The 2010 Saving Shelter Pets Etsy fundraiser is still going strong, but hurry – it ends August 26th. That’s Thursday, as in two days from now. You can buy a variety of vintage and handmade items from participating sellers, and 20% of the proceeds will go to Saving Shelter Pets for a Spay and Neuter clinic.  SSP does not duplicate the work of local groups, but targets under-served areas where no low cost spay/neuter option exists.  While, yes, folks who make spay and neuter a priority find the funds, but in these areas, there are folks who desire to but it may be a matter of medications or food or spay surgery. There are some may think, “Why do they have pets if they cannot afford it?”  Sometimes animals just “show up” or are “taken in” that are abandoned by moving neighbors or things were better when the dog or cat came into the family.

I can’t wait to see the cool stuff you bought!

All sellers will be promoted during the sale, which will run from August 16th through August 26th. 20% of the proceeds from each store will be donated to Saving Shelter Pets. If you are worried that it will cut into your bottom line – don’t worry. The extra promotion will definitely make up for it.

If you are an Etsy seller who would like to participate, please email info @ savingshelterpets.com. If you don’t have an Etsy shop and would like to shop during the sale, visit http://www.savingshelterpets.com/etsy2010.html to make your wish list now, and start shopping after 8 A.M EST on the 16th.  Sellers are bound to add a few more items during the sale, so keep checking back.

Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. is a registered 501(3)c charitable organization. Proceeds will go towards their very important Spay and Neuter Program. For more about SSP, visit past articles at HoundsGood.com HERE or visit the official website, Savingshelterpets.com.

Don’t forget to SHOP from August 16 through the 26th. You might be introduced to some great items from sellers that you haven’t discovered yet. Stay tuned on HoundsGood for seller profiles as the event draws near!

Saving Shelter Pets, Inc.’s, latest rescue effort features 41 dogs and pups that are waiting for a chance.  Most of the puppies are enrolled in the Puppy Promises program.  They were intercepted before their owners dumped them at county pounds. They have received necessary shots and their mothers and housemates have been spayed and neutered.  There is a pair of two pups that were at the county pound. The litter broke out with sarcoptic mange and the two pups are the survivors.  In a shelter environment, dogs with mange are euthanized to prevent the spread to others.  Luckily, SSP found out about them and took them away from that noisy place. They were nursed back to health so that they can mix with other dogs and can be placed in rescue.

$2,069 has been raised to rescue, quarantine, spay and provide for the health needs of 41 dogs and puppies.  The cost also offers transport to rescue.  Unfortunately, there is $461.00 to go.  They have made it this far.  ALL of them would like to go, including the pit mix pups who were previously featured ($75.00 is the balance for them).

TOTAL NEEDED: $2,530
RAISED SO FAR: $2, 069
STILL NEEDED: $461 

Every dollar helps…Can we find 50 people to give $9.22 each?

If you would like to help dogs who have had it rough get a break, and are not in the position to adopt, there is a chance to give some deserving Pitbull pups a good start in life. They will be vaccinated, spayed, and neutered and placed in a rescue known for carefully matching each dog to just the right family for them.  These Pit Mix puppies just need a little help from you. By donating to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., you help these kids and pups like them get a good start. You see, they have been targeted for help because they are an unexpected, unwanted litter.  They were headed to a rural Georgia animal control facility where they don’t stand a chance.  On top of that, Mom and the other housemates will be spayed and neutered, making them easier dogs for their family to take care of.

If you want to specifically donate to help the pups you see in the picture, note in your donation that it for Rescue #82, and you would like the money to go to the Pit Mix pups. To donate, you may use the paypal address fundraising @ savingshelterpets.com or follow additional instructions on the SSP donation page.  There are 5 of them. For a donation of $50 per pup, they are vaccinated, quarantined, and transported to a rescue where a home is waiting (of course they will be payed or neutered at the appropriate time.)  Their mother (and other adult dogs and cats at the home) is spayed as well.  $75.00 has been donated so far, with $175.00 left to go!

If you order your magazines or renewals through THIS LINK, up to 40% of your subscription price is donated to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. The fundraising goal is $1,000.  At the time of this writing, donations have reached the $600.00 mark.  If you are looking for a way to help an organization with proactive programs to help save lives, or were going to renew your subscriptions anyhow, please consider renewing them this way.

Dixie is one of those lucky dogs.  She is a large hound and is severely overlooked with the high number of “lost hunting dogs” that populate out of the way shelters.  Luckily, a volunteer recognized Dixie’s sweet nature, even temperment and beauty and was able to point her out to SSP before it was too late.

