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| Please help Chance |
*I'm begging everyone to PLEASE READ & SHARE!
Before Thanksgiving, I wrote a post titled "I Need Your Help." In that post, I described the stressful, heartbreaking dilemma I face every holiday... when I'm forced to choose between my rescue dogs' needs and my ability to pay the Lucky Dog bills.
Before Thanksgiving, I wrote a post titled "I Need Your Help." In that post, I described the stressful, heartbreaking dilemma I face every holiday... when I'm forced to choose between my rescue dogs' needs and my ability to pay the Lucky Dog bills.
Then... at the end of that post, I asked for your help.
I'm so incredibly thankful to each and every person who stepped up to help. If only you could know what it meant to me... and most of all, to my dogs. I'll never find the words to fully describe my gratitude. "Thank you" is all I have. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
However... while I wish the problem was entirely solved... that's just not the case. Let me explain...
You see... the boarding income from Thanksgiving week only covered the Lucky Dog bills for November. December is a whole new month... with a new set of struggles.
The Christmas holidays (including New Year's) represent the busiest time of year for travel... and obviously, dog boarding. Therefore, I depend on that holiday income to help cover the bills for December... and also for January, which is the slowest month of the year for boarding... and the toughest month for me to pay the bills here.
Now... let me just say this: my dog boarding business, Lucky Dog Retreat, is an extremely successful business. With the number of boarding clients I have, I could easily fill every kennel space --and then some-- with paying clients' dogs... and never have to worry about my bills.
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| Please help Pinky |
However, I donate more than half of my business facility to Lucky Dog Rescue... allowing the rescue dogs to live here for free. And that's why... most of the year... I struggle.
Because... when my rescue babies have nowhere else to go, I'm forced to turn-away the many paying clients who request my services... for the sake of my rescue dogs.
In doing so... I reject the much-needed income that allows me to pay the bills here. And again, if I can't cover the Lucky Dog bills... then my Lucky Dogs will have nowhere to go...
I've sacrificed everything, in order to care for my rescue babies. I own and operate a very successful business... but from a financial standpoint, I'm dirt-poor. Because nearly all of my income goes to those rescue dogs. And despite the fact that I work every single day... there are many months of the year, when I pay myself nothing.
Of course, these are things I choose to do... things I want to do... for them. So... that's why... I'm asking for your help again. And yes, I'm begging. But I'm not begging for me. I'm begging for them.
This is my only Christmas wish...
Here's what I need:
My boarding rate is $20 per day.
Cost to board one dog for 5 days: $100
Cost to board one dog for 7 days: $140
Cost to board one dog for 14 days: $280
Somehow, someway... I need to cover the cost of 25 rescue dogs for the next 14 days. That's $7,000 total.
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| Please help Wonder |
Honestly, any donation at all would do so much. If you can spare anything... $5, $10, $20... it will make a huge difference. Even if it seems like nothing to you... it would mean everything to me. To them.
Please... I'm begging you... please help me help my rescue babies. It's my only Christmas wish.
*PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!
Make checks payable to:
Lucky Dog Rescue
P.O. Box 3224
Meridian, MS 39303
Paypal email: luckydogrescueblog@gmail.com
I sent 2 checks last week for this specific reason...They should be arriving TODAY !!!! Thank You Ashley for helping the doggies !!!!
ReplyDeleteI just made a donation via your donation button & am spreading the word via Facebbok & Twitter. Keep us posted on how things are going so we can stay on top of the needs you have.
ReplyDeleteDone =)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteI am mailing you my christmas bonus from work. 200.00 because I WISH I had your heart. I cry daily reading your blogs. You're beauty and love is amazing inside and out! The dogs are so lucky!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAshley, What U Do for This Amazing Animals is Beyond Incredible!! I Wish I Could Save Them All, It Breaks My <3 to See Soo Many Abandoned, Abused, Neglected!! They All All Soo Precious & Deserve Fabulous Furrever Homes!! It was My Pleasure to Dontae $100 in Honor of My Amazing Angel Sheba that My Mom & I Rescued & Is now Watching Us from Heaven, the Two Beautiful Beagles My Fiance & I Just Rescued & Even My 3 Awesome Cats bc Every Animal is Special & Deserves a Fighting Chance @ Health& Happiness and You Do Such a Fantastic Job Going Above & Beyond!! Happy Holidays to You & Those Incredible Animals that r Sooo Gorgeous..They Truly Tug @ My Heart Strings!!! <3
ReplyDeletei dont have much i am raising 4 little guys and 2 big dogs myself and i feel the same way about them as you do about all the babies you have there i would go hungary first before i saw any of my babies do with out so i am going to be mailing you a donation because i feel very strongly laid to do so it want be much but i really want to do something more than just share this story i cry every time i see one of these situations concerning animals and their needs i only wish i had the means to do more. but none the less all of them are in my prayers and i am still lighting a candle every day all 365 days for all the babies in need i hope i can encourage others to do the same in hopes that we can all make a differance in the up coming year.GOD BLESS
ReplyDeleteJust put a check in the mail. Hope it helps. It is in the memory of my sweet boxer Odessa. Thank you for all you do. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank You for all that you do for this animals,I wish there were more people in the world like you!!!
