Helping Pets After Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE! Nicole Planchon of Etsy for Animals gave me a wonderful update! The incredible Etsy for Artists team created even more toys for the furry Sandy victims than previously reported! Here are the numbers…drumroll, please!…150 toys on their way to NYC ACC (90 cat / 70 dog), 153 toys on their way to Humane Society in NJ (89 cat / 74 dog) and 42 toys on their way to the Veterinary Emergency Center in Staten Island (30 cat / 12 dog)! Isn’t that fabulous? I love them, I really do!

Etsy for Animals, a group of talented, warm-hearted and generous artists that help animals, are in the final stage of completing Operation Chew Toy, a mission to send hundreds of cat & dog toys to animal shelters on the East Coast caring for pets caught in Hurricane Sandy.

In late November, when Etsy for Animals (EFA) heard the plea for pet food & toys for the furry victims of Hurricane Sandy they immediately responded with offers of help and started ‘Operation Chew Toy‘ with tug, pull & chew toys for the stressed out furry victims made by the Etsy artists themselves.

Team EFA will begin shipping out over 250 cat & dog toys to Animal Care & Control of NYC’s Staten Island shelter and the New Jersey Humane Society shelter, overwhelmed with homeless pets in the aftermath of the hurricane that destroyed many of their homes. For the rescued pets, lonely and frightened, the toys will help alleviate the stress of being in an animal shelter.

Team EFA will also be sending some 30 toys generously donated by the artists to the veterinarian who has helped them in making distributions.

Notices pleading for help on the Animal Care & Control of NYC and the Humane Society websites remain; reminding us how Hurricane Sandy has devastated the lives of both people and pets. Although many evacuation centers allowed companion animals to accompany their guardians, their future remains uncertain.

Please show your support for the tremendous work of EFA members by doing your holiday shopping at their stores on Etsy.com. For an example of the wonderful creations you can find, view the gallery of fabulous items for pets (and people) I found on a recent shopping trip to Etsy. Each artist donates a portion of their sales and their time to helping animals in need.

To see the Etsy tutorial on how to make tug toys, or to find out more about Etsy for Artists organization online please visit the :

• Website: http://efaartistshelpinganimals.org/
• Blog: http://etsyforanimals.blogspot.com/
• Teams: http://www.etsy.com/teams/6354/efa-etsy-for-animals
• Shop: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=team+efa