Penny Angels Beagle Rescue will present the 10th annual Beagle Barbecue on Sunday, Sept. 12.

The barbecue will take place from noon-4pm, at Atlantic County Park (Estell Manor), Pavilion C, Route 50 in Mays Landing. For directions, go here.

The cost is $15 for adults, $7 for kids ages 4-10 and free for kids ages 3 and under. There will be food, drinks, kids games, a 50/50 drawing, a bucket auction, a beagle parade, a best-dressed costume contest and the annual “Blessing of the Animals.”  All friendly, leashed dog breeds invited.

Call: Christine at 973-610-8049 or Joan at 609-965-9476 with any questions.

Penny Angel Beagle Rescue is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to beagle rescue and community education on the breed. They provide adoptions at the Petsmart located in Mays Landing on Saturdays from 11am-4pm . If you live In Southern New Jersey and want to rescue a Beagle, stop by.

Alley Cat Allies, the national organization that helps feral cats across the country with its Trap-Neuter-Return programs, has one of its oldest and most successful programs in Atlantic City. It you happen to be strolling the boardwalk near the Trump Taj Mahal, say happy 10th birthday to the Boardwalk Cats, the colony of healthy outdoor cats who have been managed by Alley Cat Allies since 2000, with the help of the Humane Society of Atlantic County. There are additional colonies along other spots under the boards. The famous Boardwalk Cats love to soak up the sun and enjoy the beach right along with the rest of the tourists.

While the cats are wild and are not socialized to humans they don’t know (they will give a nuzzle to their caregivers) they live a comfortable life at their home under the Boardwalk.

“With Trap-Neuter-Return, the cats are humanely trapped then neutered and vaccinated by a veterinarian, which improves their lives by eliminating the stresses of mating and pregnancy,’’ said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. ‘’It also prevents future litters of kittens — which stabilizes the colony size.”

The Boardwalk Cats Project serves as a model for similar programs across the country.
To learn more about Alley Cat Allies’ Boardwalk Cats Project and find out how you can help, visit here.

Jake and Buttercup

This Sunday, June 6, starting at 12 noon, Slattery’s Golf Range and Mini-Golf in Northfield will be hosting its second annual Golf Fest to benefit Penny Angels Beagle Rescue.
It will be a fun day for the whole family, including your dog. A $15-per-person fee includes nine holes of mini-golf, a hot dog, soda and ice cream. There will be plenty of eligible beagles on hand if you’re interested in adopting a four-legged friend. Come as you are — golf clubs will be provided. The benefit will start at noon at Slattery’s Golf Range, located at 338 Tilton Rd. in Northfield. The rain date is the following Sunday, June 13.
“Last year the weather was horrendous,” says venue owner Ed Slattery. “We raised a couple hundred dollars for them but the weather really got in the way. We’re hoping

Lucy and Lola

for a nicer day this year because it’s for such a great cause. These people [Joan and Ken Kerr] have devoted their lives to these animals. I have three and I’d take more if I could.”
Representatives will be in attendance from Penny Angels Beagle Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to placing unwanted, neglected or homeless beagles in homes with loving families. For more information, call (609) 272-0520.

On Sunday, June 6, Slattery’s Golf Range and Mini-Golf will be hosting its Second Annual Golf Fest to benefit Penny Angels Beagle Rescue.
It will be a fun day for the whole family, including your dog. A $15-per-person fee includes nine holes of mini-golf, a hot dog, soda and ice cream. There will be plenty of eligible beagles on hand if you’re interested in adopting a four-legged friend. Come as you are — golf clubs will be provided. The benefit will start at noon at Slattery’s Golf Range, 338 Tilton Road in Northfield. The rain date is the following Sunday, June 13. For more information, call (609) 272-0520.

The Humane Society of Ocean City

An array of dogs, cats and miscellaneous creatures accompanied by their best friends, will obediently compete for ribbons on Saturday, April 3, starting 11am at Carey Stadium, 6th Street off the boardwalk in Ocean City. The annual event usually draws about 100 entrants and kicks off an array of Ocean City Easter Weekend activities.
Woofin’ Paws has always been a fundraiser for the Ocean City Humane Society. It takes on added significance this year as the Society has been working to capacity for months due to the recession. The facility is completely filled with dogs and cats from owners who can no longer afford to care for them.
A $5 entry fee for individual pets, or a $10 fee for multiple entries, supports the Society. Spectators are admitted free but donations to the Society are most welcome and encouraged. This year it is more important than ever for spectators to make on optional contribution.
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On Saturday, March 20, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) will celebrate the International Day of the Seal. Visitors may stop by the MMSC between the hours of 10am and 2pm to tour the facility, enjoy activities for children and visit their museum/gift shop.
The tour includes displays of how seals live in the wild and the equipment used by MMSC stranding technicians for rescue. You will also learn about the many types of seals and other aquatic animals that are cared for at the center. Kids activities include demonstrations of how seals stay warm in cold water, feeling their soft fur and making a seal mask to take home.
For more information, go here or call the MMSC at (609) 266-0538.
The MMSC is located at 3625 Atlantic-Brigantine Blvd. in Brigantine, just across the street from Prudential, Fox and Roach Realtors and just before the Lighthouse Circle on the left (heading north).

