It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come and how fast we’ve grown in the months since Pug Squad was formed. We’ve told the story before, but to recap, when Curly Tail Pug Rescue dissolved, it left us without an organization through which to save pugs in need. We didn’t want to become a “rescue,” just help other worthy rescues and individuals save at-risk pugs. As 2016 draws to a close, I can’t help but reflect on how much we’ve been able to do in so short a time.
2016 Accomplishments
We kicked it off with our first fundraiser for Marco, a 4 month old puggle puppy who was rescued from a hoarder and needed eye surgery. Our auction brought in $1,800 for Ollie’s Angels Animal Rescue!
Pugtoberfest at Barkbox HQ – a wonderful gathering filled with pugs, pretzels and “fest”– brought in $900.
Our Photos with Santa event during the November NYC Pug Meetup (with yours truly in the suit), where we took pictures with dozens of real and “honorary” pugs, raised $230.
Our two biggest successes even took us by surprise.
In September, we hosted a raffle during Pugs Take NYC at the Andaz Wall Street to help Bella get a desperately needed operation to remove her two non-working front legs. We hoped to at least bring in enough to offset some of Bella’s vet bill. But after raising more than $4,000 for Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles, they were able to pay for the entire cost of the procedure PLUS the wheelchair Bella needed to be comfortably mobile!
Then, in the closing hours of October, we ran a Facebook auction for Buffalo Pug and Small Breed Rescue which raised another $4,000!
More Than Money
It’s not just about the money raised, mind you, it’s about the lives saved, the health restored, and the pug rescue community coming together to make things right for hurting and at-risk angels. In addition to our fundraisers, we were able to help several pugs make it safely into rescues through our emergency foster volunteers and shelter liaisons. We also created and launched registration for Pug Camp, a weekend-long getaway from August 25-27, 2017 for people and pugs to raise money for rescues across the US. If you haven’t already, make your reservation. It’s going to be an adventure to remember!
And we could not have done it without you! So many generous souls opening their hearts and helping the snorting, clowning fur-babies we enjoy so much. I am grateful to all of you; those of you who have donated time, money, and auction items, those who have shared Facebook and blog posts, and not the least of all, all of my good friends here at Pug Squad. So many pugs have been saved, have had their lives changed for the better, and families made whole. In a year dotted with tension and tragedy, you’ve all been a shining beacon of goodness and positivity. I can’t thank you enough.
Best of all possible things to you all. May we have even greater success in 2017.
Happy New Year!
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