Table of Contents Executive Summary......................................................1 Situation Analysis....................................................2-6 PR Plan........................................................................................7-17 Timetable..........................................................................18-19 Budget..................................................................................20-21 Measurement and Evaluation...................22 Staff Bios.................................................................................23 Supplement.....................................................................25-35
Executive Summary Innovative Minds has devised a plan with a series of strategies and tactics in order to help boost awareness, raise money, and increase dog adoption rates in the Cayuga Dog Rescue. In order to meet our challenges such as maintaining social media, further developing the website and increasing fundraising events we have contrived a series of ways to improve these outlets. Innovative Minds created a new tagline “Do It for The Dogs”, we are hoping this will serve as a plea for kindness and help to the Cayuga Dog Rescue. By redesigning the website, which is the main attraction for people who are seeking out the Cayuga Dog Rescue, this will increase its popularity as well as clarify the objectives and adoption process. Cayuga Dog Rescue is a small organization within the small town of Ithaca and one of the main contributions we want to get out of our objectives and tactics is community involvement. As a team we planned two events “Who Let the Dogs Out” and the “Halloween Dog Parade” that we hope will stimulate some attention as well as community involvement that will ultimately benefit the Cayuga Dog Rescue. Through the execution of community events, our tagline integration and social media campaign, we hope to bring further awareness and contributions to the organization. Thank you for the opportunity.
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Situation Analysis
Current situation Right now, we feel as though CDR is lacking both interested parties for adoption and sufficient funds. Because of this, we feel that the objectives they have outlined make sense in order to make the organization more successful. As you will see later in our plan, we feel as though our combination of events, social media integration and community outreach will improve the future of CDR and help them to reach their goals.
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Weaknesses: • low number of adoptions • only do local adoptions (Ithaca, Binghampton, Syracuse and Corning) • adoption fee ($150-250; is this too high?) • poorly designed website • no real way to contact -PO Box instead of physical address -no email/phone number • lack of web search Optimization • lack of social media presence
Strengths:
• fully volunteer staff -know where all of the profits are going since workers aren’t getting paid • adoption process -home visit, references, pet meetings -shows that they care about their animals • owner -has full time job yet still runs this business -shows passion & drive for CDR • support vet care, pet supply stores (as seen on website) -mission statement/”what we do” easily found -fostering program Opportunities: • increase adoption rates -look up other shelters to see their rates -see what goes into CDR adoption (shots, etc.) • events/fundraisers -doggie day spa, Christmas photos, & Halloween parade • publicize rehoming program -more than just flyers/websites • partner with vets, pet stores & other services • open house with incentive • donation drive • social media presence -adoption pics
Threats: • other dog adoption agencies in the local community (Salty Dog, Dryden Dog, etc.) • Competitors: -SPCA -The Humane Society (in Binghampton) -Broome County Dog Shelter -Project Paw -Tanner’s Paws -Greater Binghampton Animal Rescue
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Current Research • On average 29 percent of people in New York state own dogs. [1] Approximately 3409.74 people own dogs in Tomkins county[2] and since 1970 to 2010, “...the number of dogs and cats in homes has increased from 67 million to an estimated 164 million.”[3] • The traffic on the website is very low and when looking through search engines CDR was significantly low on the results page.On petfinder.com CDR didnt show up untill the fourthpage and on google they came up second, below the SPCA. Future Research • To conduct future research, we plan on tracking the web search optimization tactics, for their website, by using google analytics. This will allow us to see if the tactics we plan on carrying out for the website are working to bring more exposure and traffic flow. Works Cited [1] https://www.avma.org/News/PressRoom/Pages/TopBotomTenStatesForPets.aspx [2] http://www.petpopulation.org/faq.html [3] http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html
Audit of Articles The Cayuga Dog Rescue does not have a presence in any source of news in the Ithaca community. After searching the archives of the Ithaca Journal and the Ithaca Times we found four articles. All of the articles that we did find were to introduce the dogs that are up for adoption and didn’t have any information about the actual company. These articles all found on-line did not even have links to the CDR page. We realized that their presence in the news was very poor and we need to restructure their forms for press release.
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Forces The major forces that we feel are impacting CDR are economical, technological and competitive. Economically, they are lacking, which is their current budget is only $750 and their goal is to raise $5,000. If they had more money, we could also advertise more, which would lead to more awareness about the organization, thus reaching another one of their objectives. Additionally, with more money, CDR could have a higher programming budget, which would not only increase awareness, but it would also entice potential dog adopters. CDR is also lacking technologically. It’s apparent when looking through both their social media sites as well as their main home page that their team is not very technologically savvy. If this were to be remedied, awareness and interest in adoption would thus increase. Lastly, since the ASPCA in Ithaca largely dominates the adoption animal scene, we feel as though that impacts CDR in a competitive way.
Competitors The SPCA is the CDR’s biggest competitor. It is completely identical to the CDR because it is a nonprofit organization and has a branch in Tompkins county. The SPCA is a nationwide organization; however, they struggle with money and donations just as much as the Cayuga Dog Rescue. The SPCA by far has more adoptions than the CDR and in fact comes up first when you search in Google and petfinder, the biggest search engine for dog adoption, “Dog Adoption in Ithaca, NY”. The CDR has had 434 dogs adopted since August 2005. The SPCA has had 26 dog adoptions for the month of December. The SPCA has had problems with PETA because they are a Kill Shelter whereas the CDR is not. Overall, they have a better presence in the community because they conduct more events and are a nationwide organization. Because of this, the SPCA has by far more adoptions than the CDR.
