I am happy to let you know that the year has started out with a record number of adoptions and we couldn't be happier! Well, that might not be a totally true statement. You see, we've had a lot of cats and dogs adopted, but most of them have been recently rescued by us. We have a number of pets who have waited way too long to be adopted. Some of them have been with us a year, some even longer. There isn't anything wrong with them. They've just been overlooked time and time again, and it breaks our hearts. And I can't even begin to tell you the impact it has on them. Poor O'Jay the Cat all but attacks people trying to get them to adopt him. You can imagine it freaks them out. On the other hand, Lugger the Coonhound is so laid back people walk right past him. If you are considering adopting a pet, can I ask that you consider one of our long-timers? I've made this video highlighting some of them. I've included the dates that they entered our shelter. I'd love to soon be entering the date that they enter your home! Take a look at all the cats and dogs on our website then hurry up and complete an online application or go to our Sanford Adoption Center between 12 and 4pm and meet them in person. Please see our Events Calendar for times and locations of additional scheduled events.
Vote For Judy!
Adopt-A-Pet has just announced their second America's Favorite Animal Shelter contest: "A New Year of Hope for Animals"! Click on the photo to the left to vote for Pet Rescue By Judy. The new contest ends January 31, 2009. The 20 groups with the most votes at the end of the contest will win prizes!
Grand prize: $ 10,000 Second and third place: $ 1,000 The groups that place 4th through 20th will each win $ 500.
Every week, a randomly selected participating group (five or more votes that week) will win $ 500.
And the 20 contest participants who recruit the most friends to vote for their favorite shelter will receive a $ 50 gift certificate for pet products as special thank-you gifts for them and their beloved companions.
Participants must be at least 18 years old, have a valid personal email address, and may only register once. Only one vote per Participant.
Please take the time to register your vote and then invite your friends and family to do so as well. What a wonderful way to start off the new year! As always, thank you for your support. We could never accomplish all we do without you!
Thank You All!!!
Time and again we have been blessed by you. Whether as volunteers, fosters, adopters or donors, the community of Central Florida has supported our efforts to help the abandoned pets and we are grateful. Most recently Pookies Bow Wow Bakery donated a bunch of supplies to us. Heather Morris held her end of the year party and asked her guests to bring donations ~ she collected over $600 and a ton of items! And for their 10th birthday party, little Ally and Chloe asked their friends to bring gifts for the pets. They proudly presented us with food, toys, cookies and cleaning supplies. All of this is above and beyond those efforts if the individuals and businesses who rallied behind us with labor, supplies and money to open our Sanford Adoption Center in November. This year started with Judy dragged to court by a complaining neighbor. It has ended with a shelter and a thriving support network. Thank you all. And, of course, if you would like to help, donations of all sizes are welcomed more than you can imagine!
A very special thank you to Bud Hedinger, 540am WFLA, and the Florida Blood Centers for selecting Judy as the November Hero Of The Month. She received $100 from Ace Electrical Services to Judy and had her to the radio station for an interview. It was especially fun for Judy because she is a faithful listener to Bud's show and had no idea that she had been nominated. I can tell you that Judy hears more sad stories than happy ones, so for her to receive this special honor at this special time of year was a blessing that she needed. Thank you again to all our supporters!
Calendars and Other Fundraising Opportunities
The 2009 Pet Rescue By Judy Calendars are in and available for purchase. Our first major fundraiser for our new Adoption Center, we are running a Chistmas special: buy one for $10, get a second one FREE! Buy them at any of our adoption events or our shelter.
We collect used Toner/Ink Cartridges and Cell Phones that we then sell to a recycling company. It is an easy way to help us raise money. If you or your company would like to turn in any of these items, please bring them to one of our adoption events.
One of the easiest ways to help us raise money is to use Good Search when you search on the internet. When someone uses www.goodsearch.com instead of google or yahoo, one penny is donated to Pet Rescue By Judy when selected as the designated charity. How simple is that? So far we have received $496! So the next time you do an internet search, please use goodsearch.com!!!
Our new indoor runs are so big there is plenty of room for a bed, and our pets love to sleep on Kuranda beds, but we do not have enough for everyone. If you would like to donate a bed at discounted price, please click kuranda.com.
If you're doing a little shopping for your pet, you have to check out this website, Helping Udders. Gotta love the name! You can buy all kinds of cool stuff for your dog, things that aren't available through local stores. But here is the neatest part ~ when you designate Pet Rescue By Judy as your charity of choice, we will receive 10-25% of the proceeds from the sale! Wow! This is soooo cool!!! I think I'll use some more exclamation points! !!!!!!!!! There, that feels better. So go to Helping Udders, spend lots of money spoiling your dog and rationalize that you're only doing it to help the poor abandoned pets at Pet Rescue By Judy!
