Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Bowl-a-Rama Fundraiser: Three Days Left!!


Well, we have three days left until Phoenix-area shelters converge and take over a bowling alley this coming weekend!!

RESCUE has a goal of $45,000. This will help cover most of our expenses for the rest of the year. $1500 a month covers our dog boarding costs. But we also have cats in boarding, medical expenses (we recently had to have all the teeth pulled from one of our little dogs, man was the expensive) and various other expenses that come with any business (even non-profits have bills to pay). But with only three days left, it looks like we won't quite meet that goal, which is unfortunate.

However, the volunteers have all worked really, really hard to raise the money we have so far. We now hope to raise at least $35,000 before the end of the week. We're about $1000 short of this goal!! If you haven't made a donation yet, please take a moment to go over to the website and make a secure, tax-deductible donation. Every little bit helps, even a donation as small as $5 will help make a difference.

Already made a donation? Please pass the link on to the animal lovers in your life and encourage them to make a donation as well.

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park.

Rocky was Adopted!

Well, little man Rocky is now in his forever home with new dad Jerry. Rocky and Jerry met on Sunday. Rocky is a little unsure about new people, particularly when they try to pick him up. So Jerry took a seat on the couch and let Rocky come to him. Rocky obliged and share his squeaky toy with Jerry while sitting in his lap. Hopefully Rocky has adjusted and warmed up to his new dad by now.

We'll miss the little guy, that's for sure. He was a joy to have around, and we would have had no problem if he had had to stay with us longer. But I know he'll be loved and spoiled in his new home where he'll be the only dog for a while (which means no sharing the lap with another pooch).

Good luck Rocky! We'll miss you!

We'll be cat sitting in about a week, and the kitties will be staying with us for almost two weeks, so we'll be taking a little break from dog fostering. We should have a new pup by the end of August though, and I'll be sure to post all about the lucky dog.

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Etsy Has Gone to the Dogs!

I'm a crafty gal in my spare time and I have my own Etsy shop where I sell a few items. I've been meaning to post about this for some time now, but just have not had the time. I want to spotlight pet related Etsy sellers from time to time.

Now, you might be asking "What is Etsy?" Excellent question. Etsy is a site where crafty and creative people can sell their handmade goodies.


Today I wanted to spotlight one of my favorite shops, and two more that caught my eye when I was surfing around this morning.

The first shop is Art4MilkBones. She makes the cutest wooden signs and leash holders, along with other small bits and bobs. I have actually purchased a number of her signs. They are well done, quality work. I wish I had a reason to buy more from her!! (I'm sure I'll find some)

Pets Welcome Sign

Recycle Love - Rescue Pet Sign

Paw Print Leash Holder

Gift Tags

She has so many other great items, so be sure to check out her entire shop!!



The next shop I found today is Acme Couture. This shop sells handmade doggie apparel.
I have not purchased from this shop yet.

Rooin' in the Rain Coat
The Sherlock Holmes Coat (what all the best dressed doggie sleuths are wearing)

And the best part about shopping there, 15% of the sale goes to a greyhound rescue!!



And the third shop I'd like to spotlight is Boo Dog Mugs.

Adorable Min Pin Mug
Siberian Husky Mug
Bull Dog Mug


So run over to Etsy and check out these great sellers. And while you're there, search around. You'll find plenty more where that came from!! Have an Etsy shop that sells pet related items? Or know of a favorite? Leave me a comment and I'll try to spotlight that shop in a future post!

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park!

Meet Paisley!

Today I wanted to break from the dog world and step briefly into Kitty Kat Land. Now, I don't get to spend much time with the cats of RESCUE personally, but I do like to check in and see how my favorites are doing. Every now and again I get the chance to swing by our cat boarding facility to pick up or drop off supplies.

Last year, I was picking up the tent for an event. I was greeted in the lobby by a rather curvaceous kitty name Paisley.



Paisley is a 10 year old, female, tortie (tortoise-shell). She's a full-bodied gal, but it just adds to her feminine allure. She is a gorgeous cat with a short-medium length coat, and stunning eyes. Her photos just don't her justice though. Paisley will greet you with a meow and will then proceed to tell you all about her day. She's a talkative one. After that she'll often flop over for tummy rubs and lots of petting, or give you little head-butts. She's a sweet and mellow girl, who still likes to play with toys. She doesn't know she's supposed to be an "old" cat.

Unfortunately, due to her age, and the fact that the tortie coat never really photographs well, she is often overlooked by potential adopters. It's such a shame because she is a wonderful, sweet, loving cat, just looking for a forever home where she can spend her golden years.

