New Downtown San Jose Dog Park opens on October 11th!

Hart's Dog Park is located in the Downtown core at 194 W. Santa Clara Street (between San Pedro St. and Almaden Avenue). To launch the new park, there will be an opening celebration on Tuesday, October 11th at 10:30am complete with dog treats.

The Downtown PBID worked with the SJ Downtown Association to create this urban park for the rising number of Downtown residents with dogs. The 2,000+ high-rise apartments built in the last five years are all within a quarter-mile of the new park.

The park is 2,000 SQFT with a double gate, artificial turf, benches, planters, and tree stumps. A mural by local artist Tom Colla will adorn the wall and honor one of San Jose's most famous department stores. The park will also be maintained by Groundwex.

This is a fantastic way to re-purpose abandoned/vacant space. A fire destroyed the previous structure and this space has sat empty for a decade. Much like the small park next to Axis, this is a great way to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors while also filling up the gaps in our streets.

Largest dog festival in the US takes place this weekend in Downtown San Jose

I actually had no idea that Bark in the Park was the largest dog festival in the country. This year 15,000 dog lovers and 3,900 dogs are expected to attend. There will be food, drinks, 75 vendors for dog-specific goods and services, demonstrations, shows, and tons of contests (dog costume, dog/owner look-alike, tail wagging, etc.).

Proceeds will benefit local organizations including the Humane Society, San Jose Animal Care Center, and the Campus Community Neighborhood Association.

The event takes place on William and 16th Street in Downtown San Jose this Saturday, September 17th and runs from 10am-5pm. There is no cost of admission for humans or dogs. For more info, head over to the Bark in the Park website.

The Dancing Cat pops up again

Silicon Valley's first cat adoption lounge is back at its original location, 702 E. Julian Street. The Dancing Cat is a great place to relax, have some snacks, and play with adoptable cats. The cat lounge opens on May 29th and will remain open until the fall. The organization is currently looking for a permanent location in the San Jose area and is seeking suggestions. For more info, read the release below or head over to The Dancing Cat website.

Announcing the Return of San Jose’s Creative Community Space for Felines and Those who Love Them 

SAN JOSE, CA - Silicon Valley’s first cat adoption lounge, The Dancing Cat, is back better than ever with the announcement of its re-opening in its original location of 702 E. Julian, San Jose.  From May 29 through the fall of 2016, Silicon Valley will have a fun venue for the community in which to relax, meet, and mingle while enjoying the company of adoptable feline friends.

The Dancing Cat is the perfect place for cat lovers and potential adopters who are looking for a place to socialize with friends, or just a respite from a hectic day.  Visitors can have fun with other guests, read, study or just lounge with adoptable cats in a comfortable, open room.  Guests are invited to bring their own food and beverage. A small selection of drinks and cookies from local bakeries is available for purchase. Wi-Fi and catnip are on the house.

Building on the organization’s success, The Dancing Cat's founders Mary Rubin and Ann Chasson have joined with Silicon Valley Pet Project to establish a permanent space for The Dancing Cat. This initiative expands Silicon Valley Pet Project’s mission to save at-risk shelter pets through rescue, community involvement and education. The Dancing Cat will showcase adult cats who are looking for loving forever homes in order to reduce the number of cats euthanized in the South Bay.  Additionally, this initiative seeks to present a unique venue for cat-centered social and educational events in the community.

“The Julian-Saint James neighborhood is thrilled to have The Dancing Cat back for a few more months” said Robert Wright, local resident, cat lover and member of the 13th Street Neighborhood Association.  “I love the idea of stopping in, relaxing and hanging out with friendly cats.”

Even The Dancing Cat needs a forever home. While The Dancing Cat will return to the East Julian location through November, Silicon Valley Pet Project is currently searching for a suitable permanent location for the lounge in the San Jose area.  A larger space will allow for the expansion of Silicon Valley Pet Project's mission and programs. Anyone with information about a possible available location can contact thedancingcat@svpetproject.org. Financial donations are being accepted on The Dancing Cat’s website.

 “It was exciting to see how welcoming the neighborhood and the surrounding cities were to us last year.  Cat lovers from all around the Bay Area visited us and were inspired. We had many wonderful cats adopted, and we are eager to showcase even more this year.” Chasson said.  “We look forward to continuing The Dancing Cat with Silicon Valley Pet Project's contributions of both talent and support.”