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PR Plan Objectives: -Raise $5,000 in money or goods for the organization -We have created this motivational objective to get our target audience inspired to act and want to help the Cayuga Dog Rescue in any way they can. -We would want to raise money since the current state of the organization is struggling to continue based on the small budget they have to take care of the dogs, and other needed supplies to run the overall organization. -To raise $5,000 in a year is a realistic and achievable objective for the Cayuga Dog Rescue because the more our target audience hears about the issues with the organization they will want to help out in some way even if they cannot actually adopt a dog. -By including a specific money amount for this objective, we can measure the successes and shortcomings in the campaign. -Raise awareness throughout Tompkins county about Cayuga Dog Rescue and the need for foster parents and the dogs -We have created an informational objective to bring awareness to our key constitutes about the importance of helping out and getting involved in this non-profit. -The current issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of volunteers and support that Cayuga Dog Rescue receives. We want to change that by making the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County more knowledgeable about the dogs -By planning events and getting the word out about the organization, it is an attainable goal to raise awareness. -Raising awareness is not a tangible objective that we can measure, but in order to evaluate our campaign we can see the growth in participation and interaction of our target market in our events, social media, and other strategies we employ.
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Target Audiences: For our target audiences, we have 5 target market groups. The first group is residents of Tompkins County and the Ithaca area, since CDR is a local dog adoption shelter. Our second group is people who are adopting a dog, known as the prospective dog owner. Next, we have the group of new or current family dog owners. We figured the age demographic for this group would be roughly 30-45 years old. We picked this group of people as a target market because since they already have a pet member of the family, we figured they wouldn’t be opposed to having more fluffy friends running around the house. The fourth target market is the unsure dog adopter. This is the person who is not sure if they can actually have a dog, but don’t think they can afford and take care of a dog. Our hope is that through CDR’s foster program, the unsure person can take a test drive with a pet, fall in love and adopt! Our last target market group is the older generation, which is roughly 45-66 years old. Our train of thought behind our last target market is that sometimes, the older generation gets lonely and looks for company. What’s a better place to find company then in a furry puppy? Our secondary target markets include the media, the Tompkins County Dog Owners Group, local pet and pet supply stores and the Ithaca Dog Training Club. The media is considered a secondary target market because we plan to have them cover our events and contests. Since we have worked with both the Tompkins County Dog Owners Group and the Ithaca Dog Training Club, we also consider them a secondary target market. Lastly, since we have worked with and support local pet and pet supply stores on our website, they fall into the category of secondary target markets as well.
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Strategy: Big Idea: “Do It For The Dogs” Since our key two objectives for this plan are raising money and awareness for the Cayuga Dog Rescue, we want to remind people that these objectives were put in place for the sole purpose of helping this dogs find loving homes. With this tagline & big idea, we hope the simple saying and the key message of “doing it for the dogs” will not only stick with people, but relate to them on a more personal and emotional level. The tagline that will be implemented into our strategy “Do It For The Dogs” will appear on all of our program initiatives to increase awareness and care for the Cayuga Dog Rescue. One of our strategies is to have a social media campaign for “Do It For The Dogs”. With the uses of various outlets of social media, we will be reaching one of our main objectives of raising awareness. “Do It For The Dogs” will also appear on all of our advertisements to reinforce the message. Lastly, we will incorporate our “Do It For The Dogs” tagline and theme into all of our events to reach our second object of raising money. We feel as though if we remind people that their money is going towards a valuable non-profit they will be able to see their efforts as dog’s get adopted into excellent homes.They will see the value in their donations and we will have a better chance of reaching our $5,000 goal. Our brand value proposition is very highly based on emotion. With our key theme idea “Do It For The Dogs”, we want to remind people that the Cayuga Dog Rescue is a fantastic non-profit and dog shelter because they genuinely care about the homes these dogs are placed in. Since the runs CDR in addition to having a full time job, it shows how dedicated she is to the dogs of CDR. Along with that, all potential adopters are placed through various steps in the adoption process to make sure that the dog will fit into their new family’s everyday life. It is apparent that the Cayuga Dog Rescue loves the dogs that they deal with and we feel as though our tagline and theme message reminds people of that. Since many of the people are dog owners and see their pets as members of the family, we feel as though the “Do It For The Dogs” campaign will reach many people on an emotional level and remind them of why it is so important for dogs to have a loving home.
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Tactics: Media relations: Newspapers like the Ithaca Journal and local radio stations such as Cayuga Radio Group, will cover our events to spread the word about the organization in way effort to gain publicity for our organization that our primary and secondary target audience will notice. Events: Our big event will be called “Who Let the Dogs Out.” This event will bring together families, friends and of course their dogs for a day in the park of games, food and fun. The main event will be a “Best in Show” contest featuring the dogs of the Cayuga Dog Rescue. With this aspect of the event, we hope to show off the adorable dogs and get people interested in adopting. With this in mind, we will also have representatives from CDR to talk with interested parties at the “Do It For The Dogs” table, which will have information on the adoption process, CDR and examples of other ways we integrating our campaign. The event will take place at the Ithaca Dog Park at Festival Lands during the spring of 2014. This safe environment will be the perfect backdrop for the event. The event will charge people for food and drinks but the games and contests are free for anyone to enter. This event will be a great way for people to have some fun with their dogs simultaneously raising money for the dogs still kept in shelter. For the fall season, in order to meet our total fundraising goal, we will be hosting a Halloween Parade featuring both the dogs of the Cayuga Dog Rescue and family pets in the local community. The costumes for the CDR dogs will be crafted by the CDR volunteers. The parade will take place on the streets in the Ithaca Commons. In order ot incentive families to bring their dogs and children, we will be partnering with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to encourage local businesses to open their stores to the children for trick or treating. By incorporating families and dogs together, we will be further promoting our “Do It For The Dogs” message.
