Better Buddies was designed to do two important things: better our environment and our homeless furry friends. Right now, we’ve launched with 2 sizes of Pillow Beds in 3 different, exclusive patterns. The beds are made with 100% certified Organic Cotton and Hemp, and it’s filled with PET fiber (recycled plastic bottles). It was so important to me that this bed be as comfortable and cozy and DURABLE as it is ‘green.’ Making this in the US gave us more control over the finished product, and allowed us to be more particular about each and every detail. In other words, these beds have been designed with absolute, total love and care.

Even more exciting, we’re able to give back 10% of bed profits to the Guardian Angel Program at…you guessed it…Best Friends Animal Society (my animal-rescue obsession). Better Buddies speaks so deeply about who I am and what kind of changes I hope to make in this world. I hope you can find it as exciting and as inspiring as I do.

To support, stay up-to-date, and purchase items (more to come soon!) check out our:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you!

Julie

Hope you are all looking forward to a wonderful holiday with friends and family.

I wanted to put a quick message out to those interested in speaking up against Puppy Mill owners – particularly in the LA county. There are amendments being made to a bill that are essentially allowing Puppy Mills to thrive…as if a bad situation can’t get any worse…

Here are the provisions on this bill:

1. reducing proposed minimum cage size to SMALLER
2. allowing dogs to live on wired floors in stacked cages
3. allowing breeder’s dogs to have an unlimited number of litters with no MAXIMUM age that dogs can be bred
4. allowing breeder’s to have an UNLIMITED number of breeding dogs potentially producing thousands of puppies (many which end up in shelters at taxpayer’s expense)
5. providing no clear exercise requirement – thus allowing dogs to potentially be locked in small cages for their entire lives

The actual draft is here so you can check it out yourself

I am begging you to bear in mind these changes. You may or may not be an animal lover, which is fine, but you must believe in humane practices. These changes are inhumane. 100%. If you want to speak up…let your voice be heard!

It’s super easy to contact this person and make your voice heard – I know you all are good at writing seeing so much facebook feedback on a regular basis, maybe today you can put it toward a bigger cause! Here is the contact info:
Contact Supervisor Michael Antonovich and ask him NOT to support these amendments to Title 10 (Animals of Los Angeles County Code). Please contact Mr. Antonovich at: 500 West Temple Street, Room 869, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Or by phone: (213) 974-5555; FAX: (213) 974-1010; or e-mail: fifthdistrict@lacbos.org

Thanks for your time,
Julie

I am truly amazed at what wonderful fans I have…I’ve received word that a donation of $1180 was made to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in honor of my birthday! Really, who could have asked for a better gift than that?! This gesture was so kind, thoughtful and touching. From the depths of my heart, thank you Amber, Debby, Ann, Jen Bowerize, Rose, Diedre, Nichole, Kim, Amy, Susan, Sandy, Judy Rettelle, Toby, Evelyn, Karen, Racquel, Barbara Cooper, Jill Herley, Joanne, Gail, Tracy, Shea, Jill Etheridge, Sheila, Mary, Francine, Bonnie, Cindy, Jen Williams, Therese, Brenda, Shueta, Judy Raiche, Barbara Harnedy, Amanda, Susie and Maria. You all made my day.

I also have some other news which has taken a lot of thought on my end. My fan club is going to close down for the time being. I cringe when I write this because I can imagine all the confused faces reading this…but please trust me when I tell you this is a decision that was difficult, and was a result of some personal matters. If I have a fan club, it must be a priority of mine. Right now in my life, it’s falling to the back of the line, which I vowed I’d never let happen. I don’t want someone else to be writing up anything that has always come personally from me. This I cannot stomach. If I have a fan club, I want my attention and time to be focused on it. I don’t want people paying money to be part of something that, on my end, would be half-assed. I have made this decision with you all in mind.

I am sorry if any of you are disappointed…I completely understand. But taking away a fan club doesn’t mean taking away event participation where I actually get to spend time with all of you! That, at the present moment, is the most important part of my fan interaction that I will keep in my lifestyle, nomatter how busy I get.

I appreciate your continued support during this transition.

Julie

To sum it up…approximately 40 percent of all pet store puppies nationwide are bred in Missouri, where it’s estimated that 3,000 puppy mills are in operation — far more than any other place in the country. This ballot initiative, if it passes, will make sure that high-volume breeders would be limited to 50 breeding dogs per facility and would be required to provide the basic needs for their dogs, including regular medical check ups and treatment, decent food and clean water.

