Ask the Trainer: Beating the Doggie Winter Blues

Note: All "Ask the Trainer" Questions and Answers can be found on the "Ask the Trainer" tab of our blog. Submit your questions to projectmaddie (at) gmail (dot) com with "Ask the Trainer" in the subject heading. Thanks to Animal Behaviourist Gen Reisinger for donating her time and expertise to answer our questions!

Q:  This winter it has been a challenge to give my dog the outdoor exercise she needs. Ice storms, snow storms, polar vortexes, how can I keep my dog happy when weather conditions prevent us from enjoying our usual outdoor activities?

A: Beating the Doggie Winter Blues
Are you wondering how to turn your dog’s ‘winter blues’ into winter games? Missing walks, or cutting walks in half due to the cold and ice can certainly be a bit of a downer. Did you know that majority of the excitement and benefit for your dog on a walk is in smelling, hearing, seeing and exploring all the new things in his/her environment outside of the house? While waking does expend physical energy, the greatest benefit is the mental stimulation that the outside environment provides. This is why our dog will benefit and tire most from walks when we change up our routes regularly. Understanding this can help us to provide for their mental needs indoors when the weather is too harsh outdoors. The suggestions below will not only keep your dog’s mind busy at this time of year, but also help them to expend more physical energy while they eat their breakfast, and/or dinner.

The first place to start is in feeding your dog out of food toys! If your dog is accustomed to eating out of toys, such as the kong, it is time to start making them more challenging. If your dog is not already used to toys that dispense food during play, let’s get started with that! Offering your dog his food in toys causes him to burn both mental and physical energy while he eats his meal. Once your dog is enjoying and is successful at cleaning out his food toys, you may consider permanently replacing his food dish with food toys. This will allow him/her to continuously burn energy with each meal.

Some of the suggested toys to begin with are the Kong, tricky treat ball, and kong wobbler. As well as these suggestions, there are typically many to choose from in any pet store. Start with something simpler and with higher valued foods. As your dog gets used to eating out of more simple food toys with high valued foods, you can begin to introduce simple toys with just kibble. Then, advance to more challenging toys with higher valued food. Soon your dog will be good at cleaning his plain kibble out of the more challenging toys. Many of the available food toy options also work really well with a raw food diet. It is all about picking the size-appropriate ones that appeal to your dog and work with his/her diet.

If your dog is not yet used to emptying out a filled kong, start nice and simple with a little bit of something soft, sticky and yummy (natural peanut butter, sugar free yogurt, sugar free apple sauce, mashed bananas, mashed steamed carrots, sweet potatoes or pumpkin) on the inside rim of the kong, and a few loose cookies or pieces of freeze dried liver. This will help your dog to make the association between his/her kong and yummy food that is easy to get. Now that he/she gets excited when he sees the kong and is looking for food from it, start to make it a bit more challenging. Begin to stuff it a little tighter with the use of his main meal. Take a small amount of kibble and place it in a dish. Mix in a teaspoon to tablespoon (depending on size of dog) of whatever his/her favourite soft & sticky food item until each kibble is coated with it. Now place a smelly treat (freeze dried liver is good) at the bottom of the kong, some of the kibble mixture, a smelly treat in the middle, and the remainder of the kibble mixture to fill the kong. At the top, one last smelly treat that is easy for your dog to pull out and get started! As your dog gets better at cleaning his/her kong out to the very bottom, stuff it with more food and tighter. The final stage of a stuffed kong for an advanced dog is a tightly packed and frozen kong (put upside down in zip-lock bag in freezer).

When your dog has become a pro at emptying his frozen kong, he is certainly ready to explore some other types of food toys. There are also some brilliant doggie puzzles available in most pet stores. These types of puzzles will have your dog nosing, pawing and licking to glide pieces of the puzzle out of the way, and to shift the puzzle exposing other pieces to be moved out of the way to find more food! Your dog’s entire meal can be fed using a doggie puzzle!