ReplyDeleteGOD BLESS YOU and all of your animals!!!
You are in my prayers everyday!!!
M.J.V.G.
A check is going in the mail tomorrow for all the Angels without a Voice and to you An Angel as well...And in memory of my all my rescued Babies...
ReplyDeleteI only had $10 to give, but I gave it gladly. Thank you for being such a hero for the souls who need one.
ReplyDeletesending a check tomorrow, you are a savior!!! Thank you for what you do and what you give up to help these animals. You really do go above and beyond and I'm so glad you do.
ReplyDeleteAshley, Don't have a whole lot, but it's yours. What you do for those babies is wonderful. Your an angel. These are the dogs that are so misunderstood...Pit Bulls. If people only knew what wonderful dogs they are, it's not the dogs fault for any of this nonsense it's the people that so called raise them. I volunteer at my local shelter everyday, 7 days a week...I would do anything for my furry friends. God Bless you for what you do. Your babies love you and so do we!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the work you do for these dogs!
ReplyDeleteAshley you are being heard - I've just sent $140 from New Zealand. Thank you for your blog and what you do for all the babies you rescue. Thank you for what you did for Annie in the week before she died and for loving Rudy so much. If only I could bring Chance home for Christmas! Much love from Jacqui and 3 legged rescue Riley in New Zealand :)
ReplyDeleteAshley I appreciate what you are doing everyday for these precious babies. I wish I could send you a lot more than I am sending because you have such a heart for these helpless dogs. We went to Ala. to have Christmas with our families. The house next to our relatives had a Pit Bull tied up on a very short leash. When I saw him I was so upset and could not enjoy my day with our relatives. I wanted to go to get him and let him go and take him with me.My daughter is working to see what can be done to get him off of the chain. She volunteers with Dogs Deserve Better. I am sending a donation to help what little way I can. Thank you for all you do to help these precious dogs.
ReplyDeleteAshely, I volunteer for a rescue in Illinois that depends 100% on foster homes for our rescue dogs (we don't have a shelter yet). Our local paper ran a story on Homes for the Holidays and we got 15 new foster homes from it! Maybe see if your paper/radio stations will share your need for foster homes and see if you can find temporary homes for the holidays for some of your rescue dogs. Of course, they can also share your need for donations.
ReplyDeleteI've already donated all the extra we have this month to our rescue, but you and your dogs are in my thoughts and prayers, and I so hope you're able to meet your needs!
Ashley, I donate a small amount every month which I know isn't much but I hope it gets you closer to your need. I also donate to a cat shelter where I adopted my Siamese from and a wildlife rescue where I took an orphaned racoon (I named her Lili). It's never much but it's a little something. I've asked family to donate this year in lieu of gifts and put your rescue down. I hope you get all you need Ashley.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I'm so thankful for you rescuing Ali and raising her to be such the awesome, loving dog she is. She brings me so much joy every day! I am working towards a long-term goal of donating a total amount that would cover the boarding fees you would have otherwise earned during the 9 months you provided for her while Lucky Dog Rescue was her home. She'll be sending you a card with her Christmas wishes to you and Dustin with a check to help you help other dogs in need! Paul
ReplyDeleteI will surely do what I can for my part to help you help these babies...thank you for all that you do...
ReplyDeleteAshley, I have been out of work without pay since Oct--and have a total of 21 animals here, but I love your commitment so much that when I get a reimbursement check(not sure what date it will get here, but probably Christmas eve or the following monday), I will be donating to help you---you totally rock and set the bar for unselfishness.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a wonderful thing you are doing however...have you ever thought of putting an ad in the local newspapers or calling the tv stations asking for volunteers to help you run the place and you go out and get a part time job to substitute some of you income needs? I think that would be a smart thing to do considering the economy and ppl trying to pay their own bills
ReplyDeleteDonated.....thanks for all your efforts for the dogs....and your blog posts (they are truly inspiring!) Merry Christmas to Ashley and all those Lucky Dogs!
