Freckles Blog

The following calls were received during the month of January, 2012:
1/1 - Patricia called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for a male dog and a female dog.
1/2 - Chastity called for spay station appointments for 2 male dogs and 1 female cat.
1/3 - Kathy called for a spay station appointment for 1 male cat.
1/3 - David called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female dog.
1/3 - Gennie emailed for information about setting up at the DeKalb County Women’s Show.
1/4 - Rene’ called for a voucher for a female cat.
1/4 - Winona called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 male dogs.
1/5 - Debbie emailed for a spay station appointment for a small female dog.
1/5 - Anne emailed for spay station appointments for 3 female cats.
1/5 - Chuck emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
1/7 - Bea called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for her friend’s female dog.
1/8 - Heather called for a voucher for a male cat.
1/9 - Caroline called for a spay station appointment for a small female dog.
1/10 - Keith called for a spay/station appointment for a female dog.
1/11 - Judy called for assistance in getting 2 dogs neutered.
1/11 - Greg called for a spay station appointment for a male cat.
1/12 - Janie called to report a missing Chocolate Lab. If you see an unusual dog or cat, please check our Lost and Found page. That stray could be someone’s precious pet that is lost and you could be a hero by helping to reunite them.
1/12 - Gennie called with additional questions about the DeKalb County Women’s Show.
1/13 - Mary emailed for her friend Jim asking for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
1/14 - Vicky called for a voucher for a male cat.
1/14 - Glen called for a voucher to get a pregnant female dog spayed.
1/16 - Hazel called to cancel her spay station appointment for a male cat because she couldn’t catch him.
1/17 - Donna called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for a male dog and a female dog.
1/17 - Shelly called for a voucher for a pregnant female cat spay. We have tried several times to reach Shelly but with no success.
1/20 - Angela called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 cats, 1 male and 1 female.
1/23 - Jaclyn called for a spay voucher for a female dog.
1/24 - Judy called for a spay station appointment for a small female dog.
1/25 - Donna called to return Kim’s call and Kim was finally able to reach her cell to issue a voucher.
1/25 - David called for spay station appointments for 3 female cats.
1/26 - Davina called for a spay station appointment for a female cat.
1/26 - Bobby called to get a spay/neuter assistance voucher for his dog that was too large for the spay station to handle.
1/26 - Kim called for a spay voucher for a female dog.
1/26 - Tania called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 1 male dog and 1 female dog.
1/27 - Steve called for information about setting up a booth at the DeKalb County Women’s Show.
1/30 - Joanne called for spay station appointments for 3 male cats.
1/30 - John called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 very small dogs, 1 male and 1 female.
1/31 - Britta called with questions but didn’t get specific.
WOW that’s a lot of requests for help! Thanks so much to the Animal Friendly License Plate Program of the State of TN for granting funds for the spay station visit in January. Each visit sponsorship fee is $550. Thanks also to the Greg Biffle Foundation for granting funds for our Spay/Neuter Assistance Voucher Program! If you need assistance in getting your pet spayed or neutered, regardless of income, please email freckles.friends@yahoo.com and we will be happy to help!

The following messages were received by Freckles’ Friends during the month of December. To contact us, email freckles.friends@yahoo.com or call 615-464-6104.
12/1 - Maggie called for spay station appointments for 3 cats.
12/1 - Donna called for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
12/1 - April called for help getting a female dog spayed.
12/2 - Judy called for spay station appointments for 2 small dogs.
12/3 - Lee called looking for a cat to adopt and to donate cat food and litter to a rescue.
12/6 - Jessica called for help getting 2 small dogs spayed.
12/7 - Louise called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female cat.
12/9 - Chris called for help with a feral stray dog that he can’t catch and can’t afford to feed.
12/11 - Debra emailed for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
12/11 - Tammy called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
12/11 - Annette emailed for a spay station appointment for a male cat.
12/11 - Tim emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
12/11 - Shasta emailed for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
12/11 - Adam emailed for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 cats.
12/12 - Sara emailed for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
12/12 - Nuri emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female cat.
12/12 - Kathleen emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male dog.
12/12 - Rex emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male dog.
12/12 - Mid called for a spay station appointment for 2 dogs.
12/12 - An anonymous called asked for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female cat.
12/13 - Amber emailed for a spay station appointment for 2 dogs.
12/13 - Kelly called for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
12/13 - Bonnie called for spay station appointment for a male dog.
12/13 - Missy called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female dog.
12/13 - Vicky called about a booth at the DeKalb County Women’s Show on March 10th.
12/14 - Lynda called for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 3 female dogs.
12/14 - Bea emailed for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 dogs.
12/15 - Cathy emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female cat.
12/16 - Alex emailed asking us to take 7 puppies.
12/19 - Lisa called for a spay station appointment for a female cat.
12/20 - Tina called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
12/20 - Craig called for a spay station appointment for a female dog but ended up getting a voucher because his dog was already pregnant and couldn’t wait for the next spay station clinic.
12/21 - Jennifer emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female cat.
12/22 - Candi emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
12/22 - Robin emailed for spay/neuter assistance vouchers for 2 male dogs.
12/23 - Bobby called from Cannon County for a spay station appointment for 2 dogs and to volunteer.
12/28 - James called for help in getting a male cat neutered.
12/29 - Brenda called for assistance getting 2 female dogs spayed.
12/29 - Peggy called and emailed for assistance in getting 3 dogs spayed and neutered.
12/30 - Marilyn called for help with 3 feral male cats.
12/30 - Maggie called to ask when the spay station would be coming to Liberty.
12/30 - Linda called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for an abandoned male dog.
Whew! Thanks to everyone who helped get the word out about our programs!