The “find it” game! This game is designed to fulfill your dog’s natural desire and talent at scavenging for food. It can also be played with either stuffed food toys, or with simple piles of kibble. As in anything new that your dog is learning, start off nice and easy. Start by hiding little piles of kibble, containing a smelly treat or two, behind furniture and objects that are easy for your dog to get behind. Start by playing the game with hidden treats and kibble in one room. Help your dog to find them. Encourage your dog to check out different spots in the room by pointing with your finger. Point at one or two spots that do not have food, then at one that does. “Jackpot!” As your dog finds the piles of food, you can click and bonus reward if you are into clicker training. Otherwise, just finding the treats is a prize for your dog. Every day, make the game a little more challenging until you are hiding your treats in food toys (maybe still have some easy to eat piles) all over the house with some in more challenging spaces. Always start the game by saying “find it!”.

One more fun game; Target training with post-it notes! Teach your dog to “touch” his nose to your hand, and then to a post-it note (see Pawsitive Plus Dog Training facebook page for steps). Now you can place post-it notes all over your house or yard and send your dog out to “touch” for a click/”YES” and a treat!
These are just a few ideas to start with as you work on keeping your dog fit and mentally stimulated over the winter months. Have fun with your dog while working through these ideas. Having fun is the best benefit of all!

Please visit the Pawsitive Plus Dog training and Consulting Service ltd. Facebook page for additional pointers and videos of dogs playing, and learning while eating their meals out of different food toys and puzzles. “Like” us on Facebook!  We are also happy to answer any questions you may have along the way!


Genevieve Reisinger, BSc, CAPPDT, CBATTI Canine Behaviour Specialist
Pawsitive Plus Dog Training and Consulting Service ltd. gen@pawsitiveplus.com 289-242-7767 www.pawsitiveplus.com

Update: "80 families"

Thanks to our incredible supporters we have been able to provide food for 40 families (a total of 73 pets!).  It's a great feeling and we are so humbled to be part of such a giving, compassionate community. 

We know there are still 39 families in our community who are struggling with the decision of whether to feed their pets or themselves.  That's a choice no pet owner should have to make, especially over the holidays.  It's a daunting task.  We knew it was a tremendous undertaking when we set out to help these 80 families.  But we knew with the help of people like you, we could do it. And we're getting there!

Right now monetary donations are ideal because they let us purchase exactly what is needed in exactly the right amount.  That way we won't end up with an overabundance of of food that we can't distribute right away, or a shortage of a specific type of food there is an immediate need for.

Many of the remaining pets on our list have very specific dietary requirements. We are fortunate to have a connection with a retired veterinarian who can provide expensive prescription pet food to Project Maddie at cost (a fraction of the cost of buying food from a veterinary clinic). A monetary donation will go much further if the food is being purchased by Project Maddie rather than a member of the public because we can get it for a better price.

We are still gratefully accepting all types of donations. Food donations can be dropped off at Pet Value located at 280 North Service Road W. in Oakville.  There is a particular need for canned food at this time.  We truly appreciate all of the support the community. Every last dollar and every single piece of kibble will help a pet in need.  

Below is one of our 80 pets checking out her "special delivery".

80 families: Making progress but we still need your help!

Our mission to help 80 families in our community feed their pets is off to a great start!

We have picked up all of the food that was generously dropped off for Project Maddie at Pet Valu. Your food and monetary donations have allowed us to assist 26 families in the community which means with your help, we have provided food for 37 pets!  (The photos to the left were taken during a couple of our "drop offs" this week).

This is a tremendous accomplishment that would not have been possible without your support.  We are a grassroots organization and we rely entirely upon the generous support of people like you. We receive no grants, government funding or corporate sponsorship.  Quite simply, without the support of animal lovers in our community our work would not be possible. Again I'd like to thank our supporters who have brought us this far and helped us feed 37 pets! 

