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?
If you have been wanting to volunteer, this is the time to do it! The weather is great, the dogs are happy, and the help is very much needed.
‘Tis the season for a month of miracles. December was amazing in all aspects – from incredible fosters/adoptions, to an outpouring of donations and voting support, to an awesome and much-overdue party. It ended a year that we will never forget at rescue.
March definitely came in like a lion … Lots of activities and, best of all, lots of adoptions!
We debuted several new videos at last night’s holiday party to not only celebrate the year but the years of rescue work. Here is the first one – dedicated to all of the amazing volunteers/supporters who keep this machine running and the costs and efforts everyone goes to, to make sure these dogs get the second chance they deserve.
We celebrated our first Merry Terrier Holiday Party last night in Atlanta and had a terrier of a time! What started as a year-end celebration with just a few volunteers grew into a big gathering of our extended family at rescue, including volunteers, supporters and foster/adopted parents … and, of course, Mama Donna.
It was a great evening of incredible food (so much food!), drinks, music, new rescue videos (debuting shortly), raffle giveaways, an adorable custom JRT ornament tree, and good old conversation about all of our four-legged kids.
We also hosted a raffle drawing for a barnhunt donated by Meredith Minkin with Canine PhD and B.D. Malone from Beastie Darlings. One of our volunteers won the drawing and donated it back to the rescue!! It looks like little Frazier (who knows how to “go to ground” like no one you’ve ever seen) will be enrolled in the class! We can’t wait to follow his progress.
Thank you to everyone for making 2013 such an incredible year. As Mama Donna briefly said before the tears kicked in, everyone brings something special to the table that makes this thing work and we couldn’t do it without you.
Special thank you to Sheryl Cherico and MD Tech Pro/Tier 3 for loaning us the beautiful space!
It’s been a big year for the rescue, so we’ve decided to celebrate the year with an end-of-year holiday bash: The Merry Terrier Holiday Party!
Scheduled for 5-9pm Dec. 14 at MD Tech Pro/Tier 3 (3580 Pierce Dr., Suite 160 in Atlanta), this potluck event is open to all volunteers, foster parents, adopted parents and supporters who have made 2013 (and the preceding years) such a great success. We would also like to invite potential adopters, supporters and/or volunteers to come out and meet everyone.
We’ll have music, food, drinks, holiday items and more. We are also hoping to have a raffle and/or silent auction. (If you have items you would like to donate, feel free to PM us or email us at jrtadoptions@gmail.com).
Admission is free, but because the rescue has no entertainment budget (except the volunteers’ personal pockets, which are pretty lean this time of year), we ask that everyone bring a dish or drinks for the evening.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP and fill in a potluck slot. Can’t wait to see everyone there!
Thank you so much to MD Tech Pro/Tier 3 for loaning us their beautiful space to celebrate!
By now, you’ve read about and seen the photos from our Fall Vol Day last Saturday. Donna was blown away from the turnout and commitment of so many to help her with the dogs. There were a couple of years after Jimmy passed that it was just her and another friend/volunteer or two wrapping kennels. Suffice it to say, it took forever – and there wasn’t anyone around to walk and spend time with dogs. She wanted to thank everyone personally. Here goes ..
Join us for our fall volunteer day! We will be cleaning and weatherproofing kennels and trying our best to get the indoor kennel ready for winter. We could really use some handymen and women for this one!
If you’re ready to sign up, please visit our Facebook event and “join,” so we can get a headcount. If you’re not on Facebook, just email us and let us know you’re coming.
Then head over to our sign-up sheet (don’t worry, we won’t do anything bad with your email) and sign up for the “duties” you’d like to handle, plus any goodies you’d like to bring for the crew. We definitely need help with wrapping the kennels and cleaning out the indoor kennel – not fun jobs, but high-priority jobs for the fall!
If you’re a new volunteer and need directions to the ranch, please email us.
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 … 😉
Mama Donna doesn’t have time to go online and do much, but she asked that we share her direct thank you with all of the volunteers who came out and busted butt last Saturday during Volunteer Day … and on any given day. We really do have a rockin’ group of volunteers – and can always use more! If you live in the Atlanta area and would like to help out, please complete our volunteer application.
Mama Donna hugging Sadie
I want all of you to know how much I appreciate what all of you do for me and the dogs every day. Saturday was over and beyond the normal things you do for the rescue but all of you are appreciated every day.
Auctions, t-shirts sent out, taking applications, Facebook, PayPal, driving dogs to the vet, taking care of sick dogs we find, begging for donations, raising money, scooping and water on the weekends – all the weekday/weekend warriors! So much is done for the rescue I just get a little emotional when I have to talk about it.
There are no words that could ever express my gratitude for all you do for me and the dogs and ask for nothing in return. The rescue could not operate without all of you! This year has been the best year ever for the rescue, thanks to all of you, and we have more good things coming our way.
Then the others who have come to the rescue who just jumped right in! … Sandy,who I felt she has been there forever! Abby, who has been out several times and may be thinking, ‘What have I done,’ but even talked someone into coming with her! The K’s, as we call you, with our little Pippa. Lily, Mike and little Carson, who is so adored. Jennifer, who brought Susie, who Terry spoiled rotten … as if she already wasn’t … along with Pumpkin and Chuckie. Morgan, who made a special trip to see Oscar!
The weekend warriors – thanks to all of you!
(You are) so loved and, because of all of you, there are so many more in great homes that would never have made it out of the shelters. Each of you should be so proud for being a part of saving so many dogs from the shelter.
When I see all the dogs who are so loved, I know why I do this.
The food was great; all of you worked so hard. I am eating leftover fruit and salad today for lunch! Peach cobbler – how good was that! The ice cream man in my driveway! Yum!!!!!!!
Sally – a special thanks to you for helping with the inside dogs! Letting them lay in your truck! The grilled food was the best! I know you are recovering (and) that was a long day.
The clean up crew, who helped me take down the tent and throw away garbage and letting Skip have a little bite of burger. Skip now runs to the spot where the grill was! Please tell Britt thanks so much. We need to have adjustments at the next event.