Happy New Year to all of our wonderful supporters from all the volunteers at Freckles’ Friends!

We had 31 scheduled and several on standby for the spay station clinic on December 12th. 3 didn’t show and 1 brought 5 kittens that were too sick for surgery. They were sent home with meds and will be rescheduled. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late to call standbys in so not as many surgeries were performed as usual but these things happen and next month should be better. A total of 23 surgeries were performed. 10 were cat spays, 3 were cat neuters, 5 were dog spays and 5 dog neuters.
Thanks again to the State of TN Animal Friendly License Plate program and the Patricia and Edward J. McGavock Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for funding this important program.

Thank you to Dwayne Page and WJLE Radio in Smithville for helping to spread the word about Freckles’ Friends Spay/Neuter Programs. See their on-line newsletter at http://www.wjle.com/news/2011/freckles-friends-receives-two-grants-mobile-spay-station-program.

Here are the calls Freckles’ Friends received in November:
11/7 - Teresa called for spay station appointments for 2 dogs, one male and one female.
11/7 - Donna called for spay station appointments for 2 male dogs.
11/8 - Betty called for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
11/8 - Deanna called for a spay station appointment for a stray puppy she found.
11/12 - Crystal called for spay station appointments for 1 male dog, 1 male cat and 1 female cat.
11/14 - Sharon called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a female dogs. She was referred by Dr. Burke.
11/14 - Samantha called for help getting a kitten spayed.
11/16 - Michele called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
11/16 - Elaine called for a spay station appointment for a male cat.
11/17 - Megan called for a spay station appointment for a young female cat.
11/18 - Alicia called for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
11/18 - Amanda called and emailed for spay station appointments for 2 male dogs.
11/19 - Marla called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
11/21 - April called for assistance in getting a female dog spayed.
11/22 - Tim called because he found 2 dogs. One had been shot so he took him to the vet to care for his wound and got him neutered at the same time. Thanks TIM! He also found a female dog and is hoping to find their owners or get them adopted.
Funding is now available to fund the spay station monthly (weather permitting) visits through August of 2012 thanks to the TN Animal Friendly License Plate program and the Patricia & Edward J. McGavock Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Funding is also available for the spay/neuter assistance program thanks to the hard work of volunteers like Sommer Deebanks, Bea Garrison, Carolyn Reynolds and Rene’ Stufano. Thanks so much!
For assistance call 615-464-6104 or email freckles.friends@yahoo.com. More information can be found at www.frecklestn.org/Neuter.html.

The spay station visit to Liberty on the 14th went really well. Twenty-six pets from low-income homes were spayed or neutered: 13 female cats, 5 male cats, 3 female dogs and 5 male dogs. These visits are so important in reducing the number of unwanted litters in our area. Spaying and neutering is the only real solution to pet over-population and we believe that Freckles’ Friends spay/neuter programs are making a difference but it takes time. You can help by letting your friends and neighbors know that asssistance is available. Those on government low-income programs such as Unemployment or Disability can get their pets neutered at the spay station for a donation of whatever they can afford. Spay Station visits during July, September, October and November were sponsored with funds from the TN Animal Friendly License Plates program. The sponsorship fee for each visit is $550.

