December 2010 Newsletter

Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue December 2010 Newsletter

Happy Pawlidays!

It's that time again...

Running a dog rescue is no easy task. The funds associated with each dog can often be unpredictable and expensive.

Take Blossom for example. Blossom was found repeatedly roaming her town in Kansas and picked up for the last time by Animal Control. She was not reclaimed by her owners. RMLR was contacted to take her into our group and then they told us that they thought she was pregnant!!

We took her and on June 11, 2010 she had 10 beautiful yellow lab puppies!! Sadly, we lost one of her precious babies as is common with such a big litter.

For 8 weeks, RMLR purchased many training pads, lots of puppy food, deworming meds, vaccinations and microchips for this beautiful batch of new lives. We would do it again in a heartbeat, as Blossom and her 9 babies found wonderful homes once the pups turned 8 weeks old.

It cost RMLR quite a bit of money to make sure they were all healthy-- including mom!! Blossom and her puppies’ story is only one example of the expenses that Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue faces. We use adoption fees to cover basic expenses such as transports, vaccinations, spay/neuters, microchips, and basic foster care. However, the adoption fees are frequently much less than our actual costs to provide the care that some of our dogs need. Surgeries, medications and puppies are significantly more that our adoption fees.

Fortunately, there are many wonderful people who are willing to help us, and who donate generously to provide our dogs with another chance at life. It is because of your generosity that we are able to rescue dogs like Blossom, and to give them an opportunity for a healthy and comfortable life with a new forever home.

Thank you for your support of the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue through out the last year. You are giving back to the dogs across the country that we rescue from shelters which they normally wouldn’t get to leave. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of all money donated goes directly to helping the dogs.

$1   will feed a foster dog for a day
$10   will pay for the dog to be microchipped (helping locate the dog if ever lost)
$15   can pay for a heartworm test to save a dog’s life
$25   will cover transportation costs from the over populated shelters of the midwest to Colorado
$50   covers x-rays to check for broken bones and hip dysplasia
$100   can cover a spay/neuter for the dog and an update of basic vaccines

Please mail all checks (please don’t mail cash) to Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue PO Box 1623 Broomfield, CO 80020 or donate using PayPal

'tis the Season for Fund-raising!

Susan Becker is selling note cards and donating a percentage of the profits back to RMLR as part of her holiday giving!

You will get 4 Hand-Signed note cards that are prints of her original gorgeous Labrador oil paintings! They're blank inside - so great for any occasion.

A 4-pack of cards is $15. You can email Susan and place your order. Just make sure to mention RMLR so she can make sure that the proceeds come out way!

Thanks Susan for this fantastic opportunity and giving to RMLR!

Susan Becker

susanAbecker@comcast.net

www.Becker Paints.com

Featured Dog: Hannah!

Hannah really needs a new best friend, is it you? Hannah is a beautiful dog. Her coat is copper with a white mask and loves to be pet and would sit at your side all day if you let her. She likes to have attention, but isn’t demanding of it. Hannah is content and willing to be in the kennel if necessary. She enjoys being out in the back yard and after exploring it and finding no way out, she will lie in the sun and just hang out. Hannah is small, but muscular and likes to play with you. She is a cuddly little girl and a young senior. Hannah knows how to sit when told and probably knows a bit more than that when she learns to trust. Her injured leg does not slow her down and she has strong bursts of energy. Hannah would love a home with someone to play with, to pay attention to her and love her. She needs a bit of spoiling.

Check out more information about Hannah and our other Labs for Adoption under Adopting

Success Story: Ellie

As many of you are aware, we recently held a contest for RMLR Alumni and Adopters to get their dogs and stories into our 2011 Calendar. We have an overwhelming response and had tons of touching stories and cute photos. Unfortunately, we couldn't pick them all. The new few months we will be featuring the runner ups as our Success Stories of the Month!

We were new homeowners with a big, empty backyard, and decided a dog was just what we needed to fill it. We went to meet a five-month-old black Lab mix, Polly (now called Ellie) being fostered in Boulder. We’ll never forget that first glimpse of her—she bounded down the stairs, jumped up on us, tried to eat our shoes, and took off to dig up some flowers. We weren’t quite sure what we were getting into, but we sure figured it out quickly!

