Rescue Me Updates and Donations 2015

 Hello friends of Rescue Me. A lot of good things have been happening with our book and mission. I want to take this opportunity to share them with you since your support is what has made it all possible.

Rescue Me Seniors Paperback

Last month Rescue Me Seniors, previously published only as an e-book, made its debut as a paperback. This book contains the five senior stories originally published in Rescue Me, one year later story updates, quotes about senior dogs including the beloved “A Dog’s Last Will and Testament”, and a back section with tips for caring for senior dogs and helping homeless seniors and other homeless pets.

Charlotte Meade of Meade Canine Rescue Foundation shared about her senior sanctuary and the rescue of two old dogs in the heartfelt Foreword she wrote for the book.  Last week, she was surprised and delighted to open her early Christmas present  – a box of 30 RMS paperbacks.

The front cover is graced by Faith Blanford and her precious Frenchie, Yoda (A Dog of My Own to Love).  The  back cover is features an endorsement by author, producer and owner of Aegis Film Group, Arianna Eisenberg. She says of her own rescued seniors and the book,

“Rescue Me Seniors is a wonderful book that helps to illustrate the fact that when rescuing a senior you give them additional life that sparks a renewal within them – they “come alive” all over again and are the most grateful of pups.  That’s been my experience through the years and continues today. I always think we don’t rescue them, THEY rescue us!”

Rescue Me Updates and Reviews

Editing the stories for Rescue Me Seniors motivated me to spruce up several of the Rescue Me stories and to rewrite the introduction. Now our heart-felt tales read even better! The back cover got a makeover, too, and includes the book awards and a new endorsement by Pet Lifestyle Coach ®, actress, and rescue dog, cat and horse mom, Megan Blake. She wrote a beautiful review, which is included in the “What People are Saying” pages at the front of the book. Here’s a snippet of what she wrote,

“From the title to the very last word, “Rescue Me” is a beautiful journey of truth… For anyone longing to remember who we are and wishing to glimpse what our life journey may reveal, these rescued dogs can remind us. And, this book delivers their messages with the beauty and eloquence fitting true healers and teachers. It also clearly paints the image that the greatest teachers may be in the form of the simple dog, thrown away by others, looking up into our eyes connecting and revealing on a level that surpasses understanding. That is a true teacher. That is a true healer. “Rescue Me” is a must read for everyone.”

We also got a beautiful review from rescued dog mom, animal advocate and award-winning author, Linda Watkins. She says,

“This is a very special book… Some of these stories are not easy to read for they are about dogs who have been abandoned, abused, or thrown carelessly away like so much meaningless trash – dogs who deserved much more, but who still can find the capacity to trust and give love to their rescuers.I have always felt that people who give of their hearts, minds, souls, and pocketbooks to rescue efforts are very special angels, indeed. This book takes us into the lives of just some of them….This is not a book you sit down and read cover to cover – no, it is too powerful, too heart wrenching. Read it a story at a time – think about each one and be thankful that people like this exist in the world…”

Rescue Me Mission and Donations

The Rescue Me books are all about raising awareness of the plight and worthiness of homeless dogs, fostering responsible pet guardianship and raising funds to help rescues and shelters. It is all made possible by the generosity of you who have purchased our books and support our mission.

Our mission and donations continue:

• To further our advocacy efforts, the companion “Be a Hero for Animals Guide” has been expanded to include six short, easy-to-implement quick-start email/video lessons and is available free to anyone wanting to make a positive impact for our animal friends.
• The story of Biscuit~the Do-Over Dog and the message to adopt and spay/neuter was shared with 3rd graders at my school.
• 30 books were donated to MCR.
• 20 books were donated to Portsmouth Humane Society for a fundraiser where Letha Hundley (Happiness is a Senior Dog and Me and My Shadow) sold 12 of them, netting PHS $120!
• Books were donated to the Caring Hearts Auction Group for shelter and rescue fundraising. CHAG is co-admined by Patti Mansfield (From Trash to Treasure).
• Operation Save a Shelter Dog, a new 501c3 operated by Rescue Me contributor, Julia Buie (A Passion for Rescue) received donated books for their fundraising auction. The books were purchased by generous bidders paying much higher than the regular price for their autographed books – thank you!  A cash donation was also made to help with dog care expenses.
• This summer, I volunteered with the Ninjas Against Animal Cruelty, the SPCA of Jefferson County, and Spay Neuter Now to raise cash from book sales at their local events.
• A sponsorship donation was made to the upcoming Wigglebutt Warriors fundraising event for NYC Second Chance Rescue. Additional monetary donations will be made to our sponsored organizations within the next month.

