Building for Beagles Beagle Paws Adoption & Education Centre buildingforbeagles.com
Our Vision: To build a Beagle Paws Adoption and Education Centre - a place of our own where we can continue to rescue beagles and provide education on the proper care of beagles.
Why Beagles? Beagles have been used for hunting in Newfoundland and Labrador and other areas for decades and have commonly been called hunting or rabbit dogs. Because these dogs have been associated with outdoor sport for generations, it has led to the opinion that beagles should be kept as outdoor dogs, requiring minimal care and little human interaction. This misguided view of beagles has led to many myths surrounding their acceptable care and adequate living conditions. Many hunting beagles live year-round chained to an outdoor doghouse or in cramped raised cages with wire bottom floors and sleeping areas that do not offer adequate protection from the elements. In some cases these dogs receive little or no veterinary care and there are reported cases of beagles being abandoned and left to fend for themselves when they become ill, elderly, or otherwise unfit to hunt. Photo Credit: Love Story Photography Pearcy s Story: In the fall of 2010, this poor beagle was found cold, hungry, and very scared caught in a coyote trap in St. John s, NL. The kind man who rescued him brought him to the municipal shelter where he was never claimed. Clearly abandoned by his owners, Pearcy came into the care of Beagle Paws where he found a loving home and never has to fear being cold and hungry again.
What is Beagle Paws? Throughout the year we see hundreds of abandoned and neglected beagles end up in local shelters. This is where Beagle Paws steps in. Did you know? In 2012 nearly 25% of the dogs received at the St. John s SPCA were beagles or beagle crosses. Formed in St. John's in 2003, Beagle Paws is a not-for-profit registered charity that is run by 13 volunteer executive members and supported by a larger volunteer base, one part-time employee and a community of supporters. When beagles become homeless for any reason, we take care of them until a loving permanent home can be found. We work with local shelters to ensure that any beagle not adopted from them gets a second chance with us. What started out as a small, local organization has grown to be the largest Beagle rescue in the country. We now have volunteer chapters in British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia that not only support their local communities, but also take in beagles that are shipped from Newfoundland. Featured in this picture: Miss Dolly FACT: Over 90% of beagles brought into local shelters are never claimed by their owners.
Building Futures: One Home at a Time We have helped close to 1800 homeless beagles find loving homes. Most importantly we feel that attitudes are slowly changing towards more responsible beagle ownership. More people are viewing beagles as house pets first and hunting dogs second. An encouraging sign is that more hunters are turning over their beagles to us by choice. From a public awareness point of view, we get many requests from youth groups to speak about what we do. We also get requests from companies whose employees want to get involved with Beagle Paws as community outreach. All of these signs are extremely encouraging to us; however, at this time we are limited in terms of how much education and community outreach we can support given the size and poor design of our rented shelter space. FACT: Beagle Paws found loving homes for 172 beagles in 2013! That s a lot of beagles! Did you know? Although Beagle Paws originated to help the hunting beagles in Newfoundland, we also help beagles across Canada find new homes!
So where do all of the beagles come from? In 2013, the beagles that found loving homes came from the following places: Owner Surrenders: Alberta - Calgary: 8 British Columbia - Vancouver: 4 British Columbia - Kelowna: 4 Newfoundland: 98** Nova Scotia: 3 Ontario: 2 Local Shelters: City of Mt. Pearl, NL: 4 City of St. John s, NL: 11 Town of Bay Roberts, NL: 1 Town of CBS, NL: 6 Town of Torbay, NL: 2 SPCA Clarenville, NL: 1 SPCA St. John s, NL: 7 SPCA SP&M, France : 3 **This category includes owner surrenders/others The dogs sunbathing in the current outdoor space
Building Hope: Adoption and Education Centre For years we have been renting a 1000 sq ft office paying over $1,500/month. This space has limited capacity and is not properly set up to house dogs. As a result, a significant portion of our hard-earned fundraising dollars is used to pay expensive boarding fees, while we wait for an open space at our shelter or in a foster home. Current location of Beagle Paws office This is Mabel. She is one of many senior beagles that comes into the care of Beagle Paws every year. Mabel has limited vision and requires a safe space while she waits for her forever home. There is also the constant uncertainty and worry associated with renting we could be asked to relocate with short notice. At the moment, the building we currently rent is for sale and our relocation is looking to be inevitable. Our dream is to have our own Adoption and Education Centre. This would allow us to look to the future with more certainty and confidence.
Limitations within our current building In St. John s the 1,000 sq. ft. space we are currently renting for our make-shift shelter and office is entirely inadequate. The main issue is the size: it is simply not large enough nor designed for housing animals. We always have dogs in boarding facilities waiting to come into our care, as our current space can only house 6-8 beagles at any given time. In our new centre We will more than double the square footage of the indoor space with accommodations for 6-8 additional beagles thus relieving the need for boarding. Sophie s Story: Two years ago a group of construction workers noticed a young beagle tied to a dog house near a home scheduled to be demolished. The owners had sold their home but left the dog behind in the box pictured left. After coming into the care of Beagle Paws, Sophie found a loving home and she no longer has to be worried about being left behind. Photo Credit: Love Story Photography
Limitations with The Reception Area Our current reception area accommodates both our administrative area as well as our Beagle Paws store. We do not have a proper waiting area nor do we have enough space to expand our product selection within our store. In our new centre We would have ample space to include a proper seating area for guests while they wait as well as significantly more square footage to add items to our store. Did you know? Beagle Paws pays $20,000 a year in boarding fees to house homeless beagles waiting to come into our care. Limitations with Parking In our current location, there is limited parking (approximately 12 spaces) which is shared between four building tenants and a residential property. During peak hours, there is often not enough parking to accommodate visitors to the shelter and other neighbouring businesses. In our new centre There will be ample parking spaces as required by municipal regulations to accommodate our busiest business hours, as well as designated parking spaces for disabled persons.
