Saturday Adoption Events

In recognition of Mother's Day we will not be holding adoption events on Sunday.  However, we will have lots of opportunities to meet our pets on Saturday! We will have a ton of cats and kittens at the Oviedo Petsmart, so if you are looking for a feline to add to your home, that is the place to be.  At the Altamonte Spring Petco we expect to have Bernice the Terrier, Bruce the Dachshund, Brady the St. Bernard, Choco the Puppy, Java the Shepherd, Kody the Lab, Poppet the Corgi, and RJ the Chihuahua.  At the East Colonial Petsmart we expect to have Honey the Shar Pei, India the Puppy, Kramer the Lab, Nitro the Lab, Otis the Lab, Precious the Aussie, and Spottie the Dalmation.  At our new location, the Lake Mary Petsmart, we will have the Labs Davies, Cinder, Titan and Trey, plus Ravioli the Puppy.  You'll notice that I always say "expect."  That is because we are dealing with live animals and they aren't always ready to go when we are, so if you go to an event and don't see the pet you expected, please understand that we try to do our best but things don't always work out the way we planned.  I hope your Mother's Day works out the way you plan!!!

Sharing Judy's Dream

 It's been a year since I spoke to Judy for the first time, offering to foster a dog.  Our Tenakee had died just before Christmas and we weren't ready to "replace" him, but we did miss having a dog in the home.  That afternoon Judy arrived at my house with Odin, a Silky Terrier, the first of many fosters.  Somehow or another, a month later I was the designated "webmaster," having set up a new interactive website through which the public could view our pets, and apply online to adopt, foster, sponsor or volunteer.  (My family thought it was funny since I have trouble with e-mail, but RescueGroups.org provided step-by-step help ~ thank you Richard and company!)  The last year has seen tremendous change.  We now have an army of volunteers, many dedicated fosters, tireless adoption screeners, countless supporters.   Sadly, due to vague complaints, Judy was forced to move from Orange County.  But rather than closing up shop, her dream has grown.  Judy believes the time is right for Central Florida to have an animal shelter that will not euthanise any adoptable cat or dog.  People are starting to catch her dream, her vision.  The word is spreading.  A team of students from Valencia college just created this marvelous video that shows Judy's heart better than I can put to words.  In addition to watching it, I ask that you click here  to go to You Tube, then hit the 5th star to rate it, click on Favorite, and then, finally, add a comment.  These actions will cause this video to come to the attention of those who might not yet have heard of Pet Rescue By Judy.  Perhaps one of them will hold the key to moving us forward.  Please, help us build a safe shelter where the abandoned pets of Central Florida can have a place to live, with bright rooms, green grass, room to run, while waiting for their forever home.

Say "No" To Puppy Mills!!!

 Many people around Orlando and around the country tuned in to watch the Oprah show focused on Puppy Mills.  They were shocked to learn that probably 99% of dogs at a pet store come from these Puppy Mills where the dogs live in squaller, bred constantly, litter after litter, never allowed out of crates so small that they walk on their own puppies.....  The puppies often have genetic problems because these breeders make no effort to prevent interbreeding or screen the parents for health problems.  Backyard breeders ~ "regular folks" with two dogs the same breed ~ rarely screen their pets for genetic problems and so are unaware of issues that are not currently present in the animals.  Reputable breeders, on the other hand, maintain their animals in good environments, breed them only once a year or less,  screen them for medical defects, show them at breed-related events, and are cleared on a national registry.  They care about their pets and stringently interview potential adopters. 

Is this new information to you?  If so, please take some time to educate yourself and your family about this issue.  A wonderful resource is the book, "The Story of Penelope."  This delightful and educational story, about a boy and his dog, will entertain and educate readers of all ages.  The book gently introduces the abuses of the Puppy Mill Industry, how it affects the American family, and describes the plight of the Dog Rescuer in a way that children can understand.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to http://www.bcrsq.com/, our local Border Collie rescue!  Read the reviews and then purchase the book through Lulu, Amazon or  Barnes and Noble (Lulu ships it faster).

