9 years, 7 months ago-
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I’m looking for a little help getting a specific question answered by our wonderful BlogPaws community and animal lovers everywhere!
I would like to know: What’s the number one thing you need to help more animals?
Too often, we focus on what we think people need, not what they actually need. But, the reality is that a shelter, rescue, or just an everyday person might have very different needs or they might be exactly the same. You’ll never know until you ask! My goal is to use the information I collect to better target my services so that my clients are truly benefitting when they use Animal Lover Funding.
Please feel free to comment below, tweet your answer @team_alf, write it on our Facebook page, or even share it with your own followers. The more I can learn about the varying needs of animal lovers, shelters, and rescues, the better I can assist them.
Thanks so much for being so awesome everyone!
Best,
Lindsay Driver
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Thanks Lindsay, for asking this excellent question. I’ve been off the community form groups for a while. Have you ask this again on Facebook and Twitter under the hashtag #animalwelfare or #shelterpets?
Yes, money for more foster homes. In California and in my county of Sonoma, we are working on no-kill any healthy, adoptable pets. Yet the pressure of overbreeding dogs for money and lost or feral cats and rabbits, fills our shelters up fast. We need more room and medical care for shelterless pets.
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I volunteer with Gateway Pet Guardians.
We need 2 things to rescue dogs and save them from the streets or the euthanasia list at the local animal control. Money and foster parents.
I know that everyone needs money, but seriously, you simply can’t rescue without it. Even if we got all of the dog food and supplies donated (which we don’t), we still have to pay vet bills. We have to pay for training when we have a dog that is aggressive or has serious socialization issues. Have utility bills and a couple of part-time staff people to pay in order to keep open our 9 kennel emergency shelter. We have a slew of volunteers, but you simply can’t run an organization like this 100% on volunteers. We have very limited paid staff, but without them, we couldn’t do what we do.
We also need foster parents. Our shelter is designed to be for emergency situations, or for the initial 24-48 hours when we rescue a dog before it is placed in a foster home. Sometimes we have dogs that end up with something contagious or needing serious medical care or behavioral training, so they end up staying at the shelter longer. While we have a large foster list, some dogs are just harder to place than others. Dogs that need to be an only dog are hard, since most foster parents already have a dog of their own. Pit bulls are harder to place in foster homes, so we need more bully breed lovers who will take them in. Currently we have 11 dogs in our 9 dog shelter. Two are staying in crates. We simply can’t rescue another dog unless someone fosters a dog currently in the shelter, opening up a space, or the foster dog can be guaranteed to go straight to a home.
The 3rd thing we need is critical too, and is just one notch below money and fosters. We need volunteers. We need people to help run our adoption events, transport dogs in foster homes to adoption events, fundraise, go on feeding and rescue runs and walk dogs at the shelter. Without these people, we couldn’t do what we do. But we have a good group of volunteers right now. And while we can always use more, if we stick with just our current group of volunteers, we can get by. That’s why I placed it below money and fosters.
If you want to know more about what Gateway does, you can see my blog posts about it.
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Greetings Lindsay Driver! Yours is a very good question which should be re-asked continually. As someone who began asking it as far back as ten-years ago, I’ve dedicated all of my time since developing fund raiser solutions. It is my belief that the number one thing needed to help more animals is new Fundraiser models that are “not donation based”. Despite many advances in the way the rescue community fund raise, the models which is most employed are still heavily dependent on donation and/or contribution seeking. The fact of the matter is that changes in the world economy of the past 10 to 20 years have wiped out the discretionary income that consumers use to have. What is needed are fundraiser models that are non-donation seeking, that are proactive (work 24-hours around the clock) and that are immune from economic downturns. As luck will have, I’m in the process of launching a new proactive fundraiser model at this very moment. All rescues and shelters are invited to join me by registering: Sending an envelope with business card, pamphlet or brochure to: Vinny the Pug Enterprises, P.O. Box 346, Arabi, La. 70032.
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Hi Lindsay!
I’m so glad you asked that question. They say that “Love Conquers All”, however it is “money” that is so badly needed to pay for the many things necessary to help animals in distress. The main reason rescues and shelters are in such dire condition, is because they are still using obsolete fundraisers that were initially created in the 1800’s. “Donation Seeking” fundraisers are simply incompatible with the economic realities of the 21st Century.
Please visit my Crowd Fundraising Campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/fe7306ad
Encourage Rescues and Shelters to join: http://contactme.com/4f235b2ad6397f000101af57
Once you’ve toured our Crowd Fundraiser campaign site, I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have. Thank you so much for your question.
Allen Kimble & “Vinny the Pug” 4-Ever!
Vinny the Pug Enterprises
“NO-KILL2020”
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I’d agree with money. Just yesterday I found a shelter dog that I would have loved to adopt and had found a loving home for but the cost of adopting a six year old shelter dog was $500. It seemed kind of outrageous to me. I mean you could buy a puppy for less than that and hypothetically get six more loving years with that animal. If shelters had more donations/money in general they could keep those costs lower.
As for me personally, I could probably afford another dog but I need more space. I own a two bedroom condo and have two small dogs (a shih tzu and a corgi) and a cat. We’ve agreed no more pets until we sell this place and buy a home with a decent sized fenced in yard.
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Hi Amanda!
Thank you so very much for illustrating so plainly the situation that pet rescues and animal shelters find themselves in. In all actuality, the enormous cost of $500 for that dog is the pet rescue passing on their operating costs to the new owner. Considering the service that New Owners are performing for the animal rescues movement, there should no cost or a very minimal one at that. I know that rescues and shelters will become rattled at my last statement but it is true. That six year old dog will probably not be picked up by a family because of cost. So, something has to change because that shelter hasn’t got a prayer of ever becoming a No-Kill facility with such policies. If you examine their fundraising program, you’ll probably find that they are heavily reliant on seeking donations. Donations Seeking Fundraisers cause more animals to be put down than any other cause, except owners who don’t spay or neuter their pets. Unfortunately, asking for donations as a fundraiser is hardwired into the psyche of most rescues and shelters.
On Friday the 15th, I will take my best shot at breaking the cycle with the launch of the “NO-KILL 2020” Indiegogo Fundraiser Campaign. In a nut shell, the campaign is seeking to raise $1,000,000 to donate/divide among 4,000 pet rescues and shelters around the world. I will give each participant a $250 Grant to help them prepare for the 5-1/2 year journey we’ll take together to rewrite the book on fundraising and building Sustainable 100% NO-KILL facilities. Here is the Press Release:
Subject: Vinny the Pug’s 5-½ Year Quest to Reach 100% NO-KILL of Healthy Pets
On Friday August 15th, “NO-KILL 2020” will launch an unprecedented Indiegogo Crowd Funding campaign. Its purpose is to underwrite a 5 ½ year strategy to help move the world towards ending the killing of healthy pets. NO-KILL 2020 is establishing a Global Network of 4,000 pet rescues and animal shelters. Its club members will interactively engage in coordinated research, development and fundraising. Their mission is to discover best practices and procedures necessary to achieve 100% NO-KILL sustainability, and teach them to other rescues and shelters in their respective countries and regional areas. Interested Rescues and Shelters can apply for team membership here: http://contactme.com/4f235b2ad6397f000101af57
TO PREVIEW CAMPAIGN: https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/fe7306ad
ACTUAL CAMPAIGN (Goes Live August 15th): https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-kill-2020-help-launch-a-fashi…
Allen Kimble & “Vinny the Pug” 4-Ever!
Vinny the Pug Enterprises
“NO-KILL 2020” Brand“PUGONA ROCK” Brand
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