To fight the overpopulation problem at the shelters they work with, the Puppy Promises program intercepts pups before they enter a shelter environment.  If the owner who is dumping the pups agrees to take them home for another 14 days, SSP vaccinates them and at the end of the quarantine period, places them in rescue.  In addition, the mother of the pups as well as the other adult dogs and cats are spayed or neutered at SSP’s expense to prevent additional unwanted litters.

For more information on the current rescue effort, please visit their official post here.

However, the more important programs are the ones that help pets stay out of the shelters in the first place.  Spay and Neuter clinics prevent unwanted litters, as well as curbing nuisance behaviors that often cause pets to be dumped at shelters, including wandering the neighborhood, aggression and stains caused by the heat cycle.  The Puppy Promises program intercepts young puppies when their families consider dumping them at the pound, where young ones contract parvo or face a similar fate to their adult counterparts.  The pups are ultimately placed by rescues that carefully screen adopted families and all of the adult pets in the house are spayed or neutered to prevent additional unwanted litters.

Stay tuned for news on how you can participate in the Fall 2010 auction as well as other opportunities to contribute with items, monetary donations, or good old fashion spreading the word.

One of he many highlights of the auction is a 4GB iPhone.  The item has been gently used and bidding starts at only $65.00.  If you have priced iPhones, you know what a bargain this is.  A quick search reveals this model being offered in the $200-400 range refurbished or gently used, and up to $500 brand new.

Bidding is red tape-free.  Simply register your credit card and the amount of your maximum bid.  At the conclusion, when you are the lucky winner, the winning bid will be charged and a volunteer will ship you the iPhone and additional items you might win.  I have participated before.  It’s so simple and easy…and secure.  All proceeds minus site fee goes directly to helping the animals.  Saving Shelter Pets is a grassroots organization with no employees.  Additional fundraising is done to cover administrative costs such as webhosting and tax filing fees.  Bid with confidence!

Click here to bid or inspect.

Sissy is very sweet, but she doesn’t have a home. She was a stray. Normally, a stray would be taken to an Animal Control facility. However, since the northern Georgia county has no such facility, authorities can dispose of strays as they wish. And we mean by any means.  Saving Shelter Pets has a laundry list of dogs that they hope to rescue for rescue effort #80, but need a sponsor for Sissy.  Actually, she needs a partial sponsor.  If you can spare a few dollars to help this sweet girl, donations are tax deductible, as Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non profit organization.

For more information on this rescue effort, visit the SSP blog. Donations may be made via Paypal to info @ Savingshelterpets .com For more literature on prior SSP rescues featured on this site, CLICK HERE

OneYoutube commenter left the following remark:

So? all someone has to do to get a free spay and vaccinations for their pet is let her pop out a load of unwanted puppies for someone else to take care of? This is just promoting irresponsible pet ownership and is enabling. Then you take the cute puppies and leave mom with an owner who doesn’t give a crap.

Oftentimes, the family is able to adequately care for their initial dog, but are overwhelmed with an extra one, three, or even nine or ten extra mouths to feed. If the owner is unable to keep and care for the mother of the pups, SSP will assist her in finding placement and getting the care she needs.  However, once the newly spayed dog is returned to the owners, they often find that prior negative behavior, such as neighborhood wandering, curtailed by the spay make the dog easier to care for and keep.

336 puppies were rescued in 2009, and 149 adult pets, including mothers of litters, were spayed or neutered the same year as part of the program. This does not include pets spayed or neutered through clinics or rescued through other programs.

You can sponsor a single pup today for $50.00.  That includes vaccinations, transport to rescue and that pup’s “share” of the cost of the spays of mom and other four legged friends.  At the present time, a pack of over 30 pups is waiting for sponsorship.  To donate, visit The Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. donation page ( CLICK HERE ) and allocate your donation for “Puppy Promises.”

All of the pets pictured were either rescued from a highkill shelter when their time was “up,” or were rescued through the Puppy Promises program.

Q:  What is a Puppy Promises Puppy?

A:  A Puppy Promises puppy is a lucky pup who has been enrolled in the Puppy Promises program.

The puppies are intercepted from being dumped at the shelter, sometimes even at the shelter door!  Their owners are given another option.  If they will quarantine the pups at home for another two weeks, SSP will give them their shots on the spot.   In two or three weeks, pending they are deemed healthy by a vet, they will be transported to a reputable rescue where a family is waiting to adopt them.