We have accomplished something amazing together, unfortunately we are still falling short of our goal. There are still 54 families in need of urgent assistance and that number does not include our regular clients. We desperately need your support so that we can "keep people and pets together". With the holiday season upon us it is our hope that no family will have to choose whether to feed a beloved family member or feed him/herself.  

We have come so far and this mission is off to a tremendous start.  Let's not falter now! No donation is too small.  It all adds up to an incredible act of kindness, one that might keep a dog or cat our of an animal shelter or rescue, which are always inundated with surrendered animals after the holidays. Over the last three years I have seen so much goodness and compassion in people. I believe with all of my heart that we can do this - together!  

Passion for Lockets is passionate about pets!

Donnalee from Passion for Lockets has designed this beautiful Project Maddie pendant!  Passion For Lockets is also donating all of the profits from purchases made through their website from November 28, 2013 - December 31, 2013 to Project Maddie!

Passion for Lockets makes beautiful, unique, custom pieces - perfect for holiday gifts! Give a one of a kind, personalized gift and feed at pet at the same time. www.passionforlockets.com

Thank you to Passion for Lockets for your generosity!

A thank you to our supporters

This began as a post on our Facebook page but that didn't feel sufficient to express the depth of our gratitude.

We've only just begun to help the 80 families in our community but I'm already humbled and honoured by the generosity and caring of our supporters.

Project Maddie began in the spring of 2010. Somebody asked me a very simple question: Do you know of any resources to help low-income pet owners at risk of losing their pets because they can't afford to feed them?  That fateful question came on behalf of a woman who had a beautiful Golden Retriever named Maddie, and Project Maddie was born.

Over the last three and a half years there have been many dogs and cats like Maddie, and thanks to people like you we've been able to help them. By the time people reach out to us for assistance their situation is usually desperate. Most of our clients are food bank users themselves, and usually when they're forced to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets they choose to feed their pets.

You can imagine how much a helping hand means to a pet owner in the practical sense. A weight is lifted, and the pet owner has the peace of mind of knowing a beloved furkid has nutritious food to eat. When our clients no longer have to feed their pets what they pick up at the people food bank it means they have more to eat as well.  That alone would be enough to sustain my passion for this project, but Project Maddie makes a difference in another way that I didn't anticipate. It means so much to our clients to know that people care. I've heard it time and time again, when a client is incredulous that a person he or she has never met cares enough to help him or her in such a meaningful, personal way, because what are our relationships with our pets if not meaningful and personal?  More than one client has told me that your generosity and caring has restored their faith in people.

I wish it was possible for you to hear every "thank you", and the now familiar sound of a pet owner's voice cracking as he or she breaks down in tears of relief and joy. It's been three years and it still doesn't feel right to me to be the one who hears the "thank you"s because I am not the one who makes it possible. You are. So I just want each and every one of our angels to know that your support means so much to perfect strangers, the people you cared about enough to help.

Donations for our "80 families" at Pet Valu (280 North Service Rd. W in Oakville, ON)

80 pets!

We've been contacted to provide assistance to 80 pets in our community! This is our largest undertaking since the Wellseley Street fire in 2010.

The details:
Volunteers at a local church provide outreach services in the community, including home visits and helping people feed themselves whenever possible. This particular program doesn't have the resources to help people feed their pets, and they have reached out to us for help. There are approximately 80 families currently in need of urgent assistance. Having run out of pet food these caring pet owners have resorted to feeding their pets their own food. This is troubling for two reasons. The first is it leaves the person with insufficient food for him/herself. The second is what is being fed to the pets isn't conducive to the pet's physical health. In one case a woman is giving her cat the only thing she can - hot dog wieners. We've also heard stories of dogs being fed Kraft Dinner. These people are doing the best they can for the animals they care for, but they need a helping hand.

