Shelter pets need help

EDITOR:

Please help the Douglas Animal Welfare Group help the animals by donating good quality items for our eighth annual yard sale 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, across the street from Raley's in Gardnerville. (Call Tina for details at 265-3011.) Then come to the sale and find new treasures for your home. There will be some great deals to help get through these difficult economic times.

This year we're even offering a riding lawn mower and an antique tin Saturday-night cowboy bathtub through a silent auction. There will also be raffles for some high-end items and collectibles. Don't miss it.

We really need your help. Medical bills have substantially increased this year. Aside from DAWG paying for spay and neuters to make shelter animals more financially accessible, we also microchip your new pets so they will never be lost again.

Then there's injury and illness. For instance, Gus the rottweiler came to us with a large malignant tumor and a blown neck disk. More than $6,000 later and after several surgeries, he is cancer-free and happily active in his new forever home. Then there was Link who required surgery to remove an embedded chain from his neck and a bullet from his rump. And I must mention Minnie, the rack-of-bones wound-abscessed shepherd mix who was on the verge of dying from starvation when she was picked up because her non-functioning pancreas allowed virtually no nutrient absorption. Now, wounds treated and healed and receiving medication to do the job of her pancreas, Minnie is gaining weight and becoming healthy and active. The same is true for Jada, an adorable westie who came to the shelter dirty and matted, and then a few days later collapsed in her kennel. Turned out she has Addison's disease. Now she's medicated, groomed, and up-and-running. Both of these dogs are in DAWG foster homes waiting to be adopted by their forever families.

Every dime that comes into DAWG is dedicated to the welfare of the animals. There's no building to maintain or employees to pay. DAWG is 100 percent volunteer.

So please help us continue our good work. If you'd like to make a monetary donation, it can be mailed to DAWG, PO Box 1850, Gardnerville, NV 89410. Thank you so much for your help and kindness.

Tina Dillon

Douglas Animal Welfare Group

Gardnerville