What’s better than supporting animal rescue and promoting the adoption of black shelter pets (who are adopted half as often as pets of other colors)? Doing so in style!
Our limited edition Back in Black Safe House tees are now available! Designed by renowned artist Ray Frenden, specially for our Back in Black adoption event, these tees loudly proclaim that you love your black rescue pet and that you stand with us as we celebrate these wonderful cats and dogs who are so often overlooked. In bright neon green, there’s no way they’ll be overlooked on your shirt.
And the best part, all proceeds go toward the care and rescue of the animals of Safe House Animal Rescue League.
Plastisol ink on Gildan preshrunk 100% cotton. Worldwide shipping available.
Raising funds for the critters has never been easier. There’s no limit to how large the pot could grow in this 50/50 raffle, and with 50% of the pot going to the lucky winner, and the other 50% of the pot going to the animals of Safe House – it’s a win-win!
Buy individual tickets for $1/ea. or buy 6 tickets for $5/ea.
There is no limit on the number of tickets you can buy!
Winner does not need to be present.
Anyone may purchase tickets, no matter where you live! A check will be issued to the winner if he or she does not live locally.
The drawing will be held at 4:00pm CST on Sunday, May 20th at our Back in Black adoption event at the Sterling, IL Petsmart.
To order by mail, simply send a check or money order for the number of tickets you’d like, along with your name and phone number (or email address), to:
Safe House
PO Box 193
Mendota, IL 61342
Tickets may also be purchased from any Safe House volunteer or foster, as well as on site at the Back in Black adoption event on May 20th at the Sterling, IL Petsmart.
Good luck! Thank you for supporting Safe House!
Even though they make wonderful pets with great personalitites, black dogs and cats are often overlooked for adoption, even though the color of a pet’s fur has no relationship to their ability to provide unconditional love, companionship and devotion.
That’s why on May 20th, Safe House Animal Rescue League is organizing a Mega-Adoption event which will celebrate adoptable black colored shelter pets, and with your help, many of them will be in forever homes that night.
Sponsored by our friends at Best Friends Animal Society, this event is part of a month long nationwide movement to find homes for over 1,000 black shelter pets who often go unseen. Not only will Safe House have adoptable pets at the event, but we have invited other shelters and rescues and together, we will change these pets lives forever. Also participating is Happy Tails, Community Cat, Spay it Forward, and Heartland Cat Rescue.
But just in case dozens of adoptable cats and dogs, many with reduced adoption fees, are not enough – we’re planning a truly spectacular affair we hope you’ll come out for. The participating rescues are offering food, games, prizes, raffles, giveaways, special incentives for adopters, and more! Bring the kids out for games and photos with our dog and cat mascots! Bring your pet out for a free photo session with a professional photographer! Bring your whole family for hotdogs, fun, and adorable pets who need your help to find their forever homes.
Join us on Sunday May 20th from 11am until 4pm at the Sterling, IL Petsmart. (3210 East Lynn Blvd., Sterling, IL).
Can you help make this event a real success? Can you donate an item or gift certificate to the raffle or prize table? Can you add your baked goods to our charity bake sale at the event? Please email us if you can help us help these pets!
What are you waiting for? Change their future—and the world—for homeless pets in black today.
In the early hours of the morning, Shadow the Eldercat left the world with all of the grace and dignity he lived his life with. Amongst his best feline friends, who each loved nothing more than to crawl in bed with him and cuddle, Shadow passed peacefully in his sleep.
Shadow came to us in July of 2011 from a hoarding case. He was an ancient cat even then, who had been relegated to living in bushes outside the home, as he was no longer physically able to jump onto the porch to get inside. He was deaf, had a neuropathy that caused him to wobble when he walked, and was in renal failure. But his eyes lit up when he was held. Making biscuits with his paws, rubbing his head all over your face, purring up a storm. Shadow was a cat who simply loved people, all people. Many an adopter will remember Shadow because if you came to meet a cat, it’s almost guaranteed that Shadow made his way into your lap at some point.
Despite his body growing more and more frail as days went by, Shadow was the very first cat at the food bowl each morning and night, meowing with fervor if we were a moment late with his beloved Fancy Feast. The other cats always let Shadow eat first, and would only move in once he’d had his fill and sauntered back to his bed for a nap.
Rest in peace, old friend. While we wish your earlier years would have been more kind to you, we are honored to have provided you with love and care in your final days. Your sweet purrs and headbutts will be forever missed, but never forgotten.
The time has come for us to expand and obtain a shelter facility and adoption center! We are saving hundreds of lives each year, but we can save even more with a dedicated facility! Will you help us find one?
