Letters from the Publisher

Publisher’s Letter

posted November 15th, 2011 by
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By Marilyn King

Happy holiday season to all the Tulsa pet lovers,Thank you for taking your time to pick up this November issue, and we hope you enjoy what’s inside! We’ve got a lot to announce, from changes in Tulsa’s drinking water treatment, to major shifts coming in the way adoptions are handled at our city shelter.

My friend Leonidas spotlights the front cover for this issue.  I’ve been a big Leonidas fan since I met him when I started the magazine, and I thought a perfect tribute would be to feature him on this cover.

He’s “stylin” in his red Christmas scarf and he’s truly a pleasure to photograph – so very laid back and well behaved. He doesn’t have a story, and he’s not famous, he’s just a really good dog! Owners of pet fish, reptiles and amphibians please take a moment to read the enclosed article on changes coming to the City’s water treatment system.   It’s important to know this information and take the necessary steps to protect your pets.

There are also significant changes coming to the City of Tulsa Animal Welfare (city shelter).  With a six-month transition, all adoptions of city shelter animals will be handled by the Humane Society of Tulsa. Some sort of change is needed, as I recently read that the city of Newark, New Jersey’s shelter puts down approximately 30 dogs per month. In August, Tulsa’s shelter euthanized 499 dogs and 366 cats, and in September, 418 dogs, and 296 cats. Of course it’s not hard to see that something is terribly wrong with this picture, and it’s urgent that all measures possible be taken to send these numbers the other way.  Time will tell if the new arrangement will benefit the animals, the only ones who truly count in this deal.  We encourage you to read this story and let us know your thoughts, and we’ll be reporting back on this situation.

We are proud to announce our new online pet business directory! It’s been totally revamped and is a true tapestry of the entire local pet community. It’s easier to access information than to use Google and will rival any phone book. Please take a moment to go and explore! 2011 has been a fast year, and it’s hard to believe it’s almost over. We’ve had a really fun time doing all the stories and have truly enjoyed each and every one of them.

Happy holidays to all, from TulsaPets Magazine. We are thankful for your support

and wish everyone and their pets a wonderful holiday season!

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Posted in November 2011, Publisher's Letters | No Comments »

Happy fall to all of our pets and to the people who love them!

posted September 15th, 2011 by
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Marilyn King

I do believe no one’s happier about this cooler weather than our beloved pets! And with the fall’s more temperate climate comes more fun local pet events, so be sure to check out our comprehensive online calendar at www.tulsapetsmagazine.com.

There is a lot happening in our local pet world so get on out and moving and have fun! I’m proud to feature the handsome Ely on this issue’s front cover – he is an important cog in the upcoming Turn Tulsa Pink wheel, being the official ‘canine ambassador’ for the event.
On October 22-29 Tulsa and the surrounding areas will “turn pink” in honor of women and children who have cancer.

Ely is helping to spread the word to our local pet community – his story is in this issue and you can find more information about the event at www.turntulsapink.com Paws to Remember is an upcoming Pet Memorial and Blessing of the Animals, sponsored in part by TulsaPets Magazine.

If you have a departed pet you would like to memorialize, please email his/her picture, and date of birth/date of passing to jenny@tulsapetsmagazine. Your pet’s picture will be included in the event’s slideshow. Everyone is invited, so please plan to attend. It’s scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 2 at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 4250 W. Houston in Broken Arrow.

With Halloween approaching we want to remind everyone about our online Scrapbook featuring pets in their Halloween costumes.
Please feel free to add your pet to this colorful group and tell your friends and family to do the same. A bit of Halloween fun for all! And for those of you who have not visited our web site lately, please take a moment to look at the overview on pages 24 and 25.

We have animals for adoption, special needs pets needing homes, a calendar of events, past issues (in their new flipping book format) and much more! Our next issue will come out in mid-November, so in the meantime we hope everyone has a terrific fall season.

Thank you to my loyal advertisers and readers and to all who make this magazine a reality. It’s a real joy to see the start to finish process and to hold the final product in hand!

All the best , Mari lyn , Sam & Elmer P.S. Please keep the Pets About Town photos coming! We want to continue featuring our local pets in our collage but our supply is dwindling!

To feature your pet in an upcoming issue please email their photo in a jpeg image to petpics@tulsapetsmagazine.com, or mail a hardcopy photo to TulsaPets Magazine, P.O. Box 14128, Tulsa, OK 77159-1128. (Sorry, but photos cannot be returned.) Please remember to include your pet’s name along with your photo.

