Las Vegas Animal Hospital Urges Animal Owners to MicrochipTheir Pets

Las Vegas veterinarian Dr. Drake, of St. Francis Animal Hospital,
urges pet owners to microchip pets at the earliest possible moment,
saying, “The number of pets separated from owners is staggering. Even
more alarming is the fact that only around 22 percent of lost, stolen,
or missing dogs are ever reunited with their owners. Families could
often avoid this situation, for themselves and their pets, by simply
microchipping these pets.”
The statistics back up Dr. Drake’s claims, with the American Humane
Association estimating that more than 10 million pets are either lost
or stolen each year in the United States alone. They go on to say that
roughly one third of all pets are lost at some point during their
lives. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
reports that only a fraction of lost pets return home; successful
reunions for dogs with microchips, though, is 52 percent.
Dr. Drake hopes this will encourage pet owners to microchip pets that
are, so often, part of the family. He also warns that the statistics
for cats are even grimmer. According to Dr. Drake, “Less than two
percent of cats that go into shelters are ever reunited with their
owners without microchipping. Among those that are electronically
tagged, those numbers are impressively higher — more than 2,000
percent higher, as a matter of fact.”
The other statistic pet owners may be interested in is the percentage
of animals in shelters that are euthanized — in short, more than half
of all shelter animals are unable to find a home. Dr. Drake believes
these numbers will decrease significantly as more pet owners microchip
their pets, explaining, “The number of microchipped dogs returned to
their owners is almost 240 percent higher than those that are not.
Unfortunately, so few of the five million pets entering shelters are
tagged. Just imagine how much higher those numbers will be when more
people begin using microchips appropriately.”
Pet owners interested in microchipping their pets can contact the Las
Vegas veterinarian, Dr. Drake, to schedule an appointment. St. Francis
Animal Hospital is a full service clinic offering wellness
appointments, dental services, surgical procedures, spaying and
neutering, pet microchipping, and other wellness services. They can
often make same-day appointments.
Not all Las Vegas veterinarian hospitals and clinics provide a
microchipping service. Pet owners interested in the simple procedure
are urged to call Carolann at St. Francis Animal Hospital for an
appointment to have their pet microchipped soon.
* * * * *
Sen. Heller Highlights Free Tax Prep Program
At a March 21st event, Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) urged eligible
Nevada residents to use the IRS Free File program to save money at tax
time. In general, these programs allow taxpayers with an Adjusted
Gross Income of $58,000 or less to use name-brand tax preparation
software to prepare and file their federal returns online for free.
The Free File briefing took place at Pearson Community Center.
The IRS Free File program allows eligible taxpayers to easily and
accurately complete their federal tax return with trusted name-brand
tax preparation software of their choice. Free File empowers taxpayers
to claim every single deduction and credit they are entitled to.
“Free File provides a valuable service which empowers Nevadans to
prepare and file their taxes online at no cost. This public-private
partnership also allows Nevadans to receive tax advice when otherwise
they might not be able to afford it. I am glad to be a part of today’s
event, which helps raise awareness about this service and provides
valuable advice to so many Nevadans who are struggling in the current
economic environment,” said Senator Dean Heller.
“Filing taxes is a lot simpler than you think with the help of the tax
preparation software products made available through Free File. If you
send text messages and email or surf the Internet, chances are you
will have no trouble filing your taxes through the Free File program,”
said Chris Long of the Computer & Communications Industry Association
(CCIA), the organization sponsoring today’s event.
Following the briefing, community leaders had the opportunity to
participate in a workshop and gain first-hand experience with one of
the Free File products.
According to the IRS, 40 million taxpayers have prepared their federal
returns through Free File since the program began more than a decade
ago.
For more information on Free File, visit www.FreeFile.IRS.gov.