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing and I will be donating on Thursday when I get paid!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I get paid tomorrow, I'm donating as I have before. You are wonderful and I know your loving Furbabies love you so much as we humans do. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteDone. What you do for these dogs is wonderful and you are such a blessing in their lives. Merry Christmas to you and all those amazing pups!
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope that Ashley doesn't need to get a part-time job. I feel that the best use of her talents is doing exactly what she's doing and I am happy to support that financially. Her commitment to the dogs and the results she achieves for them is much greater than what random volunteers could do.
ReplyDeleteAshley has inspired me to open a dog rescue when i get older. i am only 14 and i have always had a love for dogs, and all other animals. me and my family rescued a pit-bull that was going to be put down, there is nothing wrong with her they just said she was "aggressive" shes not at all!! and some day i want to help all the dogs that dont have anywhere else to go.
ReplyDeleteYou truly are an angel! Thank you for everything you do! We just sent in $100.00. I told my husband I didn't need a gift for christmas, that I wanted to donate to you! Have a great holiday with all your babies!
ReplyDeleteYou can count on me, Ashley. My automatic monthly donations to you will continue, of course, but this coming Friday I will send you a little extra. :-)
ReplyDeleteLast month it was $3,500. this month it's $7,000.
ReplyDeleteLet me guess next month---$14,000. Keep up the Good work !!!!!
"Last month it was $3,500. this month it's $7,000. Let me guess next month---$14,000. Keep up the Good work !!!!!" You know, this comment really wasn't necessary. Not cool at all.
ReplyDeleteAll the presents for the 'adults' in my family are now going to you and your dogs. :) I'm so glad that I found your blog it has given me hope that I'll be able to switch careers to animal rescue myself. Thank you Ashley!
ReplyDeleteTo Rob,@ 2:35--The message was the truth BUT the message was not meant to be "NOT Cool.."
ReplyDeleteAshley knows how to run a Business and a Rescue at the same time..She needs HELP and she knows how to ask for the help(Donations) in the Right way..
I Hope that she gets that amount and more...
I guess I will point it out since it is not obvious to some. Last month was Thanksgiving, which is a 1 week holiday. This month is Christmas and New Years, which is 2 weeks of holidays.
ReplyDeleteLosing one week of boarding = $3500.
Losing two weeks of boarding = $7000.
It is really very basic math and should not be THAT difficult to figure out.
To Anonymous @4:00 - Okay, wait a sec - now I'm confused. I thought the original post you made was a knock against Ashley because of the amount of money needed. I thought you were implying that she's a bad business owner and her expenses keep rising because of that. My deepest apologies - I truly misread your original post. I agree that Ashley runs her business and rescue very well and I'm happy I can help out in any way I can.
ReplyDelete..Lets look over all the BS and go to Reason for this Blog....Help the K9's-Donate for a Good cause..& Your right about the figures...
ReplyDeleteRob @4:00-As I read back at my message it could very well be taken wrong....Which I didn't mean it as Bad..I thinks Ashley has done so much for so many Babies...Her and K9's need all the help they can get...I know It's DAMN hard work that she does and I give it to her..I can not wait to see where this Young Lady will be in the years to come..So Please give what you can to help -I am.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the prior snarky posts, I would be thrilled for Ashley if Lucky Dog Rescue received $14,000 in donations next month. I'm confident she would put it to good use for the dogs.
ReplyDeleteLucky Dog Rescue is recognized by the IRS as a qualified charity. It's not easy to obtain and maintain that status and there are significant penalties to deter people from violating the following: "To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual."
I'm still bothered by yesterday's anonymous post suggesting that Ashley get a part-time job.
1) She already has a full-time job; operating Lucky Dog Retreat.
2) That's like telling the Salvation Army to have their bell-ringing volunteers quit asking for donations and instead, work for those stores as seasonal employees and donate their earnings to the charity.
Ashley my furbabies are sending a donation to you and your furbabies. We are so lucky to have you...wish we could clone you! Think of all the pain and hurt you love away and all the good that comes because of it. Not everyone can do that day in and day out. You are a gem. Merry Christmas and wishing you many many blessings.