About
The Dancing Cat is a passion project developed by a small group of cat lovers and creatives who work to improve the quality of life for the cats in Silicon Valley. We are dedicated to connecting these valuable members of our community with their forever homes in a responsible way. Recognizing that there are many cat lovers among us, we also hope The Dancing Cat will provide opportunities for new partnerships among people who are contributing to the vibrancy and creativity of our community. www.thedancingcat.org

Silicon Valley Pet Project (SVPP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of volunteers committed to saving local at-risk shelter pets through rescue, community involvement and education.
www.svpetproject.org

The Dancing Cat partners with Silicon Valley Pet Project seeking location to re-open in San Jose

SAN JOSE, CA - April 7, 2016—Silicon Valley’s first cat adoption lounge, The Dancing Cat, is back better than ever with the announcement of  a new partnership with Silicon Valley Pet Project (SVPP).  SVPP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue organization that rescues at-risk cats and dogs from the San Jose Animal Care Center, Silicon Valley’s largest municipal animal shelter.

The Dancing Cat was originally conceived as a four-week pop-up lounge in downtown San Jose in May, 2015, designed to help potential adopters meet and become acquainted with adoptable pets.  The Dancing Cat was so embraced by the community, that it remained active and of service to the public for six months. More than 50 adult cats were adopted, 12 community events were held in the space, and over 2,000 visitors passed through the doors.

Building on the organization’s success, The Dancing Cat's founders Mary Rubin and Ann Chasson are joining with Silicon Valley Pet Project to create a permanent space for people to meet, mingle and spend time with adoptable cats. The main goal of the partnership is to find loving forever homes for adult cats who are at risk in the shelter by providing a free-roaming, comfortable and safe space for these cats to be showcased.  Additionally, the project seeks to present a unique venue for social and educational events in the community.

To date, SVPP has primarily focused on foster parents and local adoption events to rehome rescued animals, but that strategy is expanding.

“We were incredibly inspired by Ann’s and Mary’s commitment and passion to feature adoptable adult cats in such a creative way,” said Melissa Lisbon, President of Silicon Valley Pet Project.  “The adult cats SVPP selected to be featured at The Dancing Cat were quickly adopted by wonderful families. We are excited to join forces in our common mission to save more lives in our community through innovative initiatives.  The Dancing Cat represents the Silicon Valley spirit by addressing a challenge with a fresh perspective: the animal welfare challenge of the overpopulation of adult cats in our local shelters.”

The Dancing Cat team is currently searching for a suitable permanent location in the San Jose area.  Anyone with information about a possible available location can contact thedancingcat@svpetproject.org. The project is accepting financial donations towards the reopening of The Dancing Cat on its website.

“It was exciting to see how enthusiastically the space was embraced,  resulting in so many successful adoptions,” Rubin said.  “We in the volunteer and nonprofit arenas can make a bigger impact on a problem like homeless pets when we work together, leverage our passion and learnings.  We look forward to continuing The Dancing Cat with SVPP's contributions of both talent and support.”

About
The Dancing Cat is a passion project developed by a small group of cat lovers and creatives who work to improve the quality of life for the cats in Silicon Valley. We are dedicated to connecting these valuable members of our community with their forever homes in a responsible way. Recognizing that there are many cat lovers amongst us, we also hope The Dancing Cat will provide opportunities for new partnerships among people who are contributing to the vibrancy and creativity of our community. www.thedancingcat.org

Silicon Valley Pet Project (SVPP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of volunteers committed to saving local at-risk shelter pets through rescue, community involvement and education. www.svpetproject.org

The Dancing Cat is Extending Its Stay in San Jose

Cat lovers of Silicon Valley, you can rejoice. The area's first pop-up cat adoption lounge, The Dancing Cat, is extending its stay!

The lounge, run by Ann Chasson and Mary Rubin, will be extending its stay for 6-8 weeks funded by several donations courtesy of San Jose City Councilmembers Raul Peralez, Pierluigi Oliverio, and Ash Kalra in addition to donations from several individual community members.

“The Dancing Cat brings together communities, and serves as an inventive business model that creatively reuses blighted space and provides an important service. I encourage residents of San Jose to visit the Dancing Cat right now so we can help it become a permanent local business in District 3.” - Councilman Raul Peralez, City of San Jose Council District 3

The other day I made a reservation to visit the lounge with a friend. I already have a cat at home, but I wanted to check the place out for myself as well as play with the kitties! I had a great time taking photos of all the cats and gorgeous decor.