Pet owners or rescuers who do not qualify for the spay station can ask for a spay/neuter assistance voucher to use at participating local vet offices. Freckles’ Friends vouchers are good for $50 for female dogs, $40 for male dogs, $35 for female cats and $25 for male cats toward the cost of surgery and are good for 30 days from issue. They will not be issued retroactively so be sure to call or email prior to making your appointment.

Please encourage every pet owner to prevent litters of unwanted puppies and kittens by spaying and neutering their pets. Neutered pets are healthier, happier and you will be doing your part to help reduce pet over-population.

Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, Freckles’ Friends has funds available for spay/neuter assistance vouchers. If you do not qualify for the spay station through participation in a government low-income assistance program such as Unemployment, food stamps, Disability, Families First, etc., yet you need financial aid in order to get your dog or cat spayed or neutered, please email freckles.friends@yahoo.com or call 615-464-6104. You can also send us a message via the ‘Contact Us’ page on our web site. Please leave a detailed message including a day-time phone number so that we can return your call. It may take a few days as we are all volunteers and work full-time as well as having other obligations so please be patient. For faster voucher assistance, email is better. Vouchers are accepted at the DeKalb Animal Clinic, the Animal Clinic of Smithville and Wheeler Veterinary Clinic in Smithville.

The following calls were received in October:
10/1 - Gloriacalled for a voucher for a large female dog.
10/1 - Carolyn emailed for a spay/neuter assistance voucher for a male cat.
10/3 - Bill called for spay station appointments for 2 dogs.
10/4 - Steve called for spay station appointments for 2 cats..
10/10 - Kathy called for spay station appointments for 2 male cats.
10/11 - Sharon called for a spay station appointment for her dog.
10/11 - Carrie called for spay station appointments for 2 female dogs and 1 male dog.
10/17 - Donna called for a spay station appointment for a male dog.
10/20 - Karen called for spay/neuter assistance for a female kitten that she found abandoned.
10/21 - Jeff called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.
10/25 - Shirley called because she found a female cat and needs help getting her spayed.
10/26 - Wanda called for a spay station appointment for a female dog.

Twenty-six pets were spayed or neutered during the spay station visit on October 14th! Thanks so much to the New Leash on Life team. We also received notification that we will receive $3025 from the Community Foundation of Middle TN which will pay 5 months sponsorship fees for the spay station so that we can continue this greatly needed program. Thanks CFMT!

Fierce Fall Fundraiser to benefit Freckles’ Friends is underway from now until Nov. 18th. All of you are familiar with the service Freckles’ Friends offers to our community. The spay neuter program has kept thousands of puppies and kittens from being born and ending up starving and homeless in our streets.

We are conducting a fund raising campaign to raise the money needed to continue this much needed service in Dekalb county. Once a month the mobile spay station comes to Liberty and spays and neuters dogs and cats for people who can’t afford to do it. Everytime Freckles’ brings the mobile spay station their cost is $550. Freckles’ Friends also provides a voucher program for people adopting strays and homeless animals. This is a program that runs solely on your donations…. no federal or state funding. Dekalb has benefited greatly in the last few years from the efforts of the volunteers that make this service possible.

I’m personally asking you to make a donation to this cause that is so important to me. Animals have no voice…. they deserve to be wanted, loved and cared for. One dog and one cat at a time we are making a difference. Educating people on the care that these precious animals need and helping to make sure that gets done has immeasurable value to our community and the lives of many, many dogs and cats. This is a community issue ….. we are all responsible….. turning our heads won’t make the problem go away, but action will.

You can drop your donations off at Rene’s Hair Co., Misty’s Modern Salon, Savannah’s Gifts and Treasures , or Dekalb Animal Hospital. If you interested in helping, donating or would like to provide another donation site at your business we would greatly appreciate it.
Call 215-7289 for more information on how you can help.

Thursday Nov. 3rd from 11:00 to 3:00 and Wed. Nov. 8th, Jodi Henderson will be at Rene’s Hair Co. doing facials and makeovers with Mary Kay cosmetics. 20% of all proceeds will go to Freckles. Please call 215-7289 for an appointment. Purchases made on her website will also benefit Freckles. Go to www.marykay.com/jodihenderson to order and be sure to write that youareordering to benefit Freckles’ Friends.

I will be e-mailing out updates as they progress….. stop in one of our sites and make a tax deductable donation to Freckles’ Friends! Help us make a difference!

Thanks,
Rene’Stufano