The 13 Project, with a Twist!

Well, the compassionate, respectable soul of the interwebs has done again... rising above the lol cat memes and pig-riding baby monkeys on youtube, a truly heart-warming viral campaign took root this month, and like Ryan Gosling to an okapi, it had Oscar and I at "Hey Girl..."

Started by dog blogger diva Serena Faber Nelson, of Pretty Fluffy, The 13 Project is a valiant initiative to rally support and spread kindness for animals, with the underlying message that anyone can do something if matched with the right tasks. As of last week, there were but 13 short weeks left in 2012, and for each week, Serena posted a (totally manageable!) goal. The bloggers rallied, the suggestions rolled in, and at this point, the combined lists of all contributors includes a magnificent and steadily growing array of wonderful ways to help animals - some so easy you could tick them off this minute! 

Now, as grand as these admirable to-dos are (we've made our own short-list below) Oscar was keen on adding a little twist to the mission - one-upping a powerful call to action by marrying it with a celebration of what efforts like this help facilitate: the remarkable joys and accomplishments of rescued animals in their forever homes.

We happen to count numerous rescue pups among our very best friends, and as inspiration to start your own 13 Project list... We'll be doing a Weekly Feature Series! Starting today, Oscar has agreed to share a little of his blog real estate with portraits of some of his brilliant, adopted besties. We'll present 13 dogs in total, and the posts will be short and sweet, but we hope they make clear the many, many ways rescue* matches can be the very best kind of matches.

*As a serious breed enthusiast, and Oscar a discernible papered lad himself, we'll be placing extra emphasis on the efforts of breed-specific rescues - purebred dogs are not at all immune to neglect and abandonment and thousands end up in need of assistance each year too... 

And what of our 13 Project list?! We're starting here:

1. Add a badge to the blog sidebar with a direct link to a cause near and dear to the Beast: Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue - boo-yeah!...
2. Holiday shop for our canine friends at the following fine establishments - all of which pledge a % of proceeds, or make other focused efforts, to assisting animals in some way (Planet Dog, Rescue Chocolate, Found My Animal)...
3. Grab a friend and sign up to walk a few dogs at our local MSPCA Boston Adoption Center - this is such a win-win!..
4. Pledge to create a print piece for sale through this blog (Holiday 2012??) by which a donation may be made to Ridgeback Rescue...
5. Sign up to run on the 2013 Animal Rescue League of Boston marathon team! (for realz - the application has been submitted - fingers crossed! - and I'm lacing up my fund-raising shoes!)...
6. Invite all our critter-loving besties to join the 13 Project...

And with that, Oscar and I urge you - go forth and do good for the animals!
We'll post our first "Rescued Friend Feature" this evening... 

Comments

[Serena]

Thank you so much for joining The 13 Project! As a big fan of your work, I'm floored to have you join this initiative with such a beautiful illustration and wonderful list. I'm looking forward to seeing your wonderful Rescued Friend Feature! xx

[Mary]

We love our furry friends.
We support our local RR club for a very long time (years), and Jessie, we got from RR Club www.rrcv.org.au Adopt a Ridgeback.
We also support raising potential Guide Dog puppies via Puppy Sponsorship at https://www.guidedogsvictoria.com.au/

Keep up the great work!

[Mary]

I forgot to add my website to show you Jessie http://kobiyashi.wordpress.com/jessie-dog-thank-you-2012/

Cheers
Mary

[Natalya]

Hi Mary! Thanks for sharing your website - and thank you VERY much for posting a link back to this blog, in credit for your use of my Ridgeback illustration. You sound like a true supporter of dogs in need, and Oscar and I send you a big wag of gratitude!

Cheers!
Natalya & Oscar