would have been a shelter dog if we hadn't taken him in. Love what your organizations are doing for the animals. grinnie1961 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteJoey is such a cutie!
ReplyDeleteI got my last dog, a scottish terrier, from a shelter. I had been looking for one for quite some time but had not found one. Hubby and I just happened to go to a local shelter to look for a dog one day and there she was! Mitzi was her name and until she passed away, she was my companion. She followed wherever I went, even had a bed under the desk where my sewing machine is so she could be comfortable and nearby. I miss her every day and have been looking for another Scottie for a few years now.
Sandy A (scotty4me39 at yahoo.com)
We have rescued two cats. We were living on acreage and needed a good mouser and we chose a little tabby hanging upside down in the cage, poking his claws through the bars at passers by. The staff was so happy because they were worried no one would ever choose the little guy. He turned out to be a friendly, cuddly little guy.
ReplyDeleteWe have a rescue dog. He is such a wonderful addition to our family.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky companion Joey is! We had two doggie rescues; but we lost our oldest, Spencer, a couple of months ago after spending 8 happy years with him. Our other rescue, Kona, was about to be euthanized at a high kill shelter when we worked with a rescue agency to save him. Our kitty furbaby is 16 and I've had her since she was 6 weeks old! Thank you for contributing to rescues and promoting adoption.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter rescued a dog his name is Otto he is such a joy to have around. Thank you for making people aware.
ReplyDeleteI love the Joey panel. Joey is a real sweetie, so loved by all who come into your place, and who could resist taking him home. All our cats have been rescue ones, from either the SPCA here in New Zealand, or a stray that arrived, or called in, and stayed, or visited on a regular schedule.
ReplyDeleteI lost my cat a couple months ago and have been searching the shelters for her since then. I haven't found her, but have seen the cats left behind. As soon as I feel that I can get another pet, I will be going to the shelter to adopt.
ReplyDeleteMy 3 grand-puppies are all shelter/rescue puppies. We have 2 Havanese girls who are sisters. The "little" one has a deformed jaw and was in danger of being put down, but we fell in love with her personality. $2500 worth of dental work later, she's healthy and happy. I'm so glad we had the disposable income to be able to do that.
ReplyDeleteI have a rescued Muttigree named Rasta Furrian. I also have a pit/ boxer mix that I am fostering for Almost Home Dog Rescue.
ReplyDeleteMy sister has rescued many dogs through the years. They all deserve a good home especially as they get older and seem to get passed by. My daughters have rescued cats. Thank you for your generosity.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a German Shepherd on Pet Finder recently.
ReplyDeleteHow does this shop hop blog work?
ReplyDeleteI am currently the parent of 2 rescue dogs. Winnie and Heywood. Winnie is 3 and looks exactly like Wishbone from the PBS series (google it) only supersized at 42 pounds. Heywood is 2 and a black shepherd/lab mix at 70 pounds. We've had them in our family for a little over a year and I can't imagine our life without them. Well, it would be a lot less hairy! Making pet beds for shelter animals is on my to do list.
ReplyDeleteAll three of my girls, 2 Siamese sisters and my puppy, Gabby, were all found on Pet Finder.
ReplyDeleteI am a rescue parent! I have an adorable cat that I got from the local shelter I volunteer with.
ReplyDeleteI adopted my sweet dog Kylie three weeks ago from a shelter. She is five years old, affectionate and smart--we love her!! She loves napping under the sewing machine table while I'm stitching and is great company.
ReplyDeleteWe have rescued several dogs over the years, we just lost a rescued boxer (of 12 yrs.) from a puppy mill and was starving with her 5 sisters and brothers. The older we get the harder it seem to be on our hearts. I think we are going to take a break and just wait for something to come to us. If we are meant to have another dog God will send the right one. We live at the end of a rural road and we have kept many a dog and cat this way. This is something I want to be part of though , making the kennel quilt, that is. Thanks for your sharing this and being the caring person you are.
ReplyDeleteI was a rescue parent in the past for 14 years until her death. She was the sweetest baby in the world. She lived a long wonderful life and I still miss her daily, such a big void. I go looking but it just has to be the right fit for both of us and when it is time I know we will again find a forever home for both of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a wonderful giveaway, we took in a stray cat at the beginning of the summer, she was pregnant and her baby was born blind, it was super adorable, but sadly died unexpectedly my children were very sadden. Little stray kitty has become a permanent fixture in our life, we love her.
ReplyDeleteOur family has always adopted cats and dogs that needed furever homes and they all were a big part of our family and remembered fondly.
ReplyDeleteI have adopted two cats from shelters, although my cats are usually strays before they get to the shelter.
ReplyDeletemissysaprons@gmail.com
I have the most wonderful dog adopted from ARF.
ReplyDeleteI have the most wonderful dog adopted from ARF.
ReplyDeleteJoey is a cutie!
ReplyDeleteJoey IS cute. We aren't dog folk - too lazy, but on Wed. we are bringing home two adorable Russian Blue kittens we found through ... PetFinder! We're very excited about this. Great cause today.
ReplyDeleteOur sweet adopted kitty, Petunia, died and I haven't been able to bring myself to bring another pet home. I can't imagine finding another cat that could replace her.
ReplyDeletemy pets lovers
ReplyDeleteCan Cats Eat Black Pepper?
ReplyDelete