How to help:
Unopened packages of pet food can be dropped off at the Pet Valu located at 280 North Service Road West in Oakville. If you are dropping off food please be sure to note that it is for Project Maddie and send us an e-mail so that we can thank you!

Monetary donations are gratefully accepted, please click here to visit our donation page. 

We'll keep everyone updated as we go. This is a huge challenge but we are up to it! Please help us fill these little tummies.

Gigi

This little muffin is Gigi. Gigi's mom has been an advocate of Project Maddie in our community for years, doing whatever she could to raise awareness about our little organization. Now her circumstances have changed and she needs our help. It was our pleasure to drop off a bag full of wet food to her and Gigi this evening so that Gigi's needs are looked after while her mom gets back on her feet.

(photo posted with permission)

Urgent - Help needed for Prince Romeo (updated)

*UPDATE July 17, 2012*

An update on Prince and his Mom. She just called to say she did go to the hospital but they didn't have a bed for her so they sent her home. She has enough food for Prince's evening meal tonight but that is all she has. Prince spent last night with a pet sitter and it cost her $50.  She is in a very tough spot and desperately needs a helping hand. We are looking for a person or a few people to sponsor Prince. Even a few dollars a month would be a tremendous help. 

Clients come to us for many reasons, the most common being that they are on disability. In the event that one of our clients has to be hospitalized for a short time (less than a week) is anyone interested in short-term fostering? Project Maddie will provide the food.

Prince lives in the Burlington/Oakville area. Prince's Mom needs to be admitted to the hospital for a few days but she won't go unless she can find someone to care for him. An alternative may be to board him somewhere but unfortunately this is not in our budget at all. If you can help either with fostering or with funds to board Prince for a few days please contact us.

If you can help please contact us

projectmaddie@gmail.com or 905 749 0063

Success story - "Prince Romeo"

"Prince Romeo"

We received a call from the owner of a 9 year old Maltese named "Prince Romeo" (he goes by Prince). He was given to her 4 years ago by owners that kept him on a chain 24/7. She is on ODSP but feeds her dog sandwiches when she runs out of dog food. She'd rather give her dog her own food than see her dog hungry.

 Prince's owner asked me to come by around 1:00 today so that she'd have time to go to the people food bank in the morning. She and Prince were delighted with their food and liver treats. Prince's owner proudly showed me a photo album full of Prince photos. "He is your pride and joy, isn't he?" I asked. She nodded, smiled and said "He's my everything".

A very special request: Help war veteran keep his PTSD service dog Buddha

***UPDATE*** 

Buddha

June 25, 2012 - We have been in touch with Thames Centre Service Dogs and the amount required to finalize Buddha's adoption is now only $4,500!  So far we have raised $200 towards Buddha's food and the cost to transport it to Port Colborne.  This is a HUGE undertaking but one that can change the lives of an entire family - forever!  We CAN make it happen if we rally and work together!


Jeremy was deployed to the Middle East in 2007. During that time he witnessed and participated in many traumatizing incidents. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Severe Depression, along with an anxiety disorder. He has a wife and two children, William (age 4) and Wesley (age 2-1/2), and are expecting a third in August.

Fortunately Jeremy is in therapy and on medication but he still finds it difficult to participate in daily life. Most days, he finds it difficult to even leave his bedroom for more than a few minutes at a time. He experiences night terrors on a regular basis, making it difficult to sleep and be well rested enough to interact with the family. He can rarely leave his home even just to take out the trash.

Jeremy and his family are trying to raise funds to adopt a PTSD service dog through the Thames Centre. The dog - a Border Collie and Lab mix named Buddha - is trained to wake our veterans from night terrors and calm them down. Buddha provides Deep Pressure Therapy to help Jeremy stay grounded in the present, instead of flashing back to traumatizing experiences. Buddha will lead him out of stressful situations that would otherwise cause him to have severe panic attacks. 

