Hearts Alive Village Rescue Dog Featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul Edition
(Las Vegas, Nevada) July 28, 2020 – A story about Hearts Alive Village Las Vegas (HAVLV) alumni Butters, is featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs (Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC; Amy Newmark; July 14, 2020, 978-1-611590678, $14.95). This anthology highlights the human-dog bond (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) and will have dog lovers laughing, tearing up, and nodding their heads in recognition as they dive into 101 heartwarming and often hilarious stories about all the ways in which dogs enrich our lives, become part of our families, and make us better people.
Butters (now Bodhi) is an 8-year-old Chihuahua/Corgi mix who sat in the shelter for 8 months before being pulled by Hearts Alive Village in January. “The shelters got hit really hard the first week of the pandemic,” says Sheryl Green, Director of Communications for Hearts Alive Village and adopted mom to Bodhi. “I offered to foster one of our dogs so we could make space for anyone coming in from the shelter. I had no idea when I took him home that he’d become a permanent part of the family.”
While fostering doesn’t always end in adoption, it’s an essential part of animal rescue. Without a temporary solution for the animal, rescues have no place to house them and can’t pull the pet from the shelter. Fosters provide a safe home for the animal and the “family experience” while the rescues provide food, medical care, and networking to find the pet a permanent home. As bittersweet as it is to say goodbye, fostering truly saves lives. “We knew that the bonding experience during this crazy time would be intense,” said Christy Stevens, Executive Director of Hearts Alive Village. “Many of our temporary fosters decided to become forever parents. We never call it a ‘foster fail’ but rather a ‘foster to forever.’”
The book is available through Amazon, with proceeds going to American Humane, and can also be purchased at the Hearts Alive Village Pet Supply Store (1750 S. Rainbow Blvd # 4) with all proceeds going to Hearts Alive Village Las Vegas. Green hopes her story will spread awareness for the importance of fostering and will help raise some money for the organization’s life-saving programs.
ABOUT HEARTS ALIVE VILLAGE LAS VEGAS (HAVLV) Hearts Alive Village is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is nurture a compassionate society where animals are supported both in their homes and on the journey to find a home. The multidimensional organization provides a variety of programs including; Kendall’s Kupboard a pet food pantry, Charlie Mike a program that matches veterans with support animals, and provides access to resources like training, financial assistance for veterinary costs and more, Foster & Adoption Program where strays, animals acquired from shelters, and owner surrenders are placed in foster homes until forever homes are secured, Humane Education to youth groups throughout the valley teaching responsible pet ownership, safety, and empathy, Pet Supplies offers new and gently used pet items such as toys, beds and more, and their newest expansion, a Veterinary Clinic and Wellness Center. HAVLV’s headquarters is located at Hearts Alive Village Adoption Center and Pet Supplies, 1750 South Rainbow Unit #4 Las Vegas, NV. http://www.heartsalivevillage.org.
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100 million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada, more than 250 titles, and translations into more than 40 languages, the phrase “chicken soup for the soul” is known worldwide and is regularly referenced in pop culture. Today, 27 years after it first began sharing happiness, inspiration, and hope through its books, this socially conscious company continues to publish a new title a month. It has also evolved beyond the bookstore, with a podcast, education programs, dog and cat food, licensed products, and video, television and movies through its subsidiary, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.