Please, do not buy a dog from a pet store or back yard breeder.  The only way to stop this practice is to stop the demand for these pets!

We're Leaving Orange County! 

With just 105 days left to come into compliance with Orange County Code Enforcement or face fines of $250/day, we have found a temporary location in Seminole County.  I'll share more specifics later, but celebrate with us as you enjoy this video! 

Pet Rescue By Judy, On My Way Video

We still need a permanent solution,  1.5+ fenceable acres, preferrably in Seminole County, with water and power, zoned for industrial or commercial use, donated, sold, or leased at a ridiculously low cost.   Perhaps your financial advisor or attorney has a client who needs a tax write-off or benevolence....  If you can help, please e-mail fundraising@petrescuebyjudy.com.   

Building a Shelter One Penny At A Time

How wonderful you all have been, sharing your ideas for fundraising, both big and small.  One of the easiest is Good Search.  When ever someone uses http://www.goodsearch.com/ instead of google or yahoo, one penny is donated to Pet Rescue By Judy when selected as the designated charity.  How simple is that?  We already have over $45.00 coming our way.  Sure, that's not a whole lot, but imagine to what it can grow!  So the next time you do an internet search, please use goodsearch.com!!!

 ABC's Extreme Home Makeover Petition Drive Goes Over 40,000 Signatures!!!

Did you know that Judy is being considered for an Extreme Shelter Makeover?  And that over 40,000 people from around the state and across the country have signed the petition of support?  To encourage signatures on our petition, the wonderful and talented Gisele has produced a youtube video.  Click and enjoy  Vote For Judy!  When on the youtube site, remember to click on "Favorite", 5 Stars, and comment.  This will raise it higher in the youtube viewing menuing and cause greater national exposure!  Now, back to our story.....

Guess what! Extreme Home Makeover is considering building us a shelter! This is what happened: Rose, the owner of the Red Lion Pub, contacted them a couple of months ago and told them about how Judy lost her kennel due to zoning issues. They were intrigued because they had never done anything like a kennel before, so they asked for a video. That was a trick, getting a video of Judy and her home without her knowing it but fortunately our treasurer, Abel, is pretty darn clever and pulled it off. Weeks went by with nary a word, then a phone call: can you get together a petition to show local support for Pet Rescue By Judy? Can we ever!!! And that's where we are now. If you would like to sign the petition, click here or go directly to http://www.petitiononline.com/sep2007/petition-sign.html. And let your friends know too. And keep your fingers crossed! Of course, we still need the 3 to 5 acres on which to build the shelter, but we are hoping that someone will step forward and help us in that area too. I don't suppose any of you know a banker or investment councillor with a client who needs a tax break..... The down side to all of this is that we had to let the cat out of the bag and tell Judy about the possibility of Extreme Home Makeover helping. She was stunned and thrilled. And afraid to hope. But hope is what has kept her going all these years! Let's all hope together!
We welcome out-of-state signatures too as a way to demonstrate national support for rescues. Imagine if, as a result of this show, people became aware of how their local rescues work on just a hope and a prayer, if they got behind the effort, if they just spayed and neutered their pets!!! 
Recently Judy confided in me that she had hoped that we would get 1,000 signatures. I realized then how little she understands the impact she has had on the Central Florida area. Thank you all for letting her know! Read recent articles in the East Orlando Sun, the Orlando Sentinal, and the Central Florida Future ! 

Shopping For Your Dog To Help Rescued Pets!!!

Okay, seriously, you have to check out this website, Helping Udders.  Gotta love the name!  You can buy all kinds of cool stuff for your dog, things that aren't available through local stores.  But here is the neatest part ~ when you designate Pet Rescue By Judy as your charity of choice, we will receive 10-25% of the proceeds from the sale! Wow!  This is soooo cool!!!  I think I'll use some more exclamation points! !!!!!!!!!  There, that feels better.  So go to Helping Udders, spend lots of money spoiling your dog and rationalize that you're only doing it to help the poor abandoned pets at Pet Rescue By Judy!