Buddha is now with our Jeremy and his family, but they still need our help! Project Maddie's goal is to provide Buddha with several months worth of food (he is on a specific diet), toys and treats, and we will likely need to transport all of this from Oakville to Port Colborne. 

For those who are interested, Jeremy is still $5,000 short for Buddha's adoption fee which will allow him to stay with him permanently.

If you can help this veteran and his service dog Buddha in any way it will be most appreciated, and we will be bringing you status updates.No donation is too small.

e-mail interac transfers can be sent to projectmaddie@gmail.com

cheques payable to Project Maddie can be mailed to 105 Allan St, Box 503 Oakville  ON L6J 3N2 (please mention Buddha in the "memo section").

We do have paypal as well, simply click the "donate" button on the top right side of the screen. The only downside to Paypal is they keep part of your donation as a processing fee.


Our mission statement is "keeping people and pets together".  We believe in the human animal bond, and how beneficial it is for both humans and pets not to be separated.  In Jeremy and Buddha's case it is critical that they stay together.

Any help is very, very much appreciated!

You can turn a $30 donation in to a $200 donation!

Hello friends

Shoppers Drug Mart is having a points event this weekend and they have a huge pet section!  They sell different kinds of dog food, cat food, and kitty litter! One of our amazing supporters has already donated enough points for Project Maddie to purchase $200 in pet food and kitty litter!

The only catch is there will be tax on the purchases. The taxes will probably be around $30.00. If a few wonderful people can donate $5, $10, $20 it would make a huge difference to Project Maddie.

We do have several families on our waiting list and I would love to be able to help them all.  This is an opportunity to bring many of them (if not all of them) off of the waiting list.

If you'd like to make a donation to help us redeem the full $200 thank you!  We accept donations through Paypal, Interac e-mail transfers (if you bank online it's very easy), and by cheque.  In this case we would prefer the interac e-mail transfer because it's the fastest way to transfer funds.   We love Paypal and personal cheques but it's unlikely the donation would be received by the time the points event starts on Saturday.

Thank you so much friends and supporters. None of what we do would be possible without you.

A message to Charlotte's sponsors from her caregiver

Dear Project Maddie and Sponsors of Charlotte,

Thank you for this opportunity to tell you how much your generosity and kindness has helped us. I was so thankful to find Project Maddie’s website. I was even more grateful to get such a quick response to my request for help. As you know, my Charlotte honey is a two-and-a-half year old brown and white tabby. She’s a sweet, energetic and affectionate girl, which amazes me considering what she has been through in her young life. Surrendered to Toronto Animal Services when she was pregnant, all of her babies were adopted, and she was left behind. I saw her photo on the TAS website and was immediately captivated. She sat in her cage looking with a steady gaze into the camera as if to say, “I am here waiting for you.” I think we rescued each other, as she came into my life shortly after my beloved cat Juliet died in 2011, and her sister, Roma, died in 2010. I told myself, “no more cats” but seeing Charlotte immediately changed my mind.

I tell you all this because your kind hearts indicate to me that you know of the special bond between a pet and caregiver. To most people, she is a cat, just an animal, but to you, I know she is much more, and that is why you so lovingly reached out to help us. For me, Charlotte, (and previously Roma and Juliet), has given me such love, joy and happiness, all so unexpected. She is a loving, faithful and wonderful companion and is my reason for getting out of the bed in the morning. Life is difficult right now, as I job hunt, and knowing that her needs are being met through your compassion and thoughtfulness is such a blessing and relief.

So never doubt that your help makes a difference because it does so very much. By helping Charlotte you are definitely carrying out Project Maddie’s mandate to “keep pets and people together.”

