Those Expensive Rescue Dogs: When Every Penny Counts

Forever Husky began fundraising when they took in Kato, a 9-month-old Siberian who
had ingested foreign objects. Kato’s owner didn’t have the funds to pay for the
surgery so they were going to euthanize him. The urgency of the situation required
going into surgery within 12 hours of being surrendered to Forever Husky. 

The rescue began fundraising through social media immediately using Facebook’s new
tools for nonprofit organizations and was able to raise $3500. According to Lance
Laureys, spokesperson, the “urgency” of Kato’s surgery and then "writing a story,
providing invoices, providing updates including pictures are what made that
fundraiser successful." 

Many, but not all, online fundraisers take a small percentage to pay credit card
fees, etc.  Make sure you read the fine print.

Some sites that provide fundraising are:

Give Forward:  You pick an amount and a payout date and people can share and donate
as they wish.   http://www.giveforward.com/p/help-with-vet-bills

GoFundMe: You pick the amount and a payout date. You and others share on social
media and they donate what they can. http://www.gofundme.com/

YouCaring:  https://www.youcaring.com/create-fundraiser.aspx

PetCaring:  (Division of YouCaring)

SHCA Trust http://www.shcatrust.org 

Megan Magness, Pet Angels Rescue, Inc., researched grants online to help Loki, a
yearling puppy diagnosed with IMHA: immune mediated haemolytic anemia. Some
foundations from which they were awarded grants were Petco Foundation, Maddie's Fund,
Kirkpatrick Foundation, Watershed, Lockhart, and SOS-SRF. 

"Grant writing can be time consuming," according to Magness, "but it is totally
worth it and you can ultimately save more animals' lives when you are able to get more resources.”

Year-round fundraising is always needed and can be more creative. 

Depending on where the rescue is located, small events such as a winetasting at a
local winery or pouring brew at a pub can bring in funding. Also many restaurants
offer a benefit night. Walking or hiking events are another option.

Online auctions are popular. Research groups such as Flower Power are set up for
fundraising campaigns. Other groups like iGive, Amazon Smile, and some grocery store
loyalty points programs, such as Fred Meyer, provide a percentage of their sales to
go to a chosen nonprofit.

Be creative, utilize artistic skills of those with whom you rescue. Handmade items
make wonderful auction items.

A lot of success in fundraising comes from looking for sources in odd places: when shopping
online see if that retailer has any special programs for non-profits. Look at what
schools in your area are doing as fundraising projects. Most likely those same
companies have similar programs available for other nonprofits. 

Think outside the box!

A Hiking We Will Go!

Ahhh, Fall! Before we are locked into the icy grip of winter, many of us want to get as many nice days as possible under our boots, with our trusty husky companions.

One of the first, and perhaps most enjoyable, titles we can earn with our dog is the Working Pack Dog (WPD) from the Siberian Husky Club of America. Details can be found at SHCA's Working Dog program tab. 

The purpose of this article is to offer some tips and tricks from Board members of SOS-SRF, several of whom have earned multiple WPD titles for their dogs.

1. Get good gear. The human component needs sturdy hiking boots that have been broken-in ahead of the hike. Blisters or ill-fitting, slippery-soled shoes will put a novice at a huge disadvantage in a hurry. The human will also need a lightweight, but sturdy daypack that is large enough to hold all essential equipment for a day's hike, including raingear and an extra sweater. A dog's pack needs to fit the dog comfortably, and be of sufficient size to load with enough items to equal a quarter of the dog's weight. It should be padded for comfort, and the author of this article thinks it is essential for the panniers to be attached to the padded harness with velcro so that when you stop to take a break, the panniers can be rrrriiipppped off the dog, relieving it of the weight during rest periods.

2. Condition! Condition! Condition! It isn't fair to your dog (or to yourself) to go out on an official WPD hike without training for it. The best way to train for hiking is by walking! Put on those new boots, put a few full water bottles in your pack and one each in the dog's panniers and go walking. Start with only a mile, and work up from there, including hills, up and down, and get you and your dog accustomed to wearing the gear, get your bodies conditioned for the (at least) five-mile hikes you will be doing on trails that will likely be rocky and steep. Trust us. You will not enjoy this experience with soft bodies and raging blisters! And truly, it isn't fair for your dog who can get muscle-sore and foot-sore, too, but not be able to tell you about it.

3. Keep scrupulous notes and documentation! Remember that your WPD documentation evaluator probably is not with you on your hike, thus you must give them all the data they will need to be assured that you really did do this hike with all that weight. Take pictures, make a copy of your map, have both the map and the witness forms signed by people that are with you on the hike and by others that you meet on the trail. Because of the sheer amount of documentation, I studied trail guides and maps to find trails that would give us the required 5-10 miles in length, that were shown on one map (not several that had to be placed side by side), would have pretty views, and were not ridiculously steep (think about your dog carrying one quarter its weight). For WPD purposes, a thousand feet of elevation gain equals a mile in length, so take that into account when you choose your trails. Also, remember that the earth may look like a flat plain on a map, but in reality there will be elevation gain and loss. Condition for it! WPD requires our hikes to be backcountry hikes, not strolls through city parks.

4. Get your dog's weight verified by a veterinarian just prior to your first hike. You will need this documentation.

5. Choose small, robust items for the dog pack. My Lena needed to start with 12 pounds. Weigh your dog pack, and add items such as first aid kit, full water bottles, hard-boiled eggs, carrot sticks, field guide, water dish, dog treats, multi-knife, and so forth until you total enough ounces to equal the needed weight. Remember that all items must be things you will use on your hike. Because the dog needs to end the hike with 10% of its weight, I kept a nucleus of items weighing that amount and just packed the same thing every time. Take care to divide your items so the panniers will balance correctly.

6. Some GPS and smart phone programs, such as Map My Hike and Map My Run will show on a map the route and mileage you've walked, and this can be uploaded and printed. Try it on your conditioning walks and make sure it will work before you rely on it for your WPD documentation.

7. Some who hike with dogs enjoy a waist belt that the dog's leash is attached to for “hands free” hiking; this enables them to use hiking poles. This writer does not! I enjoy using a 10-foot leash (not a flexi), and I have both hands on the leash, giving and taking the slack as we go so the dog can sniff, pee, catch up without getting tangled. On downhill grades, I've taught my dogs to walk behind me. If a squirrel, or deer, or rolling rock makes sudden noise ahead of or beside me, I do not want to be the “sled behind my sleddog” and yanked off my feet to fly nose first down a rocky slope. On uphill portions of trail, it's helpful to have the dog up front, but when going downhill, I want my dog behind. Train for it!  Also, poop happens! In areas where you meet a lot of hikers, pick it up and pack it out. If in true wilderness backcountry, dig a "cat hole" about 6 inches deep and bury it. Try to manage this chore so it is a ways off the trail. Be thoughtful of others. 

8. Tell people where you are going, when you expect to return, and stick to your plan. Safety first!

9. If you have friends in an area who want to hike, try setting up group hikes—it will add to the fun, safety, and documentation to have others join you in your quest for your WPD title. Such a group has been active in Washington State, and several Siberian owners can proudly claim they have an official WPD Siberian!

Happy fall! Happy trails!