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Tactics: Promotions: One of the promotions we will be doing will take place at our event. If you adopt a dog at the event, we will provide you with a “Dog Starter Kit.� In this kit will be a bag of dog food, a leash, food and water bowls and a toy. The kit will be assembled by donors from generous businesses and organizations that we have worked with in the past. Community relations: In order to gain awareness we want to improve our community relations because getting our community involved (which includes our target audience) by having them attend our events, read about our nonprofit in the newspaper, or even follow us on our social media accounts.The more Tompkins County is mindful about this organization the more support the organization will gain. Online: Based on our research, we found that our target audience tends to use other pet search engines when looking to adopting a dog. We want to change this by including the link to our website on pages like theshelterpetproject.org or the IAMS search engine adopt-a-pet.
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Tactics: Website Enhancements: To optimize traffic flow to the Cayuga Dog Rescue, website keywords need to be written into the HTML. Keywords: Upon doing research, we found that the website included zero keywords. This means that if someone were to search “Dog adoption in Ithaca New York”, the Cayuga Dog Rescue’s ranking would be low on the list. By inserting keywords, this would make the website rank higher. Some keywords that may enhance web search optimization include: Ithaca dog adoption, dog adoption, dog fostering, buying dogs, rescue dogs, dog shelter, dog, rescue and family pets. Linkable assets: Additionally, we propose to spread more linkable assets throughout the website. A linkable asset is anything (pictures, banners, ect) that moves you further through the website. Once these links are placed throughout the website, keywords are often added to the tag, thus it becomes more searchable. Backlinks: Thirdly, we propose to add backlinks. What this means is that an incoming hyperlink from one web page is linked to another website. We recommend to reach out to bloggers and utilize niche search directories, like petfinder. com, which is relevant to the Cayuga Dog Rescue’s brand. While searching through the Cayuga Dog Rescue website, we did find backlinks to other websites. These included several pages (training, doggy daycare, groomers boarding and kennels); however, not all of them were hyperlinked and when we checked to see if these websites had the Cayuga Dog Rescue as a backlink, not all of them did. We recommend reducing these links on the Cayuga Dog Rescue website by only permitting the companies who have placed backlinks to the Cayuga Dog Rescue website on their website. This would then consolidate the backlinks to one page. Formatting: We plan to format the website to enhance its visual appeal. By eliminating some of the text and adding more visuals, the website becomes easier to navigate. We plan to update the logo in order to create a more modern look. We have changed the color scheme of the website to a lighter blue and added a green. Before, the website looked dark and gloomy with the black background; however, by changing the background color to white, it becomes a more playful and enticing design.
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Tactics:
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Tactics: Social Media: We found the Cayuga Dog Rescue lacks the financial support and awareness in order to improve our online and social media presence we want to create a wikipedia and an instagram. Additionally, we want to improve our Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook accounts by updating them regularly as well as deleting the unrelated links and pictures to other pages. We want our changes to keep our target audience more involved in the Cayuga Dog Rescue and their efforts to generate more awareness and revenue. To keep consistent with our “Do It For The Dogs� tagline, we also have CDR posting updates on their social media sites on dogs up for adoption. We will also have a campaign where people could make posts (and of course include cute pictures!) about what they do for the dogs in their life, also using the #DoItForTheDogs hashtag. With this, we hope to engage potential adopters, while reminding them of what joy a new family friend by paying homage to the dogs they already have in their life. To encourage people to participate in this campaign, the person with the most likes on Facebook & Instagram, along with the most favorites on Twitter combined will win a $100 gift card, generously donated by PetSmart.
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Tactics: Advertisements: To promote our events we decided to create visuals ads. The “Who let the dogs out” campaign will feature a cover photo on the CDR’s Facebook page and will include a quarter-page ad in the Ithaca Journal. The ads will include basic information about the events, and will be clearly be advertised on our website as well. Additionally, we will place a quarter-page ad to promote the Halloween parade. Our main purpose of these ads is to create awareness about CDR in their efforts to increase adoption rates and raise $5,000.
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Timetable Timeline: 1 Year -Our social media campaign will start in January and run through the end of the year. This will give us enough time to raise CDR’s social media presence, meet our fundraising goal of $5,000 and give CDR a better presence in the community. -From January through April, we will be working on our website optimization and fixing our social media outlets. Due to the fact that we will not be having any of our major events around this time, we figured it was a good time period to fix our social media presence and website. By fixing our media channels, we will then be able to better communicate with our publics and promote our events to the best of our ability. -Around May, we will start our social media campaign which will through our event in July. We’re hoping that by announcing the winner at our event in July, we will bring a bigger crowd at our next event, the Halloween Parade. -Our “Who Let the Dogs Out” event will happen in the middle of July, roughly about a week or so after the 4th of July. We decided on this time slot because we want a fun in the sun event, since it will be in the park. We also don’t want to interfere with 4th of July family events. -From August to October, we will really focus on being active in social media because after our campaign in May we hope to get many new followers, so during this time we want to make sure that we’re sending out new updates to those new followers. -In October we will have our Halloween Parade the weekend before halloween, which is Saturday October 25, 2014. By putting it before Halloween, we hope to avoid any conflicts with the families and their trick-or-treating plans. -In November and December we want to evaluate our campaign to see what we have accomplished. Its at this point that we would release our survey to see if people associate Cayuga Dog Rescue with Dog adoption.
