Maurices Clothing is teaming up with the ASPCA this month to spotlight individual animal shelters across the nation to raise awareness for shelter pet adoption. The company has called the project Rescues and Runways, and will be hosting pet-themed fashion shows in their stores across the nation in communities from coast to coast.

The campaign, which lasts all through September, aims to increase awareness of animal shelters which they hope will then increase pet adoptions. Local models will sport not only the latest fashions from Maurices, but they’ll each be holding a pet that is up for adoption at their local …read more

I’m so disappointed this morning that I either want to crawl under my covers and hide or hop a plane and cradle him in my arms again. I know that neither can happen because real life has to go on but the bed sounds mighty good right now.
I do hope that this is simply media farce but I know that sometimes this can be all too real. Media tends to over examine events like this and make it into a mass hysteria event for ratings and page views. At this point our agency has not heard anything about a suspension …read more

Number of adoptions in 2006: 6526
From the US Department of State

The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has issued the following new regulations for foreigners who wish to adopt children in China. These regulations become effective for all application received after May 1, 2007.

As of January 28, there are numerous problems with the Central Authority in Guatemala…
1. Central Authority can not begin processing any cases until PGN has verified the information submitted by the lawyers. However, PGN can not send information on cases that have not yet been submitted to PGN.

Back in October, just days after we turned in our Dossier our agency told us that Oscar Berger had just put adoptions on hold. But it was not like we couldn’t see the writing on the wall, as it was ALL over the news.
Instead of completely pulling out of the process we decided to put our names into domestic adoption as well (along with some of our money) and keep our name on the list with our agency just in case. Several weeks ago we received an email from our agency stating that although the Guatemalan congress had passed the …read more

When the HCICA met in 1994 and drafted the Hague Guatemala representatives were not present. Therefore, Guatemala must agree to abide by the Convention through accession.
But, there are other problems.

Everyone has heard the rumors that Guatemala is baby trafficking and harvesting babies to “export” them to American families. But, are these rumors true? “Critics say a shadowy Guatemalan system has helped lawyers, middlemen — and even birth mothers — collect sizable payoffs.”

“I have never said that I want to stop the adoptions,” Berger said. “All my government wants is for the adoption law that is about to pass to be respected and for Guatemala to comply with the Hague Convention.”
Unfortunately, that is what is going to happen for between 3,000 and 5,000 families in the United States. If their adoptions are not finalized before January 1, 2008 their adoption process will officially halt.
Guatemala will be attempting to comply with international standards, or the Hague Convention treaty, which they ratified four years ago but they have not enacted. Additionally, UNICEF has …read more