You can now view a video of Miss Paisley over on RESCUE's Facebook page. Check it out!!

Do you know of someone who might be interested in Paisley? Pass on the link to her bio! If you're interested in her yourself, you can fill out an application online.

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park!

Rocky Has An Adoption Appointment!!



Ah, the good life, the life of a foster dog in our household. Yep, that's the same Rocky you see in the earlier post. But now he's clean, comfortable, and happy. We have had the little guy for just over a month now and he has been an absolute joy. He was housebroken that first weekend and has adjusted to our work schedule beautifully and is able to hold it while we're at work. No accidents. He gets along with our Min Pin and he's polite to the cats. Okay, he's mostly terrified of the cats and avoids them at all costs. But he has started to show some interest, if only he could get close enough for a sniff.


Rocky is a quiet and well behaved little guy, and he has "cool hair" as my husband would say. (See the picture below from his rescue day). He has learned to sit before I put down his food bowl, to sit when it's time to come back in from a romp in the back yard, and he crates up when we tell him to. Gotta love that. We were only able to train one other foster dog to crate up on command, and it took him longer than a month. Rocky had that down in about two weeks. He's a smart little guy.


Rocky also discovered the joy of a good squeaky toy and it's now non-stop squeakage at the House of L.


But this may just be our last week with this wonderful little pup. We received an application for him earlier this week and are now in the process of finalizing an appointment for Sunday. His potential adopter is a single man, who is home more than away and has no other pets. He owned a Min Pin and a Yorkie previously (how ironic) so he's used to the small breeds, particularly the small terriers. He has a lifestyle that will allow him to devote plenty of time, love and attention to little Rocky, and that's exactly what we want for our little buddy.


So keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll be sure to post an update next week!!


Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Bowl-a-rama Time!



It's that time of year again, time for Bowl-a-rama!



Bowl-a-rama?!



Yes, Bowl-a-rama!




Bowl-a-rama is a fundraising event sponsored by PACC911. Animal shelters and rescue organizations from around the Valley participate in this fun event. From May through the end of July groups make a big push to raise as much money as they can. Then, on the first Saturday in August, the groups take over a local bowling alley for the entire day (and I mean take over, it's crazy animal lovers as far as the eye can see) and have a great time bowling, wearing goofy costumes, and belting out creative cheers. There are also raffle prizes and a silent auction going on that day. The bowling day itself is just for the rescue groups. Prizes are also awarded to the groups for best costumes and best cheers, and for raising the most funds.

RESCUE has a goal of $45,000. This will help see us through the remainder of the year. We have two teams working to meet that goal: The Leader of the Pack (the dog team) and the Rockin' Bowlin' Felines (the cat team, obviously). So far we've raised almost $20,000, so we are close to that half-way mark. But there's only one month left to raise money.

I am on the Leader of the Pack team, go figure. Each team member has an individual goal of $1,500. $1,500 will help cover one month worth of boarding costs. Or it could help cover medical costs for a dog or two. Am I anywhere near that? No. But you can help me out!!

All you have to do is make a donation using our secure donation page: http://azrescue.org/servlet/sponsor02?bowl=1

Every little bit helps, whether it's as small as $5 or $25 or larger donations of $50 or more. It's tax deductible as well. I know the economy is tough right now, gas prices are through the roof, food costs are going up, people are losing their homes. But the dogs and cats still need your help, maybe now more than ever before. But if we don't have the funds, we can't help as many of them as we need to.

Home foreclosures are at an all time high. People are finding themselves in situations where they feel they can no longer keep their pets. The number of pets ending up at shelters has grown considerably in the past year. People are turning in pets at a higher rate and the city and county shelters find themselves at capacity. They are also abandoning animals in the homes when they have been foreclosed. There are just so many animals out there in need of new homes. Smaller groups take in what they can, and that includes RESCUE. We managed to rescue five new dogs two weeks ago (Rocky was one of them). But we can't do this without your financial help.

Maybe you can't adopt one yourself, and maybe money is tight for you, but maybe you can find a way to spare $5 or $10 this month and make that donation to RESCUE. Tell a friend, or ten friends. Take up a collection within your carpool, at your work, from your family and friends. Every little bit adds up.

And it's so easy. Just click the link I posted above. This will take you to our donation page. Select a bowler (Leader of the Pack in this case ;D), type in a quicky message to encourage us, indicate the dollar amount of your donation, and you can put me down as the Referrer (AZ Dog Mom) so I know it came from a reader. Didn't I tell you that would be easy?

So please, head on over to the site this month and make a donation. Then tell everyone you know about it and ask them to make a small donation. With your help, we can reach our goal of $45,000.

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park!