What a (mostly!) Great Week!
Ok, so I am starting to write this on Tuesday morning - but I already have so much GOOD NEWS to share!!! ...aaaaand now that it is Friday and I am finishing it up, there is piece of sad news too, which will be at the very end in case you don't really need that today. (Aaaand now I am finally publishing this on Monday! Whew! All mistakes, and I am sure there are many, are mine.)
Before I get to all the good news, we are running low on all supplies. Here is our Amazon wish list, Chewy wish list, and spot for general donations if you can help. Thank you!!!!
The GREAT NEWS from this past week is how many animals went to their forever homes or are now pending adoption!!! Look at this list! This might be a record for Smiley's?! All of them have either gotten to their forever home this week or are pre-adopted (application approved, adoption fee paid) or are adoption pending (application approved, waiting on adoption fee). I really hope I have time to add photos here too!!
Going to Their Forever Homes!
Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash
Dexter
Kelso - his forever family adopted Kallie (now Olive!) from Smiley's last year! Olive and Kelso are already snuggle buddies!
Delilah
Daffodil
KitKat
Whiskey
Gin
Bailey
Henessey
Samantha
Bridget
Mary-Kate - Doggo
Pepper - Doggo
Thank You Volunteers!
Another piece of GREAT NEWS is that so many wonderful volunteers are walking dogs and helping with cleaning and transport at the rescue!!! This means we can help more animals. They are saving lives!!! There is no way to do this work without dedicated volunteers. We can't say thank you enough! The best part is that the animals get to know more people, get more socialization, more exercise, and so are happier. My heart is so happy that so many people are willing to give their time.
Who's available - or will be when they are healthy and big enough (please check our petfinder and website for the most up-to-date lists!):
Dogs:
Peanut - needs to be an only animal - he loves walks, likes to hug, is a snuggler.
Benny - needs to be an only animal - a few scratches behind the ears and he will be your best friend!
Mama - great pyrenees/golden retriever mix - such a sweet girl!
Cats:
Rocky - he is still sooooo little, not sure when he'll be ready to go to a forever home because he has to put on a good amount of weight before he can be neutered. If you remember he came to Sid with Samantha and Bridget and was much smaller and sicker than his sisters. He was actually cold to the touch the first day and night Sid had him. He has a special place in my heart because my family fostered him for a week because his sisters were bullying him just a little - but after a week of separation and being reintroduced he is thriving! If I didn't already have 4 cats at my house.....
Houdini - he is now in with the big kitties because the other kittens he was hanging out with got adopted! Houdini is the kitty that was lured out from dangerous machinery after HOURS of work by a local hero. Then on the ride to the rescue Houdini managed to tuck himself so well into the inside of the truck of this same man who rescued him.
Penelope - she would like you to know that she got moved to the community cat room and is NOT thrilled about that. She had been taking up a whole kennel that was needed to take in more animals. She doesn't LOVE other cats, and absolutely hates kittens. So she would not describe the rescue as her most favorite place and is asking for someone to "Please get me the hell out of here."
Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson - it will be a while before these little kittens are available. Ron needs both of his eyes removed and Leslie needs one eye removed. Their eyes may have been damaged from untreated infections or it could be a congentical issue. Another reason to Fix Your Fucking Pets! Inbreeding leads to sick and disabled litters.
Valentina - she is the sweetest petite girl, and sooo soft!! Loves pets of all kinds - even on her belly!!
Bart - he is a Good Kitty. Very affectionate. He is kind of a big guy and will be the best little house-panther!
Morgan - she is shy at first, but truly a LOVE when you get to know her.
Clara - loves her foster home and is thriving there.
Agatha and 3 babies - we will post more about them when they are older!
Magnolia - still available, sweet little girl!
Leonard - is pending adoption, let's cross our fingers.
Wilber - what a sweetie
Emily - this strong kitty is doing better than we could have hoped for I think. She is in smaller, more manageable casts and learning to use her wheel chair!
Pooh, Piglet, Bertie, and Theo will be available later in the summer.
Sid is Never Bored
Here is a LITTLE bit of what Sid worked on this week (in addition to LOTS of her daily animal care, cleaning, and socialization!!)
Saturday - Lots of animals spayed and neutered!
Sunday - Deep clean of all rescue spaces
Monday - bookkeeping, event planning, meeting with other non-profits
Tuesday - Mama and puppies getting spayed (COST)
Wednesday - Pepper got adopted, meeting to learn about how to solve our non-profit challenges from a business perspective, kitty transport
Thursday - Adoption event at Harold's in Moorhead
Friday, Saturday, Sunday - transporting animals, vet appointments, And probably a whole bunch of other stuff she'll fill me in on later! ( and a deep clean)
Some other news/projects:
3-Tiered Kennels going to new home. If you remember we were worried that our large 3-tiered white cat kennels could have been causing injuries to kittens. So they are going to rescues that can use them for adult cats.
We are always working to improve: We are always working hard to raise money to help as many animals as possible. This week that involved learning from other non-profits and leaders in business to look at specific challenges we are having. We are huge fans of Do Good Better who organized this workshop. Having Patrick as part of our team has been game-changing for us! We are getting better at fundraising and being efficient and that lets us help more animals - which is the whole point!!
TNR in the city of Fertile: Sid has been doing Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) work in Fertile. At Smiley's we don't just 'release' these cats back to where they were unless that is a farm or property ('barn home') that will provide food, water, and shelter. The kitty trapped this week is April (mom of Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope); April is to quote Sid, "feral AF," but Sid has already found her a barn home. This is extra important in April's case because the eye issues that her kittens have could be congenital and so future litters could have the same life-threatening issues. Smiley's fully funds the TNR work via donations (not adoption fees), so you will see us raising money for that specific project over the next months.
Saving them one at a time: Beau, a heartworm postive dog, has traveled to Smiley's all the way from Anguilla (I also had to look up where that is). Beau is a young, hearworm positive dog that would have been euthanized there. A local rescue reached out to Smiley's for help with this sweet guy (and paid for 100% of Beau's travel all the way to Fertile, MN!). At Smiley's we can provide the treatment for heartworm, and even better, he has already found an adopter!
There are always more animals that need help that we have capacity for, and that is incredibly heartbreaking and frustrating. But this week, I am so happy to share the good news. We need to focus on the good when it's there. Thank you to everyone who makes this possible.
Smiley's Rescues is a 100% volunteer-run non-profit located in Fertile, MN.
The sad news is below, there is some comfort in it, but it is sad. So continue if you are up for it.
:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
The brand new kitten, Jack, who Sid took in this week, passed away within 24 hours. Kittens that young have a very low chance of survival without their mother. But while he was with Sid he was warm, and fed, and safe and loved. And as he passed away he was with Sid: warm and safe and fed and so loved. I can't imagine how hard this is on Sid, so please keep her in your thoughts. Jack could have been abandoned by his mother for any number of reasons: very young cats don't care for their kittens well, or she could have gotten scared off, or she could have sensed something not right with him physically, we'll never know. But we DO know that MANY kittens just like Jack die every year alone and cold and suffering to the end. And that suffering DIDN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN. We need to get more cats spayed and neutered. That is the ONLY thing that can prevent that suffering. Please Fix Your Fucking Pets and if you can, spread the message, volunteer, or give to organizaitons that help get cats and dogs spayed and neutered.
Thank you for supporting Smiely's Rescues. We couldn't do it without you.
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