For Our Underdogs Refuge Outreach & Networking: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

We wanted to share a super big HAPPY that we received (from a lot of focus and hard work) from COVID-19. We received a COVID-19 grant through the Petfinder Foundation and we want to give a HUGE THANK YOU for choosing us and allowing us the opportunity. The COVID-19 grant allowed us to stress "just a little less" by giving us a buffer to do the following:

OUTSTANDING BILLS #1 - Due to the emergency bills, outstanding boarding bills, surprise surrenders, and lack of physical fundraising events allowed to happen, we wanted to pay off most of our outstanding bills and we were able to have a buffer to chop off half of our boarding-bill debt (for past dogs) and our outstanding vet bills, and we were so lucky to have received the grant. Below are a few things to keep in mind in how we were able to keep going during COVID-19 when some others weren't able to and stopped intake completely.

Vet Care - we like to pay our vet bills ASAP and do NOT allow ourselves to have outstanding debts with our vets for too long -- it's not far to THEM or the dogs. Vet care was even more important during COVID-19 this summer and most vets had lessened their capacity and had to reroute their entire systems. We were very lucky to have worked closely with Longleaf Animal Hospital, Peak Performance Mobile Vet Services, Dogwood Animal Hospital, Vass Spay and Neuter Clinic of the Sandhills, Southern Oaks Animal Hospital and a few others!!

Foster Supplies - Dog food (some on special diets), dog enrichment items (muffin pans, West Paw products (mostly donated items), etc., dog safety (harnesses, leashes, collars, muzzles, etc.), slip leads, etc.

Marketing - We spend a lot of our money to advertise the rescue, in small ways or big ways. Business cards are important, Facebook ads (small amounts at a time), logo vinyls made/donated by Briana made with her cricut machine.

Training Bills - training and boarding does not go away with just initial donations. Training bills are due every month and right now we have a sadly high outstanding balance with our trainer(s); thus they cannot take on any of our dogs until it's paid off.

We were able to get spay/neuter, vaccines, and heartworm treatment completed during this time because we tried our best to be flexible by working with our vets' offices and being understanding. This allowed us to complete adoptions through a foster-to-adopt program and allow established fosters to be free to take in new dogs immediately. The need for fostering is always there!

How many pets did this grant help?

10

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Daizy came from the Greenville, S.C., shelter and was on the euthanasia list. She was heartworm-positive, misunderstood, and had no prior training. Daizy went through a foster situation where she underwent her heartworm treatment; then she had to be moved shortly after. Daizy went to our trainer and was apparently very sick from drinking from a mud puddle at the prior foster’s home.

Daizy knew no boundaries, no training, and didn’t know where she fit in. Daizy is also not dog- or cat-friendly, so she has a lowered chance of ever getting adopted. Daizy spent a month with one of our trainers and was assessed. She prefers to have her humans all to herself, does great on walks, LOVES the water, loves toys, and is a pretty quiet gal.

Her current fosters walk her three times a day, and she is doing quite well. Sadly, one day, two roaming dogs saw Daizy and her foster mom walking and attacked Daizy. Part of this grant allowed us that buffer to pay for part of the emergency bill for Daizy to get treatment. Luckily, her beautiful squishy face is still intact and the event seemed to not affect her too poorly.

Daizy is an amazing boxer mix and has been looking for her forever home for almost a year now. Meet Daizy here.