Saving Shelter Pets, Inc annual report 2006

Saving Shelter Pets, Inc annual report 2006 Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. PO Box 71 Three Oaks, MI 49128 www.savingshelterpets.com e-mail: info@savingshelterpets.com 1

A Letter from the President Dear Friends of Saving Shelter Pets, It is with great pleasure and tremendous pride that I write this letter, as part of the first Annual Report from Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. Our first year as an organization has been nothing short of amazing, as the following pages will show. Our achievements from 2006 are a reflection of the hard work that our core group of directors, committee members, and volunteers have put forth to establish our reputation as a responsible and reliable force in the animal rescue community. We have developed solid working relationships with shelters, receiving rescues, boarding and veterinary facilities, and animal-loving volunteers. We have shared tears of joy and of sorrow with each other and with our supporters, but most importantly We have made a life-changing difference in the lives of hundreds of companion animals that otherwise had very little hope. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed in any way to the success of this organization in its first year of existence. We are excited about our accomplishments in the past year, and are looking forward to even bigger and better things in the year to come. Sincerely, Jamie Marfurt President 2

Who We Are Saving Shelter Pets (SSP) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization. We are volunteer-based, with supporters located throughout the US, Canada, and beyond. Saving Shelter Pets supports animal rescue work in many forms. Our Rescue & Transport Team moves adoptable companion animals out of high-kill shelters and into pre-approved, no-kill rescues in large-scale efforts (20-30 animals at a time). Most of the kill shelters we currently help are located in Georgia, where animal overpopulation is a huge problem. Most of our receiving rescues are located in New England and the Northeast where there are generally waiting lists to adopt animals from rescues. Our unique, innovative Puppy Promises SM program keeps newborn puppies out of the stressful and unhealthy environment of a shelter. The Bernie s Buddies SM heartworm fund provides money necessary for treatment and boarding for our heartworm positive dogs. Our Spay & Neuter program targets counties with low-income residents, local shelters with a high euthanasia rate, and a lack of spay/neuter programs already in place. More information about Saving Shelter Pets and our programs is available on our website: www.savingshelterpets.com A Brief History When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, many animal lovers watched in horror as humans and their companion animals struggled to survive in the aftermath of the storm. The tragedy of the animals left to fend for themselves in that devastated landscape was deeply concerning to many, including the founders and early supporters of Saving Shelter Pets. Also, the extensive overpopulation problem of dogs and cats in the Southeastern United States became apparent to this nationwide audience. In the weeks and months after the storm, many volunteers traveled to the Gulf Coast to help with organized disaster relief programs, for both humans and animals. During this time, the Internet was being widely used as a communication tool to disseminate information about the work being done by these programs. Disaster relief programs kept their supporters updated on the progress of their efforts in the affected areas where they were working. Members of 3

online discussion forums who had gone to the Gulf Coast were able to recount their experiences for other interested parties some who wanted to go help but couldn t, and others who were considering making the trip. Brought together by their participation in these discussion forums, the founders of Saving Shelter Pets set out to create an organization dedicated to improving the welfare of domestic companion animals in that area of the country. From these humble beginnings, Saving Shelter Pets has evolved into a small but growing, well-respected force in the animal rescue community. Our Mission Statement Saving Shelter Pets strives to eliminate euthanasia as a method of population control for homeless companion animals, by providing no-kill alternative solutions and proactively addressing the problem of pet overpopulation. Our Activities Saving lives of shelter animals in danger of euthanization, by moving them to safe, no-kill rescues Providing an online discussion forum for supporters to communicate information about animal rescues and similar topics Providing access to proactive pet population control methods, i.e. spay/neuter programs Promoting educational opportunities to increase awareness of the problems and consequences associated with pet overpopulation, pet abandonment in shelters, and inhumane treatment of pets. 4

Accomplishments for 2006 In January of 2006, SSP s official website and discussion forum were launched. These two online entities have come to serve as a networking and communication tool for hundreds of our supporters. Ongoing business updates of Saving Shelter Pets are posted regularly, as are countless outside animal assistance programs and projects. Also, SSP has created and maintained a presence on MySpace since April which has allowed us to connect with many new friends and supporters. The SSP organization was officially incorporated in January. We applied for 501(c)(3) status in June, and officially received our letter of determination from the IRS in October. Two important programs were launched by SSP in 2006 Bernie s Buddies SM and Puppy Promises SM. The Bernie s Buddies SM fund was created in February, to treat heartworm positive dogs rescued by SSP. This disease is prevalent in the Southeast, and is also costly and timeconsuming to treat. The Bernie s Buddies SM fund treated and saved the lives of 11 dogs in 2006. The Puppy Promises SM program was launched in May of 2006 in Murray County, Georgia. It is an intervention program designed to help unwanted litters of puppies and their mothers. The puppies are kept from ever being exposed to the unhealthy environment of an animal shelter. In addition, the mother dog is spayed to prevent future pregnancies. In 2006, this program saved 136 unwanted puppies and spayed 22 momma dogs. SSP recognizes that fundraising is critical to the existence of any nonprofit organization. Therefore, we have implemented a number of opportunities for our forum members to support our cause. Automatic and on-going fundraising has been set up through Amazon, igive, and GoodSearch. Supporters have an opportunity to buy/sell from each other on our very own online Flea Market. An ebay and MissionFish site has been established as well, to donate proceeds from online auction sales to SSP. Several artists and artisans have committed to assist us with a percentage of proceeds from sales of their works. And, last but not least SSP helped many animals in 2006! Our Rescue & Transport Team saved 617 dogs/puppies and 115 cats/ kittens, from an uncertain and ominous fate in overcrowded Georgia shelters. Instead of hoping for the small chance of adoption most would have had, they were taken into the SSP Rescue program and sent to prescreened no-kill rescues, to be adopted into a loving forever home. 5

