PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
GREEN BAY WI
PERMIT NO 620
Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary, Inc.
"Helping Surrendered, Abused, and Abandoned Animals Everywhere"
December 2010
E5714 Bork Rd.
Marion, WI 54950
920.639.2654
[email protected]
With the holidays approaching, there’s
probably a lot more going on in your head
besides the traditional dancing sugarplums!
Perhaps you’re frustrated over what to get
those hard-to-shop-for people on your list.
Maybe everyone keeps asking you what
you’d like to find under the tree and you
can’t come up with one idea. Or, maybe
you’re struggling to find a way to make this
season more meaningful for you and your
family. Well, Happily Ever After offers a way
to help you solve any of these dilemmas:
Pet Sponsorship!
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Check out all of HEA’s critters at www.happilyeverafterinfo.org or petfinder.com
Sunday, January 30
Kick Starting Our Way into 2011...
“The Year of the Ask”
It’s hard to believe 2010 has almost come to a close.
While we certainly are proud of all we at Happily Ever
After accomplished this year, we are even more excited
to get going on 2011! And we want to make sure all our
friends and supporters are ready to go along for the ride.
That’s why we want to invite you to join us for our 2nd
annual KickStart Meeting, which will be held at the
Ashwaubenon Community Center (936 Anderson Drive)
on Sunday, January 30.
We’ll repeat the same successful format as last year:
Plan to arrive around 11:15 a.m. armed only with a dish
to pass and your enthusiasm for HEA. We’ll eat and chat
until about 12:30 p.m. We’ll then spend some time sharing
our plans and goals for 2011 with you… and we’ll leave
lots of room for your questions and feedback, too!
In order to ensure we have enough space for everyone,
please RSVP to Erin Elliott ([email protected]) by
Monday, January 24. Just tell her how many people you
plan to bring, as well as what dish you want to contribute.
See you there!
Give a Gift to the Animals This Season!
$25 – funds 5 cat/dog vaccines
$50 – pays for pre-anesthetic bloodwork
for 5 animals ready to be fixed!
$100 – buys one month’s worth of fuel needed
to get the animals to and from the vet
$300 – covers the utilities at the Sanctuary for one month
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Top 10 in 2010
The year 2010 may have been one small step for mankind, but it was filled with giant
leaps for Happily Ever After. We accomplished huge things in our 5th year of existence.
Here are just 10!
10) Our adoption numbers went gangbusters!As of November 7, we’ve found homes
for 170 animals (70 dogs and 100 cats) this year. Thanks to our 100+ active volunteers
for helping to make that happen!
9) We started the official HEA volunteer orientation program – held the first Sunday of
each month at our main facility in Marion. Times are always 12-3 p.m. To sign up for the
next one, contact Volunteer Coordinator Erin Elliott at [email protected].
Right now, over 180 cats and 70 dogs call
HEA home. While the goal is to find a
forever family for each of these animals, it
will take a while for some of these furry
kids to find their perfect home – especially
those with issues that make them a bit
harder to adopt. And that’s exactly why
HEA was started: To give these adorable
animals a place to live and be loved until
their day comes.
8) June Jamboree! We launched our second major fundraising event – and the first annual
Jamboree was a smashing success. We know many of you are already counting down
the days till you can bring your dog to the lure course next year.
But you can make their wait just a little
bit more fun and enjoyable through our
sponsorship program. This sponsorship
allows the animal's everyday needs to be
met while they are staying at the sanctuary
as well as helps cover any veterinary care
they need throughout the year.
5) Andy the cat set a new record for miles traveled to get “home” to HEA. With help from
his Japan-based friends in the U.S. military, Andy successfully made the long trip from
the other side of the world!
When you become a sponsor for a cat or
dog in need at the sanctuary, you will
receive a photograph of the animal and
a letter from them sometime during your
sponsorship year to tell you how they are
doing. You are also more than welcome
to schedule a visit.
3) Lots of folks got a whole lot smarter about animals thanks to HEA’s Get Pet Savvy
Educational seminar series. Topics included pet first aid/emergency care, cat body
language & behavior, and dog body language & behavior. Thanks to Animal Hospital
of De Pere for allowing us to use their space and help us keep these sessions FREE for
the general public. More to come in 2011 – watch our website!
The cost to sponsor a cat for a year is
$100, while dog sponsorship is $150. Feel
free to select an animal pictured on our
website OR let us know if you would like
us to pick the animal that is in the most
urgent need of a sponsor.
There is simply no better gift to give
yourself or someone you love this holiday
than pet sponsorship. To learn more,
please e-mail [email protected] today!
