Special Needs Dobermans wants to Make Santa Pay!

That's right, via generous benefactor, Special Needs Dobermans is again running their Make Santa Pay! fundraiser.

Donations are being matched, dollar for dollar, from December 15 to December 31.

As always, there are a number of General Funds cases who really benefit from any funds that SND can receive, in addition to the Senior Doberman Project and the Seniors Medical Fund. So let's get that info out there and help these Dobermans have a healthy and happy holiday and year to come!

Bonnie, with Illinois Doberman Rescue, is SND Senior of the Week

This is Bonnie. She's the Special Needs Dobermans Senior of the Week!

(picture from her Illinois Doberman Rescue page)

Bonnie is a 7 year old cropped and docked red girl who's with Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus.  According to their page, she was surrendered to a shelter when her elderly owner died, and was adopted out. Unfortunately, she and the resident dog were not a good fit, and when her subsequent owners returned her to the shelter, the shelter contacted IDR+.

Sadie with Illinois Doberman Rescue is Senior of the Week

Sadie is this week's Special Needs Dobermans Senior Doberman Project Senior of the week. This 7 year old docked tail, natural eared girl was picked up as a stray and then surrendered to IDR when her owner was located an found unable to care for her. She's in the care of Illinois Doberman Rescue plus.

Xanadu, Senior of the week, with Illinois Doberman Rescue

This is Xanadu. I couldn't look at that face and not blog about her. She's the Senior of the Week with Special Needs Dobermans.

Special Needs Dobermans senior of the week: Spike

Spike is Special Needs Dobermans' Senior of the Week. I saw his picture on Facebook and...look at that face!

Just a quick post: a couple of adoptable Doberman follow-ups

Good news, y'all! Remember Hawk? Well I clicked on his listing link the other day, and he's been adopted! Other good news: Duchess has been getting some interest! Maybe the pretty girl will have a doberman-savvy home of her own very very soon (fingers crossed).

In April, Ruthie was adopted! I wrote about her in March, so that's awesome, and fast. I posted about Obie in January, and he found a home as well! He was with Dreaming of Better Endings Rescue, in Pennsylvania, where you can still read his story and see other Dobermans in need of homes.

Congrats to the lovely Dobermans in need who have found their forever homes! Elka knew they could do it. Here's to many long walks and many nights snuggling on the couch.

Edith, all natural Doberman in Northern California

This is Edith. She's a four year old, black and rust, all natural girl with Northern California Doberman Rescue.

Hawk, a Special Needs Doberman in Ohio

This is Hawk.

(picture from Adopt a Pet.com)

Ruthie, with Special Needs Dobermans

Ruthie is one of Special Needs Dobermans' newest general funds cases. She was found in Ohio, dumped at the intersection of two county roads (yes, in THIS weather, which I'm sure is similarly frigid throughout the country) [hush, Florida]. She's with a foster home through Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue, and they speculate she could be between 8 and 10.

(picture is from Special Needs Dobermans Facebook page)

Make Santa Pay 2013!

Special Needs Dobermans' mysterious benefactor has again resurfaced.

Donations made to Special Needs Dobermans between December 15 (today) and December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar, so long as the words "Make Santa Pay!" are included in the donation communication.

Share this far and wide! Special Needs Dobermans helps many, many dobermans throughout the year. They are not for profit, and everything they can, they give to the dogs.

Special Needs Dobermans Senior of the Week: Angel

Angel is an 8 year old Doberman with Distinguished Doberman Rescue, Inc. She was surrendered to rescue after her family had a baby and felt they did not have enough time for her. Poor girl! As a part of the Senior Doberman Project, Special Needs Dobermans has selected her as their senior of the week.

(picture from Ddrinc web site)

Angel is a healthy 8 year old with no special needs other than being, well, 8. She's very attached to her foster dad, likes cuddling on the couch, and loves eating (sound like any dogs you know?). She's all right with other dogs, and less tolerant of puppies. She's fine with kids, though DDRinc suggests 10 and up would probably be best (this is something I've noticed a lot with Doberman rescue, and believe it has to do with their size and chance of boisterousness. Elka steps on us all the time without meaning to). 

You can either donate to help with Angel's care, through SND or Distinguished Doberman Rescue inc, or if you think Angel sounds like a great match for you, she's looking for a forever home! She's currently in Pittsburgh, PA, and information about adopting through Ddr, inc. is here on their web site.

Special Needs Dobermans Annual Clothing Sale!