ReplyDeleteI would personally love to see Lucky Dog get to the point where she had enough monthly donations to sustain here rescue WITHOUT the boarding.
ReplyDeleteThink of how much more good she can do without the weight of paying the bills each month. Think of what she could do if she ONLY had her rescue to worry about. If you think she is amazing now, imagine how much she could do if she could only focus on rescue.
I will send a donation in the next week Ashley. You are a tremendous woman and thank God there are people like you out there. God Bless you and Merry Christmas and the best for the New Year!
ReplyDeleteI apologize if I didn't do a very good job of explaining the difference between the amount I mentioned in November and this month's amount.
ReplyDeleteYes... Thanksgiving was a 1-week holiday. However, the Christmas & New Year's holidays account for at least 2 weeks of December... as traveling (and boarding needs) extend across at least 2 weeks of the month. That's the difference. So sorry if I didn't make that clear in my post.
Also, regarding the part-time job comment... I actually have 2 full-time jobs, as Paul mentioned. And if you count my work for Pet Pardons, that actually makes 3. I couldn't possibly take another job, and my rescue dogs --as well as my business-- would not, and could not, run without me being here full-time. So that's just not an option.
To everyone here, THANK YOU, for caring & giving to my dogs. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts :)
Ash
Let me get a little rude here but not at anyone inparticular: I read my facebook full of people who are going shopping again for Christmas to buy this or that. Really just buying crap for people who don't need anything. Then when asked to donate $10, they don't have the money! The selfishness of this country totally discusts me! Not only Ashley's dogs, but dogs and cats all over the country need the money we spend more than we need another piece of useless crap! Heck, even Ashley needs those gift cards more than we do. I'm sure she could use a really awesome dinner or something more than ravioli or Ramen Noodles to eat. People need to realize that there is more to this holiday than spending money on useless crap. I'd rather see a dog eat this month than get more stuff that will collect dust in my house. Ashley, I have shared your story everywhere I can and I hope you get what you need.
ReplyDeleteSent a donation a day or two ago. Hope it helps some.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I like what you wrote. The Wall Street Journal recently had an article on how $25 billion is wasted every year on Christmas presents because the recipients perceive their value to be less than the actual cost:
ReplyDelete"Mr. Waldfogel estimates that Americans drop close to $70 billion a year on Christmas shopping for gifts people often don’t want … baggy underwear, ugly sweaters, etc. Society, he says in the book, would be better off if people didn’t spend it.
Throughout the year, we shop meticulously for ourselves, looking at scores of items before choosing those that warrant spending our own money. The process at Christmas, by contrast, has givers shooting in the dark about what you like… to make matters worse, we do much of this spending with credit, going into hock using money we don’t yet have to buy things that recipients don’t really want.
He says the deadweight loss to society from all of this frivolous spending — an “orgy of wealth destruction” as he calls it — is about $25 billion. Imagine if that money was given to charity instead?
Full article: http://on.wsj.com/vNfPAS
Done:) Hope you have a Wonderful Christmas, Ashley!! Tucker's #1 Fan!!
ReplyDelete@Paul - I totally agree! Can you imagine what could be done with $25 billion for animals?
ReplyDelete(Sorry, that posted as my Google name, RockerGirl)
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from. I just took in 3 puppies that were left by my house in the rain. Hoping to find them a good home. I just couldn't leave the there. Tammy. Meridian
ReplyDeleteJust sent a donation via PayPa. Happy holidays to you and your Lucky Dogs; they are, indeed, very lucky dogs to have someone like you who cares so much.
ReplyDeleteJeanie
Sent you way , coming from Florida, Hope it helps...I admire what you do and try to help any way I can....My Love for Angels without A Voice is great as yours, You are an Angel in my eyes as well. Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteLee
My husband is disabled, I work rescued four dogs four cats and two rabbits, and would rescue more if I had the space, But I want nothing, materialistic things mean nothing, Angels without A Voice deserve all the help, donation was sent, coming from Florida, if every person would adopt one angel and have them fixed, there would be maybe no Angel looking for a loving home. Once again donation is on its way from Florida....
ReplyDeleteLee
Did you ever make your goal? I donated and have been hoping & hoping. How close were you?
ReplyDeletejust donated $30.oo; i know it's not a lot, but it will help. keep doing what you're doing and we will be here to support you.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lisa and Madison Villa