Happy Holiday Season Everyone,
I know we will all be glad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. What a difficult and challenging year it was for all. Tails of Joy was lucky; our wonderful monthly donors kept donating despite the financial difficulties endured by so many this year. Thank you thank you!! And individual donors stepped up and helped us so much too, thank you all! Thank you for sharing your hearts and whatever good fortune you had with animals you never even met. You are incredible. It meant we could continue to help so many who needed it. Thank you to all who shopped our shopping pages; as always 100% of your purchase goes to rescue, as we are all volunteer so there are no salaries or perks. Thanks to you all, we were able to rescue, treat, feed and re-home so many needy creatures, and we were able to help other small rescue organizations do the same. We wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe and better new year. We sincerely hope that all of your generosity comes back to you a hundredfold. People who love and help animals are the best people in the world.
The Faces We Fed
Nationwide
We always say keeping an animal in a home is as good as putting an animal in a home. Our social media pages let people know if they were at risk of not being able to feed their pets, we would feed them. I am happy to say no one was turned away. We heard your stories and we are only too glad we were able to help. Here are some of the pictures of only some of the pets we helped with food, toys, treats, meds, and more. And as always, we kept feral cat colony feeders supplied with food (so they could trap, neuter and spay, which we also pay for).
Desert Dogs Rock n Rescue
We always support this excellent group when we can. This was an emergency. This beautiful boy was found dying in the desert, hit by a car and left with two broken back legs. Of course we were there to help get him the medical care he needed.
Pound Pals
St. Louis, MO
“The reality is that we are out of money. We’ve had a large number of complex cases that have drained our account. We’ve always wanted to say YES to every animal in need of emergency care or spay/neuter. But for a — hopefully—short time, we need to say no.”
Little Guy Grant made. Now you can say “yes” again.
Paw Prints in the Sand & Charity.
CA
Every so often a picture comes across the screen that we cannot turn away from no matter how great the need. Charity was one such dog. About to be euthanized at the pound, the rescue tree was alive with emails flying back and forth. It finally came to this: Paws Prints in the Sand rescue got her out and found a foster, with Tails of Joy committing to full financial sponsorship no matter how long it takes to find her forever home, or even if she never gets adopted. She looks happier already. Paw Prints in the Sand (and their volunteer foster) is on the case and is working with Charity every day to get her socialized and comfortable enough to be adopted.
Tails of Joy Humanitarian Award
Dr. Megan Bamford, Red Rowan Veterinary, Sun Valley, CA
There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe Dr. Megan Bamford, founder, with her mother Nancy Evans, of Red Rowan Veterinary. We have been taking animals there for close to thirty years. She is the greatest diagnostician and veterinarian we have ever known. Her mother Nancy introduced acupuncture for animals at race tracks for horses sixty years ago, and used it to treat and prolong the lives and mobility of thousands of animals (dogs, cats, horses, mules, donkeys, even a turtle). Sadly, Nancy died this year and all of our pets are the worse off for it. We miss her lively spirit very much. If you have tried to see a veterinarian since Covid began, you know it is close to impossible, yet Dr. Bamford did not close up shop; she was/is there for all her patients and all their needs. There is no one like her and we decided there would be no one better to award our first ever Humanitarian Award to. A lovely certificate, and a lovelier check.
Merrill Markoe, Rescue Hero
Merrill Markoe is a writer/author/performer/producer/director/comedian best known for creating all of the incarnations of the different David Letterman shows, as well as being head writer, segment producer and remote pieces writer/producer/director on the Letterman shows, as well as many other s
hows. Her most memorable creations are all of the little films about and “by” dogs; Dog Poetry, films from “My Dog Bob”, all kinds of dog films, pieces, and dog point-of-view videos, shot low. The reason she has so much dog output is that she loves dogs! Recently, Merrill decided to put all of her priceless, authentic, RARE and collectible Letterman show items (jackets, shirts, prototypes, one-of-a-kind pieces, many great and original things found nowhere else) up for auction on ebay with the proceeds going 100% to different animal rescue organizations. Tails of Joy was the lucky recipient of several of these auctions and we cannot thank Merrill enough. Thank you!! She cleaned out her storage and saved a zillion lives, that’s a win-win. Please create more shows so we can have more auctions!!!
Also, Merrill’s great new book (graphic novel) We Saw Scenery is available now and you will love it!
Kenya
The great Merrill Markoe and I teamed up on a celebrity ebay auction. Nine items from Sex and the City, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Elvira, for a “Fabulous Woman” package. It so happens my good friend Penny Dachel Bunnell won the auction and Tails of Joy matched her winning bid to support the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. They shelter orphaned elephants and protect elephants and rhinos in Kenya, as well as fight poachers. You can even “adopt” one of their orphaned elephants online. Check them out!
Planned (Estate) Giving – Aunt Edna
New York, Miami
We like to remind people how imperative it is to plan for your pets after your (sorry to say it) death. So many people get a casual “sure” from relatives when asking if they’ll take their beloved pets should the need arise. Everyone wants to be in the will. I cannot tell you HOW MANY of the abandoned dogs/cats we rescue come from the homes of people who cherished them and died, and whose relatives did NOT take them in after promising to. Make a WILL. Leave instructions. Get a commitment in WRITING from the new caregiver. Leave a little bank account for medical needs for your pet/pets. Many people might adopt your beautiful, trained and loving older pets but know they won’t be able to afford the medical needs your pets will have as they get even older. Covering that can help your pet get adopted after your kids find out you left them less than they wanted and dump Fifi off at the pound. But I digress….
