Pup-To-Pup Program Rescues Of The Year
About a year and a half ago, I started a “Giving Back” program inside of Five Freedoms Photography.
The aim of this program is to donate 10% of all my client product sales back to a rescue of choice each quarter.
After all, what do rescues usually need outside of fosters? Money to help pull more animals.
Since the inception of this program, that I recently renamed our Pup-To-Pup Program, we’ve been able to support six different rescue across the Triangle by donating almost $3K. View our full donation list here.
The rescues that were nominated and selected for 2023 were:
So, at the start of every year, I choose four rescues, non-profits, or animal shelters at random to be the recipients of the funds from this program.
The kicker is - it is you, my community, who nominates your favorite rescue, shelter, or non-profit that is doing good to help homeless animals in our community across North Carolina!
The only requirements for the nominations are:
They must be located in North Carolina
They must help companion animals
They must not have been a recipient of the Pup-To-Pup Program before (or any of our other fundraisers in the past two years)
And they must be a rescue, non-profit, or animal shelter that is helping pets and their people
Once all of the nominations are in, to keep things fair and even, I input all of the names into a random name generator - and voila! The four names are chosen at random as the recipients of these very special funds for 2024.
With all that being said, it is time to announce the 2024 Pup To Pup Program Rescues Of The Year.
Head down below to see who the winners are for this year!
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Q1 - Freedom German Shepherd Rescue
Freedom German Shepherd Rescue is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) rescue comprised solely of unpaid volunteers that share the common goal of saving neglected, abused, and abandoned German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes from shelters, owners who can no longer keep them, and partner rescues.
Learn more about Freedom German Shepherd Rescue here.
Q2 - DEGA Mobile Veterinary Care
DEGA Mobile Veterinary Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the Triangle area of North Carolina that provides free basic veterinary care to low/no income and homeless pet owners all across the state. We provide free mobile pop-up clinics in various locations to give basic veterinary care to cats, dogs, and pet pigs who would otherwise not see a veterinarian.
DEGA stands for Determined for Everyone to Gain Access (to veterinary care). Dega was Dr. Gessner's first dog. DEGA Mobile Veterinary Care was created to honor their memory by helping pets in need.
Learn more about DEGA Mobile Veterinary Care here.
Q3 - Rainbow Bridge Hospice Rescue
In 2011, Founder, Terri Atkinson, was struggling with depression and anxiety. She was afraid to leave her house and began pulling away from the outside world. Then, while watching the local news on a September day, everything changed.
The news story was about a dog breeder being arrested for keeping dogs in horrible conditions. The video showed a tiny face of a shih tzu who was in terrible shape. Something in Terri stirred, and she knew that dog was meant to be hers. She contacted the rescue and within days, Princess Reagan Marie had joined the family.
Terri had always loved animals, and she was touched by how the pet rescue saved these dogs from an awful life. She was invited to volunteer with the rescue as a foster mom to dogs who were not ready to be adopted out to their permanent home. This new passion gave Terri courage to overcome her fears.
Just weeks after Reagan came into her life, Terri was driving all over Raleigh to help with dogs in need. She was putting herself in social situations. She was healing. She now says that Reagan rescued her more than she saved Reagan.
Over the last decade, Terri and her husband, David, have volunteered thousands of hours and saved hundreds of dogs. They are always drawn to the dogs who need care the most. They have saved dogs with missing legs, deformed kidneys, no eyes, one eye, missing an ear, no teeth, heartworm positive, saved from Korean meat markets, abandoned puppies … pretty much the ones that get dumped at the shelters and are unlikely to get adopted.
Now, after so many years of working with numerous rescues, Terri is spreading her wings and creating a nonprofit animal rescue that specifically works with dogs in need of hospice care.
Learn more about Rainbow Bridge Hospice Rescue here.
Q4 - Paws Place Dog Rescue
Paws Place is a no-kill, non-profit shelter dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of dogs. We operate entirely on donations, volunteers, and an unending love for animals.
Learn more about Paws Place Dog Rescue.
I am elated to be able to help these incredible organizations this year with additional funding! Stay tuned to the end of the year to hear what our final giving total ends up being for 2024.
And thank you as always to my community who nominated each one of these organizations and more. Even if your organization wasn’t a recipient this year, every year is another opportunity to nominate them!
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