The Pack

Here's a great rescue story from Palmetto Animal League. It goes to show a little extra effort by a few individuals really can save a life.

This is the tale of Norton, a deaf pit bull, and the local women who started a campaign to help him:

A gift card can go a long way in helping an animal in need. Pick one up and head to the Hilton Head Humane Association tomorrow to party for a good cause.

Check out this interview with Julie Chalpan, a Hilton Head Island dog owner/lover and now published author. Julie, who can be seen volunteering at a number of rescue groups around town, talked to Packet features reporter Justin Paprocki about her new book, "Titan's Tales and Other Dog Adoption Love Stories." The book was inspired by Titan, Julie's rescued Jack Russell mix. She tells the story of finding Titan, and the relationship they've developed over the last 12 years.

The book also shares adoption stories of 38 rescue dogs, many of them local. My favorite is on page 92 — Penny's story, of course! I was happy to contribute our little "tale" for Julie's book. Penny and I are planning to attend Julie's book signing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 23 at Red Rover on Hilton Head. (Trying not to let fame go to our heads ...)

If you're like me, you tend to take pictures of your dog. A lot. This leads to a ridiculous amount of computer and phone space clogged with photo after photo of your favorite furry cutie. "I call this one 'Penny Looking Cute.' And this is 'Penny Looking Cute In Car.' Oh! And don't you just love 'Penny Looking Cute On Couch?'" Yeah. I'm right there with you.

Get a little, give a little. That's the motto at Ligato's Fine Jewelry in Bluffton.

The jewelry store, located in the Publix shopping center off Buck Island Road (behind The Island Packet building!), is offering free watch battery replacements during June to raise donations for Maranatha Farm, a nonprofit animal rescue organization in Ridgeland that provides care for injured and mistreated animals.

Adopting a homeless animal is a good thing in itself. Bringing home a dog and helping a local rescue effort at the same time is even better.

Bluffton resident Tallulah Trice recently rescued more than 30 dogs from shelters in Georgia and Tennessee hit hard by the recent string of deadly tornadoes. Tallulah is from Lookout Mountain, Ga., and she felt a responsibility to help the animals around her hometown.

Here's an interesting story about dog bites from Bloomberg News:

Home insurers paid 5.3 percent more for the average dog-bite claim last year, the biggest jump since 2007, as medical expenses and jury awards increased, a trade group says.

The average cost per claim climbed to $26,166 last year from $24,840 in 2009, the Insurance Information Institute said Wednesday in a statement. The injuries cost $412.6 million in 2010, little changed from the previous year, as total claims declined 4.9 percent, the New York-based group said.

Several animal rescue groups will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Pet Adoption Fair at Oldfield Plantation in Okatie. The public is invited (tell the person at the Oldfield gate you're going to the adoption fair at the Activities Center).

Next time you're at the store, throw an extra bag of dog or cat food in your cart. Jasper Animal Rescue Mission is in need of eats for its current residents.

A delay in receiving donated food from the nonprofit organization's corporate sponsor has created a shortage of dry dog, puppy and cat food at the shelter. JARM is asking for food donations, preferably Pedigree and Kibbles N Bits brands.

Could you spare some room for a furry roommate in need?

Tallulah Trice and the H.A.N.D. Foundation are in need of temporary foster homes for dogs. Trice, a Tennessee native, is returning to her hometown and Georgia to rescue animals displaced by recent tornadoes. Trice, now a Bluffton resident, said her community and the surrounding area were devastated by the storms.