Big events coming up - the Walk-A-Thon in June and the Petfinder Shelter Challenge

DON'T FORGET!!!
The Animal Rescue Site, www.theanimalrescuesite.com is hosting a special challenge for rescue groups in Canada and the U.S.
The grand prize is a $10,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes - a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Just go to the Animal Rescue site, click on the side tab 'Shelter Challenge',
or go to http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3&link=ctg_ars_shelterchallenge_from_contestwinners_sidetabs

Some people have been confused by the process, so here it is step-by-step. It sounds more complicated than it really is. :o)

There will be a purple box in the middle of the screen. that says "Search and Vote for a Shelter"
The shelter name is "Project Jessie" and the country is "CAN" on the drop down menu. After you change the country, it take s a second and the "STATE" menu will change to "Prov", choose "ON" , the city is "Caledon"
Click on "SEARCH". Wait a second...
You get a new section underneath but inside the purple box that says the shlter name and has a button marked "VOTE"
Click "VOTE"
You are taken to a new screen where they show you a picture of an animal. You have to type the name of the animal in to confirm your vote. (So that clever people can't set up computer programs to vote for them all day long...) :o)

If you don't confirm your vote it will not count - so please be sure you have named the animal and pressed "enter" before you leave the site!

Once you have voted once, the same shelter name will come up every time you visit the site .
You can also sign up for daily email reminders.

Please ask family and friends to vote too! I don't think we have a hope of winning the big prize, but I am sure that we still have a good chance at one of the Canadian ones. Pass this message along and lets get clicking!

Also, by clicking on the purple button at The Animal Rescue Site, www.theanimalrescuesite.com you give food to an animal living in a shelter or sanctuary--at no cost to you. This only takes a few seconds. Please, click every day. To make this a breeze, you can select to have daily click reminders (left column under 'Free Ways to Help).

For your help, MANY thanks!
Shelly and crew =^..^=

It makes no sense...

Hi all,
I know that there are many, many of you who have been running like crazy this week.

Trying to get some answers, trying to offer help, trying to make a difference, or just trying to understand what the heck happened/ is happening/ will happen with the poor creatures at the OSPCA.

I have been doing the same.

Animal Alliance has been trying to work through the municipalities.
People have asked why Project Jessie hasn't been telling people what they should do.
That's because I don't know what to do.
The lack of information, changes of information and reversals of information have been mind boggling.

We have a number of foster homes and vets waiting and willing to take animals. I have contacted every person that I think might be able to make something happen - and still we wait.

If you live in Aurora, Richmond Hill or Markham, please continue to push your municipal council to find out what is going on with the animals from your community.

If you live elsewhere, please continue to support Frank Klees, MPP Newmarket-Aurora (416-509-8999) as he has been pushing really hard.

Please continue to ask that OMAFRA (the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) perform an inspection of the York Region Branch and provide an unbiased assessment of the current situation and how they arrived at the current state of affairs.

Since they oversee municipal pound inspections (and the york region branch has local pound contracts), they are the only independent body that is legally allowed to do so.

Please, please send a quick email to the Hon. Carol Mitchell, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (minister.omafra@ontario.ca) to demand that they look into this quickly.
The animals that are left and those still being sent to the shelter, really need your voice.
Thank you.

Shelly

Slightly sad - but really happy! (?!?What the heck is wrong with me!?!)

Okay, so here is something that doesn't get talked about a lot - the emotional side of fostering.

The last few weeks have been brutal -several crises - 2 deaths - and for the past few weeks adoptions have been really, reallly, reeeeeaaalllly slow...

Especially for cats.

Over the past few weeks I have had one of my own long term foster kitties nearly die from an unknown, probably viral issue that I likely brought home on my clothes. You can probably guess that I am having severe guilt issues over that one even though it is the nature of this work...

We had a long term foster kitty in my bestest buddy Andrea's home die. Yes, he was a senior and yes it was kind of expected, but still...

My senior foster dog Ella went to a really fabulous home but I really do miss her.

And we had something happen that has never happened before in the history of Project Jessie - a relatively young dog that died of weird heart issues during a neuter surgery in one of our all time favorite vet clinics.

As I said - it has been a brutal few weeks.

So, this week, I have a momma cat (Izzy) and her daughter Claire being adopted together - yipee yipee hurray right?!? So why am I a wee bit sad about it?

And - Nelly and Bear (their pictures are above) - who have been in the program for nearly their entire lives (and over a year) - have a home to go to together on Thursday!!!! It is a fabulous home, they totally understand why they need to stay together and I am thrilled for these two kitties! So why am I really, really sad about it. Stupid aren't I?

But here is the secret - you need to care about animals in order to foster. And unfortunately, if you do care, it hurts when they go. And the longer you live with them, get to know them as individuals and love them, the more it hurts.

Yes it is good - no it is GREAT for the kitties involved. They get to have a home of their own where they can have the undivided attention of their new people. They don't have to share toys, or food bowls or litter boxes. And yes, their moving along opens up another space for a needy creature to come in. But still.

Every time feels like a little piece of my heart is moving along with them, and I worry. Are the people really as nice as they seem? Are they really going to love them as much as I do?

My head says - YES! - these are great adopters!!! But my heart is always the worrier - and I feel a bit of bittersweet sadness as I kiss them goodbye.

Oh I know - as I get updates I will feel more and more comfortable. And as the next needy creature comes along I will be nicely distracted and the ones that have moved along won't be so fresh in my mind. But still.

It is the nature of fostering and adoption that these guys come in, get what they need to be well, and move along to a permanent place.

I always send them along with a little piece of my heart - and a prayer/blessing/wish (whatever you want to call it and whatever you believe in) to the universe to keep them safe and happy.

I know that in the vast majority of cases I have made the best decision in letting them go. But sometimes - it still hurts for those of us left behind.

So if you are adopting a new friend from a rescue or shelter somewhere - that's awesome! - and Thank you!

But please spare a kind thought for the amazing foster person(s) who looked after your new baby. They may deserve (and need!) a little pat on the head too. :o)

Shelly and crew =^..^=