SPCA Blog

If you live in Lakeland or Polk County, you know all about the SPCA of Lakeland. You know they shelter and care for stray and surrendered animals on Brannen Rd (the road at Sonny's BBQ on South Florida Avenue) . BUT... Did you know you can also find them at:

• BLOG
  

• Twitter

• Website
  

• Facebook

I hope you'll visit their blog and leave a comment or two. They need the visitors to help promote the site. If you want to be kept up to date on all the wonderful things they do, just follow them on Twitter. Anything you can do to help out would be greatly appreciated - most of all - by the ANIMALS!

Now...on to other things. Did you also know that the SPCA has their very own FULL SERVICE MEDICAL CENTER - that serves EVERYONE? Imagine making your pet's regular veterinary appointments and knowing that the cost you pay is benefiting the SPCA. You can get everything you get at a regular vet at the SPCA medical center.

Did you also know that you can buy everyday pet items at the SPCA store?

And did you further know that the SPCA has an adoption center and pet boutique at LAKESIDE VILLAGE? They're only there with the animals on Fridays and Saturdays. Check out the website or call to get hours. They're on the left side of the road on the main entrance into the mall (the road that ends at the entrance to the theater).

All of the above is how to connect with the SPCA and I haven't even mentioned how important it is that you should go visit the shelter in hopes of adopting a pet. All animals get a thorough exam, any medication they need, they're tested for personality; they get the royal treatment! I adopted my dog from there 14 years ago and he's still in the family, like one of the kids, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world.

Yes, there's MORE:

• Guardian Angel Fund - provides life saving medical treatment

• Ani-Meals Program - provides dog food and cat food for pets owned by Meals on Wheels clients

• Foster Care Program - provides temporary foster care for recovering pets needing adoption

• Humane Education Program - provides education to school children about proper animal care and other animal topics

• Grief Counseling - provides counseling for the loss of a pet or loved one

• DogSense Obedience - provides canine obedience training

• Pet First Aid - provides first aid education and pet cpr

• And the list goes on!

THEN, there's the WISH LIST... a never ending need for various supplies.

It's all very dizzying, when you look at how much the SPCA does in a single day. That's why I pledged to do what I can by becoming an official SPCA volunteer.

I'll leave you with the words spoken every day for 27 years by someone I won't need to name:
"Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered."

Crowder Brothers Lakeland

If you haven't been to Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware store at Southgate Shopping Center in a while, you need to go. I was there yesterday to ask if they would hang an SPCA fundraiser flyer. While I waited, I browsed through the bird feeder section. They have such an amazing assortment, I was impressed. They have gorgeous bird feeders, bird baths, and lawn decorations. My mom has been wanting a hummingbird feeder and I noticed several she might like, so I took her there tonight.

Well, we couldn't just buy a bird feeder and leave! We also bought a squirrel dome to put over our existing feeder. Then we began to shop. And shop. And shop. The store is really quite big. And the selection - I have to say it again - impressive. I've lived in Lakeland since 1987 and I've been in the store many times. For me it's traditionally been the convenient place to pick up some screws or cup hooks, or get a key made; the little things. I always knew the store was clean and organized and layed out well. And the staff is friendly and helpful and there's always plenty of staff so you never have to wait to find help. But for some reason, I just "tuned out" all the other wonderful things there are to see. I knew, for example, that they sold windchimes, lawn furniture and grills, because they're always on the sidewalk and the first thing you see when you walk inside. But today I wandered and took note of the massive selection of various items you can purchase there.

For instance, did you know that they have about the same selection of kitchen appliances as Wal-Mart? They have an entire isle dedicated to kitchen gadgets and that's my favorite thing to browse. They have a large gift section, with greeting cards, bath and body, knick-knacks, decor, party favors, bric-a-brac, etc. And it's not the cheap dollar store type merchandise, either. Some of the kitchen decor would easily outshine the country crafts found at the Cracker Barrel. There were some extremely beautiful and unique decorative and functional items.

I could have easily spent another hour just perusing all the items the store has to offer. Complete cookware, serving dishes, silverware, glasses, cups, linens, and the list goes on. And that's not even counting all the actual "hardware" items the store carries, being as it's a "hardware" store and all.

Now, you might be thinking their prices might not be comparable, but you would be wrong. After we bought our bird feeder there, I checked out the Wal-Mart website. Crowder Brothers actually had MORE of a selection than Wal-Mart! While Wal-Mart didn't offer the same exact feeder, a similar one sold for the same price. Now, that's saying something worth mentioning!

Here's a list of departments found on their website:

• Paint and Sundries
• Lawn and Garden
• Outdoor Patio
• Hand and Power Tools
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Hardware
• Cleaning Supplies
• Housewares
• Automotive
• Gift Shop
• Greeting Cards

Here's a list of services found on their website:

• Assembly
• Automotive Chip Key Cutting
• Blade Sharpening
• Carpet Cleaning Machine Rental
• Computerized Paint-Color Matching
• Delivery
• Gift Card
• Glass Repair
• Glass and Acrylic Cutting
• In Store Lock Servicing
• Key Cutting
• Propane
• Screen Repair
• Special Order Services on more than 65000 items

The next time you drive past Southgate Shopping Center, or if you're there anyway to shop the other stores, you MUST visit Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware. If you take the time to look around you'll agree this is a one-stop shop you never would have imagined.