It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and we at rescue have so much to be thankful for this year. Like every year before it–and any year in dog rescue, to be quite honest—it has been both a fulfilling and a challenging one. We’ll start recapping 2015 soon enough, though, in separate blog entries. For now?
April was nothing short of mind-boggling for us. We were at capacity and already struggling with vet bills when six new desperate rescues arrived.
February was a relatively calm month at rescue. Those are very rare and we are always thankful for them. Donna celebrated her birthday … and we celebrated her and the rescue by putting together our “Home” video as a gift. Haven’t seen it yet?
Welcome to another Jack Flashback series: The year-end, month-by-month roundup of the biggest stories at GA JRT rescue for 2013. What a wild ride it has been this year! We’ve had everything from heart-breaking losses to incredible success stories. One thing was consistent, though: Our online following increased greatly, which meant that our local support also grew beyond anything we’ve known before.
We are here for them …
We won’t go into details, but there have been some scandals lately in the dog rescue world about where money is going and what rescues around the country are doing. We know that every one of those stories can cause people to lose faith in donating.
And that debauchery saddens us.
We strive hard on our website and our Facebook page to show you through pictures that we receive your donations, how we use them, how they benefit the dogs, etc. We also welcome you to call our vet (whom we are in debt to for thousands) and donate to them directly, if you don’t trust us to do pay them. And we invite you, if you’re in the area or passing through, to come out to the ranch and see how we are putting your donations to use.
You have all been such great supporters and never given us reason to think otherwise. We hope we have done the same for you and we just want you to know that every single penny you spend (via purchases, auctions, fundraisers, donations, time volunteered, etc.) goes directly to our dogs. It does not benefit anyone or anything else. Our volunteers donate all their time in online activities, vet runs, kennel care, scooping poop, etc. There are absolutely no salaries here.
If you’ve met Mama Donna, you know she lives well below her means and, sometimes, the volunteers have to get onto her for that: Take care of yourself before the dogs, Donna. She, of course, does not listen. She works a full-time job 40-50 hours and then spends 40-50 hours taking care of these dogs to give them the best homes possible.
The volunteers will hop off the soapbox now. We just want to assure you that we do everything and anything within our means to take care of these babies. We get nothing but joy seeing each and every one of these dogs arrive down ‘n out and then become down ‘n dirty like any JRT should be. They each mean something to us and always will until the day they are adopted … and we still cry our eyes out when that happens, let us tell you.
Thank you all for your ongoing support, donations and love for the dogs. If you ever want to “call us to the table,” please do. We’ll invite you that table … for a barbecue.
As always, if you need proof, view our video … 😉
Last week, we posted a shot-in-the-dark for help on our Facebook page. We weren’t able to wash blankets, beds, etc. because all of the recent rain had backed up our septic tank.
Kelsey Davis of Advanced Plumbing & Drain Cleaning in Athens immediately stepped up to help. He came out that night to assess things and he and his son, Colin, came back today (on a Sunday!) to get the job done. As if that wasn’t enough, they helped put up a new tarp for Eli and Elanor (the recent rains destroyed theirs along with many others) while Mama Donna was dealing with other stuff and played with some of the pups,
Not enough for you? Their family adopted a wonderful JRT from a kill shelter who had been hit by a car and had a broken leg and detached retina. They spent thousands on surgery to help him and could not love him more if they tried.
Thank you beyond words, guys, for helping us when we needed it most. If you live in the Athens area and need plumbing services from some great folks who support the JRT rescue cause, please share/consider them first and call 706-613-9325.
Kelsey and Colin Davis of Advanced Plumbing