Posted in Publisher's Letters, September 2011 | No Comments »

Publisher’s Letter

posted July 15th, 2011 by
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Dear Pet Lover,

Welcome to this July issue of TulsaPets Magazine, and thanks for picking up a copy. I hope you enjoy this issue and that you tell your family and friends about us.

I have long wanted to feature guinea pigs in the magazine, and I got my wish this issue. Our cover story features the guinea pig, a sweet and gentle little critter. The guinea pig is often a child’s first pet primarily because of their calm, non-biting nature. I had guinea pigs as a kid and my most memorable was my Genuwen. He would sleep on my pillow at night and I could trust him not to escape throughout the house. And though he’s long gone, I dedicate this issue to him.

We have two exciting new additions to our web site. We are now including many more adoption showings, from Saturday PetSmart showings to other non-recurring events. We hope to provide a onestop resource for pet adoption opportunities, so please keep checking the Next Adoption Showings on our home page and spread the word to get out and go pet adopting!

We’re also featuring another new segment on the home page on Pets with Special Needs available for adoption – those pets that most often get overlooked and are probably first in line to be put down because of certain health issues. There are so many special needs pets that do make wonderful companions and we hope to help these most special pets with this new web feature.

We also want to announce that Casey Rose Largent will be coordinating these two web site additions, and she comes on board as our Rescue Coordinator and Events Liaison. Welcome aboard, Casey Rose!

For anyone who read An Unfinished Story in the May issue (page 26) about Buddy the cat that was separated from his person because the new landlord ruled “no pets,” there is some good that has come from this story! Camille Hulen, the story’s author and temporary keeper of Buddy, has received several calls of people concerned, wanting to help. Three people have offered Buddy’s “dad” transportation to Camille’s Cathouse to visit, and Camille has also received money and a gas card to pass along. What a nice thought to know that there are generous strangers who want to help just to help. Life is good! Stay tuned for a hopeful happy ending to this Unfinished Story.

We’ll be back in September with lots of good tales, so in the meantime keep up to date with the local pet news on our web site, www.tulsapetsmagazine.com. Thank you to everyone who helped make another issue of TulsaPets Magazine possible!

Marilyn King and Elmer Fudd

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Posted in All Past Articles, July 2011, Publisher's Letters | No Comments »

Publisher Letter

posted May 15th, 2011 by
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Greetings, Tulsa-area pet lovers,
As I sit and write this Publisher’s Letter, the sun is shining and it’s a near perfect day here in my midtown Tulsa office. It’s always nice to have these mild temperatures that allow us to play outside with our pets more, and it’s a comfort to know that even for a short while those pets forced to live outdoors aren’t faced with the two extremes of cold and heat that we experience here in Oklahoma.
I’m pleased that we have included the story on Pet Economics in this issue. I feel it’s so important for new pet owners to know the realistic costs of owning and caring for a pet. People going out to adopt armed with this knowledge won’t be in for surprises, and realizing this information upfront can avoid heartache and possible tragedy for the pet later.

Also new and albeit most noteworthy is our new Oklahoma law in effect that allows individuals requesting protective orders to also specifically include their pets in the order. You can find out more in Lloyd Benedict’s article on page 16.

Tulsans should be proud to know that Animal Aid is celebrating its 50th year in Tulsa this month! Founded by two women in 1961, this long-time institution has saved the lives of literally thousands of pets over its lifespan. Their operation is also unique in that sales from their thrift store at 15th & Harvard help with the cost of vetting their pets available for adoption. I’ve long since stopped having garage sales, and instead I donate all my gently used items to this worthy organization.

Our next special online event will feature Shelter Alumni pets. Did your pet come from a local area shelter or rescue organization? Whether purebred or mutt, if he/ she was adopted from one of our local shelters or rescue organizations, please email a photo, with your name and theirs, to myshelterpet@tulsapetsmagazine.com or go online to www.tulsapetsmagazine.com Scrapbook and click Shelter Alumni. While this won’t be a “contest,” we want to honor these special pets and feature them all on our web site in our Scrapbook. So be sure and check online for this important feature! Don’t forget to also check our online Calendar of Events for up-to-date postings of local pet happenings. In addition, readers can now also post an online In Memoriam to their departed pet, with a $15 donation to a local rescue organization of their choosing. For more information see our web site’s In Memoriam section.