For more info and to join the campaign, go to this site.

Cheers,
Julie

Tater Tot, ready to walk...

The day was a huge success with tons of animals and animal lovers alike getting together to support the cause of No More Homeless Pets.  If you don’t know about this movement, here is the gist:
“At the very core of all the work of Best Friends Animal Society is the dream that one day kindness will replace cruelty, and animals will no longer be destroyed because they are unwanted or imperfect. Spaying and neutering will become commonplace, and adoption will be the first choice for everyone. Shelters will have the knowledge and resources to help rehabilitate special-needs animals and find the right family for every animal. Making this dream a reality is the mission we call No More Homeless Pets®.”

While there I was able to meet some of you and socialize my dogs! Tater Tot did pretty well, actually, with socialization…..she even let loose and pooped in the VIP tent before the walk even started. Smelled awesome. Once a Very Important Person tent, now a Very Impressive Poop tent. Atta girl, T.

Olive, however, had no interest in any dogs. No, she wasn’t scared of them because of her very, very small size. She literally didn’t care. The puddles and orange cones were more fascinating than a potential buddy.

On the other hand, I LOVED seeing so many dogs! My personal favorite were the adoptable basset hounds that marched with Hawaiian gear…leis and all. It was something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. By the time they got back from the walk, the lot of em looked completely wiped out. Still wearing all the loud, colorful clothes. But then again, don’t basset hounds always look wiped out? I wanted to take them all home…just adorable and hilarious.

Thanks to everyone who participated! It was a fun day supporting a great cause.  Hope to see you at more of these events in the future…

Julie

Mike and Julie, with Tater Tot and Olive

It was a ton of fun last year and a great opportunity to build with your favorite General Hospital actors! If you haven’t already registered, and you’d like to participate, click on the link below! If you aren’t in Los Angeles, but you’d like to donate to the house, the link below will connect you to that as well.

Hope to see you there!

GH Habitat Build Link

I have two dogs myself, both Maltepoos.  Tater Tot was my first pup.  I was so determined to have a dog in my life, but I honestly had no idea how one goes about getting one.  I thought online was the “new generation” of puppy purchasing.  No joke.  I didn’t see any risks nor did I think about the fact that Puppy Mill potential purchases are extremely high when buying online.  Every kind of dog you could imagine was available and wanting a home…hmm…red flag?…Unfortunately, as uneducated as I was about Puppy Mills and pets, I never gave it a second thought.

Low and behold, my Tater Tot arrives with ringworm (something battled all during the time she should have been socialized, yet never was for other pet’s health) and ends up having chronic ear and eye infections, two ill-developed back knees (requiring double-knee surgery), weight issues, and now most recently, arthritis in her front leg.  I share this not because I regret having Tater in my life, but because I wont support an industry where animals like this are suffering from mass breeding.  I could have just as well adopted a dog like this from a shelter, but in that scenario I wouldn’t be potentially funding Puppy Mill breeding.  I am saddened by my lack of knowledge during that time, but from that decision I own the funniest, most loving dog.  And I also can turn my ignorance into something of a lesson for everyone else, hopefully righting my wrong.

Finding an organization like Best Friends has opened my eyes to so much more going on in the animal world.  I am amazed at how certain simple choices would make a huge difference in the lives of our pets.  For example, by spaying and neutering our pets, we are stopping the birth of animals on the streets who ultimately end up in a shelter.  That combined with the choice to adopt your pet from shelters and rescue groups would literally end the era of homeless pets!  It’s easy if we all make that promise to ourselves…one person at a time.

So…in support of this mission to achieve a world of “No More Homeless Pets,”  I will be participating in Strut Your Mutt event by Best Friends in Los Angeles with my two lovely mutts.  It’s on Sunday, September 19th at Santa Monica Pier 84.  Doesn’t require much…we all walk our dogs and raise money for the cause!  (Something my weight-struggling Tater will love.)  After, of course, they have a doggie-themed festival for the pets…an animal-lover’s Disneyland.

