As senior
dog in residence at the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF), Louise has certain
privileges. She was the first to arrive at the shelter in 1998, a severely abused
castoff in dire need of medical attention, rehabilitation and TLC. Today she
has full roaming rights and acts as hostess to the 200 dogs, cats and
occasional pot-bellied pig that daily await adoption from the no-kill facility
on West Riggin Road.
She’s a permanent fixture, partly because of her still-fragile condition and
partly because the staff refuses to give her up. “She’s made ARF her home, and
we love her,” says Phil Peckinpaugh, executive director.
Louise represents a growing population of animals, often abandoned, who wander Delaware County and produce multiple litters of offspring. As a way to curb their number, ARF created its Spaying & Neutering In-Need Pets program (SNIP) that defrays the cost of sterilization on pets of low-income residents. “Right now I have a stack of 53 applications from pet owners needing our services,” says Peckinpaugh. “In a bad economy, the pets are the first to feel it.”
Because ARF receives no government funding, it relies solely on donations to keep its doors open and its programs in place. The Community Foundation has been an enthusiastic partner in supporting ARF’s short-term and long-term efforts. A permanent endowment fund helps to ensure the organization’s future, and a recent grant addresses the immediate needs of SNIP. Peckinpaugh represented the agency at October’s Fund Raising School—arranged by the Foundation and underwritten by Ball Brothers Foundation—and looks forward to applying the lessons learned.
“Our relationship with the Foundation has given us stability and credibility,” says Peckinpaugh. “The grants have been crucial to our survival, and the Fund Raising School was amazing. I’ve already met with members of our board about putting the information to use.”
