Welcome!

My name is Jenna Gates and my furry, black and tan canine companion is Snickers, an eight year old Shiba Inu.

There are so many factors that contribute to the overpopulation and mistreatment of companion animals. I believe the key to future change is education. My quest to educate is also a quest to learn.

I believe that animals are sentient beings who should be treated with dignity and respect. My canine companions are not toys or livestock, nor are they humans or “furbabies” as some people like to say; They are dogs, they are family, and they add to my life. Snick and I are registered Delta Society Pet Partners and enjoy working together to educate others about the benefits of companion animals.

I hope you’ll stay a little while to read some of our most recent blog posts below and our popular posts listed in the sidebar.

Thanks for visiting!
Jenna

What a Year of Love and Care Can Accomplish

by jenna on April 23, 2012 in personal
ChuChu visiting my office

Every dog deserves a safe home, nutritious food, clean water, and love. See the difference a year of love and good care made for this rescued Pekingese. [click to continue reading...]

Our Cats, Our Hearts: Molly, Digger & Kat

by jenna on January 31, 2012 in heart dogs
Molly on Kat

Describing her bond with Molly & Digger, Kat told us, “Home is where my cats are. They are my cats, not the family cats that I grew up with, but mine. They have been with me for almost 14 years.” [click to continue reading...]

Aging Well: 22 Dog Years Since Adoption

by jenna on September 9, 2011 in Secret
Secret in 2006 & 2011

Secret’s “Gotcha Day” is coming up soon. On October 1st, she will have been with us for five years. Her coloring has lightened and her features are softer, but the big change is that her worried look is gone. [click to continue reading...]

Our Dogs, Our Hearts: Ishi and Rae

by jenna on August 23, 2011 in heart dogs
Ishi & Rae

Describing her bond with Ishi, Rae says “I’ve never had such a difficult dog to work with. And because of it, I love him on a level that I’ve never been able to love another dog.” [click to continue reading...]

And Suzuki Makes Three

by jenna on August 12, 2011 in Suzuki
Are we going out?

Introducing Suzuki, our female sesame Shiba Inu puppy, adopted on August 5, 2011. [click to continue reading...]

pleeze help me make my emmie happy

by snickers on August 9, 2011 in Snick the Dog
Emmie & Snickers hanging out at the hotel in New York City

Snickers wants Emmie to agree to marry him. Help him win her hand by sponsoring a Hike for Heroes mile at herosponsor.com [click to continue reading...]

Our Dogs, Our Hearts: Buckley and Jen

by jenna on August 8, 2011 in heart dogs
Buckley and Jen

Buckley and Jen are the fourth human/canine pair in this series to explore the special bond between people and those few special dogs we call heart dogs. [click to continue reading...]

Starting a Rescue: Six Important Considerations

by jenna on August 2, 2011 in rescue
rescue

Six critically important items to consider when starting a grassroots animal rescue group, written from personal experience. First and foremost, write your mission statement! [click to continue reading...]

Our Dogs, Our Hearts: Jiro and Nicole

by jenna on July 29, 2011 in heart dogs
Jiro & Nicole

Nicole adopted Jiro almost four years ago. She tells us all about the huge impact this “bold and confident” “mama’s boy” has had on her life since then. [click to continue reading...]

Why We Are Going to Pawty on Friday

by jenna on June 13, 2011 in special events
Canine Cocktail Pawty

We’re getting ready to celebrate some awesome stuff! Troy Yocum has undertaken a huge personal project to raise funds and awareness for military families in financial crisis. Emmie the Super Dog is a wonderful example of the companionship and support that dogs provide to humans every day. [click to continue reading...]

More Legs, More Money? Fundraising for People vs Animals.

by jenna on May 27, 2011 in personal
ccp-thumb

Fund raising for humans is a lot harder than fund raising for dogs! I normally spend most of my volunteer time on dog-related issues, but after meeting Troy Yocum from Hike for Our Heroes, I wanted to do something to help. I’m stunned at how low the return on time and effort invested can be when trying to raise money and awareness for a HUMAN cause rather than an animal one. [click to continue reading...]

Progress I’ve Made On My Volunteeritis

by jenna on May 14, 2011 in personal

A few months ago, I posted about being OVER being over-committed. Today, as I was completely freaking out about how I’m going to accomplish the latest NEW project I’ve taken on, I decided to take a quick look back at that post to see if I’ve made any progress. I’m making some progress, which I feel really good about! [click to continue reading...]