THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!
On behalf of the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Trust, we want to thank the Cavalier community and our volunteers for their efforts on behalf of all Cavaliers in need. Without the rapid response of the Southern California club when the situation surrounding King became known, who knows what the ultimate outcome would have been. King was in a kill shelter and had little time left. Likewise, the outpouring of financial support for Oakley was heartwarming. As many know, we have recently taken responsibility for 29 Cavaliers from a commercial breeder in northern California. Once again the whole Cavalier community has stepped forward to assist. This is a large undertaking for the Rescue Trust, but we are again fortunate to have the support of our Regional Clubs. These clubs are not just from California, but from Arizona, Washington and Oregon. We are blessed to have sufficient foster homes to care for and assess the needs of each dog. We also are fortunate to have a veterinarian, Kelly Collins from Arizona, who volunteered to travel to the breeder to assess each dog medically, do our mandatory Brucellosis tests, and micro chip where necessary. This was all done without any fees paid to her and as a result this saved the Rescue Trust an enormous amount of money. Jean Yokley coordinated volunteer recruitment in Arizona. As National Director, I can only say that the support of so many willing volunteers, who stepped up when called upon, was very gratifying.
As National Director it is my responsibility to oversee the intake and placement of all dogs taken into the Rescue Trust nationally. I serve at the pleasure and with the support and direction of the Trustees, Steve Wallis, Carol Williams, Carol Bond, and Charlie Fippin. The Rescue Trust is very fortunate to have so much experience, knowledge, dedication and commitment leading the way for us with our Trustees. There is never a time when they are not available to assist and I am extremely grateful for that support. Also, I am thankfully assisted by some very capable District Directors. In California, we are very fortunate to have Molly Hughes as District Director and this is no small job; California has more dogs placed into rescue than all the other States combined. California is also the most costly for veterinary services in the United States. This means that a large portion of our financial resources are spent in California, but through the fund raising efforts of the Southern California and Bay Area clubs, many of these costs are covered though California donations. To say that we are appreciative of the California Cavalier community seems to understate our feelings. Gary Beebower has stepped forward and is doing an excellent job of bringing the financial needs of rescue to, not only those in his club, but all the regional clubs. Patty Kanan has persuaded her vet to do 6 spays for us at no cost. Christine Moe has brought UC Davis on board to assist with reduced cost veterinary care. Stephanie Hart designed, and acted as webmaster, on a volunteer basis, for the original ACKCS Rescue Trust website.
We have many other unsung heroes in rescue across the country: Marcia Whitcomb in Washington, Angie Dayton in Oklahoma, Ray Guarascio in Wisconsin, Jennifer Wehking in Georgia, Betty Ann Brown in North Carolina, Charlie Fippin in Ohio and Traci Daoust in New York. Without these Directors, who give so freely of their time, there would be no rescue. Without the numerous volunteers in their areas, we would not be able to offer our services to Cavaliers in need.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about how the Rescue Trust operates. A large part of the Rescue Trust’s Mission is to accept lost or abandoned Cavaliers and find responsible, stable, loving new homes for them and to rehabilitate when necessary. But, one of our most important jobs is to make sure that each dog taken into rescue is done so carefully and respectfully, no matter what the circumstances of the surrender. We respect the wishes of those relinquishing their dog or dogs to rescue and we also must consider our volunteers and their individual capabilities and areas of expertise. We have policies and procedures in place that take all of this into consideration. Everything done on behalf of the Rescue Trust is done within the scope of those policies and procedures and with the approval of the National Director and the Trustees. We don’t seek the limelight, but do our job in a measured and quiet manner always remembering that nowhere in the word rescue is there an “I”. Rescue is a team effort. There are a whole lot of WE’S that make up the Rescue Trust and those WE’S always keep in mind that “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DOGS.”
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