Happy New Year!

A huge thank you to everyone who made 2007 a successful year for Atlanta Pet Rescue: our volunteers, our adopters, our foster families and our staff! We have so many exciting new things to look forward to in 2008, and we hope you will be there to help us with each new endeavor.

Once such endeavor: we are launching an eBay web store early in 2008. This store will sell donated items online with 100% of the proceeds going to APR. So, instead of putting those unwanted holiday gifts in a drawer or in the attic, please consider donating them to our eBay store. You will get a tax deduction, and the reassurance that your gift will help feed and care for our wonderful pets until they find their forever home.

The items that we need the most are those that are easy to mail (small and/or light in weight) and especially items still in their original box or with their original tags. There is a listing fee associated with selling items on eBay, so we are looking for items valued at $25 (and up) for this fundraising effort. If you have an item that you think might do well in our store, please email Betsey.

At the start of each new year, we like to remind our friends of a few things to keep in mind for your new year's resolutions:

* Microchip Your Pet: if you haven't already, don't put it off another day! A microchip takes seconds to administer, and it could very easily save the life of your dog or cat. We offer this service to the public at the discounted rate of $35 per pet, and this includes lifetime registration of the chip. Already chipped your pets? Get that friend or neighbor to get their pets chipped. They will thank you for it!!

* Diet and Exercise: you may not be the only one in the family that indulged a little too much over the holidays. Make it a goal to get back into a routine of walking your dog regularly and cutting "people food" out of their diet.  It is your responsibility to make sure they are not only happy, but healthy this year too!

* Update old tags: if you have moved or changed your phone number in 2007, take the time today to order new tags with your updated contact information. It only takes a minute on the internet, or at the pet food store, and it could mean the difference between a lost pet and a found pet.

* Buckle up: as more and more of us are taking our pets with us in the car, we must realize the risk associated with car travel for unbuckled pets. If you are in an accident (and in Atlanta- it is only a matter of time) your unsecured pet simply does not have a good chance for survival, even in a minor accident. Please consider investing in a safety restraint for your pet. It is an investment that your pet deserves.

Come meet me at or see me online at: www.atlantapetrescue.org in the small dog section. Atlanta Pet Rescue is open for adoptions Tuesday – Friday
11am-3pm and Saturday 1pm-4pm.

*Stay tuned*

Emma is slated for a
professional photo shoot
with Leesia Teh Photography
later this week, and we will
post the photos on our web site!

Emma

Emma is a spunky 13-month old, 16 pound well, mix. Our best guess is that she is a mix between a Boston Terrier and a Rat Terrier as she has the markings and face of a Boston Terrier but the build of a Rat Terrier. Who really knows for sure. We are certain though that she is cute as can be!

Emma was rescued from an outlying animal control facility. We do not know much about her but it seems she has not been exposed to much in her short life. She was quite terrified of the bath and her shots, but once she realized it wasn't all that bad, the true puppy in her came out and she was all tail wags and kisses. She was also a bit mystified by the other dogs when first meeting them, but after a few tentative sniffs, she was in full puppy play mode. Emma is a great little gal who just needs a loving and stable home to show her the life of a pampered pooch, could that be you?

A note from a friend: In the past month I have taken Emma to the dog park at Piedmont about 3 or 4 times. Each time we go, her confidence level gets better and better. Big dogs scare her, but she is not aggressive toward them. She just runs away from them with her tail between her legs. She loves fetching the tennis ball and she will bring it right to you. She gets better at this with each trip to the park. Emma is leary of strangers but is never nippy if someone tries to pet her. Once she knows you, all she wants to do is lick your face. Emma has lots of energy, but nothing that a nice big fenced yard and maybe a doggy sibling won't fix. Or a good long walk once a day. In the car on the way to the park Emma is so excited she cant stay still, then on the way home she curls up in a little ball and sleeps. Please consider taking a look at Emma. She is a wonderful girl who has had some bad luck in her life and hopefully that bad luck stops here. She deserves a home where she will be loved as much as she will love them.

For more information about Atlanta Pet Rescue or how to adopt Emma or any of our 80+ dogs or cats, visit our web site.

Butch and Sam

We are writing to extend a heartfelt "thank you!" for introducing us to Butch and Sam. They are both wonderful gentlemen and a fabulous addition to our family. Sam loves to be held (when he's not bouncing off the walls or hanging from the rafters) and Butch spends all day prowling for someone to snuggle with (and especially loves napping with whomever is willing). We can't say enough good things about them or our experience with Atlanta Pet Rescue!

We're so glad that Butch chose us when we visited the shelter and that Sam was too cute not to adopt when we brought him home as a foster kitten. Here's a picture of the boys curled up together. Thanks again!

Best Wishes,
Kate and Matt A.

Volunteer Spotlight

(copyright PR-PICS.com)

Amy Perkins

Most of you probably already know and love Amy, but if you do not, let me introduce you to our volunteer coordinator, Amy Perkins!

Amy is the driving force behind our volunteer program (now over 80 people strong and still growing like crazy) and also manages other programs such as our Barnes & Noble gift wrapping event every year which raises thousands of dollars for our dogs and cats awaiting adoption.

Amy started volunteering over seven years ago when we had mobile adoptions at Barnes & Noble in Buckhead. Now she heads up the new volunteer orientation every month where she helps welcome and train our bright future of hard working volunteers! Amy works two jobs, and is the devoted mother of one APR alum dog and two smart and handsome kitties.

Thank you Amy, for ALL that your do!

New for 2008, we are going to feature one of our outstanding foster parents in each month's Pet Page. Our foster homes are so important to our organization, and we just can not thank them enough. Fostering a rescue pet is a demanding job and we are so lucky to have such a fine group of volunteers who are up to the challenge.

Elsie Trawick

Elsie has done a super job fostering. She usually takes special medical needs dogs, or ones that just need a lot of extra TLC. She even has been known to pay for grooming for her foster out of her own pocket. She is a successful business woman, with her own fur family, but somehow she manages to find the time for dogs needing lots of rehab and love. We are so grateful to have her help! Thank you Elsie!