The FernDog Rescue Foundation Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 11 In This Issue Page 3 Meet Our Available Dogs Wagging Tails Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 FernDog Pupdates Upcoming Events All Paws on Deck About The FDRF Dear Santa By Margie Ferner It s Snoopy! I appreciate that every year you receive my letter and grant a wish for a special pup of my choosing. This year I am writing to you to grant wishes for one of the best dog rescue groups around! I have been watching the people at the FernDog Rescue Foundation in New Jersey, and they are extra special, Santa! I know that you are very busy this time of year, but this group has some special pups that need your help. I contacted all of the FernDogs and together we made our lists and checked them twice, and I am proud to say, this year they have been less naughty and mostly nice. These pups have big wishes, so please call all of your helpers and do your best to grant them the wishes they deserve. My first Christmas wish is for Stallone. He s a big, loving boy who really needs a foster home. He has some medical issues and is currently recovering from knee surgery. He is staying at Verona Animal Hospital and they are taking really good care of him, but he needs the extra love and nurturing from a warm, comfy home. Please help him find a special person who can take him and give him a safe place to rest his head. He ultimately needs a forever home, but we will take a foster home right now. My next big wish is for Carly, she is five years old and a real sweetie!! She is spending another Christmas in boarding and we need to find her an experienced foster home fast!! She has been in boarding for too long and the stress is causing some medical problems. I ll even give up some treats if you can find her a foster home, Santa! Can you ask your elves to ask their friends if they want to foster? If they can spread the word and have their friends ask their friends, who can ask their friends. I bet with some extra encouragement, someone knows someone who can be her foster. more on 2
My next wish is for May (aka Mayberry), she has been with a great foster home over 2 years, and although she is loved, safe, and happy, she needs a forever home. She is a sweet pup, loves people and children, but she prefers to be the only pet in the home. Please get on that one, Santa, she will miss her foster family but her secret wish is to be adopted permanently. Santa, my last special wish is for little Willow. I have been watching over her and even though the FernDog leaders, vet partners, and volunteers did everything to help her get better, she was ready to cross over the Rainbow Bridge. She is in a good place now, looking down on everyone at the FDRF. So my wish is to keep her story alive and to have her continue to inspire the FDRF team! The rest of the homeless doggies out there need them to keep rescuing, and to continue to do what they do with strength and perseverance! My next wish is for the FernDog foster families, volunteers, vet partners, shelter partners, donators, and anyone else that helped the rescue this year in any way. They worked very hard this year, Santa, and the FernDogs love each and every one of them so much. I want them to know how much the FDRF appreciates everything they do for the dogs. So my wish for them is that you read their wish lists and send them whatever they want they deserve it!! Santa, my ultimate Holiday wish is that every dog would have a home, and every home would have a dog! And as Tia from Pit Bulls & Paroles says, the mission is to rescue; the dream is that one day they won t have to. Thank you for reading my wish list, Santa, and I want to wish everyone at the FDRF a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or Happy Yule from me and Woodstock! They ROCK! A Tribute to Willow As you may have heard, the FernDog family lost our precious Willow. Our lives changed on September 3rd when this sweet, fragile being was found in a dumpster in NJ. Despite her early introduction to how cruel some humans can be, she loved everyone and held no fear or hatred towards us. She only knew love and that's all she wanted to give and receive. Shortly after her rescue, she was given the diagnosis of Mega Esophagus. We knew what her future would most likely look like with this dreadful disease but Willow was prepared to fight and so were we! We became part of a Mega Esophagus support group, we consulted with vets in New Jersey, New York and as far as Louisiana to find out tips and new developments in treating dogs with this condition. Since there is no cure and no one treatment for every case, we tried everything that we thought could help her. She had her really good days but recently Willow began to slow down. We asked her if she wanted to continue this fight and on those good days we knew she was saying yes. On the bad days we weren't quite sure how much her tiny little body could endure but we continued to let her direct the journey. But on November 23, at just 4 months old, she had complications from her disease and she left us while in the arms of her foster mommy. The lessons she taught us, the impact she had on so many lives and the people she brought together remind us that even though her time with us was short it was filled with many blessings that one rarely sees in a lifetime. We thank all of you who followed her story, prayed, donated and kept her in your thoughts daily. She knew the love was around her and we know how grateful she was for everyone! We miss you like crazy Willow! 2
Meet Our Available Dogs Buzz is a young pocket pittie looking for a home with a doggy sibling. Eli Buzz Olive Oyl is a silly, happy and dog-friendly mix. Eli is a gorgeous young pit mix looking for a patient home. Sasha Olive Oyl Sasha is an outgoing, happy 4-year old active Shepherd mix. Rosie Rosie is an 8-month old pup who is fun and dog friendly. R h u b a r b Nala Remie is a playful lab mix who loves kids Rhubarb is a sweet and spunky dog-friendly terrier mix. Remie Nala is a gentle and shy pit mix looking for a quiet and fun home. Sugar is a sweet senior gal looking for a quiet home. more on 4 Sugar 3