Thank you with all my heart for your generous spirit and for helping to keep us together. Charlotte and Charlotte’s “Mom”

Charlotte needs a helping hand

Charlotte's caregiver has contacted Project Maddie because she is in need of assistance to keep Charlotte safe, happy and healthy. She writes: Just a little about her - she is two-and-a-half years old, a brown and white tabby. I adopted her from Toronto Animal Services last fall after my other beloved cat Juliet died. Charlotte was surrendered to TAS because she was pregnant. She had her babies, all of whom were adopted, but she was left behind. I saw her photo on the TAS website and was instantly captivated. She is energetic and affectionate, and I am so blessed to have her in my life.

In Charlotte's short life she's been abandoned, she's been a mother, cared for her kittens and waited for a second chance. She found that in her loving caregiver. Unfortunately they have been impacted by the economy and need a helping hand for a little while. If you can help please contact us about sponsoring Charlotte.

Success Story - Cindy

I was out running some late night errands this evening when I noticed a woman with a small blond Cocker Spaniel sorting through the garbage bags at this donation drop-off box in the rain. Fortunately I had some small bags of pet food in the trunk of my car (not having storage space can have its advantages!). After talking to the woman I learned that she is on disability and her lovely dog's name is Cindy. Miss Cindy loves chicken and we were able to accommodate her taste buds and tummy with a few small bags of chicken dog food. After I explained Project Maddie and what we do, Cindy's mom said "Well isn't this a gift from God" and even took a small bag of cat food for her neighbour! I gave Cindy's Mom Project Maddie's contact information and I know we'll be seeing sweet Cindy and her Mom again. Thank you to those who made this unexpected but very moving and rewarding experience possible. Never underestimate the impact a small act of kindness can have on others.

Volunteer Appreciation Week: Thank you!

We love our volunteers! It's National Volunteer Week in Canada. An estimated 12.5 million Canadians volunteer their time to bring positive changes to their communities. Special thanks to everyone who has contributed time and energy to help us keep people and pets together. We couldn't do what we do without you. Special thanks to Elysa P., Patti M., Matthew M., Le-Ann P., Kasey B., Vera K., Clare P., Pet Valu (North Service Road, Oakville) Marilyn at For the Love of Animals (Toronto), Judy at The Ark Spaw and Pet Emporium (Oakville), and Sommer at Flirt Custom Lash Studios. If you'd like to volunteer for Project Maddie as a driver, board member, outreach ambassador, social media liaison, special events ambassador, one of Maddie's Angels (assisting seniors in need of assistance with dog walking) or any other volunteer position please drop us a line! projectmaddie at gmail dot com. We'd love to hear from you!

Spring 2012

Project Maddie turns 2 years old this month! What started as a simple request to help a low-income family on the verge of having to give up their Golden Retriever Maddie has turned in to a legacy that continues to help pet owners in need all across the Greater Toronto Area.

While a handful of our projects garner media attention, most of our work is done quietly behind the scenes. Networking with pet supply stores to have food donated, purchasing what cannot be donated, speaking with pet owners who often need a friendly and compassionate person to listen to their stories almost as much as they need help for their pets, and of course picking up and delivering food.

Some of the people we help are seniors, some are people with disabilities on a very fixed income, and some have recently lost their jobs due to the economic down turn. Some have dogs, many have cats, and they all have 2 things in common:

1. They love their pets and desperately need the love and companionship their pets give them.

2. They can't believe that a perfect stranger cared enough to extend a helping hand when they were at their lowest point and on the verge of giving up.

In the spirit of Project Maddie's (second!) birthday we have put together a wish list of items that are urgently needed for us to continue our work through the summer.


* Cat litter - almost never donated, a gift of $15 dollars will provide a large box of cat litter for a family

* Transportation - one of our largest expenses, a gift of $15 will allow us to pick up, transport and deliver food to a family almost anywhere in the GTA

* Food - we're often fortunate enough to have some sort of stockpile but right now we do not have any food. A gift of $25 will purchase a good sized bag of quality cat food. A gift of $50 will purchase a good sized bag of quality dog food.