When you walk in you sign a waiver in a little foyer room (blocked off so the cats in the other room don't make a break for it.) Then you're granted access to the lounge! And wow.. what a wonderfully decorated space. Modern decor, white walls, and beautiful pops of color fill the room. There is a long picnic table in the middle of the room and couches and chairs at the end. Cat toys, trees, and other lounge-y spots fill the nooks and corners so the cats have plenty of places to sit as well.

You are free to bring in food and drink for yourself, or you can purchase a soda, have a cup of tea or coffee (I spotted a Keurig brewer - so maybe you can just bring your own cups if you wish!)

The building itself used to be a liquor store, so there are a series of glass doors that used to be the fridge. Each glass panel holds wonderful cat-themed paintings done by the group over at The Arsenal.

There is no need to rush to hang out with the cats either. Bring a book or your laptop, sit down and just hang out. The idea isn't to just pet/play with the cats here, it's also a cafe/lounge atmosphere. The day we went there was a mix of people, a couple sat on the couch and hung out with a sleepy kitten. Several older teens sat in a group on the floor and played with an older cat (while they stalked the spot on the couch near the kitten - that was amusing to say the least.)

While we were there, two cats were adopted! Rhett and Butler went to a happy home together. And that's the great thing about this place - people are able to hang out with these cats and kittens in a home-like environment to get to know them. Since opening on May 21, nearly ALL of the cats at The Dancing Cat, have been adopted - this includes typically difficult to adopt cats like senior cats, black cats, and bonded pairs.

The Dancing Cat is open from noon to 6 pm Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours on Friday and Saturday.  A limited number of people are admitted to the space at any one time in order to maintain a comfortable environment for both people and cats. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a spot online at www.thedancingcat.org.  The Dancing Cat collects an admission donation of $10 per hour and $5 for children under 10 years of age. A limited number of walk-ins can be accommodated as space allows.  

Beavers Find the Way Back to San Jose

Well, I can honestly say that I had no idea beavers ever existed in the Bay Area. For the first time in 150 years, beavers have apparently returned to the Guadalupe River and made a home for themselves within the Downtown San Jose area. Even the beavers see the value in moving Downtown! Check out the video below and the source link for all the info.

Thanks Dan for the tip!

Source: Bay Nature

Empty our Shelters Campaign

Guest post by Melissa Lisbon:

Starting October 1 through October 16, 6 area shelters have coordinated a plan to get the hundreds of dogs and cats overflowing in their shelters adopted.  The campaign is called "Empty our Shelters" and the following shelters are participating:

• San Jose Animal Care Center
• Humane Society Silicon Valley
• Palo Alto Animal Services
• Town Cats
• Santa Clara County Animal Shelter
• Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority

Of the above six shelters, the San Jose Animal Care Center takes in the most strays, as they provide animal control services for the city of San Jose, Saratoga, Milpitas, Cupertino and Los Gatos (over 1.4 million residents).  The San Jose Animal Care Center, like the other participants in this program are offering VERY reduced adoption fees - all of their animals will be offered at a $10 adoption fee!  Each shelter has it's own promotional adoption fee during this 2 week special program.

One example of the perfect pet waiting for you is Peanut (pictured below), a 7 year old torbi female kitty at San Jose Animal Care Center.  Peanut has been patiently waiting for her special someone for over 2 months and has become a favorite of shelter volunteers. She enjoys pets and sunshine.  At 7 years old, she is the perfect middle-aged companion who will always listen to how your day went!

Now is the time to visit your local animal shelter and give them your support.  If you are not looking to adopt a pet at this time, they are always looking for volunteers and donations of supplies (newspapers, toys, towels, linens, etc).

Melissa N. Lisbon
San Jose Animal AdvocatesCommitted to helping homeless animals in our community

web:            http://sjanimaladvocates.org

facebook:  facebook.com/sjanimaladvocates

twitter:       sjanimals

cell:             (408) 637-1282

Kitten Season 2011 and why you shouldn’t bring your homeless kitten to the shelter

Guest Post by Melissa Lisbon from San Jose Animal Advocates:


It's kitten season, and our local San Jose shelter is overflowing with tiny felines.  Many people think they are doing the right thing by bringing a litter of kittens they find, or that their cat has to the shelter assuming the shelter will care for these little kittens.  This is not the case.

Many local cat rescue groups try to pull these kittens from the shelter and put them in foster homes, but there just aren't enough foster homes to rescue all of the kittens that need it.  Did you know that more than 3500 pre-wean kittens are euthanized in Santa Clara County shelters every year?  Unfortunately, shelters are not equipped to care for these little ones and do not have staff, volunteers or the money to do this. Unless rescue pulls them and finds experienced bottle-feeding foster homes for them, pre-weans are almost always euthanized.

