HEA 2010 Kick-Start Meeting
is Set for Sunday, January 17!
Wondering how many animals enteredthe Sanctuary this year? How about thenumber of critters who found foreverhomes? What about what it costs to runHEA? And, what’s on tap for our favoriteorganization in 2010? Find answers to allthese questions and much, MUCH morein our first-ever HEA Kick-Start Meeting.We’ll be gathering at the AshwaubenonCommunity Center (936 Anderson Drivein Ashwaubenon) on Sunday, January 17,from 11:30 a.m. until about 2 p.m. Bringa dish to pass, and we’ll enjoy a yummysmorgasbord of food as we share infoabout (and celebrate!) the year that was2009 and look ahead to all that’s plannedand needed in 2010. All HEA supportersare welcome and encouraged to attend.Just RSVP to Erin Elliott, Happily EverAfter’s new volunteer coordinator, bycalling her at (920) 819-2675 or e-mailingher at [email protected].
S a v e t h e d a t e
E5714 Bork Rd.Marion, WI 54950
d e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9
Check out all of HEA’s critters at www.happilyeverafterinfo.org or petfinder.com
Know a good flooring
guy or gal?
The cats and dogs at Happily EverAfter found out that that we havematerial to put new flooring intheir hallways and rooms, andthey can’t wait to get spruced-updigs! But first, we need to findfolks who can help us install it. Ifyou or someone you know has theknowledge, skills and time tohelp with this project, please letus know. The animals wouldsure appreciate it!
H e l p W a n t e d
Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary, Inc.
"Helping Surrendered, Abused, and Abandoned Animals Everywhere"
2009 Adoption Update(as of 12/6/2009)
107 Cat adoptions
79 Dog adoptions
As many of you know, last May, animal protection agenciesstaged a raid of the Thyme and Sage Ranch in Cazenovia,WI. During this raid, over 300 dogs and countless otheranimals were seized who were clearly victims of abuse andneglect. Happily Ever After was one of several animal welfareorganizations in the state that took in these terrified butwonderful creatures. Thyme and Sage’s owner, JenniferPetkus, faced many counts of animal cruelty. Though Petkusvoluntarily relinquished some of the animals over the summer,she refused to do so for others.In October, she was to stand before a judge and find out if thecourts would force her to release78 dogs and over 20 horses aswell as rabbits, guinea pigs, andother small animals she was stilltrying to claim as her own.
It was a week before the courthearing when Amanda Reitz,president and founder of HEA,received a life-changing phonecall for the 24 dogs that weretemporarily residing at HEA.Pamela McCloud-Smith, directorat Dane County Humane Society, informed Amanda that shehad some good news with one unpleasant condition. Petkus’hearing was going to be postponed until December whichmeant the animals were going to be in custody for yet anothermonth and a half (the hearing had been postponed severaltimes already). Upon learning the hearing was going to bepostponed yet again, the DA asked to sit down with Petkusto see if negotiations could be made. Jennifer finally agreedto release custody of 77 dogs and all the horses and other
small animals. The hitch? Lucy, a border collie mix who hadcaptured the hearts of everyone at HEA as well as all whovisited with her, had to be returned to Petkus and her parents.The condition broke the hearts of everyone at the sanctuary,but there was no other alternative. Dane County HumaneSociety and Happily Ever After made sure that Lucy would notgo back to the Petkus family without being spayed and weeklychecks are made on Lucy and the other animals still at Thymeand Sage Ranch to make sure they are being fed and cared
for. HEA has been told that Lucyis doing okay at Thyme and SageRanch and is allowed to live inthe house with the Petkus family.
Two days after HEA received thelife-altering phone call, all courtdocuments were finalized and 23out of the 24 dogs HEA had beenhousing since the end of May fromThyme and Sage Ranch were released into HEA custody, ableto be vetted, and now able tofind their forever families. Theywere free at last!
Since their release, Sarah, Molly, Teddy, Suzie, Dogee, Cleo,Elvis, and Dunkin have found their forever families. The restof the adorable dogs from Thyme and Sage are still lookingfor their perfect family and hope to be in a home before theholidays so they can truly experience the miracle of Christmasand have a blessed New Year.