* Post Office Box - a gift of $20 per month will provide us with a post office box which is important to keep Project Maddie operating

* Helpline - a gift of $75 per month will keep our help line going. Our help line is available 14 hours a day, seven days a week including holidays.

* Sponsorship (one month) - a gift of $35 will sponsor a family for a month. It will provide food, transportation, parking, and avoid having to put families on a waiting list.

* Sponsorship (one year) - a gift of $420 will sponsor a family for an entire year! Some of our clients only require assistance temporarily however seniors and people living with disabilities require long-term support.


On behalf of Project Maddie and the families thank you for making this two year anniversary possible. We wouldn't be able to do it without you.

October update

I'd like to thank our supporters for their kind messages of encouragement.  Having to start a waiting list was very discouraging and sometimes I wonder if there's enough interest to keep Project Maddie going.  The kind messages you've sent have given me hope.  I know what Project Maddie is doing is worthwhile and it means the world to me that you think so too.

Project Maddie doesn't receive any corporate sponsorship or government funding. Our only funds come directly from caring members of the community and go directly back in to the community.

I'd especially like to thank The Ark Spaw and Pet Emporium in Oakville for making a generous donation of premium dog and cat food.  This food will see us through for some time, as long as we continue to get monetary donations to cover necessary operating expenses and transportation costs to get this much needed food to the families who are counting on our assistance.

We are still reviewing candidates for our Board of Directors.  We need a Board of Directors in place to move forward with our Canada Revenue Agency application for Charitable Status.  Project Maddie also needs volunteers!  We need help with outreach, marketing, fundraising, and much more!

I've said it before but it's worth repeating:  It takes a village.  The more people we have involved the better Project Maddie will be - I'm starting to believe it can surpass my wildest expectations.  My dream is to take Project Maddie Ontario-wide so that we can keep people and pets together not just in the GTA, but from Thunder Bay to Ottawa to Windsor and anywhere in between.  It will take donations, creativity, and volunteer hours but I promise it will be more worthwhile and satisfying than you can imagine. Together we can keep more people and pets together.  Will you join us in making that dream a reality?

Success Story

Earlier this year we held a Facebook contest asking you, our friends and supporters, what you want to see on our blog. The winning idea was stories about people Project Maddie has assisted. Details that can identify the pet owner have been omitted to protect her privacy:

Good morning,

I found your charity on the Internet, obviously. I don't know if you are still going, after all the help you gave to the people in the apartment fire in Toronto. That was amazing the way you jumped in to help!! I'm sure the pet owners there were so very grateful!!

I have lost my job, again. I just got it and I guess the owner changed his mind and decided he didn't need help. He wouldn't give me a reason, even though I asked 4 times. Anyway, I have 4 cats, two of them were my mum's which I kept when she passed away. I couldn't see them go anywhere else but with me. I am in need of food for them and litter as well. I have been giving up a lot of my food to buy food for them, but it is taking a toll on my health, I'm diabetic. I still do it anyway. I don't know if you can help me out, but I would sure appreciate anything you may be able to do. I have tried the Humane Society, but they say they can never guarantee they will have anything, or what they will have on any given day. I even asked if I could call on a day I was thinking of coming down, they said no, since the staff do not have time to check things like that. I couldn't believe it. I just can't afford to spend the transit money to get down there and find they have nothing. I may as well set a match to $5.

Thank you for your time. Sorry to bend your ear so far. Have a great long weekend and thank you so much for what you have done, and continue, I hope, to do for our furry loved ones!! You make a huge difference in so many lives, you enable people to keep their pets, instead of having to give them up. They do make a huge difference in our lives in more ways than many humans do!!

Cheers
(name of client)
North York


show details May 25

Hi Kim,

Sorry to be so late getting back to you. Thank you sooooo much for all the wonderful food you gave me for my kitties!! I was just blown away by your generosity! I've opened some of the crunchies hoping they will like them. I put 4 different ones out in different bowls. So we'll see what happens. Basically I told them, and they listened of course....not.... that they will have to eat it even if they don't like it, or starve....;-) And thank you too for the large bag of the Purina hairball control, and the case of the Friskies.