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Timetable
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Budget
Budget: $750 • Because of our objectives, most of our budget will go towards our two events. Between advertising and logistics, the “Who Let the Dogs Out?!” event and the advertising around it will cost roughly $300. • Our second event, the Halloween Parade, will be sponsored by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. They will allow us to use their businesses and the commons. We will only end up spending about $300 total on this event. We can spend $200 on general event needs, and the other $100 we can divide up for the costume contest $50 for 1st place, $30 for 2nd place and $20 for 3rd place. • Second to that, the next chunk of our budget will go towards finding someone to permanently fix our website, which will include finishing the designing and formatting the website in HTML. This will cost roughly $150.00 • Our social Media campaign will be sponsored by PetSmart, as they’re generously donating a $100 gift card. Therefore, we do not need to allot any money in our budget for that.
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Budget
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Measurement and Evaluations In order to track and manage our progress for CDR, we will monitor all entities of the organization. After our fundraising, by the end of the year we will track our finances and see if we have met our $5,000 goal. These fundraising event include “who let the dogs out” and the “Halloween Parade”. Furthermore, by the end of the year we will count up the number of dog registrations to asses how many dogs have been adopted within that year. As of right now, 434 dogs have been adopted from CDR since August 2005 and people who are not ready to make the commitment to adopt a dog can join the fostering program. Amongst all pet adoption and fostering we hope to raise adoption sales to 5 dogs per week. Our main objective is to gain recognition within the tompkins county area. By integrating the CDR into the community, people will associate dog adoption with our brand. Through our events and fundraising, we hope to create this association and we can conduct a survey to later prove this point. These question would ask if CDR was associated in their mind with do adoption and if they would ever want to adopt from them Additionally, we hope to add more of a social media presence. To track this we plan on using the free social media presence-tracker addictomatic.com. This will allow us to see how many people are viewing our Facebook, instagram, and twitter page.Thirdly, we will use google analytics to monitor traffic to our website. This tracking of our website and social media presence, allows us to see how our search-engine optimization is working. Additionally, we will be able to evaluate our audience, thus further narrowing our target market. We are fully confident these measurements are do-able and plausible to conduct our progress.
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Staff Bios Lauren Ryan is a sophomore IMC major from Hawley, PA. On campus, she
serves as the Events Executive for HiFashion Studios, the Membership Chair for IC Women in Communications, the Public Relations Chair for IC She’s the First and the Logistics Chair for IC A Cure for Kids. Her favorite dog is a pomeranian.
Morgan Gatzemeyer is from Hillsborough, NJ and she is a sophomore at Itha-
ca College. She is majoring in IMC and minoring in Italian. In her free time, she serves as the advertising chair on the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter where she motivates students to participate in weekend builds and break trips to places like Alabama and South Carolina. Her favorite types of dogs are golden retrievers and cavalier king charles.
Sarah Lombard is from Watertown, CT. She is a sophomore at Ithaca College
studying Integrated Marketing Communications. Out of the classroom, she is the wardrobe executive for HIFashion Studios and is also a member of the American Advertising Association. Her favorite dog is a golden retriever. Julia Kohn is from Sharon, MA. She is a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Integrated Marketing Communications major with a minor in Communications Management Design. When she is not doing homework, she works at Campus Center Event and Services. Her favorite dog is husky. Alora Sherbert is from Jamestown, NY. She is a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Integrated Marketing Communications with a minor in Psychology. Out of the classroom she is involved in the Ithaca College Chapter of the American Advertising communication and Rent the Runway. Her favorite dog is pomsky.
