Tbar Talk - Brooke's Fund

2007 marks the 3rd anniversary of True Blue Animal Rescue in Washington County, Texas! In the past year alone Tbar placed 84 dogs and puppies in forever homes while maintaining an average of 30-40 dogs in care at one time. They placed 29 horses in forever homes during the past year and have six horse adoptions pending final approval. Tbar helped more cats than ever and placed 43 cats and kittens into forever homes in 2006.

Two new funds have been added for 2007. You can donate at Tbar's web site.

Fund #1, Brooke’s Fund, will be used to give dogs with heavy heartworm loads the expensive heartworm treatment they need. This fund will be in memory of Blue Moon, Pal, Cinnamon, Little Caesar, Momma, Abby and Jack. Blue Moon died due to complications from her heartworms and the others were humanely euthanized because they were already showing severe symptoms from their heartworms and their bodies could not withstand the treatment.

In 2006 a dog named Brooke came into Tbar's care. Brooke had a heavy heartworm load but was not showing symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing so her vet felt she would be a good candidate for heartworm treatment. Thanks to the Art Helping Animals group and several Tbar members enough money was raised to pay for Brooke’s expensive treatment. Brooke was given the heartworm treatment while in the care of her foster mother and has recovered and is doing well. The fund to pay for Brooke’s treatment has some money left over to help future dogs that come to Tbar with heartworms. The hope is that Tbar will be able to build this fund so to offer treatment to every dog that comes in with a heavy heartworm load before they become too sick for help. Of course the ultimate goal will be to educate people about heartworms. In Texas every dog has 100% chance of getting heartworms if they are not given heartworm preventative. Please help us spread the word so we can decrease the number of dogs who become sick due to heartworms.

Fund #2, Spay/Neuter Fund, will offer rebates as incentive for people to get their dogs and cats spayed and neutered and to help spay and neuter pets whose owners cannot afford the cost of vet care at all.

In the past True Blue Animal Rescue could only afford to spay and neuter the animals that were in their care leaving more and more unwanted pets born to unaltered animals. Tbar would like to begin this new campaign to get out and fix as many pets as possible in 2007 in hopes of dramatically decreasing the number of unwanted pets. Specific details for this fund and the rebate to be offered will be announced very soon.

Donate to either of these worthwhile funds at "How you can help Tbar."
Visit Tbar's web site at www.tbar.org/

--Excerpted from the Tbar January newsletter, Tbar Talk. Brooke's story, First Things First, can be read at http://txsauce.typepad.com/