Ellie is now a year and a half old, and has brought so much joy and happiness to our family. With her long legs, she looks like a Lab on stilts--we think she might be part Greyhound! She loves chasing bunnies, waking us up at dawn for long walks, and those lucky days she gets to go to doggie day camp. Ellie is one of the most charming dogs we have ever known, and her happy-go-lucky personality always keeps us laughing. Every day with her is an adventure, and we can’t imagine our lives without her.

For more success stories please visit our website!

MERCHANDISE = STOCKING STUFFERS!

Stuff your stockings this holiday season with RMLR Gear and give to a good cause at the same time! We have stainless steel water bottles, sweatshirts and tshirts! Giving is twice as nice when the profits go to a great cause!

All the profits go right back to the dogs!

Click HERE to order today!!

Need for Volunteers!

We're looking for website help! Do you have experience maintaining a website? Know how to create links and update photos? Do you have a few hours a week to donate-to-the-dogs? We're looking for an interested talented individual to help us maintain and update our website. For more details please send an email to Meghan atrockymountainlabrescue.com

Events

Whisker Wonderland

Saturday, December 11th from 12pm to 4pm
Only Natural Pet
2100 28th Street #1C
Boulder, CO 80301
303-449-5069

onlynaturalpet.com

Please join RMLR and our awesome foster dogs for a holiday rescue adoption event. Only Natural is sponsoring "Whisker Wonderland" and it will include dog cookie decorating stations, cat toy making stations, free vet consults, and more!

We will have foster dogs available for adoption and volunteers there to answer questions. If you are approved to adopt and circumstances permit, you may be able to take your new family member home with you that day. We do ask that all household members, and especially your dogs (if you have any), are there to meet the available foster dogs.

Winter Safety

Jack Frost and your best friend! (by John Paul Jones)

With winter fast approaching here are a few things to keep in mind about enjoying the outdoors safely together.

Always keep pets away from antifreeze solutions. Pets love the taste of sweet antifreeze but even very small amounts are toxic or deadly! Here is a suggestion; read the label and buy antifreeze with Propylene Glycol INSTEAD of Ethylene Glycol. If your dog somehow ingests Ethylene Glycol it will certainly cause a bad stomach ache but is not likely to cause kidney failure like Propylene Glycol will!
Colorado has some dry air, by giving your dog a B complex vitamin (available at most pet supply stores) that contains fatty acids you can help prevent their skin from getting too dry and itchy.
Ice balls stuck between webbed paws can lead to frostbite, trim away the long hair between the toe pads to prevent icy tagalongs.
Whereas an Akita or Sheepdog may be right at home in the cold, a Chihuahua is often shivering on balmy summer days. Dog sweaters are a fashionable and practical solution, however you should check with your vet to make sure your dog can handle the weather outside.
Be it winter or summer, dogs still need a great deal of water to stay hydrated.
Depending how much exposure your dog has to the elements they will burn a lot more calories just trying to stay warm so consider increasing their calorie intake by 20-30%.

The best way to keep Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue in your heart ALL YEAR LONG!

The calendars are designed, printed and shipped! They're in and ready for sale - just in time to buy them up for stocking stuffers and to give to friends and family for the holidays! The calendar is 14 months long - December 2010 through January 2012. That's 14 beautiful rescue dog photos and 14 heart warming stories. There is a photo page highlighting all the runner-up entries!

Congratulations to Wiley (formerly Sundance) on winning the title of Cover Dog for the 2011 RMLR We Love Our Rescues Calendar! Wiley had the most votes out of over 30 entries! Thank you to all the entries --- without your time, stories and photos this calendar and major fundraiser for the rescue would not be possible!

The calendars only cost $15.... that's barely over $1/month!!! AND ALL PROFITS GO RIGHT BACK TO THE RESCUE! That's right ALL PROFITS! This calendar is designed by volunteers, organized by volunteers, and the photos and stories are entries from past adopters.

Get your orders in soon! We want to make sure they're in your paws in time to wrap them - AND we want to make sure we don't run out and have to print more before the holidays!!

Visit our website to order your calendar today!

PawWares in Broomfield, Colorado will be helping us sell calendars as well. They'll be there soon! Swing by and pick one up!

If for any reason you would not like to be on our mailing list please just send us an email with the topic saying UNSUBSCRIBE. Thank you for your support and please spay and neuter your pets!