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Supplements/appendix
The Art of Rescue (from Ithaca.com)
By: Jillian Bateman | Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:00 am Meet Huckleberry, an eleven-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever. When he was found at a nearby regional shelter, he was covered in open sores and had lost half of his fur. Days lingered and turned into weeks. A month had passed and the balding dog, tortured by bacteria and clawing his skin raw, laid on the floor of a shelter without veterinary care. Once the dog was released to Cayuga Dog Rescue, he was given immediate attention by the Ithaca veterinary hospital; it was determined that Huckleberry had a severe staph infection. After a week of intensive veterinary treatment and months of veterinary care, Huckleberry was adopted. In order to continue to save dogs like Huckleberry, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is sponsoring the Paw are the Cause: An Evening of Local Art and Music fundraising event. In July 2005, Susan Wiser and Melissa Munch proved that dogs aren’t just man’s best friends when the two women founded the Cayuga Dog Rescue. “At the time, both of us were working for another regional dog organization that was going to stop rescuing,” says Wiser. “We didn’t want to stop.” And they haven’t. The not-for-profit organization has found homes for nearly 150 nationally abandoned dogs since August 2005. The community’s recent attention to the abuse case of the 30-pound Labrador-pit bull mix dog, Princess, has reassured Wiser that she is not alone in her fight. Princess is suffering from chemical burns to her face, eyes, back and paws. After the March 10 attack, veterinarians at the Cornell University veterinary hospital have established that Princess will most likely struggle with eyesight the rest of its life.“The passionate response to last week’s arrest of an alleged dog abuser shows how much people in this region care about the welfare of our dog companions,” says Wiser. “The dogs rescued through CDR are loving, sweet dogs who were ill-treated, neglected or abandoned in their former lives.” The Cayuga Dog Rescue’s mission is “to rescue stray, abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs in Central NY, as well as dogs that are deteriorating in regional shelters or are scheduled for euthanasia due to shelter overcrowding.” In order to carry this mission out to its full potential, helping dogs in pain like Huckleberry and Princess, this all-volunteer organization must seek help. The Paws are the Cause fundraising event will feature a gala art auction hosted by David Hall, professional auctioneer of National Book Auctions. The live art auction will include paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings. “My artwork exemplifies the symbiotic relationships between art, nature, and us. The three cannot be separated,” says Laurel Hecht, a local artist. “All that we are or can ever hope to be is inextricably connected to art and to nature.” Hecht is also the chair of the art donation committee. “Artists have been incredibly generous by donating their art to help raise money for these dogs,” she says. “I reached out to some artists who told other artists and soon the number of donations skyrocketed.” Local artist Carlton J. Manzano speaks to his donated artwork. “This lithograph was inspired by my love of animals,” he says. “My dog, Pheobe, was the model.” More than fifty Finger Lakes artists have personally donated their artwork. “I started getting calls from artists
saying they had heard about this event and wanted to be a part of it,” says Hecht. “To get this kind of response - this means it is really heart felt.” “The Paws are the Cause event gives people a very enjoyable way to participate in dog rescue,” says Wiser. “How wonderful is it that buying a great painting can simultaneously provide a litter of abandoned puppies with vaccinations and arthritis treatment for an older dog in pain?” Individuals and businesses in the community have also rallied for the cause, donating their services to the event’s silent auction. Rasa Spa and Bodyworks have donated massages. Crystal’s Day Spa has donated spa services. “At the event, buying a message and spa services means that a suffering dog gets the leg surgery she needs or that a handful of dogs will get the heartworm preventative medicine that will keep them healthy all summer,” says Wiser. “It doesn’t get much better than that.” Spa treatments aren’t all that will be offered. The diverse services auctioned will spark the attention of many. Timothy Smith, a local astrologer, has donated an astrology session. The Lotus Room Yoga Studio has contributed a one-month package of unlimited yoga. Stiehl’s Body Modification Station has donated a gift certificate toward piercing. Let’s not forget about the dogs. The Invisible Fence Company has donated a heated dog bed and we aren’t the only mammals that enjoy massages. Lin McGonagle along with the Colonial Veterinary Hospital has donated one dog or cat massage therapy session and one underwater treadmill session. “Dogs and cats suffer from the same kind of pains that humans do,” says McGonagle, who holds a master’s degree in physical therapy and is a licensed veterinary technician. We have to work together as a team,” says McGonagle. “It takes a team - a supportive community, a good veterinarian, supportive owners and trusting dogs.” The local music group The Yardvarks will also contribute their talent to the event. This Ithaca trio of John Simon, Tom Farrell and Ken Zeserson will perform their acoustic folk-rock throughout the evening. Red Newt Cellars will provide wine for the evening and 12 local restaurants, such as the Lost Dog Café, Blue Stone Grill and Smart Monkey Café will offer appetizers and desserts. “This is a worthy cause. There are no egos involved,” says Elizabeth Hughes, owner of the Lost Dog Café. “It’s simply about giving dogs a loving home, which they deserve. Dogs give us so much.” “We are all lost dogs in a way,” says Hughes. “The Lost Dog Café was created with the idea of connecting people, bringing them together - making them feel at home. It seems very similar to Cayuga Dog Rescue’s idea of connecting dogs with their forever home.” “The CDR dogs, like most rescue dogs everywhere, are sweet, loving and loyal pooches who were unfortunate enough to be born into poor circumstances or to uncaring or irresponsible owners,” says Wiser. These rescue dogs require this love and compassion along with expensive medical treatments. For this, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is reaching out. On Saturday, April 7 at 7:30pm the Paws are the Cause event will provide food, drink, auction art and music at the Museum of the Earth. All proceeds from this fundraiser will fund the veterinary care of current and future rescued dogs. “These dogs make up for lost time when you provide a good life for them,” says Wiser. “They give back more love and exude more happiness and gratitude than you can imagine.” Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Grain and Pet Supply, Finger Lakes Running Company and Claws and Paws Pet Grooming. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cayugadogrescue.org.
