Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2005
The goal of this newsletter is to keep members and friends up to date on events and plans of the organization. If there is any particular topic you would like to see addressed in the newsletter, please send email to AARF News
IN THIS ISSUE
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Is AARF Making a Difference in Anguilla?
For many of the membership we are heading into our fifth year of working to improve the quality of life for the animals of Anguilla. We often ask ourselves, is the work we do making a difference? When you are faced with yet another litter of abandoned puppies or kittens or the adult cat or dog that no one seems to want for the strangest of reasons, you begin to wonder.
However, this week AARF received the following kind words from frequent visitors to Anguilla.
"Dear AARF Volunteers,
We have been coming to Anguilla for many years and this year we noticed a huge change for the better in the number of dogs on the island. We stay in Cul de Sac so drive through Blowing Point every day. We saw far fewer dogs. They all looked healthy and only one was pregnant. It seemed like a miracle but we read the article in Anguilla Life and knew it was your dedication, compassion and lots of hard work. Congratulations and thank you to all of you....... Best, Molly & Chuck Birenbaum"
Many thanks to Molly and Chuck for their kind words and for supporting AARF's programs.
On January 19th, 2005 a General Membership Meeting was held at the Soroptimist Day Care Center. Minutes of that meeting can be found at the link below.
Minutes of January 19, 2005 General Meeting
2005 Membership Drive Kicks Off at Anguilla Post Office
The Annual Membership Drive for 2005 got its kick off on Friday February 4th at the Anguilla Post Office in the Valley. With volunteers Gayle Gurvey, Beckie Toland, Lynn Bartlett, Suzie Donahue and Jackie Cestero manning the booth and 4 little adoptive puppies in tow, a great day was had by all.
Gayle supplemented our regular merchandise of t-shirts, hats, cover ups and animal care products with Greenies in regular and petit sizes. Greenies are a big hit these days due to their special teeth cleaning and breath freshening effects. She calls is "doggie cocaine" because most dogs are addicted to them. Free Greenie Plush toys were given with a minimum purchase.
We also added a new fund raising item to promote spay/neuter in Anguilla. This magnetic car sticker is available with a US$10.00 donation to AARF.
All 4 of our adoptable pups found great new homes.
These two young ladies fell head over heals in love with Celeste and Pixie despite getting peed on right away.
Diane couldn't walk away from Tasha (renamed Mabel by Gayle). But shortly after she left to take her to the store she returned. We feared a hasty return, but her sister fell in love with Blondie (below)...
It was later reported that the two were busily teaching the pups to sit back at the Anguilla Drug Store!
All puppies were enrolled in our free spay/neuter program as part of the adoption. New caregivers were encouraged to provide preventive care for their new family members.
Tasha Gets Right into Her Puppy Food!
AARF raised over US$700 during this event. 4 new members joined and 4 members renewed for 2005.
Lynn Bartlett put her best "merchandising" skills to work with this potential adoption. Alas, the tail was wagging but travel became an issue. A responsible decision at the end of the day. They are all very cute. However, we know what the limits are in our own households. This is a very important part of the adoption decision.
Meanwhile some satisfied Greenie customers sent us their photos.
Lucy is an approximately 1 1/2 year old female literally saved at the last moment by Frank Costin and David Johnson when they took her into foster care last year. When the time came for her to fly to Puppy Angels in New Hampshire, they just couldn't let her go. She says "so YUMMMY!"
Meanwhile Misty is clearly enamored by her Greenie Plush Toy. She was adopted through AARF this fall by Sandra Gaudry. She is really growing up!
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our volunteers for the day and to the Post Mistress Lelia Richardson and her staff for their ongoing support of our programs. Many thanks to Calvin Bartlett of ACOCI for announcing our Membership Drive on his weekly radio program "What's on Today" sponsored by the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
AARF will continue its membership drive through out February and March.
If you are interested in purchasing Greenies and/or updating your membership dues, we will be at the ABC Fair on Saturday February 19, 2005 and we will have another day at the post office some time in March.
Annual Membership Drive Underway
As you can
see from the article above, our annual drive to recruit new members is in full
swing. AARF noted a 25% increase in memberships in 2004 with 89
total. Memberships are vital to the life of the organization and all fees
go directly to support AARF programs including animal care, free spay/neuter
clinics and education. Becoming a
member is not expensive with fees as follows (All fees in EC$): Student
(Under age 18) $10.00, Regular $25.00, Senior (65 and over) $10.00, Family $
40.00, Corporate $300.00. Lifetime
memberships are available for a one time fee of EC$500.00.
AARF•s•
membership drive will continue through March 31, 2005.
If you are interested in becoming a member, you can fill out and mail in our membership
form )available in Word or PDF formats). You can also get one at Morlen•s•
AARF
The most recent article about AARF is available in the Anguilla Life Winter 2005 issue Volume XVII #3. The magazine is available at a number of locations island wide. For those of you who are not on island, you can view our story by clicking on the link below. Many thanks again to Claire Devener for her continued support of AARF and its programs.
AARF Reflects on 2004 Looks Forward to 2005
Marco with Lisa Webster
Marco became a very lucky guy when he was adopted by the Webster Family here in Anguilla. Having lost their family pet Spike at 9 years of age, their other rescue pet Scar was feeling lonely. Finally the right friend was found and he went to his new home on February 8th. We wish them all the best with their new family friend and many happy years together.
Above White Lady and Bequi relax on the porch in the happy home of Melinda Goddard and Terry Brady. White Lady was the construction dog that protected their property during building. She kept all those nasty people away from her house. Bequi was an adoption last year at 8 weeks of age. She was found at Shoal Bay Villas and Melinda instantly fell in love. Thanks so much to Terry and Melinda for giving these great rescues a wonderful home.
2C Stretch
"2C" went off to Wyoming in April of 2004 with her new adoptive parents Chris and Mari Auman. He has really grown and has learned all about snow and going to work in Jackson with Chris. Many thanks for sharing these great photos and really giving this great dog a second chance!
2C With Adoptive Brother Smooch
If you have photos and stories of your rescued pets, please share them with us and our newsletter community. Contact AARF Information
In our ongoing efforts to find suitable adoptive homes and get our message to the community at large, AARF held another successful adoption Day At Ashley's in the Valley on January 15, 2005. Always strong supporters of our programs, Ashley & Son's allows us to do these days whenever we feel it necessary. It was a day of best friends adopting our homeless animals. These two young ladies were out shopping and feel in love with our pups. One lady said "she had lived alone in her house but she would no longer be alone because she had a new best friend!" These two young gentleman waited 4 hours for their mom to come and approve the adoption and take them home with their new puppies.
The day was a great success with 7 adoptions. All caregivers were encouraged to obtain the proper preventive care and the animals were enrolled in our free spay/neuter program for 2005.