Dear Friends,

POPPA's 10,000th needy animal recipient was assisted this November. Shadow, a 70 pound black Labrador Retriever who lives in Canby with his person, Terrence, was 11 months old and growing up fast.

Terrence (Terry) explains, “I got Shadow from an attorney 2 weeks before I contacted POPPA for help. One of his clients was moving and didn't take him with them. If he hadn’t taken Shadow in to find him a new home, he would have had to go to the pound.” We all need a little help sometimes.

But, the small animal clinic he called would have charged $175.91 to ensure that Shadow wouldn’t contribute to the thousands of good dogs put to sleep in our state annually.

Terry, a courteous, 62 year old disabled gentleman, didn’t have $175.91 of disposable income. Instead, he could come up with $25. But he still wanted to do right by his new friend & family member. What to do?

Terry asked around and discovered POPPA’s dedicated, creative volunteers. We put our heads together and came up with a plan: Terry would take Shadow to the next town, where the neuter cost would only be about $75, and we’d send a $50 check to make the surgery possible. Problem solved!

How was it possible to say, “Yes!” to Terry and Shadow? All while still fulfilling our obligation to more than 60 other animals needing help weekly? You, our donors and supporters, make it happen!

Whenever we’re asked for the secret to our nationally acclaimed success story, we smile and respond, “We did it with a lot of help.” Help from people all over the state who care enough to contact us when they need assistance in fighting pet overpopulation. Help from the veterinary clinics who offer low cost spay/neuter options (we’ve worked with over 100 local clinics). Help from the volunteers who lead, manage and staff every aspect of the good we do together.

And yes, help from each and every animal lover who sends a check or makes a secure, online donation. You are a security blanket for the most grateful among us—the innocent animals.

This is our first-ever holiday appeal, inspired by the desire to continue to help those in need, such as Terry and Shadow. Please be as generous as you can.

Yours in rescue,

Celeste Crimi
Vice President

POPPA, Inc. (Pet Over-Population Prevention Advocates) is a community supported, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. Volunteers work to raise funds for spay/neuter. Then, low income Oregonians contacting POPPA are referred to an option they can afford, or POPPA subsidizes all or part of the surgery cost based on client need. Donations to POPPA are tax-deductible as the law allows.