December 7, 2011

 

Dear Friends,

 

Many of you will be deciding in the next few weeks which charities you will help this year. I hope you will choose Adopt a Golden Atlanta as one of them. It is not surprising that people who have a love of goldens have huge hearts and each year, we are overwhelmed by your generosity.

 

2011 was a tough year for many people and unfortunately for many dogs. Today we rescued #387 for the year. We average five rescues per week and will surely top the 400 mark.  

 

Because of the sheer number of dogs we save, I am proud to announce that AGA is now the 2nd largest golden retriever rescue in the country! (For the last couple of years, AGA has been #4, so this jump in ranking says a lot about what we have accomplished in 8 short years.)  

 

And, we couldn't save one golden without your support.  We never turn down a golden in need. That can be seen in the average cost per dog this year:  $841.  

 

Another fact about 2011: 66% of dogs were "owner surrenders" and 34% were shelter dogs. More than ever, AGA received calls from shelters all over Georgia and Alabama overwhelmed with dogs.  

 

Families continued to lose their homes and were forced to give up their beloved dogs; moving in with relatives or moving into apartments requiring pet deposits was dog prohibitive. The saddest cases are the displacement of senior goldens. The young ones bounce back. The seniors are confused and sad. We don't have enough families willing to adopt a senior so our boarding fees jumped thirty percent.

 

We are proud that the two rescues we helped start saved record numbers this year: By year end, Adopt a Golden Knoxville will have taken in over 160 dogs and Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta will hit 200. Twenty eight percent of our dogs still came from outside of Georgia. So it only makes sense to help others start programs modeled after AGA so dogs in need outside Georgia will never fall through the cracks and be lost. We are proud that a wonderful group of AGA adopters and supporters living in Alabama will have Adopt a Golden Birmingham up and running January 1st, 2012! 

 

AGA is one of the few golden rescues in the country that will take a purebred golden who has nipped or bitten a human. Most are immediately euthanized. We bring them here and have them medically and behaviorally evaluated and have been able to successfully re-home 9 out of 10.  This is what makes us different.

 

So now to my plea ... we need your continued support and I am asking you to give a donation of $25. If you can give more, then you will help those that cannot give this year. 

 

And please remember that every calendar you purchase gives us $15 free and clear. We will post this letter on our website in the next week and will have a give-o-meter showing donations as they come in.  

 

I ask that you forward this letter to your friends and family who have an affinity toward these goofy, tail wagging goldens and ask them to help us save them. If you are lucky enough to have a golden in your life, then you know how important it is for us to help each and every one who needs us.  

 

You can make a donation online and you can chose where you want your donation to go.  You can also mail a check to Adopt a Golden Atlanta, PO Box 420256, Atlanta, GA 30342.

 

In closing, please visit our website and read some of the stories of our lucky goldens who have been adopted and then take a look at our Orphans waiting for homes. This is where your money goes. 

 

Thank you for loving this wonderful breed. Thank you for all of your help throughout the year.  Thank you for any money you can give.  And, please Save the Date - February 25th for the Golden Gala!

 

Wishing you a Golden 2012,

Lauren Genkinger

President & Founder