December updates:

• 10 books were donated to Molly’s Wish, a non-profit rescue in Cicero, NY, dedicated to advocating for and rescuing puppy mill dogs. 5 books have already been sold, netting them $50!
• Bay Beagle Rescue in Virginia Beach received an order of wishlist items including a bed, coats, flea control and worming meds and 10 books for fundraising at their local events.
• Abandoned Pet Rescue in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. received a cash donation from a Rescue Me fundraiser on their behalf.
• Lilo’s Promise in New Jersey received a cash donation which will be doubled thanks to a matching program from a local business supporter.
• A cash donation was made to the Rescue Bank and 10 Shelter Dog Care Packages were purchased through greatergood.org. Each care package provides a 100 bowls of food, plus a bed and a vaccine for a shelter dog.

On-line sales of digital and paperback books, as well as sales made at local shops and local book signings make it possible for us to donate cash, goods, and books to animal advocacy groups . Donating books to organizations is a double bonus – the books make money when purchased the first time, and they make money again when used to buy books donated for fundraising. Win-win!

Looking to 2016

Writing this post was good for me because I can see that we have made an impact. I tend to ruminate on what could have been accomplished if I spent more time, was more focused on targeted fundraising, etc. Having said that, for 2016 I would like to:

• continue posting articles about people and books advocating for animals as well as relevant issues.
• continue researching the topic of my next book and make significant headway in the writing of. I’ll blog bits of it starting in January.
• sponsor a monthly week-long targeted fundraiser in cooperation with a shelter/rescue. MCR did one last year with a small list and we raised almost $300.
• donate and/or sell (“at-cost”) books to shelters/rescues/advocacy groups for fundraising at  live events, in house, at local veterinarians, groomers, pet shops, etc.I hope to make more book donations next year, and may elicit sponsors to help with this effort in order to do a big run of books at a discounted price. A generous friend gave a cash gift to help with this effort, and that funded some of this year’s donated books. Until sales pick up, that can only happen on a limited basis. One of our local veterinary groups, the North Country Animal Health Center, purchases books to raise money for their Angel Fund It provides free veterinary care to strays and wildlife, and subsidizes veterinary care for low-income pet guardians. It warms my heart every time they call to order 10 more copies.

I’m not wishing my life away, but I’m excited for 2017 when I retire from full-time teaching and can devote a lot more time, energy and focus to advocacy and helping animals in need.

Thank you and a Request

To you who have purchased Rescue Me and support our mission, I appreciate you and thank you with all my heart. If you want to purchase copies any of our books for yourself or for gift-giving, they are available on Amazon here.  You may order autographed books here.

Please help us spread the word about the Rescue Me books by posting a review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or your blog*. Share this post and/or links to the books with your social circle and favorite rescuers. Also, if you have a rescue/adoption story you’d like to share about any kind of animal, I’d love to read and possibly post it. Connect with me here.

And please do whatever you can to help animals in need. Together we can and do make a difference.

Thank you  and many holiday blessings to you and yours.

*Bloggers - You may request a free digital proof copy of Rescue Me or Rescue Me Seniors for purposes of posting a review, book summary and/or author interview on your site. Please include your name, email, url of your blog, and your tentative posting time frame with your request. I am happy to answer questions and supply photos. Want to combine your post with a targeted fundraiser for your favorite rescue group? Paw-some and yay! Thank you for your interest and support.

Join Val's Email Community

Get your interactive Be a Hero for Animals (and people, too!) ebook, the Holistic Self-Care Assessment, and more as thank you gifts for signing up.

Enter your name and email to sign up to receive Val's monthly (more or less) newsletter with tips and articles about personal evolution and healing yourself and our world, plus other relevant correspondence and offers from TapInfinity.com and HolisticMindBodyHealing.com.

First Name

Email

You must be at least 16 years old to sign up and acknowledge that you have read and accept our privacy policy. View our privacy policy here. You can easily unsubscribe at any time.