SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network

We Share and Care About SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue

Marcy Vernon and Beth Fedor

A local real estate team was delighted to dedicate the start of their support of SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network with a donation of $2,442 presented to the SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network (SBPRN) board on what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday.

Beth Fedor and her partners at Realty Executive Arizona Territory’s Make Your Move Matter Team, Lynn Dent and Jo Parsons, have added SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue to a list of local non-profit charities that their clients may select for the team’s community give back program. When you buy or sell a home with Make Your Move Matter, 10 percent of their commission goes directly to the charity of their client’s choosing.

When asked why they added SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network to their list, Beth said, “We are excited that SBPRN is now an official 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Many of our SaddleBrooke clients already know the good work that SBPRN does, and we know our clients in the wider Tucson area will be impressed by SBPRN’s far-reaching assistance to homeless and hurting dogs and cats in both Pinal and Pima Counties. Now, our animal-loving clients’ moves can matter in the lives of these precious animals!”

This donation to SBPRN comes at the request of Lynn and Jane Laureys, who hired Beth’s team to sell their SaddleBrooke home and purchase their present home in the Preserve. The Laureys’ sister-in-law Mera Laureys is a resident of SaddleBrooke and founder of Friends of Pinal County Animal Shelter and Rescues, which is among at least eight animal care groups that SBPRN helps to support. Friends of Pinal County Animal Shelter and Rescues is a nonprofit that raises funds to pay for medical and dental vet equipment not funded by the county. They also raise funds for medical and rehabilitation expenses for injured animals, as well as supplies for the safety and welfare of animals at the Pinal County Shelter.

In 2021 alone, the Realty Executive Arizona Territory’s Make Your Move Matter Team gave approximately $60,000 to local charities, including SaddleBrooke Community Outreach and Senior Village at SaddleBrooke. Now they can add SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network to their list!

To learn more about SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network, go to sbpetrescue.com and “like” our Facebook page, which is updated daily with news of animals who have been rescued and those who are still in need of adoption or special attention.

Pet Medications Accepted by the Pet Rescue Network

Karyle Steele

Do you have pet medications that you no longer need to use? We have pets in need out there who would love to have them. If they have not expired, please consider donating them to the SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network.

We work with a few rescue groups that have medical training/knowledge that will accept the medications and make sure they go to good use for a homeless pet. This saves the rescues untold costs for the animals in their care.

Please bring them by our first Friday drop-off event held the first Friday of every month in the SaddleBrooke One parking lot between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. (fall/winter hours). If refrigeration is needed, please text or call (text is preferred) Karyle at 520-548-7861.

Please help us continue to help homeless and abandoned pets become healthy and adoptable through your generous donation.

Happy Tail – She Never Gave Up Hope

Romayne Trudo

It’s a familiar story—the owner was in the process of moving to her new home in SaddleBrooke when her beautiful kitty, Alice Annie, escaped. Matilda immediately posted on Nextdoor, providing a picture and description of her kitty. A board member from SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network (SBPRN) saw the posting and contacted the owner, offering to set up a Havahart trap. A trap was set up, and the owner and SBPRN volunteer checked the trap several times a day. Alice Annie went missing on Dec. 21, 2021, during the nastiest of weather. It poured for several days during the holidays, and then over New Year’s, we had freezing temperatures and no sign of Alice Annie. Even through all of this, Matilda never gave up on her little girl, and by some miracle, on Jan. 5, 2022, Alice Annie was in the trap! She had been missing for 15 days. It was an absolute miracle that she weathered the storms and all the dangers to small animals that exist in our desert. Many people sent their prayers and good wishes to Matilda during this difficult ordeal and were thrilled to hear that there was a happy ending.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how important it is to secure your pets in a safe room or crate during the moving process. This story had a happy ending but some, unfortunately, do not.

Monthly Pet Donation Drop-Off Program

Karyle Steele

We thank everyone who has donated their pet items throughout this past year! Our various pet charities are always in need and are always thankful for your donations. Please consider dropping off any of the items listed below. Cash donations are also accepted and appreciated. The drop-off location is at the SaddleBrooke One bocce ball courts. It is the first Friday of every month.

Fall/winter (September through April) drop-off hours are 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Items we can take:

Crates (no greater than 30 inches and broken down)

Pet Beds/Crate Pads

Pet Food/Water Bowls

Pet Toys

Pet Treats

Pet Food

Pet Gates

Pet Medication (must not be beyond expiration date)

Pet Sweaters/Coats

Leashes/Collars/Harnesses

Grooming Tools

Cat Litter Boxes

Cat Litter

Cat Scratching Posts or Pads

X-Pens

Puppy Pads/Doggie Diapers

E-Collars

Training Tools

Bath Towels (no hand towels, washcloths)

Blankets

All items should be gently used and washed prior to donation. Items should be in working order.

