Animal Lovers Needed...

The TEN animal projects in this group are all great and do so much good for the animals in their communities.

They all need the help of animal lovers to help push them into better ranks so that they can win the grant money from Pepsi. This is the last month Pepsi is doing this contest. They may bring it back but for now, this is it.

I have asked the organizers of these projects to come on and post about their projects so you can see who you are voting for. I hope they take me up on it (Like Pippa from ARF of MS did. They won last month, by the way . :love:Thanks for your help!)

Here they are:
www.tinyurl.com/savethecritters

Here's some info. on Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. All of the 50,000 grant will go to provide free spay and neuters to animals. That will result in thousands of animal lives being saved. People who can't afford to spay/neuter usually do NOT and what happens to those litters? They get given away to good meaning people who may or may not get them fixed and the pet overpopulation grows and grows and grows. So many of these animals end up in shelters and may end up euthanized. Every puppy or kitten that is adopted takes a home away from an adult cat or dog already lingering in an overcrowded shelter. Spay and Neuter is part of the answer to a huge problem.

Operating $200,000 in the red, the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter is in danger of shutting down.

Fewer donations and escalating costs coupled with pressing demand are squeezing the shelter, which has a $720,000 budget, officials say. In an attempt to offset the average $100 cost of caring for an animal, Griffin Pond has asked municipalities in Lackawanna County to provide a $50 payment for each animal delivered, starting next year.

Unless something changes, board member Joe Perfilio said the shelter has a "finite life" ahead of it.

"It's a financial reality," Mr. Perfilio said.

Mr. Perfilio, who noted Griffin Pond is the only facility of its kind in the county, said an "extreme" streamlining of operations could be another possibility.

The shelter isn't funded by any government agency or national organization. It instead relies on donations and grants.

Griffin Pond Executive Director Warren Reed said it will eventually run out of money, but couldn't provide a timeline. He said none of the municipalities, some of which do provide donations to the shelter, have agreed to the $50 fee.

Sometimes the shelter's care of animals result in a net loss, such as when it took care of more than two-dozen potbellied pigs for nearly 21 months. The shelter put the pigs up for adoption in February. The care of the animals cost the shelter about $70,000, resulting in a loss of about $50,000.

In all, the shelter has received about 5,135 animals this year, with many - 992 - delivered by Scranton's animal control officer.

Scranton doesn't have a shelter. It has a full-time and a part-time animal control officer, both of whom work in Scranton's Licensing, Inspections and Permits Department. Mark Seitzinger, the department's director, said they have not looked into the city running a shelter.

Last week, Griffin Pond officials appeared before Scranton City Council during a caucus and asked the city to provide a $50 per animal fee. Although council hasn't made a decision on Griffin Pond's request as it works on Mayor Chris Doherty's 2011 $75.5 million budget proposal, Councilman Pat Rogan said $50 per animal appears "pretty steep." Other city lawmakers couldn't be reached for comment.

Griffin Pond says the city this year provided a $6,500 donation, down from $9,500 in previous years. The mayor's proposed budget allocates $6,500 for Griffin Pond.

Mr. Doherty said the city has always donated to the shelter, which he said he believes does a great job, but is overburdened.

www.refresheverything.com/savethepuppies

Thanks for always keeping us posted MoonandBean

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sana

Thanks for always keeping us posted MoonandBean

---

Thanks Sana :)

Copied from her original post:

MoonandBean sent me your way. We're all part of a January voting alliance of 10 animal rescue organizations. Clarion PAWS is one of those organizations competing for a $25,000 grant to s/n & rabies vaccinate up to 600 feral & stray cats in our tri-county area in PA.

www.clarionpaws.org

We have already s/n over 1700 cats (through donations only) since April 2008. Each & every organization in this list is worthy of your vote. If you are not already supporting "favorites" in the Pepsi Refresh contest, perhaps you will follow this link

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...itters&h=47f55

If you have never participated in the Refresh contest, you will need to do the one-time registration. It's easy.

You can vote from any legitimate email or Facebook and text from your cell phone. Individual texting information is on each "Cause" page.

Lets make January the "animal cause" month!