Elroy is a one-year old Jack & Baxter Jack & Baxter are Boston terrier mix who is loving, sweet and gentle super dog-friendly and boys looking for a home Elroy playful. together. Hector is a pit bull mix Betty Boop is a who will add fun and gorgeous, sweet and excitement to your life. Hector energetic mixed breed. Betty Boop Chanel is a long-haired Chihuahua who is a gentle and calming companion. And don t forget about Carly, Stallone and May, introduced on page 1. Wagging Tails Please join us in a tail wag as we celebrate these recent adoptions: Spirit and the Nieto family FernDog Pupdates I decided to become a Ferndog Foster last March and worked with Donna to find the right dog. She sent me a photo from the Burlington County Animal Shelter and I replied- I WANT HER!! And Henna was in my house that night! As excited and happy as I was to help this sweet girl find her forever home, the transition wasn t easy. While we knew that Henna was hesitant with new people, the true extent of her anxieties didn t show until she was in the home environment. We bonded very quickly, but she was terrified of my Dad and refused to let him near her. She d bark and growl and back away from him. It was heartbreaking to see how much stress being in the presence of a man put her under. I was so worried that my house was not the right fit for her and that I couldn t help her. But with dedication, hard work, Dr. Scriff s treatment, coaching from Linda, and TONS of support from Donna, I learned more about her anxieties and behaviors and I began to see improvement! The journey of rehabilitating and socializing Henna has bonded us so strongly, that I ultimately made the decision to adopt her. She s now a permanent member of the family and we can t imagine life without her! Her fear of my father is long gone- she now runs towards him and gives him hugs and kisses every day! Getting her to be comfortable around strangers is still a work in progress, but she has come SO FAR! It s hard to put into just a few words what Henna has brought to my life have you ever looked into the eyes of a dog and had them look back into yours, and feel like you just understand each other??? It feels like that. ~ Lauren Tremulak 4
Upcoming Events The FernDog Rescue Foundation is out and about! Please join the team for the following events: Adoption & Ask the Vet Event Saturday, December 5 th, 12pm to 3pm 756-A Bloomfield Avenue, West Caldwell, NJ Come meet our FernDogs and chat with a veterinarian from Verona & Montclair Animal Hospital. Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping Thursday, December 10 th, 4pm to 10pm Thursday, December 17 th, 4pm to 10pm 1940 Route 10, Morris Plains, NJ Adoption & Ask the Vet Event Sunday, December 20 th, 12pm to 3pm 339 Pompton Avenue, Verona, NJ Come meet our FernDogs and chat with a veterinarian from Verona & Montclair Animal Hospital. 5
All Paws on Deck The FernDog Rescue Foundation works tirelessly to save lives and execute our mission, but we can only do it with your support. We are in constant need of funds, supplies, and volunteers to help out at adoption and fundraising events. We are seeking to fill the following volunteer positions: Grant Writer, Experienced Fundraiser/Event Planner, Experienced Adoption Counselors, Photographers and creative individuals for social media. Please email Robin at info@ferndog.org if you are interested. Ever think about fostering? Every day we get pleas to help dogs in urgent need and we hate to say no. The more foster homes we have, the more lives we can save. We have a great foster program that will be with you every step of the way during your foster period! THANK YOU to all of our current volunteers and fosters for working relentlessly to help save lives. The FDRF thrives because of your dedication. SPECIAL THANKS to everyone that helped out on our outings and fundraisers this past month including the bake sale, t-shirt and collar fundraiser and the Lord and Taylor s Shop Smart and Do Good event. CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Scriff and the Verona & Montclair Animal Hospitals for receiving the Suburban Essex Best of Essex 2015 Readers Choice Award. Wanttohelpmoreanimalsgetrescuedrightnow?! Whenyoupurchaseanybookinthe JJTheAmericanStreetDog series 20$of$the$proceeds$benefit$The$FernDog$Rescue$Founda9on.$$ $ The$JJ$series$is$perfect$for$children$ages$5?9$with$colorful$illustra9ons$and$ hearbelt$messages.$$the$stories$are$exci9ng$and$uplieing$and$teach$that$ adop9ng$a$rescue$animal$is$a$win?win!$share$these$books$with$your$lijle$ loved$one$and$know$you$are$making$a$difference!$$$ $ $To$order$your$signed$copy$of$Diane$Rose?Solomon$book(s)$you$must$go$to:$$ hjp://www.dianerosesolomon.com?aff=ferndog$ $ Other Ways to Give to the FDRF Code: FERNBBX1 Download these mobile apps. Take your phone with you when you walk your dog and raise money for the FDRF! https://www.bravelets.com/bravepa ge/the-ferndog-rescue-foundation 6
Dog Rescue, Redefined Since January 2013, the FernDog Rescue Foundation has been 132 rescued rescuing dogs and adopting them to their forever homes. Our mission is a simple one: We strive to place our dogs in truly 114 adopted forever homes, with an emphasis on personality, lifestyle and compatibility. We believe the best way to do this is through our foster program, which enables our dogs to be placed in low-stress homes while they wait for their permanent families. We feel that it is this type of environment that a dog is best able to prosper and thrive. Further, it allows our team to get to know our dogs better, and to provide required and adequate training for any behavioral issues that may exist, as well as treatment for any health issues. Most of our dogs come from very sad situations: many were abandoned, owner surrendered, or found wandering in the streets of our inner cities. We also rescue dogs from high-kill shelters in the deep South. Every dog is unique, and every situation they come from has helped to shape that particular dog s personality. We have all heard it too often. I adopted a shelter dog and he is a nightmare. I adopted a shelter dog and she is too jumpy for my small children. These dogs become homeless once again, and at no fault of their own. These types of situations can be avoided with a successful foster program; a better foster program. If we change nothing, nothing will change. Fernando Camacho The FernDog Rescue Foundation www.ferndog.org www.facebook.com/ferndogrescuefoundation P.O. Box 266 Caldwell, NJ 07006 The FernDog Rescue Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all volunteer organization based in Northern New Jersey dedicated to creating the very best foster program for both dogs and adopters. The Foundation Team Fernando Camacho, Founder Bruce Simon Robin Kreiner Donna Buccellato Dr. Anthony Scriffignano info@ferndog.org 7