The Art of Rescue (from Ithaca.com) By: Jillian Bateman | Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:00 am Meet Huckleberry, an eleven-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever. When he was found at a nearby regional shelter, he was covered in open sores and had lost half of his fur. Days lingered and turned into weeks. A month had passed and the balding dog, tortured by bacteria and clawing his skin raw, laid on the floor of a shelter without veterinary care. Once the dog was released to Cayuga Dog Rescue, he was given immediate attention by the Ithaca veterinary hospital; it was determined that Huckleberry had a severe staph infection. After a week of intensive veterinary treatment and months of veterinary care, Huckleberry was adopted. In order to continue to save dogs like Huckleberry, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is sponsoring the Paw are the Cause: An Evening of Local Art and Music fundraising event. In July 2005, Susan Wiser and Melissa Munch proved that dogs aren’t just man’s best friends when the two women founded the Cayuga Dog Rescue. “At the time, both of us were working for another regional dog organization that was going to stop rescuing,” says Wiser. “We didn’t want to stop.” And they haven’t. The not-for-profit organization has found homes for nearly 150 nationally abandoned dogs since August 2005. The community’s recent attention to the abuse case of the 30-pound Labrador-pit bull mix dog, Princess, has reassured Wiser that she is not alone in her fight. Princess is suffering from chemical burns to her face, eyes, back and paws. After the March 10 attack, veterinarians at the Cornell University veterinary hospital have established that Princess will most likely struggle with eyesight the rest of its life.“The passionate response to last week’s arrest of an alleged dog abuser shows how much people in this region care about the welfare of our dog companions,” says Wiser. “The dogs rescued through CDR are loving, sweet dogs who were ill-treated, neglected or abandoned in their former lives.” The Cayuga Dog Rescue’s mission is “to rescue stray, abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs in Central NY, as well as dogs that are deteriorating in regional shelters or are scheduled for euthanasia due to shelter overcrowding.” In order to carry this mission out to its full potential, helping dogs in pain like Huckleberry and Princess, this all-volunteer organization must seek help. The Paws are the Cause fundraising event will feature a gala art auction hosted by David Hall, professional auctioneer of National Book Auctions. The live art auction will include paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings. “My artwork exemplifies the symbiotic relationships between art, nature, and us. The three cannot be separated,” says Laurel Hecht, a local artist. “All that we are or can ever hope to be is inextricably connected to art and to nature.” Hecht is also the chair of the art donation committee. “Artists have been incredibly generous by donating their art to help raise money for these dogs,” she says. “I reached out to some artists who told other artists and soon the number of donations skyrocketed.” Local artist Carlton J. Manzano speaks to his donated artwork. “This lithograph was inspired by my love of animals,” he says. “My dog, Pheobe, was the model.” More than fifty Finger Lakes artists have personally donated their artwork. “I started getting calls from artists saying they had heard about this event and wanted to be a part of it,” says Hecht. “To get this kind
of response - this means it is really heart felt.” “The Paws are the Cause event gives people a very enjoyable way to participate in dog rescue,” says Wiser. “How wonderful is it that buying a great painting can simultaneously provide a litter of abandoned puppies with vaccinations and arthritis treatment for an older dog in pain?” Individuals and businesses in the community have also rallied for the cause, donating their services to the event’s silent auction. Rasa Spa and Bodyworks have donated massages. Crystal’s Day Spa has donated spa services. “At the event, buying a message and spa services means that a suffering dog gets the leg surgery she needs or that a handful of dogs will get the heartworm preventative medicine that will keep them healthy all summer,” says Wiser. “It doesn’t get much better than that.” Spa treatments aren’t all that will be offered. The diverse services auctioned will spark the attention of many. Timothy Smith, a local astrologer, has donated an astrology session. The Lotus Room Yoga Studio has contributed a one-month package of unlimited yoga. Stiehl’s Body Modification Station has donated a gift certificate toward piercing. Let’s not forget about the dogs. The Invisible Fence Company has donated a heated dog bed and we aren’t the only mammals that enjoy massages. Lin McGonagle along with the Colonial Veterinary Hospital has donated one dog or cat massage therapy session and one underwater treadmill session. “Dogs and cats suffer from the same kind of pains that humans do,” says McGonagle, who holds a master’s degree in physical therapy and is a licensed veterinary technician. We have to work together as a team,” says McGonagle. “It takes a team - a supportive community, a good veterinarian, supportive owners and trusting dogs.” The local music group The Yardvarks will also contribute their talent to the event. This Ithaca trio of John Simon, Tom Farrell and Ken Zeserson will perform their acoustic folk-rock throughout the evening. Red Newt Cellars will provide wine for the evening and 12 local restaurants, such as the Lost Dog Café, Blue Stone Grill and Smart Monkey Café will offer appetizers and desserts. “This is a worthy cause. There are no egos involved,” says Elizabeth Hughes, owner of the Lost Dog Café. “It’s simply about giving dogs a loving home, which they deserve. Dogs give us so much.” “We are all lost dogs in a way,” says Hughes. “The Lost Dog Café was created with the idea of connecting people, bringing them together - making them feel at home. It seems very similar to Cayuga Dog Rescue’s idea of connecting dogs with their forever home.” “The CDR dogs, like most rescue dogs everywhere, are sweet, loving and loyal pooches who were unfortunate enough to be born into poor circumstances or to uncaring or irresponsible owners,” says Wiser. These rescue dogs require this love and compassion along with expensive medical treatments. For this, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is reaching out. On Saturday, April 7 at 7:30pm the Paws are the Cause event will provide food, drink, auction art and music at the Museum of the Earth. All proceeds from this fundraiser will fund the veterinary care of current and future rescued dogs. “These dogs make up for lost time when you provide a good life for them,” says Wiser. “They give back more love and exude more happiness and gratitude than you can imagine.” Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Grain and Pet Supply, Finger Lakes Running Company and Claws and Paws Pet Grooming. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cayugadogrescue.org.