If you are interested in adopting any of these amazing dogs,please visit our website www.happilyeverafterinfo.org andcheck out their stories.
Check out our NEW web site: www.happilyeverafterinfo.org
F r e e A t L a s t . . .
Lisa
Zeus
Ford
Gold Boy
Dallas
Sally Dundee Franklin
F r o m t h e E d i t o r
A Look Back at 2009
One thing I have noticed since starting the sanctuary in 2005, is that time flies whenyou are having fun. And boy 2009 flew by, so we must be having fun out here. Majorhappenings in 2009 included finishing the new cat area (At least we thought we werefinished… now we are putting new flooring and wall board in and hopefully we will getthat completed by the end of 2009. We still have a couple days left anyway.), remodelingour cat isolation room, expanding the outdoor play areas for the dogs, participating infour adoption events through Petsmart as well as three HEA-run adoption events,conducting four low-cost spay and neuter clinics, holding our second annual Hiss andHowl fundraising event, and taking in 49 dogs at one time due to the raid at Thymeand Sage Ranch. The HEA board of directors and the animals that have entered HEA’scare would like to extend a huge thankyou to each and every person that contributed to Happily Ever After in theyear 2009. You have all given in differentways, but each way and each person makesHEA what it is today.
May paw prints forever be left on your heart,
Amanda M. ReitzFounder/President
HEA has a new website - Check it out!
Same web address, great new site! The new Happily Ever Afterweb site is finally up and running at ww.happilyeverafterinfo.org.
You can still see the animals that are living at HEA and apply toadopt them, follow HEA news and education, see who partnerswith HEA, and view all the events and happenings that HEA andthe animals are involved in. It’s just that all of this is much easierto read and find now! Brand-new features include informationabout how the sanctuary started, how the animals are housedand how the low-cost spay/neuter program works. There is alsoimportant, helpful info for prospective donors and volunteers. Soon,HEA will also have an online store where you can purchase HEAitems and other animal related items, so keep your eyes peeledfor that, too!
The biggest change is that YOU can add content to the site! Thereare two new, interactive features that we encourage you to explore.The first is the “photo gallery,” where you can submit photos to thesite. Simply click on the photo gallery icon on the home page, thenclick on “submit your own photo.” You’ll be prompted to enter youremail address, first name, last name, upload the photo and makeany comments you would like. After HEA’s web administratorreviews the photo file, it will upload to the site. Be sure to postyour photos of HEA events, HEA alumni, and other must-seemoments! The second feature is our “Happy Tails” page. This is foryou all to share the experiences you’ve had with Happily Ever After.
Did HEA help spay/neuter your pet through our low-costclinic events? Did you find your forever furry friend here? Maybeyou had a great experience at an event HEA held. These aregreat things to post on Happy Tails! Just click on the “HappyTails” link located right next to the cat and dog at the top of thehomepage. Enter your email, first name, last name, city, state,story/comment, and upload an image if you would like. We willthen review the file and upload it onto the site for all to see!
Lastly, if you are interested in receiving this newsletter by e-mailinstead of through the postal service, you can sign up for ournewsletter online. Just click on the Newsletter Sign Up icon, enteryour email address and click subscribe. Then, e-mail us [email protected] to request that we take you off our physicalmailing list. (Making this small change will help us reduce ourpostage costs!) Happy web surfing!
The Perfect Gift: Sponsor an Animal in Need
Do you need to get someone a Christmas gift but they already have everything? Do youneed to tell other people what you would like for Christmas but don’t think you needanything? Consider sponsoring an animal at HEA for the year 2010 and receive a pictureof them as well and a letter from your new friend.
A year’s sponsorship helps pay for the animals basic needs throughout the year includingbut not limited to food, vet care, and extra goodies to make the year more enjoyablefor the pet.
1 year cat sponsorship - $100
1 year dog sponsorship - $150
You may pick any animal at the sanctuaryto sponsor, but here are a few animalsthat often get overlooked.
HEA’s 2nd Annual Hiss & Howl Halloween Hullabaloo:
A HOWLing success!
