I would consider this our first ever "Special Needs Funds Drive". As some of you may know a group of us are currently in the process of incorporating to form a 501(3)(c) to partner with the shelter. We are still a couple of months away from being official...as life would have it....we find ourselves in a situation that speaks volumes to why we need to form an organization like this...and I'm wondering if you can help.
The shelter currently has a WONDERFUL resident, "Pepper" - a young adult Rotty/Lab Mix that ended up at Animal Services with his buddy collie "Duke" when their owner was evicted due to foreclosure. Unfortunately Pepper's owners could only have 1 dog in her new living situation and she surrendered Pepper to the shelter. As Mike DeRose can attest, both dogs were just covered in ticks. After providing Pepper some TLC and getting to know him over walks....it became very obvious what a special guy he is....with the most gentle and loving personality you could ask for. A true "mush" in a large dog body.Here is where we need to outreach for help. After being at the shelter 3 weeks and seeing what a wonderful guys he is, Anne, Mike & Dr Julie all agreed that Pepper would be a perfect dog to bring to PetSupermarket - we had to get him out to be seen in the community! As Dr. Julie prepped him so he would get clearance to be out for the day from the shelter - she noticed Pepper was favoring one of his back legs...to the point that she gave him some anti-inflammatories. Having given Pepper a bath and given him all necessary shots we took him this past Saturday to PetSupermarket. Well...it didn't take long for his loving nature to attract attention and we have a LOVELY qualified family seriously interested in adopting him. Here is our dilemma....Dr.Julie went ahead and had x-rays done (thanks to very limited funds left in our "Angel Fund")....diagnosis: a cruciate ligament injury. Typical surgery cost for this procedure is $1,800 to $2K...with excellent prognosis for recovery with this type of surgery. Who the heck knows how this happened...since this injury was NOT noticeable until just this past Friday...however...here we are.
The family is PERFECT...however....understandably are not exactly in a position to afford this sort of an expense on a new dog from the shelter. When they first met & fell in love with Pepper they had no idea (just as we) what the extent of his injury was. They have expressed the ability to spend perhaps $300-$400 dollars...but understandable are hesitant to commit much more.
As I expressed earlier...this is a perfect example of why "Friends of Citrus County Animal Services" needs to be formed. As Mike, Anne & Pat Rupp can attest...not being able to provide "extraordinary" medical care to the worthy animals at the shelter is one of our most significant concerns and reasons for getting together to form this 501(3)(c). We are very pumped about the idea of pursuing fundraising efforts to build these "Angel Funds/Medical Accounts". Dr. Julie is a god send...but she does not have at her disposal the equipment or specialization for all procedures.Anyway...SO sorry for the long-winded email...and its time to beg for help! Can you pledge assistance for Pepper's surgery? Any amount would be a help! $5, $10....whatever you can do. Current "Angel Fund" accounts at the shelter are currently as low as a $100-$200 dollars...not much at all. I should point out that Pepper is not the only 'special needs' animal the shelter is currently working on. Dr. Julie has 2 others that are awaiting potential orthopedic surgery. (This just goes to show how urgent our "large scale" fundraising efforts need to be).
Additionally...I should point out that currently donations to Friends of are NOT tax-deductible...not until we get our 501(3)(c) status....our paperwork is currently in front of an attorney...so we are working on it!!
If you can help, please reply email us at: info@FriendsofCCAS.com. I'll let you know the best way to send donations. If you happen to be at the shelter and want to donate....please advise the staff that the money should go "to Pepper's fund" and if making out a check....its best to make it out to cash (with a Memo: Pepper Fund).
Thanks for listening and your consideration. If you want to get more involved with our long term fundraising endeavors please let me know as we are building our TEAM!!!
Thank you for listening & caring! Please spread the word and share this email with fellow shelter animal advocates!
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Best,
Samantha, Volunteer
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