Doggy Haven (From Ithaca.com) By: Jake McNamara | Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:00 am Lyndsey is a spaniel mix. She survived a house fire where many other animals died. She survived a Kentucky shelter where eight to 10 thousand animals a year are euthanized because of space shortages. Now Lyndsey is in Ithaca, adoring her animal-foster home and awaiting adoption. This is just one of the stories behind Cayuga Dog Rescue (CDR), the newly-formed, all-volunteer Ithaca-based dog rescue organization that has already helped more than a dozen needy dogs find homes.“Dogs are so unconditionally loving,” said Susan Wiser, co-founder of CDR. “They just have such enthusiastic little spirits.” Wiser and friend Melissa Munch began the group this July, financing the endeavor from their own pockets. Like other local rescue groups, they found local dogs in need of help, but they also found dogs nationally, which is how dogs like Lyndsey showed up on their doorstep. Both Wiser and Munch praise local animal shelters. But as both became more involved in understanding local shelters, they saw a problem. “Pretty much everybody in this business will never go out of business because there are so many animals around,” Munch said. “There are far more homeless dogs than most county shelters can accommodate,” Wiser agreed, “and county funding is too meager to allow most shelters to provide optimal or sometimes even adequate care for [many dogs].” Wiser said the Tompkins County SPCA is a rare exception to this case, with its state of the art facility and successful donor campaign. But counties like Cortland and Schuyler, where CDR gets many dogs from, are not as fortunate. CDR gets most of its dogs from local people and shelters. CDR takes the homeless dogs and places them in one of a dozen or so foster homes. Wiser explained that many dogs who seem depressed and unloveable after months in shelter cages change entirely when they move into a foster home. Take Jack, a foxhound mix, for example. Wiser found him in the Cortland SPCA, where he had spent nine months. “This poor dog was just going crazy,” Wiser said. “He was pacing back and forth and climbing the cage. He’d gotten so depressed.” When CDR took Jack to a foster home, his spirit revived in the first 24-hours. “He just came back to life,” Wiser said, adding that only last week, Jack found an adoptive home. CDR publicizes its dogs mainly through word or mouth and the Internet. CDR’s Web site (www.cayugadogrescue.org) and www.petfinder.com advertise the dogs. To ensure dogs are matched in suitable foster or adoptive homes, applicants complete an extensive application and receive a comprehensive home visit. Munch has fostered 45 dogs herself throughout her life. “I love working with the foster homes so much because I’ve done it for so long and know what problems can arise,” she said. Wiser and Munch also run active dog households themselves. Wiser owns five dogs while Munch owns six. Munch works at Briar Patch, an Ithaca veterinary hospital, but Wiser’s field is unrelated to her CDR work - she’s a clinical psychologist.
Both women have dedicated almost all of their free time lately to getting CDR off the ground. Right now, they are in the final stages of acquiring dogs left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. They are also trying to find new ways to fundraise for their organization. Currently, there is a CDR donation jar at Ithaca Grain, but they are looking for other businesses to put donation jars on their counters. They also encourage community members to donate to their organization, whether with money, dog treats, or Buster Balls, a favorite toy of dogs. CDR can be contacted at susan@cayugadogrescue.org or melissa@cayugadogrescue.org. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 722, Ithaca, NY 14851. Jake McNamara
Rescuing Dogs From Death Row (From Ithaca.com) Pet Corner By Glynis Hart | Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 1:14 pm You’ve probably seen the ads- there may even be one on this page- for Cayuga Dog Rescue, but if you assumed, as I did, that the rescue is for local dogs, read on. Susan Wiser, who started CDR in 2005 with Melissa Munsch, explained that the dogs who are their mission aren’t diverted from Tompkins county’s no-kill shelter. Dogs can linger in the local SPCA or its network of foster families until they’re adopted. (Admitting you can’t save every dog, the SPCA is still able to rehome over 90% of the animals they take in, as opposed to an average of 50-60% for most shelters.) “Mostly, when people call us because they need to find a home for their dogs, we almost never take their dogs; we pull dogs out of high kill shelters, in life-or-death situations,” says Wiser. The no-kill movement is clearly taking hold, with laws being passed in California and outside the US mandating that shelters spay and neuter all animals being adopted. Meanwhile, parts of the country are still, as Wiser puts it, “In 1910.” The southern states, in particular, lag behind the bandwagon on saving their animals. Cayuga Dog Rescue works with a shelter in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for instance, that takes in 20 to 30 dogs a day. That’s 6-900 dogs a month. The shelter is overwhelmed, and the dogs have no place to go but to be put down. “Some of these shelters, the dogs have 24 hours to be adopted before they’re euthanized,” she says. What happened is that people who work in the shelters got sick of the killing and started calling people to save the dogs. Some years ago this column talked to Nancy Givens, who runs Pet the Pet, a rehoming center in Trumansburg. Remember the adorable pictures of fuzzy, healthy puppies there? I remember taking those shots, and I couldn’t believe it. These weren’t my idea of shelter dogs. A yellow lab, four years old, neutered, from a loving family home where both parents had lost their jobs, the family got evicted when they couldn’t pay the mortgage, and when the family went in the homeless shelter the dog couldn’t come. Or, little cute Pomeranian-type dogs. A golden retriever who made best friends with a goose. Back then, Givens told me that she knew a couple people in shelters in Ohio or Kentucky who would call her and beg her to come get a particular dog, and that’s where her dogs came from. Now, there’s a dog pipeline going North from the kill shelters, and part of it comes to Tompkins County. “They’re perfect dogs and they’ve been through utter hell,” said Wiser. “Ninety percent of the dogs are incredibly resilient, happy, loving, joyful dogs. Sometimes they’re damaged, but the majority of the time even the ones that need help eventually come around, if you just give them a little time and work with them.”
