Sell-out Event Raises Huge Amount - Addison, TX

The first Hope Gala for the no-kill animal shelter Operation Kindness (OK) in Carrollton, Texas was an enormous success, raising over $86,000 to support the organization's mission.

The fundraiser held at the Sambuca Restaurant in Addison featured Grammy-award winner and Fort Worth resident Danny Wright.

"As a community, we came together to put feelings into positive action and inspire hope," stated an email from OK. "It is the hope of Operation Kindness that together with our community we can end pet over-population and treat our companion animals with the dignity and respect they deserve. This hope inspired us to create the Hope Gala to benefit Operation Kindness."

The Gold Level sponsors were Janet and Ed Ostrovitz and Sambuca and Silver Sponsors were Kondos and Kondos Law Offices, Palomar Dallas, Hailstone Insurance Group, Toothacres Pet Care Center, Kazlow Associates, and United Country Auction Services. Bronze level sponsors included Dresser, Inc., KiPS Group, Inc., Kennedy Mahon Realty, Ann Parrish, and numerous others.

In unrelated pet news, Joe Skenesky of the Carrollton Animal Shelter works tirelessly to get the dogs and cats out of there alive every week, according to a fellow animal advocate, Nancy Underwood.

"They are literally drowning in cute little kittens and such sweet cats and have some really cute dogs that include a Weimaraner, Basset Hound, a tiny Chihuahua mix, little Doxie mix, young rescue, and a cute little mix puppy," she said. "

If you're interested, please contact the shelter directly at 972-466-3420 or email Skenesky at Joe.skenesky@cityofcarrollton.com.

If you'd like to foster an animal, contact Underwood at nancycunderwood@gmail.com.

More than 70 percent of cats who enter our nation's animal pounds and shelters are killed each year, according to research.

"It's going on all across America," states Robyn E. of the Care 2 Petition site. "I know that the killing of cats in shelters is unethical and must stop. We cannot be silent as countless cats are killed every day."

To sign a petition to help the felines, access http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/156311450.

In other pets news, an area Clydesdale has a go at a Guinness Book of World Records record for tallest horse, according to the Dallas News.

"The record is currently held by Radar, a Belgian draft horse in Mount Pleasant, Texas," says writer Valerie Wigglesworth. (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/pets/stories/060209dnmetbighorse.41209d4.html). "Remington's owner, Cheryl Davis of Princeton, believes he can beat that height, though she's never gotten him to hold still long enough to be measured."

When Remington walks in the yard after a hard rain, he leaves craters in the lawn, his head bumps the 9 1/2-foot ceiling on the barn, and his back scrapes the top of the trailer door, the article states.

"Eating is practically a full-time job for Remington, who requires two square bales of hay a day, nine quarts of grains twice a day and 40 gallons of water," Wigglesworth writes.