Enjoy your spring with your pets, and we’ll see you back in July.
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this issue possible!
Marilyn and Sam

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Posted in May 2011, Publisher's Letters | No Comments »

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

posted March 15th, 2011 by
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Dear Pet Loving Reader,


Thank you for picking up this copy of TulsaPets Magazine! We hope you enjoy our March issue and share it with your friends and family.

We have extended the kid’s pet art contest and the three finalists will now appear in the May 2011 issue. Students in several school classes will be participating, but the blizzards delayed completion of entries. In the meantime, we are posting the entries on www.tulsapetsmagazine. com so be sure to go look. There are dragons, birds, and snakes among our dog and cat pictures! We will continue to post entries until the judging is held in mid-April.

This cover’s pet just happens to be my black mutt Elmer Fudd. I encourage everyone to read the saga of the black dog article in this issue. It’s a proven fact that black dogs take the longest to be adopted and are the most euthanized of all dogs in our country’s municipal shelters. You’ll find out why in the article. I adopted Elmer from the Tulsa Animal Shelter and this little fellow is absolutely one of the happiest organisms existing on this earth. He has brought joy and laughter and much, much love to our household and everyday I feel fortunate to be his keeper. I know now that of all my future dogs, all of whom will be rescued, at least one will be black.

There are good things happening at the new Good Shepherd Veterinary Hospital in Broken Arrow. Veterinarian Kevin Long and his schoolteacher wife Stacey are huge proponents of teaching children responsible pet ownership at a young age, and they’re hosting field trips at their clinic so kids can get a first-hand look at proper pet care. We at TulsaPets Magazine feel it’s critical to instill a healthy appreciation and love for pets at a very young age. Children need to know that pets are not disposable objects but instead are creatures who feel love, fear, contentment and the host of other emotions. So paws up to you, Good Shepherd!

Please look online each week at our Shelter Report photos taken by Bob Foshay. Bob visits the Tulsa shelter every Tuesday and photographs cats and dogs available for adoption. I know firsthand it takes courage to go to the city pound, especially on a regular schedule, and I want to thank Bob for his unswerving commitment to help the helpless there.

Remember, we’re publishing six issues annually now, so we’ll see you again in May. In the meantime, thank you to all who make this mission possible, and keep spreading the word about the importance of spaying and neutering all pets!

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Posted in All Past Articles, March 2011, Publisher's Letters | No Comments »

Publishers Letter

posted January 15th, 2011 by
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20110115 1

By Marilyn King

Dear Tulsa Pet-Loving Reader:

This January issue marks the beginning of my fifth year of publication of TulsaPets Magazine. It’s been a fun-filled four years and I thank everyone who makes it possible.

It would not exist without our loyal advertisers (THANK YOU), the writers who make it all worthwhile, and the graphic designers who make the whole thing come together. So, here’s a huge thanks to all of you! Our cover dogs are Atlas & Biscuit, two rescued dogs belonging to Elise Kilpatrick, an Oklahoma City native turned Tulsa resident. She was the lucky high bidder for the magazine’s cover at the Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue fund raiser event last October. Proceeds from her winning bid help Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue in the many ways they rescue and place in new homes this wonderful golden breed. Elise adopted Atlas from Pets and People Humane Society in Yukon, OK (www.petsandpeople.com) and Biscuit came from Oklahoma Westie Rescue in Bixby (www.okwestierescue.com).

As you know, we’ve been doing a series of pet contests. This issue features the winning pet license plates, and our next contest is children’s pet art. Submit your child’s (ages 10 and under please) art of their pet or a pet they know, and it will be posted on our web site, tulsapetsmagazine.com, with the best three featured in our March, 2011 issue. Send original art in a high-resolution jpg image to kidsart@tulsapetsmagazine.com. Judging the contest will be local artists Helen Howerton, Lori Abrams Rauchwerger, and Matt Moffett. See the notice on page 16 for more details! The new year kicks off with a big welcome to two new people on the team and a new web service provider. Pat Atkinson, Editor, applies her professional journalistic experience to our editorial content. Shelby Blackwell comes on board as an Advertising Sales Rep, and SilverTree Technology is our new web service provider.

This year we’ll bring you six issues of TulsaPets Magazine, increasing production to bi-monthly. We are continuing the popular feature, Pets About Town, in every issue so keep the pictures coming. Send your high-resolution photos to petpics@tulsapetsmagazine.com and see your pet in a future issue! Here’s to a most prosperous, safe and happy 2011 to all -

Marilyn (& Sam)

Posted in January 2011, Publisher's Letters | No Comments »

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