CDR is a group of 20 to 30 volunteers who work to rehome the dogs. They put up posters; they fund raise; they put together the process to get the dogs to foster families, or even provide respite for the foster families. Dogs that come in to CDR’s system “are our responsibility,” says Wiser. “We do a lot of medical care. Once we take in a dog, we give them what they need. If they need more money, we raise more money. Luckily, Ithaca is super dog-loving, so the financial support for the rescue is enough so we can do that.” The dogs stay with a network of around 20 foster families while CDR advertises them. If all the foster homes are full, Bed and Biscuit boarding kennel in Enfield helps out. “Often people will call us and ask, can we stop by your shelter? There is no shelter.” The dogs can be seen on the CDR website, and potential adoptees must fill out an application and be prepared to be thoroughly inspected. “We have a very thorough process. Some people really love and appreciate it. Others, not so much,” says Wiser. If you click with a dog, CDR will call you and interview you. Then, they’ll do a home visit and a vet reference check. After you pass that, you’re invited to come meet the dog, and the next step, if all goes well, is to introduce the dog to your other pets and make sure they all get along. Then the adoption fee- $250- and you get a free training session with a dog/people trainer to get your relationship with your new pal off on the right foot. And then, friends for life. It’s pretty cool. They save about 50 dogs a year, or one every week. “Saving dogs’ lives,” says Wiser, with a big grin. “How great is that?” In next month’s column we’ll meet some of the volunteers who move the dogs from kill shelters north to safety, in the “doggie underground railroad.”
Pet Corner: Rescuing Dogs From Death Row (From Ithaca.com) By Glynis Hart | Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 12:00 am You’ve probably seen the ads—there may even be one on this page—for Cayuga Dog Rescue (CDR), but if you assumed, as I did, that the rescue is for local dogs, read on. Susan Wiser, who started CDR in 2005 with Melissa Munsch, explained that the dogs that are their mission aren’t diverted from Tompkins County’s no-kill shelter. Dogs can linger in the local SPCA or its network of foster families until they’re adopted. (Admitting you can’t save every dog, the SPCA is still able to re-home over 90 percent of the animals they take in, as opposed to an average of 50 to 60 percent for most shelters.) “Mostly, when people call us because they need to find a home for their dogs, we almost never take their dogs; we pull dogs out of high kill shelters, in life-or-death situations,” said Wiser. The no-kill movement is clearly taking hold, with laws being passed in California and outside the U.S. mandating that shelters spay and neuter all animals being adopted. Meanwhile, parts of the country are still, as Wiser puts it, “in 1910.” The southern states, in particular, seem behind the bandwagon when it comes to saving their animals. For example, Cayuga Dog Rescue works with a shelter in Bowling Green, Ky. that receives 20 to 30 dogs a day. That’s 600 to 900 dogs per month. The shelter is overwhelmed, and the dogs have no place to go but to be put down. “Some of these shelters, the dogs have 24 hours to be adopted before they’re euthanized,” she said. What happened? People who work in the shelters got sick of the killing and started calling people to save the dogs. Some years ago this column talked to Nancy Givens, who runs Pet the Pet, a re-homing center in Trumansburg. Remember the adorable pictures of fuzzy, healthy puppies there? I remember taking those shots, and I couldn’t believe it. These weren’t my idea of shelter dogs. They wouldn’t have stayed a day in the Tompkins County shelter before being snatched up. I remember a yellow Lab, four years old, neutered, from a loving family home where both parents had lost their jobs, the family got evicted when they couldn’t pay the mortgage, and when the family went into a homeless shelter, the dog couldn’t come along. Then there were little cute Pomeranian-type dogs, and a golden retriever who made best friends with a goose. Back then, Givens told me that she knew a couple of people in shelters in Ohio or Kentucky who would call her and beg her to come get a particular dog, and that’s where her dogs came from. There’s a dog pipeline going north from the kill shelters, and part of it comes to Tompkins County. “They’re perfect dogs, and they’ve been through utter hell,” said Wiser. “Ninety percent of the dogs are incredibly resilient, happy, loving, joyful dogs. Sometimes they’re damaged, but the majority of the time even the ones that need help eventually come around, if you just give them a little time and work with them.” CDR is a group of 20 to 30 volunteers who work to re-home the dogs. They put up posters; they fund raise; they put together the process to get the dogs to foster families, or even provide respite for the foster families. Dogs that come in to CDR’s system “are our responsibility,” said Wiser. “We do a lot of medical care. Once we take in a dog, we give them what
they need. If they need more money, we raise more money. Luckily, Ithaca is super dog-loving, so the financial support for the rescue is enough so we can do that.” The dogs stay with a network of around 20 foster families while CDR advertises them. If all the foster homes are full, Bed and Biscuit boarding kennel in Enfield helps out. “Often people will call us and ask, ‘Can we stop by your shelter?’ There is no shelter.” The dogs can be seen on the CDR website, and potential adoptees must fill out an application and be prepared to be thoroughly inspected. “We have a very thorough process. Some people really love and appreciate it. Others, not so much,” said Wiser. If you click with a dog, CDR will call you and interview you. Then, they’ll do a home visit and a vet reference check. After you pass that, you’re invited to come meet the dog, and the next step, if all goes well, is to introduce the dog to your other pets and make sure they all get along. Then the adoption fee—$250—and you get a free training session with a dog/people trainer to get your relationship with your new pal off on the right foot. And then: friends for life. It’s pretty cool. They save about 50 dogs a year, or about one every week. “Saving dogs’ lives,” said Wiser, with a big grin. “How great is that?” In next month’s pet corner we’ll meet some of the volunteers who move the dogs from kill shelters north to safety, in the “doggie underground railroad.”