The Atlantic County Animal Shelter was the recipient of many special items from the proceeds of a recent wine tasting event held at Sofia in Margate.
Sofia Papastamelos, Angela Diamantis and Atlantic County Freeholder Alisa Cooper sponsored the elaborate wine tasting event with proceeds designated to benefit the shelter. The shelter is funded by Atlantic County Government and provides excellent care and housing for the cats and dogs, however this event was sponsored to purchase additional items that the shelter needed.
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Adopt me!

A fundraiser to benefit the Atlantic County Animal Shelter will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Sofia Restaurant, 9314 Amherst Ave., in Margate. Sponsored by Sofia Papastamelos and Angela Diamantis (owners of Sofia Restaurant) and Atlantic County Freeholder Alisa Cooper, the event will take place from 5:30-7:30pm and will feature hors d’ouerves, wines and ports from around the world, fine chocolates, door prizes and music.
“Several months ago I adopted a beautiful Bichon Frise from our Atlantic County Animal Shelter, and in talking with the staff I found out that many cats and dogs are being abandoned because of the economy,” says Cooper in a release to the media. “Unfortunately pet owners are being forced to relinquish their pets because they can no longer afford to keep them. Consequently the shelter has a variety of cats and dogs, large and small, young and old, just waiting to be adopted.”
Proceeds from the event will go toward purchasing food for the animals in the shelter.
“We know the shelter is funded by the county and makes excellent provisions for the animals, but with so many now in the shelter we thought additional funds could surely be used for the basics, and that’s food for the animals,” says Papastamelos.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling Sofia Restaurant at 822-9111, or you can purchase tickets at the door the day of the event. If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation by clicking here.

Cesar Millan, star of the hit National Geographic series, The Dog Whisperer, is coming back to Resorts for another Q&A session with dog lovers on Nov. 7 at the Superstar Theater. Tickets are $40, $50 and $75. Fans who would like a more personal experience will have a chance to bid on front and center tickets, plus a meet and photo opportunity with Millan after the show, through a special auction on Ticketmaster . The auction will begin on Friday, Sept. 25, at 10am, with the bidding ending on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 5pm. There are a total of 5 pairs of tickets available for this auction. Minimum bid for the auction is $150 for two tickets.

Millan has devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of canines. Before his first trip to Atlantic City last April, he explained his philosophy. “The best teacher is a dog itself. I was 13 when I decided I wanted to be the best dog trainer in the world after watching Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. In the city I learned that a lot of people work against the nature of a dog. People practice affection before exercise or discipline. This makes the dog confused because the nature of the animal is to be challenged. They love the challenge. That’s why I say exercise, discipline, affection. I never met an aggressive dog growing up; I never met an anxious dog, a fearful dog. I realized America has a lot of dog trainers, but what they don’t have is someone that teaches them common sense. Not the dog — the human. So that’s why I focus on training the humans and rehabilitating the dogs.”

No matter how shocked and horrified I was when the Eagles signed Michael Vick, I am interested to see him make his debut tonight. The Eagles organization put a huge bull’s-eye on its back when they signed Vick. Will it be worth all the bad press? Could it ever be worth the aggravation, no matter how well in plays?

I think it is interesting that NBC Sports director Dick Ebersol, who employs Tony Dungy, felt it was necessary to say that Dungy’s role as mentor to Michael Vick will be curtailed now that the quarterback has signed with the Eagles. Why announce that? Why not just do it quietly, unless there is some concern that Dungy needs to distance himself from Vick?

My stance outside of football remains that Vick has to demonstrate that he will work with the Humane Society of the United States and hopefully make an impact when it comes to the issue of dog fighting, which is so prevalent in Philadelphia and Camden. However, I’m still not sure that Vick’s jail time and acts of contrition will have as much of an impact in the dog-fighting community as the fact that the Eagles gave him a job and are going to pay him $1.6 million.

I wish I could watch tonight’s pre-season game with the Jaguars and only be thinking about football and what my team needs to do to show it is ready for the season. However, ever since the Vick signing, football readiness has taken a back seat to the controversy. I hope that will change as the season approaches.