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue (http://ibokrescue.org) created the Pre-Wean Kitten Project in 2007 to encourage community involvement in saving the lives of these tiny kittens.  As part of the Pre-Wean Project, IBOK Rescue provides Starter Packs (which include emergency supplies such as KMR, a nursing bottle, a flea comb, and kitten food; informational literature; discount coupons; and an instructional DVD) to more than 20 Bay Area shelters and to all 40 Pet Food Express stores. These packs are given out FREE to anyone who finds orphaned kittens.  In early 2010 IBOK produced a 30-minute instructional video on how to care for pre-weaned kittens.  The video shows you everything you need to know to hand-raise the kittens until they are old enough to be adopted and is available on DVD and online.  IBOk has also collaborated with HSSV to develop a training class which is held bi-monthly at their facility and are hoping to offer this class in more locations soon.

On Saturday, September 10th San Jose Animal Advocates (http://sjanimaladvocates.org) will be hosting a fundraiser called “Buy a Book, Save a Cat” where the proceeds of the event will be split between Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty (IBOK rescue) (http://ibokrescue.org) and PAWS for SJACS (http://paws4sjacs.org).  The fundraiser will be held on the sidewalk in front of Elefante Blanco Thrift Boutique at 1343 The Alameda from 11am to 4pm.  It will include the sale of books, cds, dvds, cassettes and vhs movies.   Both organizations will apply their funds to support their spay/neuter initiatives.  Buying several books or CDs will pay for spaying one cat which means less kittens ending up in our shelters with little or no chance of survival.

--

Sincerely,

Melissa N. Lisbon
San Jose Animal AdvocatesCommitted to helping homeless animals in our community

web:            http://sjanimaladvocates.org

facebook:  facebook.com/sjanimaladvocates

twitter:       sjanimals

cell:             (408) 637-1282

Chihuahuas in San Jose

Guest Post by Melissa Lisbon:

For many months, our local shelter, the San Jose Animal Care Center (http://sanjoseanimals.com) has been inundated with dogs, especially small dogs.  Almost 50% of these small dogs are Chihuahuas or Chihuahua mixes.  As a result of the July 4th holiday, the single worst day of the year for pets going missing, the shelter took in an extraordinary number of frightened animals, including a high number of chis.  

Why do we have so many Chihuahuas in San Jose?  Many people believe it is due to the trend set by Hollywood where Chihuahuas act as an "accessory" - thank you Paris Hilton!  The reality is that many people are still not spaying and neutering their chihuahuas and are trying to make a profit from breeding these dogs.

San Jose Animal Advocates (http://sjanimaladvocates.org), a community group dedicated to raising awareness of the homeless pet situation in San Jose, is trying to help bring attention to this issue and engage the community with this ongoing problem.  On Saturday, July 23rd, San Jose Animal Advocates will be hosting a fundraiser, "Buy a book, Save a Dog".  Community donated books, magazines, cds, and movies will be sold to raise money for two local groups who are making a positive impact on the chihuahua dilemma in San Jose.  Proceeds will be split between PAWS for SJACS (http://paws4sjacs.org) and The Perfect Dog (http://theperfectdog.org).  PAWs for SJACS is a non profit organization which supports the San Jose Animal Care Center and funds out-of-state animal transports.  With the money from the fundraiser on the 23rd, we hope to be able to fund another transport of chihuahua mixes to a humane society in Oregon or Washington state.  The Perfect Dog is a local dog rescue group that saves dogs from the San Jose Animal Care Center and the South County Animal Shelter in San Martin (south of San Jose).  Proceeds from this fundraiser will help this local dog rescue to afford to save more shelter dogs.

San Jose Animal Advocates, PAWs for SJACS and The Perfect Dog have also teamed up to develop a website that is specifically geared toward the Chihuahua breed and the Chihuahua crisis in California.  The name of the website is ChiFriends (http://chifriends.org) and the goal is to raise awareness about this great breed of dog and to act as a resource for other area dog rescue groups and shelters.

What else can you do to help with the Chihuahua crisis in San Jose?

 - Adopt a chi from the San Jose Animal Care Center (there is a July adoption special for chis, only requiring licensing fees) 

 - Spread the word about the importance of spaying/neutering your pets

 - Consider becoming a dog foster parent which allows rescue organizations to save more dogs