Dear friends,

When Bill and I started our Happy Home for Strays at this site in October 1994, we had nine dogs and four large dog kennels. Now, October 2000, we are caring for 50 dogs in 26 large dog kennels, and we desperately need financial help from you who believe in us and in what we are doing. Again, all donations go to the dogs' food, shelter, medical expenses and to pay our hired kennel help. (As always complete financial statements are available on request.)

Bill and I manage the shelter and donate all our time and effort to Straydog Inc., receiving no remuneration whatsoever. (Our personal expenses are paid for by the income from Bill's regular job in Dallas.)

Currently our local clinic vet bill is $3,728. Every new arrival goes straight to our vet. Each dog is spayed or neutered and vaccinated, and any health problems are treated. The expense for treating a serious health problem such as heartworms, parvo virus, or a broken leg or a gunshot wound can be as high as $500. All the dogs and pups are put on heartworm preventive medicine, which for 50 dogs costs an average of $350 per month--wholesale.

Being committed to NO KILL means that until we (humans) finally control the population of dogs using spay and neuter rather than euthanasia, it's going to continue to cost a great deal to keep rescued homeless dogs alive and well. The alternative is unacceptable.

Meeting the payroll each week for our hard-working employees, who help us take such great care of the dogs, is a tremendous challenge. Randy, Juan and Lisa often work long, 10- to 12-hour days to make sure the dogs are well cared for. Their work is absolutely essential, and they don't make very much in wages.

The dogs, many of whom were very sick and frightened when they first arrived, are all healthy and happy now. They are well fed, given a lot of attention, and their kennels are kept very clean. Visitors are amazed at the cleanliness of the kennels and at the great care given to all the dogs.

Fund raising puts us in a constant state of worry, fear and often panic. We need a professional fund raiser. My days are packed full of "dog duties" that have to be done in addition to trying to find ways to raise money to pay our shelter expenses.

Until adopted out, every dog and puppy at our Happy Home for Strays is loved and cared for as a family pet. We are doing everything we can to try to find good homes for the dogs. We continue with our adoption days in Dallas every Saturday and are having some success, but adoptions are slow. Also for every dog we adopt out at least one more homeless dog finds us. Every day we receive calls from people wanting us to take in a dog (or two), and we usually have to say we're full till we adopt out another dog. There are just too many homeless dogs in this world (as you already know). Every no-kill shelter stays full!

We desperately need your continued support. Abandoning this mission is not an option, not for any of us.

Sincerely,

Pat Arnold
October 1, 2000