Aunt Edna was the beloved, spirited and dog loving aunt of my good friend Dean Feldman. Aunt Edna loved dogs and Dean. Dean loved Aunt Edna and Tails of Joy. Dean knew Aunt Edna was going to leave a bequest to some animal charity when the time came, and sadly, the time came recently, though not too sadly, Aunt Edna was in her late nineties, still fit as a fiddle and full of life. Happily, Dean was able to direct the bequest to Tails of Joy, so we can continue our rescue efforts. I got to know Aunt Edna a little through phone calls and I am so happy we can continue to express her love of animals with the help of her bequest. We’ll be announcing an exciting contest soon that puts some of Aunt Edna’s bequest to exciting rescue use. It will be named after her and will honor her perfectly. Please consider leaving a bit of a bequest to Tails of Joy, or any small rescue group that helps animals. Little guys get the most bang for your buck, and your spirit will live on in love.
Edna Weissman with her beloved rescue dachshund “Sweetie”.
Rescuer’s Dog in Need
Newport, Oregon
Our friend Ena founded Horatio’s Legacy, a great hands on rescue that we partnered with for many dogs over the years. Ena now does rescue networking, which still takes a lot of hours every day. Her big beautiful boy William was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. It’s a terrible disease, my boxer Shnuffy had it. Ena needed a big orthopedic bed for her 100 lb dog, and in honor of the many hundreds of lives she saved, Tails of Joy was happy to buy it for William.
Rescuers in Need
Memphis, TN
“The staff at Sunny Meadows Safe Haven for Pets is organizing this GoFundMe on behalf of Patricia and Mike Hurdle. These two amazing people have always been the giving kind. They volunteered at the Humane Society of Memphis for years before becoming full-time volunteers for Sunny Meadows and part of our family. Patricia has been the head of our donating effort, keeping an organized list of our needs/wants every single week and sharing it on Facebook far and wide. She is our volunteer coordinator, training new volunteers whenever we need. She loves all the fur babies (lots of treats and kisses!) and has gone to numerous off-site adoption events when we couldn’t send any staff members. Mike has been here time and time again to help us with the many electrical problems/fixes that seem to pop up all the time. He is here soon after we call him, happy to help, no matter the task! Patricia is constantly there to help any animals in need and any people she meets, with Mike right by her side, doing anything he can.
“The horrible reason we are starting the GoFundMe is because these incredible people got terrible news back to back. Within 24 hours, they found out that one of their dog, Stoner, has a cancerous tumor in his mouth, and that Mike, our handyman rock, has lung cancer. Both pieces of news hit Patricia and Mike hard. These two are on hard times and we can’t stand seeing it. We know the amount of giving they have done over and over and over.”
Tails of Joy believes any rescuer who spent a lifetime saving animals deserves help when they find themselves in need. We made a “Little Guy Grant” in recognition of Patricia and Mike’s lifetime of service to rescue. The dog above was the first dog Patricia ever saved. Some guys had cut off his ears and were hanging him over a bridge and yes, she stopped and stepped right into the middle of that and saved this dog. Paws crossed for a full and fast recovery for all.
Little Paws of the Valley
CA
A Little Guy Grant to a wonderful group of volunteers feeding, rescuing, TNRing (Trap/Neuter/Release) and fostering all the cats they can find, until the kittens are old enough to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and put up for adoption. They currently have nineteen cats in foster homes. If you would like to foster a kitten or cat, please contact them. Tails of Joy provides all food and supplies.
Dogs on the Move
From South Florida to all over the United States
Dogs on the Move rescues animals from high kill shelters in South Florida and transports them to safety across the country, where other 501c3 non profit rescue organizations take them in and find their forever homes. As with every transport they make, Tails of Joy donated for this one, starring these beautiful faces below. They have moved and re-homed 5500 dogs since 2011.
Rescue Dogs From Lebanon – Canada
Lebanon to Canada
A few years ago I started chatting with Cynthia, a flight attendant on our long flight back to LA, and it turns out she is a rescuer who brings dogs to Canada from Lebanon. Tails of Joy has been supporting their great work ever since. These dogs very often are missing legs, ears, meat on their bones; they have very hard lives in a place where dogs are not as revered as in other places. Cynthia and her crew do an incredible job and we are so happy to support them.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS from our RDL-C Team in Lebanon and Canada
We have been so blessed to have so many incredible humans choose to adopt our wonderful and deserving dogs from Lebanon.
Once upon a time, they were suffering on the streets, in shelters and horrible conditions. Now, they are warm, are loved, and living such happy and beautiful lives.”
The Fauna Foundation
Malibu, CA
“The Fauna Foundation is a private non-profit 501(c)(3 )animal sanctuary located in the Malibu Hills of Los Angeles County. We rescue, foster, and shelter adoptable cats, dogs, etc. The Fauna Foundation works with community outreach and on-site wellness programs.”
Badass Animal Rescue
From the rural south to Brooklyn NY
We love supporting these guys and have done so for years.
“SAVING BADASS DOGS FROM IDIOT HUMANS”
Adopt us!!
Much more to report but giving you a break until the first week of the new year where we’ll continue to dazzle you with how much we are able to do with your help. Be safe and well and take good care. The world will re-open and we need all of you.
You can still shop the holiday and more at Tails of Joy!
Much much love,
Elayne, Bill, Leon, Steve, Michael and all the Tails of Joy
