As you all know, every year we have the annual Pets of Balloon Juice calendar, which raises money for an animal rescue outfit named MARC, the Marion Animal Resource Connection. We try to find a small animal charity that is just starting out or struggling, but has good leadership and good people running it, so we know the money will not be wasted or misspent. It’s been almost a decade with MARC, and they have grown to the point that I think it is time for us to move on to a new charity.
I have spoken with Satby about an organization she works with, but I would like some input from you all to know if any of you are involved with or know a small operation that could really benefit from our patronage. The goal is to find someone where a couple thousand dollars from store items and calendar sales would REALLY make a difference. So if you have someone like that in mind, let me know. They do need be a registered nonprofit, though. I think it is 501C3 but I forget.
Additionally, and this is SUPER IMPORTANT. Some of you have signed up to send monthly donations of a dollar or two through paypal, which is great, because it pays for stuff that comes up when we need to buy apps or have Bizbudding do some quick coding, etc. However, some of you send them as PAYMENTS for a product, and not sending money to friends/family, and now Paypal is up my ass to show that I have shipped you something. I had to go through and fill out a dozen forms and explain they were donations, then show the receipts to bizbudding, but my account is still locked and everything is a mess. So if you have a monthly donation set up, make sure it is not as a payment for services. Or just cancel the damned thing.
FlyingToaster
Just checked PayPal, and yours is listed as a donation. (My other recurrings are pseudo-news sites and are listed as purchases. They’re not charities, they can call it an ad-free subscription.)
Roger Moore
I also checked, and mine is clearly labeled as a donation on PayPal, so I guess I’m OK. Maybe you need a Patreon…
zeecube
In other news: Satanic Priest Dominatrix Porn in my neck of the woods.
Nutmeg again
No surprise, but the rescue closest to my heart is That Newfoundland Place. It’s a small rescue, founded about a dozen years ago to supplement the NCA Breed rescue. They do place other kinds of doggos. But mainly Newfoundlands. They have started working with folks in upstate New York and into Ohio and rescuing puppy mill dogs, which, I can tell you, is truly heroic work. Also–it’s not cheap. Those desperate traumatized animals need all kinds of vetting, not to mention the transport. A recent girl who came through, Olive, had to have surgery to remove an eye: the puppy mill just let it fester (some kind of infection in the retina)–it must have been agony for the dog, but it didn’t interfere with her breeding ability. And TNP matches dogs to people like they have sorting hat–really!
Anyway, for all that’s holy please don’t buy a dog from a pet shop–they so often come from these horrendous factory-dog-farms.
Percysowner
Mine says Donate to Balloon Juice, so I think I’m good. Others places say payment.
Yutsano
@Nutmeg again: You had me at Newfies! I was raised from 1 until 10 by a great patient Newfie named Sasha. She was beyond the goodest girl. She was truly the stereotypical babysitter of all of us. And oh man was she a great kisser! So I’m all about this one!
raven
We stole the idea in conjunction with our local dog parade and, even though the parade is off, the calendar is on. We had raised in the area of 7k per year her but not this year.
raven
2020 Announcement: Sadly, we have decided that Boo-le-Bark will not take place this year, due to the COVID-19 virus. It is impossible to stage it in a way that keeps everyone safe. We look forward to seeing you again next year!”
Please support our wonderful sponsors! It’s our turn to help them out!
Capri
If you’re looking for a deserving animal-based charity, I lead a safe haven program at Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine called PetSafe. We house animals that are owned by families while they are staying at the local women’s shelter. Safe haven programs are important because many women won’t leave an abusive situation if they can’t take their pets with them. Their pets provide a huge amount of emotional support at at time that an abuser is trying to isolate them. What is more, many women fear for their pet’s safety. A fear that is justified as pets in households with human violence are at very high risk to be abused as well.
The local women’s shelter does not allow animals (most do not), and PetSafe allows those leaving violent domestic situations the peace of mind knowing their pets are safe and well cared for.
Another Scott
Whew! “Donation”. I was sure it’s me, but it actually isn’t! For a change!!
As for places for the piggybank, dunno. You monsters will have to figure it out.
Good luck!! :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Miss Bianca
My PayPal says “donation”, hope that’s the right designation?
And may I make a shout-out for my local rescue organization, the Wet Mountain Animal Welfare League? They do such good work with so little, and they were a great prop and mainstay to me when Luna disappeared, putting the word out through their networks and giving me advice and checking up on me. They pick up stray/abandoned animals, rehome, retrain, host vaccination/chipping clinics, make ID tags, and are raising $ to build a shelter in my tiny rural county so we don’t have to transport animals to the shelters in other counties.
They would be overwhelmed with gratitude, I assure you!
ETA: Actually, oddly, I made contact with the Wet Mountain Animal Welfare League after someone here on BJ said they had a special-needs pup they needed to rehome. Adam S helped me with that one, and that’s how I met the late, great Cindi Williams, who founded the League. She took Bear (renamed Roscoe) for her own. She died a year or so ago, sadly.
Steeplejack
@Capri:
This sounds like a great cause. Can you post a link in case people want to donate?
mayim
@Capri:
That safe haven sounds like an awesome project. So awful that it’s needed!
