Rescue Information / WARNING

Posted by Blanche on: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:56 pm
It's about warm bodies and cold hard cash. We need more volunteers to help with fundraising--people who can get stuff for raffles, sell tickets, work at the Pugalugs, join the Board. We need donations. We need the kind of energy that goes into an annual event like Pugapalooza--but we need it all year around and THAT is a major task.
We actually have quite a large number of foster homes as rescues go. AND we raise alot of money for a rescue. But all of that has it's limits. We don't have the manpower to put on additional major fundraising activities at the drop of a hat. We have Pug Claus coming up Dec. 2, following fairly closely on the heels of Pugoween. We did REALLY well at Pugoween--raising about $1,800. That's a lot of cash for a smallish rescue to raise. But Bella (now called Ella) will cost the rescue over $3,000 for her care. Daisy and Glory each had FHO surgery this summer at $2,500 - $3,000 per dog. We have at least 4 or 5 spays/neuters to cover the costs of not to mention major dentals.
The current situation is not a result of poor planning or lazy volunteers or stingy donors. It's just a flood that we couldn't have prepared for. It's the weird thing about rescue. Just when you get a big influx of cash, you get a bunch of expensive dogs into rescue. Never fails.
This is the world of rescue--you are either empty or jammed to the rafters. And we're almost never empty any longer, either!
As for the pugs in foster care currently. Well, a couple of them are struggling with behavioural and health issues. They will be with us for quite awhile. Bella the pug cross, Lea, Poochie, Basil, Romeo, to name a few, all have some issues to work on and will take time. Both Quincy and Harley have had near adoptions that broke down at the last minute through no fault of the dogs. And foster parents need breaks from time to time so we try to spell off people so we don't exhaust them or ourselves.
Mary Quintieri works like a slave organizing the Pugalugs and can ALWAYS use volunteers. Larry is always hustling up ideas for fundraisers. He can ALWAYS use committee volunteers for fundraising.
On many levels, we just aren't a big enough organization to handle the number of dogs that seem to be coming in. And we can't just expand without planning or preparing. Fifteen dogs in foster care is alot of dogs. It requires support to the fosters, answering questions, checking that things are okay, finding another foster home when conflict breaks out between a foster and resident dogs, coordinating vet care among a variety of vets in a variety of cities. You'd be surprised how long it takes to find the right forever home for some of these dogs. Barkers can't go to apartments or attached houses. Those with separation anxiety and house training issues need to have someone around a fair bit. Dogs with socialization issues need an owner who understands those issues. Foster parents go through alot of applications to find the right home. That means doing reference checks, phoning vets, arranging a home visit. I put 1,300 kilometres on my car in the last month just driving for the rescue--transporting, home visits, the Royal, vet visits, checking on fosters.
It takes special homes for some of these dogs and special dogs take their toll on their foster parents requiring more support and brain storming. We have limits and we've reached them. To take on more dogs right now--even if we had the funds and the homes, would overburden the organization, me, Kim, Candace, Hilary, Larry and the other volunteers. We working flat out right now.
Yes we do need more money. We will ALWAYS need more money. We need people to do some of the less glamourous work like fund raising and raising donations of gifts for raffles. At some point, we might need more foster homes, but right now, we don't have the behind the scenes people who can support the fostering program should it get any bigger. We will, at some point, but we don't have it now and we can't create it overnight. It's alot of work and Kim is doing it on her own with some help from me. Candace handles ALL the applications--sorting them and keeping track of what home would be good for which dog--who will take a mix, who won't. Who is no longer interested and who is still an active applicant. BIG Job.
Hilary arranges all the transport for all the pugs coming in--and we get dogs from all over the province who go to foster homes that are all over the place.
Then we have Jeanne who handles all the volunteers for virtually everything. Mary who runs, plans and organizes the indoor pugalug fund raisers. Jeanette who manages our money and tries to bring order to the books. Larry heads up the fundraising generally, as I said before. There are others I've probably forgotten.
Look at all the folks who manned the booth at the Royal--that was a phenomenal achievement--manning a booth for 10 days, 12 hours a day with only volunteers. Impressive.
Okay--I'm way off track here. What I'm trying to say is that it is rotten that we had to close intake, but it will happen. We knew it would at some point--we didn't think it would be this soon, but it did. It's not a good thing, but it is a necessary thing for right now. It will open back up eventually, but it won't be soon and it won't be because of anything we can do within the next couple of days or even weeks. For right now, we need to give the 15 pugs in our care the best we can offer. We've rescued 84 pugs in 2 years. That's no small thing.
As I often say: We can't save all the pugs, but we can do our darnedest to save the pugs right in front of us. Rescue one, till there are none.
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Posted by PugPillow on: Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:14 am
Good post, Blanche, especially on top of all the work you have on your plate right now. The only thing I can add is that another way people can help over the longer term is to educate people about doing their research before they get a pug so that fewer people have to surrender. Maybe that means going into schools or service clubs or writing articles in magazines or newspapers or getting something into a community flyer or just telling anybody you come into contact with - tell them to do their research.

Research the characteristics/needs of a pug - does they match your wants/needs/limitations/lifestyle?

Research the potential medical problems of a pug. Can you afford a medical emergency?

Research how to care for and maintain the health and happiness of your pug so that small problems are dealt with before they become big problems.

Research where you're getting the dog from. If you are buying from a pet store or a backyard breeder - i.e. not from a reputable breeder who will take back the pug at any time in its life - there is a good chance you will have genetic health problems and nowhere to turn except a rescue organization if you can't deal with them.

And educate everyone you can about spaying/neutering so more pugs don't come into the world only to end up in rescue or worse.

And finally, spread the word about the benefits of getting a dog from a rescue organization rather than other sources.
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Posted by Blanche on: Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:02 am

Tracy wrote:
GREAT post Blanche! I want to help in any way I can. It's just crazy right now with all the Puggies coming in! If I can help in any way, board, fundraising, applications, what ever please let me now. There are lots of out here that are willing to help.

Here's the thing--don't wait for us to ask--volunteer. Contact Larry and offer your services. He'll put you in touch with the right Board member or volunteer person. Don't wait to be invited to help, by all means, jump in with both feet.