Dear animal lovers,

Back in November rescued a poor dog who was roaming around my neighborhood (Basking Ridge) for over 6 months this last year. Although we do not know his entire story, we are certain that it is not a good story and certainly would have ended very poorly had I and many of you in this community not cared enough to put forth effort in the rescue. I finally earned his trust after months of trying, or maybe he just gave up because he knew without help he was going to die. He was emaciated, injured, full of tumors, had worn the pads of his paws down to nothing and his teeth were all gone from chewing on rocks. He was a sight to behold. It has taken him months to recover as well as a lot of time and energy on my part, not to mention money. I am glad to say that Hercules, as we now call him, is much better. He is the most loving, caring and friendly dog anyone could hope for. I ended up adopting him myself as I felt he could not survive another change in family after all he has been through.

Since that rescue I have rescued other dogs dumped in my neighborhood and around San Jose. There are people out there who believe a dog would be better off dumped than taken to the humane society. I have no clue what these people are thinking as these are domesticated animals, not wild animals that can care for themselves. When left to the elements they will die, and die a painful and tragic death. This problem along with the problem we have all over the US, has led me to a decision to open my own non-profit rescue organization, focusing on South San Jose and the West Coast region.

I write to you today in an effort to raise funds to launch this rescue organization. The breaking point that led to my decision occurred today when I received word that a litter of seven puppies was about to be put down and needed immediate foster care. This rescue alone will cost me no less than $1,000 as they all must be spayed or neutered, given their shots and receive a full health check before they can be adopted out. That, along with the fact that my family has invested a lot of money of our own rescuing the previous and current dogs, one being Hercules of course, has made our efforts impossible to continue without help from people in our community. I realize times are hard, trust me we are feeling it too, but we have to come together and give anything we can to help the cause continue. $5, $10, $20 or anything you can donate will go a long way and of course your donation will be tax deductible. Perhaps your employer has a donation program in place?

I invite you to bring your donation over in person so you can see Hercules and some of my other rescues in progress and well as meet me and learn more about my upcoming plans for the rescue organization. I would welcome any help from our community, ideas or thoughts on how to get started, and of course donations of blankets, toys, treats and food are also in high demand. The new puppies will be available soon so if you know a great family looking for a new puppy, send them my way. There is an adoption fee which covers the cost of spayed/neutering, initial shots, health check etc.; which brings me to my last point before closing. If you know of any veterinarians or groomers who offer reduced fee or donation services for rescue animals, please let me know. This is something our oganization will be on the look out for always.

Thank you for your support!

Patty Dellinger
Rescue Paws
755 Schoolhouse Rd
San Jose, Ca 95138