SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT :: Stroll In The Park For Kids Who Bark (in support of pet rescue)

My inspiration to form STROLL IN THE PARK FOR KIDS WHO BARK to raise sorely needed money for pet rescue began in the early Fall of 2013. Over the summer that year, I had been following the sad, but also miraculous stories of two rescue groups called Bill Foundation and Hope for Paws. And, after a dear friend flew all the way to Los Angeles for a day (yes, one day) to adopt her boy Micah whose life had been saved by BF, I knew in my heart that I too, in some way, needed to help make a difference. A few weeks later, I was calling myself a "foster failure" after bringing home a sweet cock-a-poo girl, once a backyard breeder's prisoner, dumped as "garbage" after churning out litters year after year. So, my first donation, a measly $715.00 was made to Bill Foundation.

The next two years, I focused my SITPFKWB fundraising on Animalert, the group through which I adopted our beloved Miss Joee. Over those two campaigns, 2014 & 15, I raised (with the generous help of my wonderful supporters) nearly $3,400.00!!!

In 2016 and 17, I decided to switch gears temporarily to raise money for the Parkinson's Society of Southwestern Ontario, in honour of my mother, Peg Riese, who sadly lost her battle to PD in February. My fundraising efforts here, combined with the SITPFKWB dollars have now reached nearly $7,000.00!!

This year, however, I found that, after a two year absence from my canine-world supporters, I am starting from scratch in many ways. So, for this reason, I decided to look for a new and deserving group to become the recipient of my fundraising efforts. Actually, there are two.

A NEW RESCUE FOR 2018 :: well, actually two.

PAWS-UNITED ... was founded in March 2011 by Amanda Wells and Alicia Pedden who both have a history in dog rescue and a love for animals. Their rescue adventure began with Taiwan's Journey of Love program in which dogs were brought from over-crowded shelters that could not provide them with proper or safe living quarters. It began with the intent to bring in about 25 dogs a year however, within the first year that number had already more than doubled. After the first few months, Paws-United began partnering with a few local animal control centres; taking in their overflow and medical case dogs, as well as working with IFAW's Northern Dogs Project.

With numbers skyrocketing to approximately 200 dogs a year and growing volunteer and foster home base, Paws-United became a registered charity in 2012, providing the opportunity to do bigger and better fundraisers in order to support the ever-growing number of intakes and the rising medical cases coming in. Paws-United relies heavily on donations from the public to ensure all of their dogs receive the medical care they require before they find their new forever homes.

PEE WEE'S PALS ... is located in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. We became acquainted with them after the death of the second of our two Norfolk Terriers in April; leaving our once family of 5 down to just 3, with just our rescued cock-a-poo Miss Joee. The silence after losing both Thomas and Teegan was deafening and I knew of just one way to remedy that. So, we adopted Jacob-Milo (whose story I will be sharing soon).

Anne Aldrich founded Pee Wee's Pals (in honour of her beloved Maltese Pee Wee) and has dedicated her life to this never-ending work. Their mission is to save and rehome strays, owner surrenders, and those unfortunate fur-kids on the euthanization lists of the over-crowded area shelters.

The small group of volunteers who assist Anne help make it possible to care for the more than 50 dogs (and a sizeable number of cats too) in her small location and her next door neighbour in the strip mall raves about her big heart, her endless compassion, and the wonderful work her group does.

Working two day jobs, Anne works tirelessly to ensure that the fur-kids accepted by her program are vetted and in good health and are fostered by loving families until they can be adopted. They too, are a registered charity, giving my American family, friends, and supporters the added tax receipt incentive.

I'm proud and excited to continue the SITPFKWB tradition and work hard to cultivate this annual event. Making it bigger and better each and every year is important and raising awareness for homeless and abandoned animals is a daily concern. To those of my supporters who have already donated, THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. As ever, the focus of the campaign remains this; I am personally donating .50 cents per kilometer for every kilometer I walk in the month of September and I invite folks to show their support by sponsoring me either by cents/kilometer or in a lump sum. For added convenience, I have created a GoFundMe account but for my local supporters, I am also happy to accept cheques, bank transfer, and cash.

In the meantime, for the month of September and always, please: STROLL IN THE PARK FOR KIDS WHO BARK (in support of pet rescue)!!!