7) Our Facebook site exploded – our updates and info now reaches nearly 2,000 fans
every day! Join us by searching Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary and help us achieve
3,000 fans before the end of the year!
6) We continued our love of the social media revolution by creating a Twitter account.
Follow us: twitter.com/HEAanimals
4) Over 215 animals were fixed in our low-cost spay/neuter clinic program. Interested in
getting your pet fixed? Check out our website:
www.happilyeverafterinfo.org/the_sanctuary/low_cost_clinic
2) PUPPY INVASION! We partnered with private pilots through the Pilots ‘n Paws program
to transport four batches of puppies (and some senior dogs) who would otherwise have
been euthanized at a Savannah shelter up to HEA. The pilots were able to land at the
Clintonville airport, where loving arms scooped them up and brought them to the
Sanctuary. But they weren’t there long! All found forever homes quickly.
1) We achieved our goal of opening a second facility on May 1 with the opening of the
Green Bay Adoption Center! Located at 2065 Holmgren Way and open 7 days a week, the
Center has been an amazing way to create more awareness of HEA and get our animals
introduced to many more people – leading to many more adoptions! Thanks to all the
volunteers and sponsors who helped us keep the lights on and the animals loved each day
since May!
www.happilyeverafterinfo.org
Oliver At Large
Fostering
Today, dear reader, your roving reporter begins an in-depth
investigation on the subject of fostering. You probably know that
foster parents provide a temporary home for animals while they
are looking for their forever homes. But why is fostering necessary?
To get the answer, I went straight to the top and asked the question.
Amanda: Well, Oliver, it’s like this. If you put together all of the
sanctuary/shelter space available across the country, there’s not
nearly enough room for all of the animals who need temporary
shelter. In the U.S., 3-4 million companion animals are euthanized
every year. Almost all of those animals would have been great
family pets but there just wasn’t a place to put them. The more
foster parents we can find to take animals into their homes, the
more lives we can save.
HEA working with foster families is a great partnership. Fosters
provide a caring temporary home. HEA uses its resources—like
our website and adoption events—to help the animals get adopted.
We have had many people foster animals and we’re always looking
for people interested in fostering.
Oliver: What are the requirements for fostering an HEA animal?
Amanda: We start with the same things we look for in an adoptive
home—a clean, safe, caring environment. Then we look for a special
added element. The job of a foster parent is to prepare the animal
for adoption into their forever home. It takes a special kind of person
to bring animals into their home, love them, and then let them go.
If you know anyone interested in fostering, please ask them to email
me at [email protected].
Oliver: How do you decide which animals go into a foster home?
Amanda: Just about any companion animal would benefit from the
extra attention they’d get in a foster home, but there are several
situations where foster care is especially helpful:
Educate... Entertain... Eat
• Infants and nursing moms enjoy a foster
home setting until the youngsters
are big enough to be
adopted, and the mom is
healthy and strong enough
to also look for a new home.
Fostering litters of puppies
and kitties that don't have a
mom is very demanding, as
young animals need to be fed
regularly, including the middle of
the night at first.
• The extra attention of a foster
home helps animals that have been
neglected in the past, or are timid and
need socializing for whatever reason. Animals that haven't had a
lot of contact (or only negative contact) with people sometimes
don't trust people and need to learn that being with people can
be a good thing.
• Sometimes an animal just needs time to adjust. Some animals
that come to the sanctuary are stressed in the new environment.
A foster home gives them the quiet time they need.
Taking in foster animals is a big responsibility and can be a lot of
work, but it’s very rewarding. Say, Oliver, it’s been great talking
with you, but I really need to get back to working with the papers
you are sitting on. If you want to learn more about fostering, why
don’t you visit with some of HEA’s foster families?
That is a great idea. I will get right on it as soon as I take a nap.
If you have questions, comments or ideas for future investigations,
I’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. Till next time,
take care of yourself and your pets.
• An animal who is ill or injured benefits from a quiet place to
recover and additional care.
~Oliver
HEA’s 3rd Annual Hiss & Howl Halloween Hullabaloo Raises Loads
of Funds and FUN
Happily Ever After knows how to provide excellent
care for our furry residents – we hope everyone
knows that by now. But those who attended our 3rd
annual Hiss & Howl Halloween Hullabaloo also
know that we can throw one heck of a party!!
As expected, this popular event was bigger and
better this year than ever before. On October 23,
hundreds of area pet-lovers and HEA supporters
escaped the rain by packing into the banquet hall
attached to Paluka’s Pub & Grill in De Pere. Once
inside, the possibilities seemed endless. Attendees
could bid on the NINETY items in our fabulous
silent auction, get their pet’s portrait taken by
Firelite Foto, meet some of our adoptable animals,
munch on the yummy snacks, buy delectable
desserts from the bake sale and even get scary
temporary tattoos! There was also a coloring
contest for kids to enter while folks waited for
the highlight of the day to begin: The infamous
HEA Pet Costume Contest, of course!