On Saturday, Oct. 24, well over 200 animal lovers from across the region gatheredat Great Expectations Canine Behavior Center in Green Bay for the biggest partyin town: Happily Ever After’s Hiss & Howl Halloween Hullabaloo! Last year was ourinaugural year, and as great as that was, this year’s party was even better! We haddouble the number of entrants in our pet costume contest: 42 cats and dogs (andtheir owners!) strutted their stuff down the runway to compete for top prize. Firstplace went to Neeka DeWindt and her cat, Lexi, who both dressed as princesses(we’re thrilled to report that Lexi is an HEA alum!). But, in our eyes, HEA’s animalswere the true winners, as over $6,000 was raised that day for their care.
Thanks so much to our food and beverage donors for helping us put on a yummyspread: Moe’s Southwest Grill, Starbucks Coffee in De Pere, Atlanta Bread Company,Titletown Brewing Company, Culligan Water and Perkin’s (Green Bay East). We alsogenuinely appreciated the long list of fabulous items that area businesses andindividuals donated to our silent auction. Kudos to Firelite Foto for taking wonderfulpet portraits that day and donating the sitting fees to HEA. But the biggest thanksgoes out to the volunteers who helped make that day possible, along with thepeople who entered their pets in the show and the hundreds of folks who came tocheer them on! We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year!
F r o m M a r i o n t o E v e r y w h e r e . . . 3 N e w Way s t o U s e Yo u r C o m p u t e r t o C o n n e c t t o H E A !
When you are checking out Happily EverAfter’s shiny new web site, be sure toscroll down to the bottom of the home-page. There, you’ll likely notice the bigicons that indicate HEA has entered theworld of social media! When you click“View our blog,” you’ll be taken to theplace where HEA is sharing updates,news, pictures and fun stories from theSanctuary. Be sure to check in often –we’re trying to post updates there atleast once a week.
And by now, most of you have probablyheard of Facebook – perhaps you haveyour own account. (It’s not just for kidsanymore; in fact, women over 55 arethe fastest growing group on Facebook!)HEA started its Fan Page in early September, and we are closing in on 300“fans” already These are folks who arefollowing our every move and posting.
This has been a new and exciting way to spread the word about Happily EverAfter and share Sanctuary news andupdates with our supporters. Since our
fans can leave messages for us (whichwe respond to), it’s also a fantastic wayto have virtual “conversations” witheach other! Facebook is famous for itsgreat photo sharing features, and we’vedefinitely been taking advantage ofthem. With subjects as cute as ours,of course we want to show them off!
If you’re on Facebook already buthaven’t found HEA, be sure to searchfor us! If you’re not one of the 300million people who have an accountbut are thinking about it, know thatcreating a Facebook is actually verysimple. We encourage you to considerjoining and becoming our “fan.” But, ifyou’re just not ready to jump into thesocial networking world, be sure toclick the “Join us on Facebook” icon(found directly below the blog icon) onwww.happilyeverafterinfo.org. You cansee all the info and pictures – you justwon’t be able to post messages to usor be notified of updates to the page.Hope to see you all more often in ourvirtual HEA world!
Social media: Ready or not, here HEA comes!
Lexis
Blitz
Schwartz
Will
Charlie
Dutch
Dorie
Clara
Helping HEA Every Day - With
the Click of Your Mouse!
Here's an easy and quick way you can helpanimals (and Happily Ever After) every day! Goto www.theanimalrescuesite.com. Click the bigpurple button that says “Click here to give –it’s free.” Your click generates a food donationto animals in need around the country!
That click will bring you to a "thank you" page.At the very top of that page, click on the "votetoday” icon. That takes you to a page whereyou can search and vote for your favoriteshelter. Simply select “Wisconsin” in the statefield and enter “Marion” in the city field, HEAwill come up! Then click the vote button thatappears next to our name. The site will bringup a page that confirms your vote by showingyou a picture of an animal – you type whatkind of animal it is and hit “confirm vote.” Yourvote could help HEA win up to $100,000!
The Animal Rescue Site even offers dailyreminders to perform this 10-second routine.In the menu bar on the left side of the home-page, find and click on the words “Daily ClickReminders.” All they ask you for is your e-mailaddress and you’re set!
www.happilyeverafterinfo.org
Recommended
