12/31/2024
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As we close the doors on 2024, we are proud to announce that we have made it halfway through our 21st year, helping adoptable pets, both near and far, find their forever homes. As an adopter and/or supporter, we are sure you know how crucial your donations are to our organization and mission of helping homeless pets. Your generosity and support allows us to continue the mission of saving lives, even when additional veterinary care is needed. We look forward to continuing this work of saving, rescuing, and giving cats and dogs, kittens and puppies a chance at living long, healthy and loved lives, but we can’t do it without you.
We have had another productive year of animal intakes and adoptions with 192 dogs/puppies in our care this year and 156 dog/puppy adoptions and 154 cats/kittens in our foster homes and 109 cat/kitten adoptions. We have been lucky enough to add several new volunteers to our organization this past year in order to try and keep up with the need, but it seems to never be enough. If you’ve been thinking about fostering an animal in need or being more involved in our rescue, we are actively seeking help with a Fundraising Coordinator (or a group of individuals) wanting to help by organizing fundraising events.
Our rescue prioritizes sick and needy pets giving them a home in which to heal and stop their suffering by providing veterinary treatment, medication, vaccinations, internal and external parasite control and surgery/dental cleanings if needed, prior to adoption. Many of the pets we encounter are sick, scared, and sometimes physically injured. Spays/Neuters of colony cats, our “spay the momma” program, treating parvo pups, assisting with cases of neglect and abuse, treating severe respiratory illness, providing funding for and transport to and from vet visits, working with potty training, spending late night up with sick/scared animals, long transports, heartbreaking losses, miraculous moments and finding that forever home for every pet is the lifeblood of our rescue and our volunteers are there for it all. We have no paid positions in our organization which means 100% of our proceeds go directly back to the animals in our care.
As a rescue, All Creatures tries to be there when pets need us most. We try to help manage an ever-increasing pet overpopulation problem and we have assisted with just over 30 TNR’s for some of our community strays and colony cats. Whether it be helping trap and release cats, arrange veterinary care including spay/neuter and vaccinations for colony cats or spaying the momma when we take litters in, we are trying to decrease the immense pet overpopulation problem in our area. Looking to the future, we hope to be able to do more with these animals in need that ask for so little in return.
Reflecting back at the year, there have been so many pets that have touched our lives almost as much as we have helped theirs. Remember Blu, the local cat that was found shot multiple times and FIV positive. With several weeks of TLC and time, Blu flourished and we were able to find him a forever home. Then there was Pawnelope, a local stray found with kittens and a severely infected ligature wound on her foot requiring 2 of her toes to be amputated. Just as she was rallying from this significant injury, she became septic and her kidneys shut down requiring an emergency trip and hospitalization at Cornell Veterinary Hospital. Not only did she once again rally, but she is doing great and flourishing in a new adoptive home with a German Shepherd best friend! More recently, we took in Jitterbug and Lindy from a local home trying to manage their sepsis and severely infected wounds. Lindy was so sick, she had to have her front leg amputated to save her life. They are now enjoying the comforts of a real home, together.
It also has been challenging at times on the dog front. We started this Spring by taking in a litter of Jack Russell mix puppies who seemed to have an upper respiratory infection. When one of the puppies started to have pretty frequent and severe seizures, we knew he needed advanced care and he was also taken to Cornell Veterinary Hospital to be assessed by specialists to see if he could be saved or would succumb to his condition. After extensive testing, it was determined that he was likely suffering from distemper and once treatment was implemented, he made a full turn around and has now been able to be weaned off phenobarbital for his seizures. His adopters are over the moon for him and his brother and have even reported that he has remained seizure free in the 2 months that he has been off of the medication.
Then there was the local case this Summer where 19 dogs were surrendered to a family member when their owner had died. All were being cared for the best they could when having so many all at once. We took in a total of 11 dogs/puppies from that family, had them fully vetted, placed in to foster, and got ALL in to forever homes before the holidays.
This Fall we faced another challenge where 4 Poodle mixes, a Pekingese and a mix breed puppy came to us from a local hoarding case. The poodle mixes were in such bad shape, and so anemic, that they were almost needing blood transfusions to treat their severe flea anemia. Their hair was significantly matted and they were covered in so much urine and f***s that they had to get emergency grooms to make them comfortable enough to work on getting better. Our vet took care of their medical needs and our fosters stepped up to get them the TLC, socialization and help to build their trust so that all could soon find their forever homes.
These are just a few of many stories from this year that touched our hearts as much as yours. Though we can’t help them all, we strive to continue this heartfelt commitment to our work, bringing in as many of these animals in need as possible. It is only through volunteer support, our wish list and monetary donations that we are able to continue this service to our community and animals.
Our communities’ generosity and yours allows us to be able to house the homeless puppies, dogs, kittens and cats in our care for as long as it takes to find them a loving home and family purrfect for them. As this year draws to a close, we ask that you remember to include All Creatures Big and Small Pet Rescue in your plan of giving. No gift is too small, as when dozens of people give even a little, it all adds up to something big, and we are given the privilege of saving so many lives together.
If you aren’t able to help financially, but would still be interested in helping out, we have other ways of helping as well. We can always use foster homes, transport aid, wish list items, public connections and sometimes pet sitters or dog walkers. We especially need fosters for adult cats and dogs. We provide the veterinary care and medication (if needed), and you provide the love until a furever home can be found. Even something simple like sharing a post of an adoptable animal on social media is extremely helpful to finding them a furever home.
Please spread the word, and if looking for a new addition, visit our webpage and take a look at some of our available pets! Also, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. Also a reminder to those of you who have adopted a pet from us, please follow us on “ACBS Adopters” on Facebook to share your stories and updates on your adopted pets. We love to see updates through the years!
On behalf of all the animals that we have been able to help with your backing so far this year and those still to come, we thank you! Warmest regards to you and your family the whole year round!
Keep an eye out tomorrow for our 2024 Slideshow!
Sincerely,
All Creatures Big and Small, Inc.
