Don’t worry. We’re not going to talk about cruelty, abuse or squalid conditions.
We’re talking about the part of dog rescue that in a way, has nothing to do with saving lives — but in a way, has everything to do with saving lives.
We’re talking about the M word: money.
When we hear about a dog in need, the first thing we think is: Do we have an available foster home for the dog? Too often, that answer is “no.” And there are few realizations more horrible than knowing you can’t help an animal in desperate need simply because you have no place to put him.
When we’re lucky enough to have someone step up and say, “I can take him,” the second thing we think is: What kind of vet care is this dog going to need?
We can tell you flat out that this aspect of rescue has never been a determining factor in whether we take a dog. Because when it comes to money, we figure that somehow we can make it work. We’ll beg and borrow (no stealing, please) if necessary, but we won’t say “no” just because a dog may require extensive or expensive medical care.
But the reality is that we need money to do what we’re doing.
Look at Layla, our beautiful, well-behaved two-year-old pit mix who’s champing at the bit to run her heart out on the grass on a gorgeous day. Just like she was meant to do. But Layla hasn’t been allowed to run off-leash for nearly a year because of a torn ACL. In fact, Layla has had several potential adopters walk away from her because of the high cost of her knee surgery.
We’re trying so hard to do what’s right. Leaving Layla in a shelter because she tore her ACL isn’t … so we pulled her specifically to fix her knee and get her into her Forever Home. To that end, we started an online campaign to raise the money for her surgery.
Of course, our expenses go way beyond Layla. On our sweet girl Jade, we spent thousands of dollars hoping to find out what was wrong with her. When we took in Harley, we arranged for him to be neutered, vaccinated, given bloodwork and a full dental within 24 hours. The price tag for that was hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
So we gulped, and we paid our bills.
But at some point, we have to ask for help because if we’re going to continue saving lives and making such a huge difference for these amazing dogs, we can’t do it alone.
So we are asking for help — in fact, we’re asking for your shoes.
Yup, shoes.
Starting Tuesday, March 15, we’ll be conducting a shoe drive through May 14. We’re looking for you to donate your gently used or new shoes.
If we can collect 100 bags filled with 25 pairs of shoes each, Funds2Orgs will pay us $1,000.
We’ll use that money directly on our dogs, paying for their veterinary care and food. Funds2Orgs will redistribute the shoes to people in developing nations, such as Haiti and Honduras, helping them set up micro-businesses so they can support their families.
We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no facility overhead and no employee salaries. All donations literally go to the dogs.
We’re asking you to take our One Bag Challenge. Just one bag filled with 25 pairs of shoes. Don’t worry about pick-up — we’ve got that covered.
Will you take on the challenge? Say yes, and let us know by emailing: ContactUs@DogsHomePA.org
Saving lives just doesn’t get any easier than this.
Dogshome: Providing shelter, training and love