Greetings!

Ah, the holidays. The spirit of giving is everywhere you look.

During this time of year, our hearts are especially stirred by stories of selflessness: anonymous donors who pay six months' rent so a family will have a place to live; a person who drops a real gold coin in a red kettle; an individual who funds a program to help senior citizens bring cats into their lives for companionship.

It's heartening to see how people in our community are moved to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. To those of you who have remembered the needy animals who come through our doors--animals who can't ask for help, who have no home to go to, who can't tell us they are hungry, or hurting--we thank you with all our heart.

If you haven't yet had a chance to fulfill your end-of-year-giving goals, we ask you to think of the nearly 2,000 animals we give care and refuge to each year. Our nonprofit organization is funded solely by the services we provide and by generous people in our community--people just like you.

Wishing you and yours a safe and warm holiday-

Bob Citrullo
Executive Director

P.S. It takes a lot of resources to provide for nearly 2,000 animals a year. Please take a moment to donate today. Every little bit helps!

Our family is very excited for the season and all the joy it brings. Zeus, in particular, is one of the chief sources of happiness that we currently have. He is a continuous supply of love, affection and exuberance in our lives and we couldn't imagine life without him.

On October 2, we celebrated one year of bringing Zeus home with us. Since we don't know for sure what his actual birthday is, we decided it would be this date. He had a fabulous day playing with his two best Golden Retriever friends, Lilly and Daisy (Cathy's parents' dogs), and eating Frosty Paws Ice Cream treats (Zeus' favorite)! Talk about a happy boy!

The three of us have gotten along wonderfully over the last year. Zeus fit in so quickly; it felt like we had had him forever. Our first few months were spent trying to get Zeus to trust us as his new family. This little guy had some abandonment issues. Whenever we would try to leave the house, Zeus would cry, shake, and shred things. So, to help him ease into his role as a pampered pup, he started spending the day with Cathy's mom and her two Golden Retrievers. This helped tremendously! After a few months, Zeus began to trust us and now, we're happy to report, Zeus is totally fine with staying home alone. Of course, he would rather be with people, and we never leave him alone for long periods of time, but now he is comfortable enough to simply sleep through our absence. YAY!

Zeus is also a very active boy, which means that he and Cathy have a lot in common. They are constantly taking walks at the park, visiting friends and going for car rides. Zeus goes everywhere with his mom! We are currently training for a 5K in the spring which Zeus will run with us. We are convinced training is his faviorite part of the day, as Zeus is quite the runner. We tucker out long before he does!

Zeus is such a blessing in our lives, and we want to thank you so much for choosing us to be his forever home. We couldn't be happier with him and love him very much!

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Sincerely,
Cathy and Casey M.

Remember, YOU can send us your Happy Tail, too!

Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.

-Jeff Valdez