Please, no washcloths, hand towels, or sheets.

Happy Tail – Stowaway

Romayne Trudo

This is an odd story with a very happy ending. A handsome shih tsu mix, known as Little Guy, had quite an adventure for himself. After escaping from his backyard, he decided to jump into the back of a workman’s van when the doors were left open. The worker had no idea that he was in the van until he stopped at the Rawhide Feed & Supply Store on Edwin Road. Imagine his surprise when he opened the doors and Little Guy jumped out. Fortunately for everyone concerned, especially Little Guy, a kind SaddleBrooke resident, Bob Kelly, was also visiting the feed store and agreed to take the adorable dog home for safekeeping and to find his owner. SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue was contacted, and two volunteers responded immediately. Unfortunately, Little Guy was not microchipped, so we couldn’t identify his owner right away, but he did have a license tag. By this time, it was 9:30 in the evening, and the dog licensing office was closed until the morning. Bob and his mother, Karen Smith, graciously offered to keep him safe for the night. This pooch was such a charmer that if the owner could not be found, they both offered to adopt him. The owner was successfully located in the morning. He shared with the volunteers that he had just been released from the hospital the day of the great escape and had no idea how the dog managed to escape. He was extremely grateful to everyone involved in the rescue and promised to have his best friend microchipped as soon as possible.

Little Guy may be renamed Houdini.

2021 – A Banner Year for SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network

What a successful year for the SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network! With 162 current members and a core volunteer group of 40, along with the assistance and generosity of SaddleBrooke residents, we managed to fill an average of six to seven SUVs and pickups each and every month during our First Friday Drop-Off. Beds, crates, towels, miscellaneous items, and food for pets in need were distributed to Cody’s Friends, PACC, PCACC, Cherished Tails Senior Sanctuary, and Oracle Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation. The value of these donations in dollars would be approximately $35,000 annually; however, the value of our community coming out and showing their support for our efforts is priceless!

We are also proud of our Re-Homing Team, who found homes for four lucky dogs and facilitated four other pet adoptions. The team also was responsible for finding short-term foster homes for another 16 lucky pets.

Recently, we began a new program. A SaddleBrooke resident and retired veterinarian, Dr. Dawn Thomas, is working with us to serve as a liaison to the rescue groups that we assist. Dr. Thomas will work with the groups to determine the most urgent medical needs.

The big news was that in August of this year, SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network finally received a letter from the IRS accepting our application for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, giving the effective date of March 15, 2021. The Network is proud to be a non-profit organization and has begun to apply for grants. This will also make all donations to the Network tax deductible for the donor.

In September, we held a pet food drive and filled a large pickup and received over $1,300 in cash donations! All of this is going to help families in Pinal County who are struggling to keep their pets in their homes and keep them out of the county shelter. Thanks to all of you who donated!

The Network pulled out all the stops for our Style Show/Luncheon in November. Ticket sales were so brisk that we decided to have the event on two days. Calle Rose sales proved that ladies were ready to get out there and shop. A portion of the sales proceeds went to the Network, and our cash raffle sales exceeded all expectations. Again, we thank all who made this possible. Your generosity allows the Network to assist more pets.

The Network maintains an online presence to communicate with members and to help support Tucson area rescue groups and animal shelters. Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/sbpetrescue is updated daily with links sharing animals who have been rescued or who need special attention. Fundraisers by our rescue group partners are posted as well. Check out the SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network website at www.sbpetrescue.com/home.html for featured articles on Pinal County Animal Care and Control (PCACC), volunteer information, and other useful information. We are also presently working with a cinematographer who is donating his time and expertise to promote SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network. He will be helping us establish a YouTube channel to increase our visibility.

So Many Donations!

SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network volunteers are working feverishly to process all the prescription bottles being donated by our generous and supporting neighbors. There are soooo many. To help them out, please only donate your used, empty, clean, and label-fee and adhesive-free prescription bottles that have a child-proof cap. Some containers that are dropped off at Mezza Byte in our business center on SaddleBrooke Boulevard do not meet these criteria. If the labels are left on the containers for too long, they are very difficult to remove, even when using products such as Goo Gone. The containers you donate are intended to be used by veterinarians at the local animal shelters to dispense medication for animals in the shelter or in foster care who are ill or injured; therefore, the veterinarians have set the criteria for acceptable containers. Which ones are the right ones to repurpose for the animal shelters? The answer: containers issued by a pharmacist. With up to 200-plus containers collected each week, it can get a little overwhelming when the wrong containers are donated. If a container is off the shelf or has a label affixed by the drug manufacturer, it is not a prescription bottle, and we cannot take it. The labels will not come off of these types of containers. Please be sure that when you donate your containers, they are the right ones.

The shelters and SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network thank you for your support; every little bit helps them care for lost and abandoned pets.