From October 7 until October 27, Special Needs Dobermans will be having its annual store clothing sale. It's a variety of t shirts and sweatshirts with the Special Needs Doberman logo on it, for "non auction prices" (to quote their site). The merchandise order form is a document that will download, you fill it in, and then cut and paste your order to an email, addressed to store AT Doberman911 DOT org. They can accept payment via Pay Pal, check, or money order.

Sales of the Special Needs Doberman merchandise go to pay the administrative fees for Pay Pal and eBay, so that they can continue to devote 100% of donations right to the Dobermans, instead of having to use that money to cover those fees.

Donations help Dobermans who are in rescue and need veterinary care. Special Needs Dobermans used to be able to help privately owned dogs (like Whisper), but they've had enough of a downturn in donations in recent years that they are no longer able to do so. On their site, you can donate to specific Dobermans whose stories are listed, or simply donate to the General Fund. If you're uncomfortable with PayPal, you can also mail in a donation. If neither of those catch your fancy and you feel devoted to senior dogs, there are a number of seniors in need listed on the Senior Doberman Project, also run by SND. These dogs are either seeking sponsorship or seeking forever homes, and their locations are listed.

Doberman Rescue Minnesota

I've posted a lot about the Doberman Assistance Network, and about Special Needs Dobermans, and so I figured it was about time to talk about other Doberman rescue organizations in the country (seeing as how DAN, in and of itself, is not a rescue).

Special Needs Dobermans works with many organizations, and actually, in their most recent newsletter, had to announce that they're no longer funding private cases, due to a severe downswing in monies gained through fundraising. So, cases like Whisper in West Virginia will have to go unaided by SND and rely on private fundraising instead. One of the organizations that SND works with is Doberman Rescue Minnesota.

Ways to Have a Heart!

One of my goals when I took the Pet Blogger Challenge was to talk more about rescue and dogs in need; I think so far I've been doing pretty well with that!

Valentine's Day is kind of one of "those" holidays. If people are single, they may or may not feel rotten about it. If people aren't single, they might feel that they don't need Hallmark to tell them when to express their love. The commercialization of every last Day that we capitalize the D on is getting a little out of hand, and other than a certain nostalgia for conversation hearts, I can't really claim to love any one specific thing about Valentine's Day. (Now Easter...I freaking love Cadbury eggs...)

So, on Valentine's Day, why not love dogs? Maybe especially dogs who are currently "single".

(Blaise, formerly known as Manny, from the DAN Facebook group page)

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from the Elka Almanac

Would you consider sponsoring a senior Doberman?

Make Santa Pay!

How cool is this? From the Special Needs Dobermans Facebook page:

Friday followup: Pancho, the puppies, and a DAN auction (ends tomorrow)

One thing that drives me crazy about finding information on the Internet, about "death row" dogs, and sick puppies, is frequently you never hear how it turns out. You assume the worse, really. Though it's better to hope that they were adopted, and went to lovely homes where the adopters are not nearly as interested in the Internet as the rest of us.

I've done that too you a couple of times here. It wasn't intentional, obviously, but I don't always learn the answer either. Today, though, I have a couple of partial answers!

The puppies who may or may not have had Parvo are still holding on. Bluebell is unfortunately still not well, but is trying to hold her own.

Special Needs Dobermans: Creative Christmas Crafts Combo!

Well, it's that time of year. Giving, receiving. Receiving, giving. Baking. Being thankful.

I wrote about Special Needs Dobermans once before, when West Virginia Whisper's accident first happened. Now I'm writing about them again, because they're having a Creative Christmas Crafts Combo fundraiser!

There are a whole lot of things in their fundraising raffle, and tickets are $4 each, or 3 for $10. They can't use PayPal to take payment for the tickets, as PayPal has a thing in their ToS against gambling. So, per the SND site, tickets can only be purchased by check, sent to:

Special Needs Dobermans

144 Road 2776

Aztec NM 87410

You can email Donna Campbell at raffles@doberman911.org with "Name, address, and email address (add your phone number if you wish to be notified as a winner by phone)", per the SND site. Also, the drawing is on December 25. So, since it's so close, "Donna would appreciate it if you would email her to let her know your check is in the mail so she can give you your ticket numbers!" (quoted from the page that the fundraising link above.)

Without Special Needs Dobermans, a lot of Dobermans would go without care. Without Special Needs Dobermans, Whisper would have had a hard time getting her swag robo leg. Really? Four bucks isn't that bad, and neither is ten.

(note: SND logo pulled from their site. It is not mine)