So if you are in the area, join in and let’s help the cause.  If you see me there, maybe you can help me socialize Tater (better late than never!).  Let’s have a good time…

Cheers,

Julie

For More Information Click Here

To Register Click Here

My initial goal in research was to find a way to give animals a longer chance at survival in shelters that kill millions of homeless pets every year to make room for the latest incoming group, many animals only after days of rescue. I couldn’t believe there were so many homeless and adoptable pets that were killed off as some kind of inevitable and acceptable “necessary evil.”

Then I came across places that DO exist to bring an end to the killing of animals in these shelters. They provide rehabilitation, low cost spay and neuter programs, a permanent home for those who are too badly traumatized because of ill treatment or who are old, crippled or chronically ill to such animals, and most importantly, an awareness to this movement. There are places that give pets a chance. One of these establishments is called Best Friends Animal Society. This place boasts a 3,800 acre sanctuary and is home to many animals other than dogs and cats including horses, exotic birds, bunnies, potbellied pigs as well as an assortment of other creatures…this I had to see for myself.

And thus began my transformation.

We flew into Las Vegas and drove the last three and a half hours into the small town of Kanab, Utah. I was set up to spent my nights on the property just outside the horse pastures in my own cabin. And yes, the property is remarkable. Breathtaking. HUGE.

My first night in I sleep like a baby and wake up for my grand tour. It went all morning. I know what you’re thinking… ‘Touring animal facilities? Wake me up when we’re done.’ But you’re wrong. In all honesty, I went home saying I could have taken a day to tour each facility one by one. And there are 62 animal care facilities. The staff is not only knowledgable, but insanely welcoming, kind, articulate and passionate about everything that I already cared about. I’m not exaggerating their kindness. Growing up in Los Angeles, I couldn’t believe people like this existed anywhere outside a Disney movie. Anyway, at this point I’m sold. So, great! I want to volunteer my time and help out! Where can you put me?

I don’t think there are many opportunities to spend your time helping……potbellied pigs?! I can’t say I knew what to expect. I was told this experience would be worth it.Yet again, they didn’t let me down. These pigs are insanely intelligent. I’d even dare to say that some of them were smarter and better trained than my own dogs… they relieve themselves AWAY from their sleeping and eating quarters? They sit before getting their food? Where did I go wrong?! All kidding aside, these pigs awoke an unconditional love inside me that was like a flame to a brushfire. These animals touched my life. They made me laugh. They are as deserving of a home as any other “pet.” My eyes began opening.

That night I was able to take a shelter dog home for a “sleepover.” They handed over the leash to a very special guy named Reggie Boy. I noticed a thin strip on his snout was hairless and his nose looked unusual. Slightly off. His story? He had come to the shelter with a terrible infection on his face and ears resulting in a form of discoid lupus.
The Reggie Boy in my arms was nothing like this picture. I couldn’t even believe this was the same dog. This dog, who had suffered horribly, was no less worthy of affection. He made sure of that. The guy followed me into every room, rested at my feet during dinner, slept by the bed at night and woke me up with easy kisses in the morning. Why isn’t he in someone’s home already? I can only imagine there are too many people who were like me before I started digging, and don’t know there are some of the most lovable and fulfilling companions at sanctuaries like Best Friends.
My final morning, I volunteered at the puppy socialization class. Come on! Puppies! I had to! I’m surprised I left the sanctuary without one…or six. It was hard to give them back, no joke.

It’s important that I share this experience with all of you because it touched my life. While I can’t shove these adoptable pets into your homes, I can spread awareness. Spaying and neutering your pets will dramatically cut the number of homeless pets down, thus slowly diminishing the number of pets killed in sanctuaries that are not “no-kill shelters.” In 1999, over 46,000 animals were killed in Utah shelters. Today, that number has decreased by 30 percent because of places like Best Friends that offer a concerted spay and neuter campaign. Most importantly, if you would like a pet, look into your local animal shelters and rescue groups. There are more than enough pets waiting to be loved. Be a part of the change.

I had the most incredible time over fan club weekend. I am so grateful to have many wonderful people supporting the show and my storyline. It was great getting some face time with you all, and even better to have an event with SUCH PASSIONATE, FUN PEOPLE!

The event with Dominic was a ton of fun, and I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did. There were lots of laughs that kept me going later than I thought! Thank you so much for spending your time getting to know me better, and making the weekend as memorable for me as I hope it was for all of you

Love and safe traveling
xx
Julie