Our target area is inside the red box.
We’re looking for a rental or rent-to-own property – a warehouse, a finished pole building, even a farmette with a finished outbuilding could work.
As with all non-profit organizations, budget is important. We work very hard to make sure every penny possible goes directly to the care of the animals and reduce overhead expenses. Have a vacant property? Let’s talk about a tax deduction for giving us a deal!
Another important consideration is that the location be convenient for volunteers and adopters to get to. We envision a place of community involvement and want you all to visit often!
Please help us find our new home. Know of the perfect place? Know someone we need to talk to? Please contact us!
This cutie patootie is Milo, and as you can see, one of his eyes is not quite right. Milo was found as a stray and a nice lady tried to help Milo, but when her vet said Milo’s eye had to be removed and gave her the cost estimate, she knew she needed help. Lucky for Milo, we’re suckers for special needs animals, underdogs, and cute little orange and white kitties!
Milo is about two years old and is possibly the sweetest thing in the world. He’s a petite fellow who loves to follow people around and has a happy-go-lucky bounce to his step. Always happy to greet people, Milo gives happy meows and arches his back for petting, and will just about jump into your arms for cuddles.
Milo saw a specialist on Monday and after running lots of tests, it was confirmed that Milo’s right eye cannot be saved. The eye is completely blind, and worse, it is painful. The specialist believes there was some trauma to the eye (a stick poking it, maybe a cat fight) and now the lens, cornea, and iris are detached, pressure is building up in the globe, and that just doesn’t feel very good at all. So, the eye must go.
The good news is that Milo’s left eye is perfect and that Milo is already used to seeing out of only one eye. He’s young, healthy, and should handle surgery with ease. After surgery Milo will need to recover for 2 weeks or so, and then he will be pain-free and ready to find his forever home and become the love of someone’s life. And oh my goodness will that person be adopting a terrific cat! Someone right now has no idea that they are soon going to fall in love with this cat and wonder how they ever lived without him.
There’s more good news: it will only take about $250 for Milo to achieve that goal! We think that’s a bargain to give this sweet little fellow a happy ending, and we hope you agree. If only ten people donate $25, Milo’s bills will be covered and we can go out to rescue yet another deserving critter who needs a little extra help. Milo is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, March 13th at the Amboy Vet Clinic.
We love being able to save these special cats and dogs, the ones who are so often passed over. We know you love to see them saved too. We’re only able to do so with your support and it means everything to us, and even more to the animals. Thank you so much for making these miracles happen!
Update: Milo’s vet receipt is attached for transparency of where your hard earned donations went. Thank you!
Submit an adoption application today. February 29, 2012, and the adoption fee on ANY Safe House cat or dog is just $29!
Leap into a new walking partner like Mya or Lily, leap into a new couch potato feline like Jack or Bentley, take a leap of faith and adopt your new best friend today for just $29! See all of our available pets and submit an adoption application here.
This is Roxie. She’s had a rough go of things so far, though you’d never know it to meet her. Roxie is remarkably sweet, gentle, and so happy that she smiles.
Roxie came to us through Quincy K9 Connections, a rescue transport group from Southern IL who moves dogs out of high-kill pounds and takes them to no-kill shelters. As is the case with many of the dogs we receive, other shelters couldn’t or wouldn’t take Roxie and so she found herself next on the list for euthanasia. Quincy was honest and told us Roxie had some issues: she was 8 years old and she had glaucoma that went untreated for many years. But we had a foster home open and we couldn’t see letting any dog be killed when we had a safe spot for her to go. So we crossed our fingers and pulled Roxie from that dreaded list.
Roxie’s back story is what made us love her from the moment we saw her on Quincy’s webpage. You see, Roxie had been loved all of her life but she lost her beloved human to the depths of alcoholism. Unable to care for himself properly, he could no longer care for Roxie. This man’s friend tried to help and took Roxie home, but with pets and a family of his own, he soon found himself overwhelmed and took Roxie to the shelter. Roxie had been a loyal and devoted family member for 8 years, but through no fault of her own, she landed on Death Row due to addiction.
When Roxie arrived, we learned that she was morbidly obese. Like 150 pounds obese! Her coat was a wreck, her left eye was bulging out of its socket due to the glaucoma, which creates painful pressure and fluids, her teeth were severely neglected. Roxie was urinating blood because she refused to soil her kennel at the Quincy animal pound and had to hold her bladder for so long that she developed a UTI. She went right to vet, who confirmed that there would be no saving the eye, Roxie couldn’t see out of it anyway, it was painful, and needed to go.
