Donate a Kuranda Dog Beds - a new breed of bed for every dog!

This is a healthy, support dog bed for home or kennel use.

THANK YOU!

"I am really overwhelmed at the generosity our shelter supporters have showed for our four legged friends. All the staff is so excited to give the dogs and puppies their new CHEW PROOF beds. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of all the beds!"

-Leigh Grady
 Executive Director

Stand by Your Shelter: Show Your Gratitude
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

This November, before you kick off holiday celebrations with a Thanksgiving feast, remember to thank an organization vital to the people and animals in your community, yet often under-funded and under-appreciated: your local animal shelter.

During National Animal Shelter Appreciation (NASA) week, 7-13 November 2004, you'll have the opportunity to show your local shelter just how much you appreciate their role in caring for the estimated 6-8 million relinquished, abandoned, lost or injured animals who make their way through America's animal shelter system each year.

"Local humane organizations, both municipal and non-profit, are integral to your community," says Leigh Grady, Executive Director. "Without animal shelters, there would be no place to care for homeless, abused or lost animals who need assistance."

But without the public's support, many shelters struggle to provide the best care possible for the never-ending stream of dogs, cats and other animals from the community. Whether it's a stray cat who needs to be spayed, a pet dog who has been separated from his family or a kitten who has been the victim of animal cruelty, animal shelters and animal control agencies are bursting at the seams with animals in need.

"Often, animal shelters and animal control agencies are under-funded, and the result is programs that need the assistance of the community in the form of donations, labor, and public support." says Grady.

Animal shelters are community organizations. They need the public's support and the involvement of community members to enhance programs and to achieve their potential.

Want to lend a hand during NASA week but aren't sure how to get involved? Keep reading to find out how you can help your local shelter—no matter what your interests, talents or time constraints. But don't wait until November to start planning. The sooner you begin, the bigger the impact you'll have, and the more animals you'll help.

• Spread the Word
  Give your shelters some much-needed publicity—advertise by printing out one of their posters and putting it up somewhere the public will see it, such as our poster. Print copies and give them to your friends, family and co-workers. Ask local organizations in your community if you can post the flyer on their bulletin boards. You might want to try places like your local veterinarian, library, church or synagogue, gym, grocery store or dog groomer.
   
• Volunteer
  Ask your local shelter if it needs volunteers.
   
• Give Cash Back
  Have a fundraiser and donate all of the proceeds to your local shelter in honor of NASA week. Hold a bake sale, a car wash or a flea market to raise funds.
   
• Forward the Message
  Send this article to your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to get involved in NASA week.
   
• Grant a Wish
  Obtain a copy or your local shelter's "Wish List." Ask friends, family and co-workers to donate one or two items on the list, then drop your collection off at your local shelter during NASA week.

(508) 303-6255

This is
"a brilliant documentary that needs to be seen by anyone who loves animals"

- Peter Gabriel, former member of the band Genesis

It stars a lovable dog named Clover and an adorable cat called Oreo, it's hosted by David Duchovny of X-Files fame, and it could be coming to a station near you. Best Friend Forgotten, a compelling documentary that follows Clover and Oreo through two different U.S. shelters, is slated to air on PBS this fall. But the film needs your help to ensure that its important message reaches your community.

Directed by American filmmaker Julie Lofton, Best Friend Forgotten takes a behind-the-scenes look at the crisis of pet overpopulation. The statistics are staggering: in every community in America, dogs and cats by the hundreds and thousands are left homeless through no fault of their own. Only a fraction of these hopeful animals find good homes.

Clover and Oreo are two such hopefuls, examples of the kinds of highly adoptable pets that make their way into U.S. shelters every day. Clover was taken in from the streets of Los Angeles while Oreo was found in a Chicago tenement building. After being rescued by animal control officers, each is taken to a local shelter.

Once there, Clover and Oreo face a heartbreaking reality—less than half of the 6–8 million animals who enter U.S. shelters each year are adopted. This is not for a lack of trying. "Animal shelters provide care and, whenever possible, loving homes for homeless pets. Too often, they must instead provide a humane death. Due to a lack of appropriate resources, a shortage of families looking to adopt, a constant influx of unwanted animals from the community, and a lack of targeted spay and neuter programs, millions of innocent animals are euthanized annually," says Kate Pullen, The HSUS's Director of Animal Sheltering.

This tragedy, however, is completely preventable. But only if people become aware of the crisis. Lofton, a former stand-up comedian, decided to get serious about the problem of pet overpopulation after volunteering at a Los Angeles shelter where she saw countless animals euthanized because of overcrowded conditions. "The plague of pet overpopulation is invisible to most people, and this movie will bring it home to them," Lofton said in a prepared statement.

The film helps to spread the word by educating viewers and inspiring them to take action. According to a press release, Lofton's said, "My hope is that this movie will motivate people to go to their local shelter and take home a loving animal companion. For those who have dogs and cats at home, I hope the film will encourage them to spay and neuter their pets."

Several celebrities have lent their support to the project. Duchovny, most famous for his role as Fox Mulder on the X-Files series, hosts the documentary, while Peter Gabriel, former member of the band Genesis, has called the film "a brilliant documentary that needs to be seen by anyone who loves animals."

Despite Gabriel's rave, there's no guarantee that Best Friend Forgotten will be seen in your area. Local PBS stations have the option to add this documentary to their fall line-up, since each station creates its own schedule based its community's needs. In other words, it's up to the public to help ensure that this film is shown nationwide.

The HSUS and shelters around the country are asking animal lovers to call, write or e-mail their local PBS station to request that Best Friend Forgotten be added to the fall line-up of programs. Find your local station using the PBS Station Finder.

"Home 4 the
Holidays"

A quarter of a million pets are now in loving homes as a result of this program!

More families bring pets into their homes during the holidays than at any other time of year. What better gift can any of us give during the holiday season than to give a home to an orphaned animal?

Nobody wants to think about an orphaned animal waking up behind bars on a holiday morning. The goal of the Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign is to increase adoptions from animal shelters and pet rescue groups. Home 4 the Holidays shelters maintain careful adoption screening procedures. We do not endorse the adoption of pets as gifts and all adopters must meet our Shelter criteria. There are 21 shelter's registered in Massachusetts.

If you want to help the shelter but don't know how, please print our poster and hang it in your office, break room, lunch area, church, youth group, gym or wherever! You can download it from: http://www.sterlingshelter.org/images/stockimages/ShelterWeb.pdf.