Happy Holidays from Pets Alive

Dear Friends and Supporters,
It’s the holiday season at Pets Alive. There’s a foot of snow on the ground here in Middletown, New York and more is falling right now. Pets
Alive is 80 acres of magic, and this is the most magical time of the year. Boxes of cookies and treats appear out of nowhere, and this is
the time when we receive cards and letters from all of the wonderful people who saved the lives of the animals in our care.
The wall in the Brick House outside our office becomes speckled with photos of the animals who found their forever homes this year, a sea of
smiling faces — human, canine, feline and even equine. We all have memories of the people and animals that we’ve met so briefly here this
year, and we all have those special memories of the animals and people we will never forget. It’s amazing to read the cards, look at the
pictures and get that feeling again, remembering and sharing a special moment that warmed us months ago, a respite from the weariness that
sometimes casts its shadow around here.
It’s those moments that leave their imprints on our hearts, amidst the time away from our families and loved ones — the missed birthdays and
other occasions, the inquiries from our friends and families asking us where we’ve been, the understanding spouses, the getting up in the
middle of the night to meet a transport of scared dogs that were headed for the gas chamber or a deadly needle. The endless stream of animals
needing our help that never seems to slow down.
The gnawing in the pit of our stomachs every time we worry about where the next month’s funds are going to come from.
This is Matt, sitting here in my family room, typing this on my computer. Roscoe, the dog with the 2 luxating patellas that needed
expensive surgery is curled up next to me on the couch, and Tyson, the little black dog that I picked up from a transport and fell in love with
immediately is snoring peacefully on the other side of me.
Kerry is at home anxiously awaiting the arrival of a transport of 14 dogs that were headed for the gas chamber in North Carolina. She was
outside earlier in the snow with her 4 dogs, including Jake, the puppy saved from a needle in Georgia, and Scrumpy, the one-of-a-kind Corgi mix
who is “awkwardly designed,” with his front legs shorter than his back ones and other interesting features. He’s only alive because of a
clerical error. It’s quite a story and he’s quite a dog.
There are a year’s worth of stories here thanks to the generous support of people like you. We often speak of how fortunate we are to be here
at Pets Alive, and we truly feel like we have the best jobs in the world.
As the Pets Alive employees and volunteers pass the door of our office they stop to read the cards and letters on the wall, contemplating their
own personal favorites. We will often hear people sharing those stories, remembering an animal that touched their heart. It makes us
smile.
We appreciate your support and ask that you continue to support us in the coming year. We have some funding challenges and it’s one of our
biggest worries for 2009. Share some cheer this holiday and donate to Pets Alive. Your help is what keeps us going.

You can donate here:

As we take a day or two off with our families we will take a few moments to reflect on our success this year and all of you who have made it
possible. Thank you to everyone who adopted an animal this year, to Rob and Marisol Thomas for their help, both financial and spiritual. Thanks
to all of our generous volunteers and supporters. We truly can’t do this without you. We love you all.
Thank you for the cards, emails, notes, telephone calls, pictures and other expressions of your support and affection. We read them all and they have made
a tremendous impact on us. One of the donation checks that came in this week had a blue post-it note attached to it that said “I’m SO GLAD you didn’t go under.”
Yes ma’am. So are we.
From our families to yours, and from our Pets Alive family to yours, we wish you a joyful holiday season and look forward to a 2009 where we can save more animals
and make more of an impact on the community and the country.