Paws Cause Alert

August 2009

Defending animals since 1988

Dear Paws Cause Member,

This month is the fourth anniversary of Katrina. We're marking the occasion by taking a final step forward in our ongoing road to recovery. We've just kicked off our Paws to Rebuild capital campaign, which will fund urgently needed construction at our Dixieland Center. We hope you'll be as excited as we are about our plans to improve and expand the facility. Step by step, we'll transform our makeshift shelter into a permanent sanctuary and hurricane pet evacuation facility, which will serve area animals for years to come. Our campaign goal, which includes the purchase of some adjacent property, is $800,000. To be sure, this is a really big figure for a grassroots operation like ours, and fundraising is already a tough proposition in today's economy. The truth is, however, we just can't keep waiting for conditions to be 'perfect' for us to put these long overdue changes in motion. We invite you to follow our progress online at www.humanela.org/pawstorebuild.htm. There, you can learn more about the campaign and watch our fundraising 'thermometer' rise, as we get closer and closer to our goal. Here are some highlights of the additions we'll be making at the Dixieland Center:

2 Happy Tail Houses - spacious indoor / outdoor dog runs will connect to exercise yards designed to make tails wag;

Volunteer Lodges - workers will be housed on site to provide our animals extra TLC;

Veterinary Medical Center - an equipped clinic will save transport and staff costs; we'll use more contract & volunteer vets and reduce stress on our animal patients, too;

3 Kitty Cottages - comfy feline facilities with roomy screened porches will house our homeless cats awaiting adoption;

Disaster Relief Building - our huge unfinished hangar will be readied to evacuate New Orleans area rescue groups in the event of future storms; it will provide space for grooming, dog training and puppy housing on a routine basis;

There are many, many more exciting changes planned for the Center. Our Paws to Rebuild campaign will make life happier for our resident critters and will improve conditions for our hardworking crew. Find out more online or in our upcoming newsletter!