Dogs Deserve Better Holiday Sponsor Dogs: No Chained Dogs!

Most if not ALL of the dogs in the DDB Foster program again received $100 gift cards due to the generosity of our kind donors and the wonderful matching donation of our Santa Paws...that's 75 $100 gift cards! Just a few of the gifts received at the Good Newz Rehab Center in Smithfield, VA Some nice grain free dog food our Center dogs received. George never opened a gift before... Snoopy got a new home for the holidays, his gifts are being sent along there! Cowboy checks out his new bed More yummy gifts! Hef can't believe he gets his own new bed Reggie does great with his foster siblings, and he's patiently waiting for a new home to go with his Santa gifts! Lilly sniffs out her gifts and bed. She never had her own stuff before. Lulu poses with her gifts Gifts for Mac Polly is trying to behead a stuffed chicken Shawnee's 'shopping' for a toy to play with Jada picks her next toy to torture Mmm...Cinnamon Buns! So where's that squeaker? This is Shorty, a basset that was removed from living alone in his small filthy pen in Loganville Ga when his owners surrendered him to DDB. Here he is opening one of his presents from the Santa Paws sponsership program. This is Lucky his new name is Lennon. He was chained ,then recieved a fence with 2 other dogs but continued to escape and was finally surrendered to DDB, he was fostered , trained and adopted into a wonderful new family on 20 acres of luxury. He now lives in the house and sleeps on the bed. Here he is with some of his toys from Santa Paws! He also got a new crate.			The stockings were hung by the chimney with care... at the Good Newz Rehab Center in Smithfield, Virginia Above: Mattie waits patiently for her gifts on Christmas Day Dogs Deserve Better Holiday 2011 Program Photos and Stories Thanks to everyone who donated for another wonderful Holiday Sponsor-A-Formerly-Chained-or-Penned-but-Now-Free-and-Lovin'-Life Program! Let's face it, our dogs come from nothing. They sleep in the dirt, eat in the dirt, and live in the dirt. When they are lucky enough to be rescued and become part of the DDB Sponsor program, we do our very best to meet their needs, getting them fully vetted, giving them inside foster homes with love, good food, and plenty of water while they wait for their new, inside home and family. But there's one that normally DDB and our foster homes don't get to do because of financial constraints: PAMPER THEM! That's where you come in! Each Christmas our wonderful donors and supporters conspire to make this the first and best holiday of our new rescues lives...you all send presents, you sponsor dogs, and you spoil them rotten. AND WE LOVE IT! (and so do they...) For the Third Year in a Row...A Very, Very Special Thanks to "Santa Paws," an anonymous donor who matched up to $5000 in our Holiday Dog donations! We are so grateful to her for her wonderful generosity. As a result, we were able to provide 75 $100 gift cards to the dogs in the DDB Foster program! Here's to you "Santa Paws." Bless you, and everyone who stepped up to the challenge to raise the $5000.00. We bought three separate batches of cards and shipped them out, this year the dogs all received Petsmart cards! Most every new dog in the DDB Foster program received one, and any new guys were happy to share with their siblings. We encouraged more person to person packages for those who love to shop and buy or make gifts—Most of the 30 dogs in the program received at least two-three packages. Every single dog in our program received a pet store gift card for $100 on top of any packages and gifts they've already received. All dogs who requested vet help in the program received it. And another 45 dogs received gift cards! That's right, another 45 dogs! The sponsored Foster Dogs have a message for you too: THANK YOU from the bottom of our doggie hearts! We love you! Below are some of the dogs from the Good Newz Rehab Center in Smithfield, Virginia, as well as foster dogs throughout the country: Anthony checks out his first ever gift. He was a skeletal penned dog from right on Moonlight Rd., where the center is located. Now he's on special food for his kidney damage, and he is playing and living life to the fullest. He'd love a home today! Cowboy smells something yummy. He'd love to dig right in! Hef is brand new to life off the chain, he was chained in Isle of Wight County his whole life, and bears scars on his forehead from attacks he suffered while chained. He received some wonderful gifts and letters from a school class in PA, letters such as this one: We tried to get him interested in the letters, but he was truthfully only interested in the treats. The letters brought a tear to our eye, though! Even the