A Few Success Stories Barney Barney s story is a sad one indeed. He was severely beaten and left in the woods of rural Georgia to die. Luckily, he was found by a construction crew working in the area. They gave him scraps from their lunch and contacted a local rescue for help. Barney was very shy and skittish in the woods, and therefore difficult to catch. A neighbor was threatening to shoot him, although he had done nothing wrong! Thankfully, Barney was scooped up before he met with any harm, and taken to foster care. He was shy but VERY sweet, and his foster mom in Georgia shed many tears when he boarded the SSP transport van to Montana. He was adopted into a pre-screened home the day after he arrived in Montana by a wonderful woman who said she HAD to have him after learning of what he had been through. Barney is now living a happy and comfortable life, where he will never again be hungry or unloved. His new mom even packs him a lunch when he goes to Doggie Day Care now! Kamper This poor girl ended up at Spalding County Animal Control when her owner died and the family didn t want her. She was visibly distraught the entire time she was at the pound trembling constantly, scared and confused, not knowing what she had done to deserve this fate. Fortunately, her luck changed when SSP heard about her sad story. After she was pulled from the pound, it was discovered that she was missing most of her teeth, and worse than that she had Stage 3 Heartworm! Thanks to SSP s Bernie s Buddies SM fund, Kamper was able to stay in foster care in Georgia while undergoing her Heartworm treatment. At the conclusion of her treatment, she boarded an SSP transport van and went to a rescue in Connecticut, where she was adopted by a wonderful family who will make sure she never needs to fear being homeless again. 6

Gunner before after Gunner is a Puppy Promises SM dog from Murray County who came to Saving Shelter Pets with a broken leg and pelvis. While his littermates all went off to their rescue in time to spend Christmas with their new adopted families, poor little Gunner had to stay behind in foster care while SSP made arrangements and raised money for his surgery. Gunner has had a wonderful extended stay with his foster family, through his recovery from TWO surgeries. As of this writing, he is nearly ready to travel (assuming his foster mom can part with him!), and a rescue in New Jersey is preparing to find Gunner his new forever home. before Snow This cat was pulled from Spalding County Animal Control by SSP, and proved to be quite a character. She spent several days taunting her foster mom with her bad kitty behavior. At one point, she escaped from her crate, climbed up onto the rafters in the garage, and refused to come down! Eventually she was retrieved from the rafters, and taken into boarding at a vet clinic for treatment of an upper respiratory infection and an infected tooth. While there, she worked with a specialist who used Cat Whispering and TTouch methods to calm her down. The specialist must have had some effect, because Snow behaved very well during her transport the only cat in a van full of dogs! She went to a rescue in Connecticut and was adopted shortly thereafter. after Morrison Morrison is a cattle dog mix from the Murray County shelter. While she was in boarding with a rescue pending, we were alerted to some behavioral issues including some aggressive behavior. We held her back from her scheduled transport, and moved her into foster care with experienced supervision in order to study her. We were relieved to find that her aggression was an isolated case. In the mean time, our rescue in Montana reminded us that a cattle dog needs open space and a job to do, and that Morrison was welcome to come to Big Sky country. Morrison was eventually adopted to a family on a ranch in Montana, and she has blossomed into a happy, beautiful dog in her new environment. 7

Operations & Financial Summary Revenue for 2006 Direct contributions, individual Direct contributions, other Reimbursements, receiving rescues Fundraising, festivals and events Fundraising, online flea market & ebay Fundraising, promotional items Affiliate programs Expenses for 2006 Rescue, veterinary care & boarding Rescue, transport Rescue, miscellaneous Puppy Promises SM Bernie s Buddies SM Marketing & fundraising expenses Administrative Donations to other groups Payment service fees 67,665.71 245.00 5,615.00 5,124.43 3,927.83 1,963.06 1,516.28 38,757.74 20,431.04 337.23 5,200.57 1,163.50 2,402.71 2,201.62 578.00 2,327.00 Note: Saving Shelter Pets is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, as determined by the Internal Revenue Code. As such, it is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income purposes. 8