If I had my life to live over, I would have found you sooner, so I could love you longer. - Yvette Parsons Butt, proud mother of Allie Boo, who lived 9 years in a wire bottomed pen, rescued August 2012. Limitations within The Food Preparation Area Our current kitchenette area consists of a utility sink, mini fridge and microwave stand. There is very little space to prepare meals for the dogs and store dog dishes and cleaning supplies. The situation is complicated by the lack of storage and shelving space for food, treats and medications. There is currently no designated lunch room space for staff and volunteers. In our new centre We have designed a large kitchen area separate from the dog s indoor play area which would include a full-sized fridge, eating area and large storage area.
Limitations with the Indoor Play Area Our biggest concern with our current set-up is the inability to separate dogs during play time. This means that dogs both young and old spend their time together in one area which increases the risk of senior dogs getting injured. In our new centre We will have two separate indoor play areas: one for the young dogs who love to run and play and one for our senior dogs to relax and rest. Limitations with the Outdoor Play Area Similar to our indoor play area, our outdoor play area is also a small space shared by all of the resident shelter dogs. It is a section of the parking lot which we have fenced off with no access to grass and is extremely small for the number of dogs we house in the facility. In our new centre We will clear a space large enough for two separate outdoor play areas complete with grass, trees and benches a place where both the dogs and volunteers will enjoy spending their time.
Limitations with the Dog Kennels Currently we are using wire or plastic crates to house the dogs as we do not have proper dog runs. There is no area for separation or isolation of sick or senior dogs. Proper ventilation is an ongoing issue which puts the dogs at risk to airborne illnesses. In our new centre We will have fourteen large dog runs in two separate areas so that beagles with special needs, illnesses or that are nursing can be separated from the remaining dogs. Fundamentally, the main reason that I am so passionate about Beagle Paws is because Beagle Paws saves lives, provides extraordinary care and compassion, and is unwavering in its commitment to the Beagles that are rescued. Philip Lundrigan, loving foster dad to rescued beagle Seymour
Building for Beagles: Corporate and Individual Sponsorship Opportunities Beagle Paws has established a program through which a donor may name or fund specific rooms and areas within the Beagle Paws Adoption and Education Centre as a lasting tribute in memory or in honor of a beloved pet, a loved one, family member, or other honoree. We have a variety of space-naming opportunities listed below so that you, someone you know, a group of people, or a company can have the opportunity to become involved in this project. There are a variety of opportunities meeting all price ranges and interests but the number of naming opportunities is limited. Each naming opportunity will receive recognition in the form of a plaque or an appropriate inscription that will be clearly visible to visitors to the centre for years to come. Today we are calling on all of the corporations and community minded people and looking for support to build our dream, said Sheila Lewis, President and Founder of Beagle Paws. We are confident we can reach our goal of $750,000 and provide a safe place for beagles to stay while they are awaiting their forever homes.
Naming Opportunity Pledge Amount Opportunities Reserved Adoption/Education Center Building $350,000 1 0 Outdoor Playground #1 $65,000 1 0 Outdoor Playground #2 $65,000 1 0 Meet & Greet/Adoption Counseling Room $65,000 1 0 Indoor Playroom #1 $55,000 1 0 Indoor Playroom #2 $55,000 1 0 Dog Villas $2,000 14 0 Outdoor Benches $2,000 5 1 Trees $1,500 10 0 Photo Tile $1,000 Unlimited 0 Paver Large $275 Unlimited 0 Paver Small $175 Unlimited 0 Thank you Beagle Paws for bringing Bobbi to our lives 2 years ago. She brings smiles and laughter to us each and every day. Thank you for all you guys do. -Shawn Hearn and Patsy Peyton, loving owners of Bobbi
Samples Below are sample images of the commemorative naming opportunities. Availability is subject to change and specifics of the centre design will be determined by the centre architects; therefore some of these items are subject to change at which time the donor will be notified of any changes. Sample Donor Bench Sample plaque display for donors names Sample paver stones Sample naming display for dog villas Sample tree plaque
Lexie s Story: After receiving complaints about a small, senior beagle living in a raised, chicken -wire pen in Paradise, NL, the RNC were sent to investigate. What they found was little Lexie living in deplorable conditions. Lexie is now living the good life as a member of the Hutchings family and her days living outdoors are over. CONTACT: To discuss the specifics of your naming opportunity please contact: Tasha Roberts: tasha@buildingforbeagles.com or 709-765-7987
2014 Members Beagle Paws Directors Sheila Lewis, President Denise Aucoin, Director Lois O Grady, Director Sheila Lewis Denise Aucoin Executive Members Sharon Coady Deborah Thomas Melissa Byrne Michelle Lethbridge Sandra Woito Heather Ballard Sherry Welsh Patricia Wright Jan Penney Elizabeth Lockyer Lois O Grady Adoption and Education Centre Committee Members Sheila Lewis Sharon Coady Michelle Lethbridge Deborah Thomas Melissa Byrne Tasha Roberts Steve Greeley