Thanks for taking the time to visit me.

On the 16th November I will be spending 12 hours in a doghouse at Abandoned Animal Rescue (AAR - a no-kill shelter) near Houston.  I volunteer at the shelter on weekends, and am a failed foster more times than I will admit. I am doing this to raise funds for the shelter, but also to raise awareness of the suffering humans can bring on animals - both mental and physical - and to show people how easy it is to give love and your time to help relieve suffering. I, along with 19 other volunteers, will be spending the night with a dog available for adoption.   20 people keeping 20 dogs company for the night.   I will have to pay to be able to take 'rest' breaks, or to get kibble.  No 'walkies', just locked up like a shelter dog.   And I am hoping there are lots of people I know who would like me to be locked up for a while!  This is your chance to see it! 

At AAR we receive dogs whose families absolutely cannot afford to keep them due to hardship, and those people cried hard when they surrendered their pets to us.  We cannot explain to the dogs what has happened,  and most are terrified and confused.  With love and time they settle in and we help them find new homes. 

We have other animals who are dropped off in boxes, or flung over our fence.  Some are handed in when a single family member dies and the relatives see the dog as a thing to be thrown out with the unwanted remnants of their dead relative's life.  There are others who are found hurt and scared,  running loose or cowering in small spaces.  And some we take from the kill shelters before all hope is lost.  

Every animal we save is treasured by the volunteers.  We love them all, even the cranky animals who never seem to like anyone until the day that special person comes through the door and bonds instantly.  Those are the good memories.  We provide training for the troubled animals, vet care for the sick, and love for every one of them. 

In my 10 years at the shelter, I have personally only known one dog who was released from his pain by AAR.  Teddy - an old gentle Pomeranian - who had heartworms so bad  that every breath was painful for him.   I cried when I heard he was gone, and I still think of him with joy and sadness, knowing it was the right thing for him. 

Please donate today and help me raise funds to help save more dogs and cats.