Won't you join our team and help rescue the abandoned cats and dogs of Central Florida? We are putting the finishing touches on our new shelter but we need your help. A donation of $5,000 will make you a Top Dog and cover the "living expenses" of the kennel for a month! A donation of $2,000 will provide an indoor run like the one Judy is sitting in with two of the dogs. And any amount will help keep us going.
Why Adopt Instead of Buy?
Every day I have converstations with people about our dogs and cats. And every day I am suprised at the statements that I hear. One person actually said to me, "I don't want a used pet." Another said to me, "You just don't know what you are getting with a rescued pet. They always come with baggage." Such statements are difficult for me to hear but easy for me to respond to.
When it comes time to add a pet to your home, you pretty much have three choices: a pet store, a breeder or a rescue. 95% of pets in a pet store come from puppy mills. Dogs are considered a commodity in puppy mills, kept in small, often unsanitary, crates, bred continuously until worn out, with no regard to genetic problems. These puppies can have physical issues that present themselves later in life, or worse yet, overbreeding can result in the extreme display of undesirable personality traits ~ hyperactivity, territorial instincts, aggressiveness..... If you go the breeder route, you have to be extremely careful of the breeder. Some breeders are not a lot better than puppy mills is that they do not screen their dogs for genetic problems or personality issues. We call these backyard breeders. They may have a cute dog that they breed with a neighbors because they think it will be a fun experience for the family, or they may breed their dog for the extra income. If they have not had the dogs thoroughly screened first by a vet and researched its family tree, they do not really know what they are producing. My "favorite" ones are those who crossbreed and create names for them like "Golden Doodle," "Bully Bassett," or "Shihdoodle."
A quality breeder invests in genetic and personality screening, but you can expect to pay a significant amount for their puppies. They produce only dogs that are up to breed standards and they screen their potential families extensively. If you are determined to get a purebreed, a quality breeder is the only way we would recommend.
So why would you consider a rescue dog? Most of them come to us due to family difficulties ~ financial downturns, moving, divorce and such. They are wonderful pets with no issues who are as mystified as to their situation as we are. Some of them come out of abusive situations. These are the ones for which my heart breaks. They cower when a newspaper page is turned, a hand is raise, a person moves quickly toward them. They long to trust and be loved, and in a safe home they usually quickly turn into the exuberant pets they were meant to be. Some pets come to us because of unacceptable behavior ~ aggressiveness, not housebroken, hyperactivity. We clearly identify these issues to potential adopters. We work with the pets while they are in our care to help overcome them. We even have professional dog trainers who work with some of them and their adopting families to ensure that they behavior is modified. In other words, we strive for no returns due to suprises. Our goal is to match the right pet with the right family. Our screeners will frequently approve a family to adopt but direct them toward a more approriate animal than the one for which they applied.
No one can promise you that the dog or cat you take into your home will be perfect, whether from a pet store, a breed or a rescue. But we can promise that we will do our utmost to match you with the right animal, that we will be honest in our assessment of the pets in our care, and that, when you adopt a rescued pet, you have saved a life. There is a certain joy in just that last statement ~ you have saved a life!
Help Us Help KK
It was just a couple of days after Thanksgiving and I was still suffering from that "Oh, I ate too much again" feeling that I get on an annual basis. Plopping down in front of my computer, I opened an e-mail from Amanda. In it was a brief description and photos of KK. My eyes filled with tears. How did this happen? How did this poor dog come to be in this sad state? How I wish I had never seen such a thing before, but in the 21 months that I have volunteered with Judy, I've seen it far too many times. Shadow the German Shepherd. Massey the Bulldog. Mona the Boxer. Broadwalk Bowler the Bulldog. Time and time again we rescue these dog that are starved to the brink of death, eaten up with fleas, covered with cuts and gashes. And every time they look at us with hope in their eyes, gently wagging their tails with their last bit of strength. They are God's little miracles, surviving so much abuse, too often administered at the hand of people, yet so forgiving, so willing to love again..... KK was found out in the country by Kevin and Karen of the Red Lion Pub. They spotted her, emaciated, wandering near their home. Even with the help of left-over steaks from the night before, it took three hours to lure her to them. This sweet, incredibly loving dog was easily 20 pounds underweight, covered in cuts, barely able to walk. Judy bathed her numerous times to get the fleas off, clean out the wounds, soothe her soul. Hope and her family took her home to foster (how appropriate is her name ~ "Hope"). You can follow the story of her recovery on KK's webpage. We need financial support to help with the care of KK and the other pets like her. Please, won't you consider being part of our team. Donations of any size are appreciated. Thank you!
