This year, come join our “furry family” on a winter adventure at the slopes of Fivecat Crossing.

To our extended Fivecat Family (clients, contractors, consultants and all our “fans” and “followers“… from everyone at Fivecat Studio, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season.

Download Fivecat Christmas 2011

The fabulous Kacey, from the Mike & Kacey In The Morning radio show, sent me an email announcing that the Pillows for Puppies Donation Drive was selected to be this month’s “Good News” radio feature.

We are all so excited. The cats are doing back flips.

Listen to WHUD in Westchester County, NY at 100.7FM everyday, all month long. Post a comment below letting us know when YOU heard the “Good News”.

Thanks again Kacey for all your support.

***

Click here for a link to the radio spot.

Meet “Dozer the Bulldog”, our new Pillows for Puppies mascot.

Get it? Dozer… as in Bulldozer? As in a sleepy puppy, with pillow in hand…um, err, I mean paw.

Hah!! I love him!

Dozer steps in for our previous mascots, Albert; our beloved golden retriever who left us for doggy heaven several years ago, and Charlie; our white and grey cat who sleeps through most of each day and night. Albert and Charlie graced my blog, the posters and flyers for Pillows for Puppies for many years and did a fantastic job.

In order to freshen up our look this year, and help get the word out about our annual donation drive for SPCA of Westchester and Pets Alive Westchester (two local “no-kill” animal shelters), Annmarie created a new character. His name is Dozer and he was named by my brother, Craig LePage. What do you think? Isn’t he great?

* Technically, we had less than a half-dozen entries, but I wanted it to sound like a real fanfare.

P.S. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements regarding Annmarie’s new illustration website and blog, Anntics.com.

Send us your suggestions and we’ll pick a winner. Be sure to include your name and where you are from, so we can give you proper credit.

…and while you are at it, hit one of the buttons below and help spread the word.

A link to the flyer is posted below. Please print and post at your favorite deli or Starbucks, forward an email, tweet, post on Facebook, send smoke signals…

Please help spread the word any and every way possible.

Click here to download the Pillows for Puppies Flyer

A good Samaritan rescued Willie (he was nameless at the time) and delivered him to an animal shelter. He was cleaned up and offered for adoption. A few weeks later, with no takers, he was put on “death row”.

You see, Willie is a Rottweiler and “forever homes” for abandoned Rottweilers without a health record or history are not easily found. The animal shelter was crowded and the kennel where Willie was living was needed to house “more adoptable breeds”.

He was led to a small room at the shelter, strapped to a cold examination table and prepared for euthanasia.

As the vet technician filled a hypodermic needle with a compound that would quietly and painlessly put Willie “to sleep”, a miracle happened. The volunteer who had been working with Willie, training him and nursing him back to health, entered the room. Willie was missing from his kennel and she was there to give him his daily walk. When the volunteer realized what was happening, she demanded that the dog be unbound. A brief argument ensued and she was given an ultimatum; take the dog home or let him be killed.

The rest is a much longer, much happier story… but in the end, Willie found his way to our home and into our hearts. As I write this post, he is sleeping peacefully, without fear, in the corner of our living room. He has been with us for 5 years.

Willie is an amazing dog and an honored member of our family of three kids, six cats and a guinea pig (all rescues, except for the kids). To think that he was seconds from being put down “to make room”… is a sickening thought.

Part of our mission at Fivecat Studio is to contribute positively to our community and to provide hope and support to those in need. For the past 9 years during the holiday season we have organized the Pillows for Puppies Donation Drive, which collects towels, blankets, leashes, etc, for homeless pets residing at two local “no-kill” animal shelters, Westchester SPCA and Pets Alive Westchester (formerly Elmsford Animal Shelter).

With your help, we can make a difference. Donate today. Clean, new or used blankets, towels, pet beds, food, treats, collars and leashes may be shipped, delivered or dropped off at Fivecat Studio located at 48 Wheeler Avenue in Pleasantville, NY.

This year the campaign runs through mid-January. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and family. Willie, and all his friends in the shelters, thank you.

For more information, download the Pillows for Puppies press release here.

Follow me on Twitter @FivecatStudio and “like” me at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/FivecatStudio.

They’re not quite 100% yet, but I thought I would share a few progress images. Our photographer is scheduled to shoot photography of the exterior this summer. So, we’ll post more then.

Stay tuned.

KBIS, the premier Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, is happening in Las Vegas as of this writing.

This year, our favorite exterior folding partition company, NanaWall took Fivecat Studio with them to the big show. Check out the latest NanaWall Press Release regarding “transitional kitchens”, featuring our very own Marissa’s Kitchen project.