I really enjoyed meeting (name of volunteer). I chewed her ear off, poor thing. But being at home and on the computer all day looking for work, I don't get to talk to many people, so when someone comes by, I yap. I hope I didn't drive her too nuts!

Thank you so much again Kim. God willing, if I am lucky enough to find a job before I loose my apartment, I will make a donation to help you guys out. And I'm going to mention your organization to my friends as well. They may be willing to help out as well. Where can they send donations?

Have a wonderful rest of the week. My kitties and I are very thankful for you, your volunteers and your huge hearts!!

Cheers
(name of client)


This client's cats are not only beloved companions, two of them are living, breathing connections to her mother. Thanks to Project Maddie's supporters she didn't have to part with her precious kitties, although she is on our waiting list because she still needs assistance.

Sometimes it's the people who help us at our lowest points that we never forget, and those kindnesses we carry in our hearts, even if we don't know the names of the people who made it possible. In many ways your support changed a life.

We're still here!

Just a quick note to say hello and give you some updates.

I changed internet providers so I was without service for a bit. I will do my best to update the blog more often. Please note with the change of internet providers the projectmaddie@cogeco.ca address is no longer active.

As some of you know it has been a discouraging couple of months as we've had to implement a waiting list for the first time ever.

Thanksgiving was especially disappointing but I'm not giving up. As long as there are families and pets that need Project Maddie's help to stay together I will fight tooth and nail to keep Project Maddie going.

I still believe there is a need for our service to keep pets at home where they are loved and wanted and secure, and out of crowded shelters where they will be sad, lonely and confused. Finances should not tear pets and the people who love and cherish them apart. Although we have a waiting list we are still accepting referrals to add to the list. One thing I've learned since starting Project Maddie is things can change any time.

My hope is to give vulnerable pet owners the greatest gift for the holidays - care for their precious companions. If their pets are provided for they can stop worrying about whether or not they can keep them, and stop having to choose between feeding their pets and feeding themselves.

Please note that there have been some changes to our contact information:

Our phone number remains unchanged: 905 749 0063

E-mail address: projectmaddie at gmail dot com

Address: Our food bank does not have a physical location for drop offs and pick ups, please e-mail for mailing address

Blessings from our furkids to yours,

Project Maddie

Important information about e-mail

Hi Friends!

The projectmaddie gmail e-mail account has been de-activated. I tried to set Project Maddie up on Google+ and a date of birth was required. Rather than use my own date of birth I used the date for Project Maddie’s inception (April 2010). Apparently Google users must be at least 13 years old so Google deleted the entire account, including the e-mail account. This is going to have a really negative impact on Project Maddie because all of the e-mails we’ve received and our entire address book cannot be accessed.

Our altnernate e-mail address is projectmaddie at cogeco dot ca and I've update our facebook page as well. I’m concerned that people who need our assistance will try to contact the gmail address so if you are referring anyone to Project Maddie please refer them to the cogeco e-mail address. The other concern is that we’re going to lose much needed donations. For the first time ever we have a waiting list for pet owners whose situations are truly dire. We depend entirely upon donations which are usually made by e-mail transfers. As you may know we lost our post office box because we didn’t have the finances to renew the rental agreement. I’ve sent google a message asking for the e-mail account to be restored. I’ll keep you posted, in the meantime please use the cogeco e-mail address. Our phone number remains the same: 905 749 0063. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience.

On the bright side we have some great things brewing and hope to be making some exciting announcements with respect to our Board of Directors, outreach program, and a brand new program that will help us keep even more people and pets together. I won't say any more right now because I'm afraid I'll spill the beans, but here is a hint: Good things come to those who sit. I mean wait.

Hope you're having a wonderful summer. Please remember a hot car is no place for a best friend.