In less than five years, two special dogs have
entered Heather Strayer’s life. The pups share
a lot in common: They’re both yellow labs,
they both love Kongs, and they both have a
history dotted with some behavior issues. The
difference? One lives with Heather; one lives
at Happily Ever After!
In 2005, Heather adopted Cheddar, a beautiful
dog who had spent her first five years of life
giving birth to litter after litter of puppies on
a breeding farm. Because of her life experience,
Cheddar was undersocialized and had some
fear-based aggression. Heather spent a lot of
time working with Cheddar on her issues and
is now proud to say she is a very good girl!
A few years back, Heather was flipping through
the pages of HEA’s residents at an event and
spotted a face that looked remarkably like
Cheddar. His name was Jack Pine – and he
instantly stole Heather’s heart. She knew
Cheddar is best suited as an only child, so
instead, Heather began sponsoring Jack Pine!
The relationship started when Heather mailed
her sponsorship check and received her thankyou letter from Jack. But Heather thought it
would be fun to get even more involved in
the care of Cheddar’s foster brother, so she
and Cheddar mailed Jack Pine a gift package
last Christmas filled with toys and treats. Jack
loved it and sent back a letter and picture of
him opening the goodies. They sent a note
last spring, too, wishing Jack a fun summer
with his friends at HEA.
On behalf of Jack Pine and his entire HEA
family, we thank Heather and Cheddar for
their generosity. They are a perfect example
of how to make a difference in the life of an
animal – even from afar!
Most Original Costume: Dakota the Sheriff dog,
owned by the Posvic family
Best Overall Costume: Neeka De Windt and her
cat Lexi (dressed as belly dancers with costumes
that came from Turkey!)
We simply must acknowledge everyone who made
this fantastic day possible. First and foremost, we
thank Paluka’s for graciously allowing us to use
their fabulous facility, but others who deserve bigtime kudos include:
• Kicks 104.9 for being our media sponsor
• Food sponsors Moe’s Southwest Grill, BelGioioso
Cheese, Perkin’s East and Special Touch Cakes
• Starbucks Coffee (De Pere) for their delicious
coffees
• Firelite Foto portrait services
Over 20 cute critters and their owners strutted down
the runway to show off their Halloween best this
year. And since we had judges choosing three new
categories of winners this year (in addition to the
audience-chosen Best Overall Costume), the
competition was even more intense than usual.
• Porter’s Patch for the gorgeous decorations
While we waited for the results of the voting and
judging, ComedyCity entertained the crowd with
their hilarious improvisational comedy games. But
at 4:15, all joking stopped and the contestants
waited with nervous anticipation. Even though ALL
the dressed-up dogs and cats were winners in our
eyes, only a few could take home the top prizes.
They were:
• Our fabulous bake sale bakers
Cutest Costume: Max the dog (wearing a tuxedo),
owned by Jo Houston
Sponsor Spotlight
cats Liberty & Justice, born on Sept. 11, 2001 and
dressed in patriotic outfits
Best Tag Team Costume: Brenda Thompson’s
• Our esteemed Judges’ Panel:
o Dr. Pat Warpinski, Animal House Pet Clinic
o Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette
o Janet Bonkowski, Schneider National
• The amazing silent auction donors
• Our incredible volunteers
• The folks and pets who entered the costume
contest
• All who attended!!
Because of your generosity, we raised over $4,000
that day for the care of our animals who are living
at HEA until they find their forever families. And
that makes them the biggest winners of all!
Giving Thanks for a Wonderful Thanksgiving Gift
Two days before Thanksgiving, Happily Ever
After received a wonderful gift that left us feeling
more grateful than ever to the individuals and
communities that support Happily Ever After. Mr.
Dick Resch, the president and CEO of KI, became
our very first Dog Kennel Sponsor at the Green
Bay Adoption Center! Mr. Resch’s donation of
$1,500 covers the cost of the kennel’s purchase
and maintenance.
Mr. Resch’s name will soon be visible on a plaque
adorning one of the beautiful Sani-Kennels, which
are made with fiberglass reinforced plastic panels.
We have found the kennels to be extremely
durable and very effective at preventing leakage
and cross-contamination. Best of all, the dogs
seem to be very comfortable in them during their
weekend stays at the Adoption Center.
Mr. Resch is well known for the contributions
he’s made to many area Northeast Wisconsin
organizations. We are very proud and lucky to be
among the causes he supports!
www.happilyeverafterinfo.org