The North Shore Animal League By Ryan Hamaker

I stay engaged in the Tampa Bay community through numerous volunteer activities on behalf of organizations such as the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, for which I have collected pet food and supplies. My past professional work with local hospitals as a Sanofi-Aventis representative also led to volunteer service opportunities. In 2010, I collected medical supplies for a physician client of mine to bring to Haiti for the earthquake relief effort. As an animal lover, one organization that I support is the Tampa Bay North Shore Animal League. This group is part of the nationwide North Shore Animal League, which seeks to end animal cruelty and the euthanasia of healthy pets through educational programs that increase shelter adoptions.

A pioneer in the no-kill rescue and adoption movement, the North Shore Animal League’s many volunteers and staff give rescued animals the love, support, and training necessary for them to become ideal companion animals. I particularly support the North Shore Animal League’s advocacy of mixed-breed pets. Its Mutt-i-grees educational initiative seeks to elevate the status of un-pedigreed pets that often possess high levels of intelligence, and affinity for and understanding of humans.

the new face of North Shore Animal League America's Tour For Life mobile Public Domain by pynkcelebrity.com (Click Image to view Video Clip)

Becoming involved with a local chapter of the North Shore Animal League is as simple as signing up for a mailing list. The North Shore Animal League offers mailings and website listings of available pets for adoption from its no-kill facility. To date, the League has found permanent homes for more than one million displaced animals throughout the United States. The organization also offers affordable health care and effective and humane obedience classes for canines of all ages. This spring, the North Shore Animal League completed its annual Tour For Life, traveling from California to Florida in order to promote pet adoption. Successful in spreading pet adoption awareness, the tour directly resulted in the adoption of almost 1,500 pets. To stay up to date on the North Shore Animal League and its various local initiatives, visit www.animalleague.org.

About the Author: A Cardiovascular Senior Sales Professional with Janssen, Ryan Hamaker resides in Tampa, Florida.