Newsletter #0811 12.01.08

Happy Howl-idays Everyone!

What a year we've had at the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue. Last year at this time we were just getting our paws wet in the rescue community. We had just formed our organization and had driven across the country to rescue a couple high-risk Labradors from shelters across the Midwest. Little did we know how successful 2008 would be!
The Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue has had the opportunity to save over 200 Labradors, Labrador Mixes and a few non-Labradors that we couldn't pass up in the last year. We rescued dogs from as far away as Pennsylvania and South Carolina – and adopted these great pups to families all across Colorado, plus families in Georgia, New Mexico and California. With the help of Centaurs High School students, we organized and held the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue 5K and raised over $3,000 for the dogs. We were the official nonprofit sponsor for the Skirt Chaser 5K race series in Denver and held several other successful fundraising and adoption events. 2008 brought us great volunteers (both locally and nationally) and friendships within
the rescue community!
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone and anyone for their contributions and efforts given to these dogs over the past year. Without you, none of this could have happened. Every little phone call, every mile driven, every little email and dollar given went directly to help save one of the great dogs we've had the privilege of rescuing in 2008. Thank you to everyone who has really jumped in opened your hearts and homes to these dogs, and to those who have taken the initiative to create such an incredible rescue group! You all have been an integral part in making this effort so successful!
    Once again – thank you and wishing you and yours the best and safest of holidays!
    And a prosperous 2009!
             All of us (people and pups) at the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue
 

A Reminder to Adopt and Rescue

We all remember asking for a puppy or a kitten for Christmas when we were just children. "I promise I'll feed it Mom! I'll walk it everyday Dad.. PUHLEEZE!"

The holidays are a great time to rescue and adopt dogs and cats from shelters and rescue organizations. The kids are out of school, so you have a couple weeks of vacation to bond with your new pet. Especially this year, with the economy being in the state it is, there are more and more animals in shelters and being surrendered to rescues because their owners can't afford to take care of them anymore. If you decide to give a pet as a gift this year to a loved one, a child or to yourself - please remember to rescue and adopt!

We recieve emails and phone calls daily from shelters that are packed with Labs, and from owners that have lost jobs and need someplace to drop off their pet because they don't want to take it to a shelter where it could possibly be put down. Please take this opportunity to help out a less fortunate pet this holiday season and bring one into your home.

We have several labs in need of adoption this holiday season. Rillo is a very energetic two year old vanilla lab. With a clean bill of health Rillo is looking for a strong patient dog savvy family who is willing to continue working on refining his manners. Rillo doesn't require long walks or trips to the dog park but would do great with a little bit of land so he can freely tromp about, run and explore. He enjoys a game of fetch but at times lets his curiosity take over leading him to check out new sights and smells. Rillo is accustom to being top dog and won't have it any other way. While he would accept the right female canine companion, males are not really an option for this macho man. He also insists on dining alone! Rillo does great with the kids at his foster home right now, but he's not sure of his size and may knock over smaller children. Rillo is a big fan of stuffed toys and often is seen meandering about with his favorite stuffed duck clenched securely in his mouth. Rillo is wonderful with people and like all dogs enjoys leaning in for belly and ear rubs. This diamond in the ruff will be a beautiful addition to a family this holiday season!

Check out more information about Rillo and our other Labs for Adoption under Adopting on our website!

First Annual Howl-iday Fundraising Drive

Running a dog rescue is no easy task. The funds associated with each dog can often be unpredictable and expensive. Take Spot for example. Spot is a 2-year-old Great Dane/Lab mix that came to RMLR from Madison, Kansas. His owner, who had kept him chained in the yard, relinquished him. The pound that Spot was in was ready to euthanise him when RMLR found out about him. We had him transported to Colorado and placed with one of our foster families. His foster dad took him to the vet for his heartworm test, which came back positive. He also requested x-rays, because he had noticed that Spot favored one of his rear legs. The vet found severe hip dysplasia, and recommended immediate surgery after Spot recovered from his heartworm treatment. The vet suspects that Spot previously suffered a broken leg that went untreated by his former owners. Spot's unusual markings got lots of attention, and he quickly got adopted by a wonderful couple that fell in love with him from seeing his pictures on our website. They are currently helping him to recover from his heartworm treatment, and will be working with us to get him through his upcoming hip surgery. Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue's anticipated cost for Spot's medical treatment is between $800 and $1,300. Spot's adoption fee is only $250.
Spot's 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. 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 Spot, 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 that 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
    $8     will pay for the dog to be microchipped (helping locate
  $15     can pay for a heartworm test to save a dog's life
  $25     will cover transportation costs from the over populated shelters 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 click HERE to visit our website and donate via PayPal! Thank you and happy Pawlidays!

RMLR: 2008 In Review