* * * * *
Las Vegas Bottle Repurposer releases
new product, shares inside look at bottles’ journey
As Earth Month (April) approaches, artisan bottle-repurposer BluMarble
announces the release of their Glass Gardens, a new product hand-cut
from repurposed bottles collected from the Las Vegas Strip into shapes
that cradle soil and roots of baby plants. Repurposing the bottles
used for these Glass Gardens spares the atmosphere from the pollution
that would otherwise result from new production, while these glass
gardens’ plants also release oxygen and improve air quality. In
addition, 20 percent of these gardens’ proceeds goes to Create a
Change Now, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that teaches youth to plant their own
gardens and make healthier nutritional decisions.
“The most rewarding aspect of our business is the ‘repurposing with
purpose’ mindset we apply to every product we create,” BluMarble
co-founder Jennifer Jordan said. “When we came up with our glass
gardens, it was a fun process to decide who — besides the environment
– could benefit from their success.”
So where exactly do these bottles come from? The answer is the Las
Vegas Strip and other venues throughout the Vegas metro area. As
nearly 40 million visitors trek through Vegas’ 1,500+ bars annually,
the volume of glass waste tossed daily is staggering. Caesars Palace,
for example, recycles around 2,250 tons of glass every year — or 4.5
million pounds. Excalibur, another example, outputs one ton of glass
per day. So the collective carbon footprint of these bottles (if they
were to be put into landfills) is huge. Left un-recycled, 4.5 million
pounds of glass release enough pollutant CO2 to fill approximately 38
million exercise balls. Fortunately, many hotels and casinos on the
Strip recycle. Others go a step further and repurpose their bottles
(many selling them to BluMarble), reducing their carbon footprint to
one even smaller than that of recycling.
BluMarble’s headquarters at 6280 Valley View Blvd in Las Vegas (aka
the “House of Blu”) is where the bottles are transformed. Founded by
Jennifer Jordan and Rachel Cohen in 2013, it is where roughly 15,000
bottles per month from the Vegas Strip are up-cycled into tumblers,
gardens, platters, trays, vases, dishes, lighting and jewelry.
The bottles start their journey in bins outside Vegas properties such
as Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, Rio, Stratosphere,
Hard Rock, Mandalay Bay and the downtown Las Vegas area. BluMarble
pays venues the bottle deposit, then transfers bottles to the “House
of Blu” to be power-washed, sanitized, dried and made over.
BluMarble’s craftsmen then meticulously cut the bottles into anything
from shot glasses to jewelry. BluMarble’s unique cutting method uses a
cold process (instead of the more common hot process), generating less
air pollution and keeping toxic materials out of waste streams. Edges
of each piece are carefully polished to a safe, smooth finish before
being inventoried, tagged, stocked and shipped out to fill wholesale
and online orders, and be sold in BluMarble’s Container Park store at
707 Fremont Street, Las Vegas.
BluMarble is also featured in 300+ venues all over the country,
including Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, NapaStyle Catalog, select
Marriott hotels, Health Ceramics and the restaurants of Food Network
stars Guy Fieri and Michael Chiarello. And at the end of their
journey, these one-of-a-kind pieces make their way to customers’
dinner parties, game gatherings, accessory selections or even wedding
collections, be it from BluMarble’s online shelf
(HTTP://WWW.BLUMARBLE.COM) or retail store shelf.
“At BluMarble, we revitalize something ‘old’ into something ‘new’
that’s beautiful on the surface, as well as in its unique journey and
process,” said BluMarble co-founder Rachel Cohen. “It’s art, but it’s
art that works to help sustain Earth’s limited resources… a win-win
for both planet and purchaser.”
On Saturday, April 19, 2014, BluMarble hosts a special in-store event
at which Las Vegas locals and tourists alike can build their own glass
garden at their Container Park store (707 Fremont Street), between
10AM and 10PM PST. The glass gardens, which pay forward 20 percent of
proceeds to Create a Change Now, can also be found online at
WWW.BLUMARBLE.COM/PAGES/SHOP.
City Beat is a compilation of news and views of our editorial and
writing team, along with reader submissions and topics. Readers are
invited to suggest a local topic or any other items of interest.