Roxie headed to foster with volunteer Caroline.
While waiting for her eye surgery, Roxie went into a foster home and began to shed pounds as quickly as she shed her overgrown coat. Her foster took her on 1 mile hikes throughout the day, got her on a diet immediately, and antibiotics cured her UTI. Roxie began to come to life before our eyes, walking better each day, wagging her tail, playing with other dogs, and giving kisses to everyone she came across. Her foster mom said it best when she said “This past week she has actually begun to SMILE.”
Yesterday was Roxie’s big day – she went in for eye surgery, a full dental, and x-rays to check her hips and knees. She was in surgery for about 2 hours. The prognosis? Roxie’s eye surgery went great, she will have no more trouble with that pesky eye or with glaucoma. Roxie’s teeth are now sparkly and white! Roxie’s xrays revealed that her hips are in remarkable shape for her age, but her knees aren’t so hot. They don’t require surgery or treatment, additional weight loss and inexpensive joint supplements will benefit her the most.
Roxie today, after surgery.
Her eye doesn’t look very pretty today, but she’s on good pain meds and the dull constant pain of the bulged eye is now behind her. In front of her she has about 2 weeks of recovery, more dieting and weight loss, and hopefully, a forever home to live out her golden years. Roxie is now accepting applications to be your best friend, your low-maintenance companion, couch buddy, snuggle hound, or even a walking partner if you also need to shed a few pounds. Roxie loves car rides, lazy afternoon naps, and leisurely strolls around the neighborhood. She is excellent with other dogs, cats, and children.
One of the joys of adopting a pet is the experience of unconditional love. Our pets don’t care what we look like, if we get old and gray, if we choose to watch bad tv, or eat popcorn in bed. Roxie is hoping a love like that exists for her too – someone who doesn’t mind that her puppy years are behind her, someone who can overlook her minor cosmetic flaw, someone who will love her just the way she is and love her for all the years she has left. Roxie did not expect to be looking for a new home at this stage of her life, but life throws unexpected challenges at us sometimes. She is willing to take a chance on you, if you’ll take a chance on her too.
If, like us, you think that every pet deserves a second chance at life – even the seniors, the overweight ones, or those with treatable medical conditions – please help us cover the cost of Roxie’s medical care, around $850. When we agreed to take Roxie in and spare her from being killed in that southern pound, we knew she might be expensive. But we also knew that we have amazing supporters who believe, like we do, that these pets are worth saving. Please help us continue to take these animals in when others say “no” and make a donation to Roxie’s Fund. No amount is too small. If you prefer, you can also make a payment on Roxie’s bill right to the vet clinic, Fox Valley Vet Hospital (815) 434-0363. As always, your donations are tax deductible and are so very appreciated.
Update: We’re beyond pleased to let everyone know that Roxie has an adopter waiting for her. On March 24th, after Roxie is fully healed from her surgery, her new family will take her home to Milwaukee. Roxie will have a loving, supportive family with children to give kisses to, cats to enjoy the company of, and the shores of Lake Michigan to stroll around. Roxie’s story will have a happy ending, thanks to the Gallagher Family, and thanks to everyone who has ChippedIn toward Roxie’s vet bills, shared her on Facebook, or Retweeted for her.
No one to come home to after a long day of work? Tired of trying to find someone who is a good listener, supportive of your choices, and doesn’t mind when you lay around in sweats for days upon end watching reality tv? We have your valentine, right here waiting for you.
Your Valentine, adopted from Safe House Animal Rescue League, is guaranteed to love unconditionally. Your valentine won’t mind the extra 10 pounds you picked up over the winter, is happy to watch whatever you want on tv any given night, and thinks you are purrfect just the way you are. The time is right to adopt your new best friend, your new companion, the best valentine you’ve ever had.
While you’re snowbound this weekend, why not clean out the closets, basement, and garage for a good cause? Safe House is having a Winter Wonderland Rummage Sale on February 4th and 5th at the Mendota Fireman’s Building.
Donations happily accepted Friday, February 3rd from 7-9pm, just drop off your donated items at the Fireman’s Building. Then don’t forget to come shopping for lots of great items including: pet supplies (lots of brand new ferret cages, bird cages, pet strollers, and carriers), new with tags women’s plus sized clothing, household and garden items, modern junior clothing, and more! There may even be visits from adoptable Safe House pooches or kittens, so stop by and see us!
Please limit your clothing donations to 1 bag per person, and no books please. Don’t forget, your donated items are tax deductible so get a head start on spring cleaning and help us raise money for the Building Fund!
PDF Flyer – please download and hang it up in your office or store!
