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.

While I am still not happy about the Michael Vick signing (I’m writing this wearing my Neuter Vick T-shirt), my anger and disappointment has been muted somewhat by the Vick press conference this morning.
He admitted that before his legal problems, he didn’t understand the bond that many Americans have with their animals, and he admitted that he didn’t feel this bond. He now claims he has more compassion for animals and that he is striving to, “Help more animals than I hurt.”
He has been working with the Humane Society of the United States and he will continue to work “In inner city communities to attack the problem [of dog fighting].” Dog fighting is a big problem in the Delaware Valley, especially in Camden and Philadelphia. If he makes a positive impact in curbing dog fighting in our region, I will salute him for his efforts.
He also talked about wanting to be a better father to his three children, parenting he had to put on hold while he was in jail.
After hearing Vick speak, I am more inclined to have a wait and see attitude. Utilization of his football skills will not factor into my feelings about Vick. In this case, I am more concerned about what he is doing off the field to let young people know that fighting dogs is not acceptable.

Animal lovers in Somers Point, I have an amber alert for an orange kitten that is wandering around the Sea Aire Apartment complex on Chapman Blvd.
She is very friendly and appears to be about 12-16 weeks old.
She is a classic (blotched) orange and white shorthaired tabby and has a very healthy pair of lungs. She was screaming at me in the rain this morning when I went for work.
If you know anything about a missing kitten in the area, please call 601-2685. I have put myself on the “lost pet” e-mail alert hotline of the Home Again pet recovery Website.

Cooper

Alley Cat Allies is the wonderful national organization based out of Maryland that is at the forefront of the humane Trap-Neuter-Return program for feral cats. Instead of being captured and euthanized, the cats are captured, neutered, vaccinated and returned to the wild so that the population is stabilized. Alley Cat Allies have a strong presence in our area with the Boardwalk Cats program.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, kittens and other young cats from the Boardwalk Cats program will be looking for a new home at the Alley Cat Allies Adoption and Outreach Fair, 11am-4pm at the Petco store at 1335 Hooper Ave. in Toms River. As part of the Trap-Neuter-Return program officially sanctioned by the city and carried out by Alley Cat Allies and volunteers, feral cats who live at the boardwalk are humanely trapped, neutered, and vaccinated before being returned to their outdoor homes, where they receive regular food and water.

Mason is part Maine Coon.

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April is looking for a new home.

Beacon Animal Rescue, a terrific organization that helps animals that are on “death row” at other local shelters, holds its Annual “Paws on the Promenade” fundraiser on Saturday, June 13, from 11am-2pm at JFK Boulevard and The Promenade in Sea Isle City. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to Beacon Animal Rescue for their work in helping animals.
There will be three categories in the competition: Best in Show, Best Behaved, and Best Dressed. Prizes will be awarded for both large and small dogs in each category. There will also be a Grand Prize of a $200 gift certificate to Parkway Veterinary Hospital. There will be three judges for the event, Dr. Nick Holland V.M.D. of Shore Veterinarians, as well as Michelle Dawn Mooney and Lorry Young, both of News Channel 40 NBC. Participants can pre-register for the event for $10 or can register the day-of for $15. For more information go here or call Beacon at 390-7946.

Mikum is a Beacon resident who wants to play.

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Beacon Animal Rescue is a great organization that takes animals that would otherwise be euthanized from other local shelters. I know because I fostered Lucky, a stray orange tabby cat that had its broken hip repaired, then was going to be put down before winding up at Beacon. Lucky is currently living with my nephew Ryan, his wife Katie and his animal pals Aiden and Evy.
This preamble is my way of asking animal lovers to support Beacon’s big fundraising event, Strut For Mutts IV that takes place on Sunday, May 17 at the Estell Manor Park, Route 50, Mays Landing at the softball field/pavilion C. The event runs from noon-4pm and includes a Chinese auction, raffle, and a silent auction. There will also be an appearance by Elwood, Animal Planet’s 2007 “Ugliest Dog” (pictured) and a demonstration of Frisbee catching featuring animal athlete One-Eyed Jack.
Bring your dogs to strut their stuff for homeless animals. There is a $10 registration fee to strut at 2pm, and all proceeds benefit the wonderful work by Beacon Animal Rescue, 701 Butter Rd., Oceanville. For directions go here and click on Recreation & Leisure/County Parks.