teacher sent a letter to Shawnee, who is pictured choosing her toy from the toy pile, below: Jada and Spotty play with one of the cool toys received at the Good Newz Rehab Center Mattie is a hoot, check her out opening her own gift! She decided this ball was her favorite "Wyatt spent the first three years of his life on a chain - he was tethered on a patch of dirt with a ratty box for shelter. When his former owners were losing their house in a foreclosure sale, they planned on taking him to a nearby high kill shelter when a frantic family member called me and asked for help. When pictures were taken of Wyatt, his tail was between his legs and he growled at anyone that came near. The concerned family member told me that he had even been shot at with a BB gun - he had never spent even a night indoors - even when temperatures dropped well below zero in winter here in central Indiana. We were quickly able to find a foster home in Newport, KY, Wyatt was vetted and joined the home of his new foster mom Heather Conley and her husband Jeff. Wyatt's sweet nature began to shine thru as he began to learn the joys of living inside and being loved! He gets along great with his foster siblings (dogs AND cats!) and had been thru obedience training. Christmas has been a wonderful thing as he received several boxes of treats and TWO comfy beds from his fans! A class of 2nd graders from New Eagle Elementary School in Wayne, PA sent Wyatt a Christmas box with treats and toys and letters and drawings. You can see ALL of the letters and drawings and learn all about Wyatt on his own FB page "Wyatt the Wonderful Foster Dog". Wyatt is still looking for a forever home!"—Monica Wilson, Indiana Lester's eyes are gleaming, is that from the camera flash, or joy over his new gifts, he must be overwhelmed that it's all for him! Mac says "Thank You" around a mouthful of toys. From foster mom Melody Whitworth: "Mac received a package filled with toys and treats. Mac was adopted on Wednsday, and he took his goodies with him to share with his new brother, Roscoe. Please enjoy the pics of one Happy Boy!" Pics of Anthony with is gifts from the sponsorship program. Anthony is being fostered by DDB's Dawn Ashby. Anthony received a large box with lots of toys, treats and a flying disc which was his favorite gift! Anthony spends hours and hours playing fetch in the back yard! Anthony was so very happy and Thankful for these special things to call his own! This year was yet another wonderful year for my fosters. This year Darla, Griffin, Autumn,Goose and Deillo were sponsored. We received four sponsor sent gifts and gift cards from Santa Paws. Check out the joy! --NY This year was yet another wonderful year for my fosters. This year Darla, Griffin, Autumn,Goose and Deillo were sponsored. We received four sponsor sent gifts and gift cards from Santa Paws. Check out the joy! --NY Scooby is enjoying his new toys, treats, and dog bed that he received from our generous donors What a happy boy! DDB Rep-Columbia, MO Here are a few pics of some of the items we got for the dogs with our gift cards. We bought a total of 2 dog beds, 8 pillows/pads, 4 new bowls, 5 dog jackets, 2 doggie sweaters and 2 large crates and I am going back today to get 100 pounds of food. I can.not thank to generous donor enough because with out them I would never have been able to get so much stuff for the dogs who deserve it. Liesa Collier Pennyslvania rep And a special thanks from Lucy, Snoopy, Merlin, Dakota, Snuffy & Aries Dogs Deserve Better in Missouri had their 2nd Annual Holiday Shopping Spree thanks to "Santa Paws" ! Dogs Deserve Better Foster Moms, Dads and previous chained/penned dogs shopped till they dropped at PetSmart. One of the long time foster dogs even received a wonderful, much needed grooming! Foster Mom's & Dad's shopped for necessities while the dogs found their favorite treats and toys. Thank you once again Santa Paws!!!! --Melody Whitworth That's not all...many more to come ASAP. We will add photos of the other foster dogs as soon as we can, check back often to see your favorites! Thanks so much to all of you who sponsored gifts for the formerly chained and penned dogs! Of course, we have foster dogs all year long, so help is always needed and appreciated. If you'd like to sponsor daily needs for one of our current fosters, please click the link below. If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail, you may print out this form in .pdf format, and send to 1915 Moonlight Rd., Smithfield, VA 23430. We can also take donations over the phone at 877.636.1408. Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 incorporated nonprofit. Your donations are tax-deductible in accordance with the guidelines set out by the IRS.