AWF PETSMART APPEARANCES Public appearances are a great way for you to meet our dogs and cats and maybe—if the moon and stars are aligned—you may just fall in love with the pet of your dreams and live happily ever after!
AWF volunteers will escort AWF dogs to PetSmart in Cedar Rapids on the first Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If there is a particular puppy or dog you would like to meet, please contact us at (319) 462-5683 or wesavepets@netins.net to find out if the pet is scheduled for an appearance. Or you always have the option of setting up a private meeting with the foster home.
AWF FUNDRAISERS Please click here for a list of our upcoming fundraisers.
AWF EVENTS Please click here for a list of upcoming events.
SHELTER PROJECT UPDATE AWF held a meeting on June 25, 2009 at the Anamosa Library and Learning Center to report results from its feasibility study. The results were very favorable, with almost 100% of the community leaders who were interviewed in support of building an animal shelter in Jones County. Our focus now is on FINDING LAND. We can't go forward with the capital campaign without securing land. If you or someone you know are interested in donating a minimum of 5 acres for an animal shelter, contact AWF President Kelly Day at (319) 929-4152 or kelly.day63@gmail.com.
If you would like to help with fundraising efforts for the shelter or to learn about other volunteer opportunities, please contact AWF at (319) 462-5683 or wesavepets@netins.net. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check to: AWF Shelter Fund, PO Box 573, Marion, IA 52302.
NEARLY 600 DOGS AND CATS HAVE BEEN SAVED from death row in Eastern Iowa since our founding in March 2003. We do not focus only on helping puppies small dogs and popular breeds; we help every dog that is picked up by Jones County. That means we save old dogs and young dogs, healthy dogs and blind dogs, dogs with parvo, heartworm, shattered hips and broken legs. In addition, we have also helped dogs at overcrowded shelters from other counties by taking them into our Good Citizen Prison Dog Program, giving them a chance at a happy life. Through this program we have saved dogs from the following counties: Jones, Linn, Johnson, Poweshiek, Cedar, and Benton.
Thank you to the individuals and businesses who support our work! Each week brings more stray dogs. Please continue to support our efforts so that we can continue to offer hope to these homeless animals. You can also help by spreading the word about our Web site, wesavepets.org. Please tell your friends, relatives, neighbors and coworkers who are looking for a family dog to visit our site and use us as a resource.
DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! We always welcome donations of collars, leashes, pet porters, dog food and money. All are put to good use in helping to save the dogs in Eastern Iowa. Thanks to your support, these dogs and cats have hope!
Total Well Dog Care
All vaccinations (rabies/corona/distemper/parvo), heartworm check, and heartworm preventative, flea preventative, tick preventative, ear mite preventative and worming for a broad spectrum of intestinal parasites. While some groups and shelters worm for the most common intestinal parasites, AWF pays an additional $15-$20 per dog to treat each dog for tape worm, hook worm and round worm, in addition to common parasites. If a dog tests positive for heartworm, he/she is treated. We recently had an Urgent Dog fighting for his life, and we provided whatever veterinary care was necessary to help him recover. Cost is not a priority; making sure that Sonny regains his health is our priority.
In spite of the fact that we provide a minimum of over $200+ in vet care per dog (based on Cedar Rapids rates), we have adoption fees that are on a sliding scale. Dogs are $150 to $225 (unless otherwise noted on a dog’s bio). We work hard at our fund-raising--selling T-shirts, having bake sales and rummage sales--so that we can cover the majority of vet care expenses and maintain an affordable adoption fee.
AWF's Spay/Neuter Policy for Puppies & Kittens
We are committed to doing everything in our power to eliminate pet overpopulation. This means NO dogs, puppies, cats or kittens are released from our care until they have been spayed or neutered. This also means we do NOT make money on puppies and kittens, as many rescues do, by releasing the animals unaltered and after only their first vaccination. Our approach is unique. We sign up foster families who want to adopt a puppy or kitten and place the pet of their choice in their home. This enables them to enjoy their new family member during the adorable puppy or kitten stage, but also keeps us in control of the pet’s vet care. When our vet decides the kitten or puppy is ready to be spayed or neutered—usually around four or five months of age—the surgery is performed, the foster family signs an adoption contract and pays the adoption fee and the puppy or kitten is legally theirs. In our first few years we used the voucher system, which places the responsibility of the pet’s spay or neuter on the adoptive family. Compliance was sporadic and hard to enforce. We found that our Foster-to-Adopt program is the most responsible route to take.Dog Behavior Evaluation
Two AWF volunteers have received dog behavior evaluation training at Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids and the nationally-acclaimed Sue Sternberg workshop. AWF has made a financial commitment to training volunteers in behavior evaluation because we believe this is an important responsibility of each animal shelter and rescue group. Behavior evaluation provides a baseline for establishing dog behavior and it is an important tool that is helpful in making the best match between families and dogs.Helpful Handouts
When you adopt an AWF dog, you receive a packet of materials that is provided to answer common questions we receive from new adoptive families, as well as coupons to provide cost-savings in several areas. Our Adoption Packet includes:Coaching and Counseling
Many of our volunteers are knowledgeable in dog behavior, nutrition and training/behavior modification. Most of our volunteers have multiple pets and have themselves dealt with pet behavior issues. We encourage our adoptive families to call upon our experience and expertise. Many times, we find that adoptive families do not take a behavior issue seriously at first, and by the time the pet's behavior escalates into a full-blown problem, it becomes very difficult to change the pet's behavior. So call us. We want you and your pet to be friends for life. And if you encounter a pet problem that we have not dealt with before, we are happy to refer you to our favorite professional dog trainers.Next Meeting
Our next general meeting: To be announced.
AWF volunteers will escort AWF dogs to PetSmart on the first Sunday of each month. You will have the chance to meet AWF dogs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If there is a particular dog or puppy you are interested in meeting, please contact us to see if he/she is scheduled for an appearance. If there is a particular pet you would like to meet, please contact us at (319) 462-5683 or wesavepets@netins.net to find out if the pet is scheduled for an appearance. Or you always have the option of setting up a private meeting with the foster home.
For those of you cat lovers, come visit us at the Cat Adoption Center at 118 S. Elm St. in Anamosa. Regular business hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m. Or set up a private meeting by contacting us at (319) 462-5683 or wesavepets@netins.net.