As for “mom dog,”  she gets spayed after the pups are well on their way so that there are no more accidental litters.  What’s more, is that all the other adult dogs and cats at the house are spayed or neutered by SSP as well. It was noticed that the same last names and addresses would come up, and is more proactive to spay everyone than hope there will not be another litter.  Some of these families take good care of their pets, but just cannot financially handle a litter of puppies or are not allowed to have so many, and feel powerless.   On the other hand, many other families do not care what happens to the pups, but have been convinced to give Puppy Promises a try instead of the alternative (dumping pups at the shelter, drowning, leaving them to fend for themselves).

It costs $50 per puppy to save them.  This includes, but is not limited to:

Age appropriate vaccinations
Transport to rescue
The Spay of the mother dog and other family members

Q:  How Can I Order a Calendar?

It is simple.  Go to the Saving Shelter Pets homepage and click on the smiling puppy, or go directly to the calendar order form here:  http://www.yearbox.com/ssp/

This year, I am thinking of sending Saving Shelter Pets 2010 calendars. It is a great way to “catch up” because many of my friends know I am a big fan of SSP. They can read information about the group and see some of the happy faces that are grateful to be alive.  Of course it would be nice if they got involved, but even if not, a generous percentage of the calendar cost goes directly to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., to rescue other hopeful cats and dogs, to operate the proactive Puppy Promises program, Trap Neuter and Release program and more.

To order, just follow the link from the Saving Shelter Pets homepage (http://savingshelterpets.com).  The price is $17.95 + $3.95 shipping and handling.  I believe you do get a break on shipping on multiple orders if they are going to the same address and are ordered at the same time.   Hurry and order to receive them in time for Christmas and Hannukah.

Q:  What is a Puppy Promises Puppy?

A:  A Puppy Promises puppy is a lucky pup who has been enrolled in the Puppy Promises program.

The puppies are intercepted from being dumped at the shelter, sometimes even at the shelter door!  Their owners are given another option.  If they will quarantine the pups at home for another two weeks, SSP will give them their shots on the spot.   In two or three weeks, pending they are deemed healthy by a vet, they will be transported to a reputable rescue where a family is waiting to adopt them.

As for “mom dog,”  she gets spayed after the pups are well on their way so that there are no more accidental litters.  What’s more, is that all the other adult dogs and cats at the house are spayed or neutered by SSP as well. It was noticed that the same last names and addresses would come up, and is more proactive to spay everyone than hope there will not be another litter.  Some of these families take good care of their pets, but just cannot financially handle a litter of puppies or are not allowed to have so many, and feel powerless.   On the other hand, many other families do not care what happens to the pups, but have been convinced to give Puppy Promises a try instead of the alternative (dumping pups at the shelter, drowning, leaving them to fend for themselves).

It costs $50 per puppy to save them.  This includes, but is not limited to:

Age appropriate vaccinations
Transport to rescue
The Spay of the mother dog and other family members

$2450 is needed for all 50 puppies. All the other adult dogs and cats in the home will be spayed to prevent more unwanted litters. It also saves the lives of other adults. The owners don’t become overwhelmed with taking care of so many, so adults are not surrendered to the shelter. They also no longer exhibit nuisance behavior such as fighting over females in heat and wandering where they could be hit by a car or become lost. Please consider donating to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. Donations are tax deductible, and the pups, and their new adoptive families will thank you for it.

Did you win something from the auction? Tell us all about it, I would love to hear about it.

Right now, Saving Shelter Pets has a litter of Lab mix Puppies that are hoping to enroll in the Puppy Promises program. They may not be yellow like Marley, but with the gregarious and goofy personality that labs have, someone out there may just be able to find their Marley, the dog that they feel a strong bond with, if they are able to be saved.

Their owner was intercepted when they made the decision to dump the pups at the county pound.  Most dogs don’t make it out alive, especially solid black colored Lab mixes that just don’t get noticed.  They will be given shots, quarantined outside of a shelter environment, while mom and the rest of the adult dogs at the house are spayed and neutered.  The pups will go on to a great life, as they will be transferred to a reputable rescue.

There is actually an auction item that covers the cost of sponsoring one puppy. You can bid now to help one of these darlings out. Opening bid is $20.  For $50, you can walk away having saved a puppy.  You will not actually get to take the pup home, but will have the satisfaction of knowing that you saved a life and also may have connected someone with their best friend in the whole wide world.

To learn more about SSP’s work and mission visit SavingShelterPets.com or read past articles and stories on HoundsGood.com by clicking HERE.