I’m on the board of and foster through Responsible Pet Care. (If you are on Facebook or Instagram, my fostering is covered at Backwoods Fosters.) Western Maine is in many ways the northern end of Appalachia and economic hard times are pretty much endemic here :-( But we do what we can for the local cat and dog population.
raven
This thread reminds me of how I sometimes feel guilty giving dough to this or that pet bleg when we have so many issues right here.
Mary G
I was giving monthly and it said donation, but they gave me such a hard time signing in that I cancelled it. Seconding the idea of a Patreon.
Benw
omg MLB.TV has blacked out the Padres-Dodgers game in my NY area!! Because we might have gone in person because of the blackout LOL!
rekoob
No doubt you’ll be inundated with ideas, but I’ll add the Española Valley Humane Society https://www.espanolahumane.org
New Mexico always struggles with strays. My stray, under 30 pounds but now over 17 years, has been a wonderful companion.
Whatever you choose will be fine, I’m sure.
jeffreyw
My paypal summary had it listed as a donation in the description field but it was listed as a business service. I cancelled it and then tried to go it again whilst paying particular attention to all the options. It helped not that they changed the look and feel of their site. Anyway, there was a drop down window that gives you a choice of paypal protection, or decline because it is going to a trusted person. That prob needs to be your pick.
Benw
Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I’ve fostered for Big Fluffy Dog rescue, which rescues lots of non-fluffy dogs as well, and transports lots of needy dogs from the south to northern adoption groups.
https://bigfluffydogs.com
They may be too established for this support request, but they do good work.
Elizabelle
Don’t know which one, particularly, but what about an animal organization that saves animals in the path of Western wildfires? Up to and including horses? That is going to be an ongoing issue, probably for the rest of our lives.
Sab
@raven: I am late in expressing how sorry I am about you pup.
Elizabelle
@raven: I am sorry to hear that Lil Bit is gone. She had a lovely life with you. I hope that Bohdi recovers his mobility.
Tough fall for you and the bride.
Middlelee
I just checked and my monthly donation is marked “donation.” However, I noticed that a one-time donation to Austin Pets Alive is marked payment although I clearly clicked on a “donate” button. So I will phone tomorrow and make sure yours is truly a donation.
BruceFromOhio
Your other picks have been good. You pick. You have better vision. You, I trust.
Gammyjill
@Capri: you shelter looks excellent. I’ll send a donation tomorrow.
@rekoob: I adopted my great little tabby, Alice Obama, from the Espanola Shelter in 2008. She was cat-of-the-week in the local Santa Fe, as featured by the Shelter. They are a great organisation.
Gammyjill
I’ve been looking for shelters in the fire areas in the west. If you have any suggestions, can you list and link them. And it helps have a Wishlist set up with Amazon. It makes giving better for all involved. Thanks.
satby
I hate that there’s just so much need but I’m glad so many good choices are working to help animals.
Binky
Elfie’s Refuge, a small 501c3 in Florida for tiny, ancient and infirm dogs
https://m.facebook.com/Elfies-Refuge-174846912558840/
Nutmeg again
@Yutsano: I’ve been lucky to include 6 in my life, plus the sweet foster girl I couldn’t keep… Yeah, they are wonderful. Addictive, even. I usually say they’re like potato chips: you can’t have just one. My current pup is a rescue from TNP; she’s just turns out not be Newf, or Newf-inflected. She’s a Pyrenees/Black Lab x and I love every querulous techy pound of her.
geg6
@Capri:
I vote for this! It’s a rescue of a different sort and so unique and so needed. I love, love, love this idea. ?
Capri
Thanks to everybody who is interested in Petsafe. The page describing the program is here:
https://vet.purdue.edu/vth/small-animal/petsafe.php
On it is a donation button.
something fabulous
It feels funny to say we may be too established for this, after so many years of struggle, but we may be! I have been involved for many years with Santé D’Or Foundation, a primarily cat and kitten no-kill rescue in Los Angeles, which has recently expanded to include much-needed TNR work in our area. If you think we would be a good match, we would be honored, but we have been going since 2003, so if a newer org could use the attention more, understood!
We are also taking part in the Race for the Rescues this Saturday: a cooperative 5 or 10K (virtual, this year) run supporting several local rescues in our area, and would meanwhile most happily accept donations to that in any case! Any donation to our Junior Volunteers will be matched, which is very exciting for us, if any Jackals would care to throw in towards that effort between now and then! [WaterGirl, if this is not appropriate for this post; please feel free to take down this part! :) ] Thanks for considering us!
So exciting to see all these causes, all across the country! Jackals rule.
cain
Just going to say that I’m gonna a pair of 4 month old black kittens tomorrow :) I’m really hoping to get a husky as well, but the damn shelter is not responding back to me. :P
Anyhoo, I hope to have a picture I can put in BJ calendar! After having nothing to contribute for 3 years since the death of my last cat. I still have my ex-wife’s dog, and I’ve asked for a picture I can put there.
Origuy
I’m not a horse person, but I have a Facebook friend who is. She posted about the Sonoma County Animal Response Team (SonomaCART). Sonoma County is north of San Francisco. They’ve been hit hard by fires for the last few years.
WaterGirl
@Capri: I love that this safe haven program exists. Do you get funding from the vet school there? Do you house the animals there?
I used to work for the vet school where I live, so I am curious.