A Celebration Of Happy Endings
As we begin a new year, we pause for a moment to celebrate the victories of the past year. Not only did we move into a new 4,000 square foot shelter, we placed hundreds of pets in new homes. The photos in the video are reminders of our goal ~ to place the right pet in the right forever home. We are always grateful when an adopting family sends us an update and photo of their pet. We post some on our Success Stories webpage, some on our Family Photo Gallery. Thank you to all our volunteers, supporters and adopting families. And to the rest of you, wouldn't you like to start the new year off with a faithful companion by your side? Someone who runs to the door to greet you when you get home? Someone who is always ready to play yet happy to sit quietly with you if that's what you want? Someone who doesn't say, "So, what are you thinking?" when you aren't thinking at all? Of course you do! So what are you waiting for? Take a look at all the cats ond dogs on our website then hurry up and complete an online application or go to our Sanford Adoption Center between 12 and 4pm and meet them in person. Please see our Events Calendar for times and locations of additional scheduled events.
Sometimes in life you come along side someone and you enjoy their company, their interests, their sparkle, and you feel fortunate. That's how we felt about Sue Thomas Zalewski. Sue loved gardening, craft making and country music, but her passion was for rescued pets. She was always finding ways to help stray animals, often volunteering at rescue shelters as well as providing food and comfort to them wherever she lived. Is it any suprise that, after moving to Oviedo, she became a long-time avid supporter and volunteer with Pet Rescue By Judy? Despite several medical conditions that left her disabled and constantly exhausted, Sue gave her all to help our animals. She was always the one we could rely on to foster abandoned cats and dogs, drive them to vet appointments, to nurse and nurture them back to health, and then to lovingly say goodbye to them as they left for their forever home. Even when she was attacked by one of the cats and nearly lost her thumb due to the subsequent infection, she did not stop or slow down. Yes, she shared our vision and our passion, and we loved her. On February 15th, 2007, we were rocked to our core when Sue was shot and killed in her own home. She left behind her mother, siblings, four dogs, three cats and a huge hole in our hearts. We held onto her memory and hoped that would be enough. In September we found out it would not have to be. Her brother contacted us on behalf of her family and told us with pride and love that, "in an effort to honor Sue's memory and her life long love of animals, her family and friends have created the Sue Thomas Zalewski Endowment Fund to support Pet Rescue By Judy." They have already raised funds and made an initial contribution, and their hope is that this will help us continue the work that Sue so loved and of which she was such a huge part. They hope to continue to raise additional funds. What happened to Sue was a terrible and devastating tragedy and a tremendous loss for our organization, but her family wants us to remember the good things in her life, and celebrate her love of animals by helping us raise funds to continue our work with stray and abandoned pets. All of us, along with her family, friends and pets, will forever miss Sue, her happy nature, her infectious smile. She will always be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers, for she was taken much too early. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Sue, please send your check, payable to NOHO/Pet Rescue By Judy, to P.O. Box 745, Goldenrod, FL 32733.
Meet Our Favorite A/C and Heating Company!
You may remember a while back that I begged for help with transportation when all of our vans failed the same week. In fact, one day Judy was driving down I-4 when the thing just died. She barely got off onto the shoulder. Of course, there were 7 dogs and 5 cats in the van, so you can imagine how many people were anxious to stop and give her a lift! I've shared with you how we got a phone call from Brian Wrong, the owner of Crums Climate Control, Inc. , how he offered to lend us a van on the weekends since "we're not using it then." Wow! Is that not amazingly generous! I mean, what does he get in return? Well, I'm happy to say that some of you have called Brian for air conditioning service and gotten back to me to rave about the service. Across the board, I have heard how professional, competent and reasonably priced Crums Climate Control has been. If your a/c or heater needs a little loving care, call Brian at 407-644-6601. Thank you, Brian, for supporting us and thank you all for supporting Brian!
Meeting Our Pets....
If you are considering adopting a pet through us, we strongly recommend that you fill out an Adoption Application early in the process, even if you do not have a specific pet in mind. It will speed up the adoption process significantly! After you are approved we will set up a meet at either our Adoption Center or at one of our remote adoption events. Please check our Events for scheduled opportunities.
Have You Adopted A Pet From Us?
If so, please e-mail us a "family photo" and a few comments so we can post them on our Family Photo Gallery! It makes us so happy to see our pets settled in to homes that love them forever! Even if you can't e-mail a photo, we'd love to get an update from you to post on our Success Stories webpage. And thank you for giving a loving to to a rescued pet!
Would You Like To Get Involved?
Would you like to help? We are always in need of Foster Homes . Fostering for a week or a month can make a difference in an animal's life. Also, we welcome help with feeding, cleaning, adoptions, paperwork, photography - whenever you have the time to give, we appreciate you. Apply to be a Volunteer ! And, of course, we are always in need of donations - money, food, crates, towels,etc. You can even come to the aid of a specific animal through our Sponsorship Program . Thank you! And remember, always spay and neuter your pets!!! Here is a thoughtful photo journal to make the point.
Are You Associated With A Rescue Group?
