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| http://www.fairydogparents.org/ |
Hi Jean Robb here. This story comes to me from Lori Turner.
Our inspiration was Ladybug - our rescue dog who changed our lives. Ladybug was 10 years old when we adopted her and 14 when she crossed the rainbow bridge in January 2009.
Ladybug had many medical conditions and we were fortunate enough to afford her prescription food, medications and regular vet visits. After we lost Ladybug we donated her prescription food and pills to the vet to help others who could not afford them. To honor her we wanted to sponsor another dog who had similar needs but was at risk of being surrendered due to financiallimitations. After much research we could not find an organization that prevented dogs from being surrendered. And Fairy DogParents was born- March 2009. We help save dogs from being surrendered by keeping families together- you can help too!
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| Since 2009, Marlo Manning's group has helped nearly 400 dogs stay with their families. |
Kingston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Two weeks ago, a growth was found on the chest of Sara Polcari's 6-year-old dog, Charlie. Given Charlie's history
with cancer -- he had one of his hind legs amputated in March to get rid
of a tumor -- the veterinarian recommended immediate surgery. The timing couldn't have
been worse. Polcari had just been laid off from her job, and now she and
her husband were looking at an $850 bill. She was also six months
pregnant. "It's like, 'What are we
going to do? Now? Really? Of all times?' " Polcari said. "It's really
tough to meet our bills and to have this large amount of cost for
Charlie coming up, it was just really unexpected." The Polcaris had been
able to pay for Charlie's amputation by raising money through family and
friends. But now, they didn't know what to do. That's when the vet told them about Fairy DogParents, a nonprofit that helps dog owners pay for their pets' needs during times of economic hardship. "We filled out the online
application, and I got a phone call that night saying that they would
love to help," Sara Polcari said.
Since it started in 2009,
Fairy DogParents has provided aid for nearly 400 dogs in Massachusetts:
$150,000 worth of dog food and medical care. "It's to prevent dogs
from being surrendered to shelters or euthanized when their owners
cannot afford care," said Marlo Manning, who founded Fairy DogParents.
"Financial hardship is a very common reason why people surrender their
animals to a shelter. And once they do that, it's not a choice that you
can undo." Between 2 million and
2.5 million dogs enter U.S. shelters each year, and between 1 million
and 2 million of those are euthanized, according to estimates from the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA
also says that as many as 1 million pets in America are at risk of
becoming homeless because of the recent economic downturn. "I've never had to
choose between caring for my dogs or caring for myself," said Manning,
39. "Most of the people we help, they're doing their best to get back on
track. And then a crisis happens with their dog. And it's just one more
thing that they can't afford. ...
"It's emotionally taxing
on them because they think, 'If I can't even take care of this dog,
what right do I have to have it?' So we want to take that burden away
and say: 'You do have a right to have it. Get through this, and we'll
help you.' And through that, we give them a little ray of hope."
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes Manning knows how much
an ailing dog can cost. She and her husband adopted their first dog,
Ladybug, from a shelter in 2005, when Ladybug was 10 years old. In the
four years she spent with the couple, the pooch developed a host of
health issues, including vertigo, dementia and ultimately cancer. Over time, the costs for Ladybug's medicine, vet bills and special food averaged about $300 to $400 a month, Manning said. "Having gone through a
job loss myself, I thought: 'I'm really glad that we had Ladybug when we
did, because we were able to afford it. If it had happened at a
different point in time, I don't know what we would've done. We couldn't
have given up on her. She'd never give up on us.' " After Ladybug died,
Manning still had hundreds of dollars' worth of pet medications and
prescription food. With the veterinarian's help, she donated them to
another dog owner in need. But she was left wanting to do more. When Manning went to
retrieve Ladybug's ashes from the veterinarian's office, she asked the
staff whether they knew of a way to sponsor the dog of a family less
fortunate. They did not, but they directed her to a local newspaper
article that discussed the growing need."(On) the cover of the
local paper was a story about dogs being tied to the front of shelters
because people couldn't afford to keep them anymore. They couldn't
afford to feed them, never mind get them medicine," Manning recalled.
"With Ladybug, her remains by my side ... within seconds, I melted into a
puddle and couldn't stop crying. I said, 'I have to do something.' " When Manning founded
Fairy DogParents, her goal was to help three families in her first year.
She exceeded that expectation by 24. "I had such a hole in my
heart; I had to fill it," Manning said. "And I couldn't fill it by
running out and getting another dog. I chose to find a way to sponsor
other people who could not afford to keep their dog. "Because (Ladybug) came
from a shelter, it had two meanings for me. One was to keep her memory
alive. And the other was to keep another dog from going to a shelter
since that system is already stressed enough as it is." Dog owners can apply
online for financial help, which is all funded by private donations. The
nonprofit is able to subsidize up to $800 a year for a dog's acute or
chronic care and $300 a year for general wellness needs. For dogs who
have needs exceeding those limits, the group has also hosted online
fundraisers. "The money is given
directly to the vet or pharmacy," Manning said. "And the dog owner is
responsible for at least 15% of the cost." Dogs must also be spayed or neutered to receive help. The average applicant
makes a maximum of $2,000 a month before taxes. The group prioritizes
the elderly, people with disabilities and people whose unemployment
benefits have expired. "A lot of the people
that we sponsor ... have already lost so much that the one thing they
try to hang on to is their dog," Manning said. "A lot of them have lost
their jobs. They've lost their homes. Some have even lost their
significant other or their loved ones. And the dog, to them, is some
sort of normal or a tie to a happier time. And they don't want to have
to make that devastating decision." Oftentimes, families who
turn to Manning's group are facing life-and-death scenarios related to
their dogs. Manning says 75% of the grants her group has awarded have
paid for emergency treatment that spared the dogs from being euthanized. "We're just completely
surprised that they were just able to help us out with the full
(sponsorship) amount," Polcari said of the assistance her family
received. "It was just such a blessing, and we'll be forever grateful
that Charlie gets this second chance." For Manning, who also
has a full-time job at a market research firm, being able to provide
those second chances is a tribute to Ladybug's memory. "Every picture you see
of a dog we've helped, every story that we tell, it's a happy ending.
This dog is with its family and never had to go into a shelter," Manning
said, beaming. "It's living happily ever after at home. And that's why
we're called the Fairy DogParents, because much like (in) Cinderella,
we're in the background. The dog doesn't even know we exist, and we're
just making sure it gets to the ball."
Want to get involved? Check out the Fairy DogParents website at www.fairydogparents.org and see how to help
Our Program
Fairy DogParents is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that helps prevent dogs from being surrendered to shelters. We provide assistance with food, medical and general wellness needs of qualified dog recipients in Massachusetts. Fairy DogParents is 100% dependent on donations and we cannot guarantee any goods or services for applicants. All payments go directly to those providing good and services. If you are faced with the choice of surrendering your dog because of personal financial circumstances you may qualify for our assistance. To apply for assistance please click on the Apply button beneath the Donate button to the left of this page. Applications are subject to a comprehensive review and interview prior to approval.
If you like to donate items, here's our wish list:
- Canned Dog Food
- Dry Dog Food (unopened bags only)
- Specific Food Requests: Taste of the Wild Dry Dog food (any flavor),
Purina One Chicken - Postage Stamps
- Lexmark Brand # 44 and #43 printer cartridges
- Used printer cartridges for recycle/credit
- Fundraising Ideas
- Gift Cards to Office Max or Staples
- Printing
- Copy Paper
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