If so, please take a few minutes to look over our website. If you like what you see and think such a website would benefit your rescue, please contact www.rescuegroups.org They are a volunteer organization that hosts websites for rescues throughout the country and they are unbelievable! Through them we are able to provide varying levels of website access to volunteers based on their needs, receive online applications, and list our pets once but have them automatically downloaded to the major rescue pet search sites. All of this for less than $150 a year! The services of Rescue Groups has allowed us to take our rescue to a whole new level, to be more efficient, more responsive, more capable of saving more lives. Please, contact them and see if they can help you. You can just click on the dog paw on the sidebar of this page. And let them know Judy sent you. You'll be glad you did!!! And even if you aren't a volunteer with a rescue, would you consider sending Rescue Groups a donation? They help numerous pets around the country to find new forever homes by offering their service at an incredibly low cost. Please help them continue to help us! Thanks!!!
Thank You All!!!
Time and again we have been blessed by you. Whether as volunteers, fosters, adopters or donors, the community of Central Florida has supported our efforts to help the abandoned pets and we are grateful. Most recently Pookies Bow Wow Bakery donated a bunch of supplies to us. Heather Morris held her end of the year party and asked her guests to bring donations ~ she collected over $600 and a ton of items! And for their 10th birthday party, little Ally and Chloe asked their friends to bring gifts for the pets. They proudly presented us with food, toys, cookies and cleaning supplies. All of this is above and beyond those efforts if the individuals and businesses who rallied behind us with labor, supplies and money to open our Sanford Adoption Center in November. This year started with Judy dragged to court by a complaining neighbor. It has ended with a shelter and a thriving support network. Thank you all. And, of course, if you would like to help, donations of all sizes are welcomed more than you can imagine! 
A very special thank you to Bud Hedinger, 540am WFLA, and the Florida Blood Centers for selecting Judy as the November Hero Of The Month. She received $100 from Ace Electrical Services to Judy and had her to the radio station for an 
The 2009 Pet Rescue By Judy Calendars are in and available for purchase. Our first major fundraiser for our new Adoption Center, we are running a Chistmas special: buy one for $10, get a second one FREE! Buy them at any of our adoption events or our shelter.
Our new indoor runs are so big there is plenty of room for a bed, and our pets love to sleep on Kuranda beds, but we do not have enough for everyone. If you would like to donate a bed at discounted price, please 
Help Us Help KK
KK was found out in the country by Kevin and Karen of the Red Lion Pub. They spotted her, emaciated, wandering near their home. Even with the help of left-over steaks from the night before, it took three hours to lure her to them. This sweet, incredibly loving dog was easily 20 pounds underweight, covered in cuts, barely able to walk. Judy bathed her numerous times to get the fleas off, clean out the wounds, soothe her soul. Hope and her family took her home to foster (how appropriate is her name ~ "Hope"). You can follow the story of her recovery on 
Sometimes in life you come along side someone and you enjoy their company, their interests, their sparkle, and you feel fortunate. That's how we felt about Sue Thomas Zalewski. Sue loved gardening, craft making and country music, but her passion was for rescued pets. She was always finding ways to help stray animals, often volunteering at rescue shelters as well as providing food and comfort to them wherever she lived. Is it any suprise that, after moving to Oviedo, she became a long-time avid supporter and volunteer with Pet Rescue By Judy? Despite several medical conditions that left her disabled and constantly exhausted, Sue gave her all to help our animals. She was always the one we could rely on to foster abandoned cats and dogs, drive them to vet appointments, to nurse and nurture them back to health, and then to lovingly say goodbye to them as they left for their forever home. Even when she was attacked by one of the cats and nearly lost her thumb due to the subsequent infection, she did not stop or slow down. Yes, she shared our vision and our passion, and we loved her. On February 15th, 2007, we were rocked to our core when Sue was shot and killed in her own home. She left behind her mother, siblings, four dogs, three cats and a huge hole in our hearts. We held onto her memory and hoped that would be enough. In September we found out it would not have to be. Her brother contacted us on behalf of her family and told us with pride and love that, "in an effort to honor Sue's memory and her life long love of animals, her family and friends have created the Sue Thomas Zalewski Endowment Fund to support Pet Rescue By Judy." They have already raised funds and made an initial contribution, and their hope is that this will help us continue the work that Sue so loved and of which she was such a huge part. They hope to continue to raise additional funds. What happened to Sue was a terrible and devastating tragedy and a tremendous loss for our organization, but her family wants us to remember the good things in her life, and celebrate her love of animals by helping us raise funds to continue our work with stray and abandoned pets. All of us, along with her family, friends and pets, will forever miss Sue, her happy nature, her infectious smile. She will always be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers, for she was taken much too early. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Sue, please send your check, payable to NOHO/Pet Rescue By Judy, to P.O. Box 745, Goldenrod, FL 32733. 
