Would you Fundraise for your pet?

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by Mrs.K

Thats fund raising. You are raising your own funds that way.

It's a translation or English language thing Mrs K.

Fundraising is usually a word people use when they're trying to raise money for specific organization, group or cause. (political or charitable usually) This would be called a fundraiser.

When you try to raise funds, like for Judge, by selling your own things or working at a job, fundraising wouldn't be the right word. In other words, raising funds and fundraising take on two different meanings.

Don't you just love the English language??

[Mrs.K]

It's interesting. You know, your dog could be that "Someone elses dog"

Why is it okay to do it for other dogs but not for your own dog if you don't have the funds and can't come up with them no matter what you do?

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by Lauri & The Gang

People who do SAR don't get paid for the time they take off of work to go on searches. They don't get paid for the costs involved in getting to a search. They don't get paid for the training it takes to get a dog to the level of SAR.

They go into it KNOWING that they will not be paid for any of it. They do it because they want to and they accept the risks that come with it.

Yes, but that doesn't mean that you can't ask for help. Especially when a dog gets hurt on a search! You can't just say that you know what you got yourself into. It's still a public service and Jax hit the nail.

I absolutely agree Lauri. But in addition to that, I would not have a problem giving money to an SAR team for an emergency fund for a dog that was hurt during a search or for training. It's kind of like the volunteer fire departments that have chicken bbq's, that I gave all my soda bottles too. To me it's an investment in our volunteer organizations.

However, I would not want that fund to pay for medical bills that the owner should be responsible for so there would have to be a group that would decide when the money was used. There has to be a line drawn on when it's used.

I agree. The dogs are members of a non-profit team. If you can raise money for equipment you can raise money for the dogs too because they are just as much a tool an equipment as a truck, van or trailer.

They may not be owned by the team but it's sad when a dog is out there saving lives and you can't even get help to get the dog fixed up if it gets injured durin a search or training.

The police is a government organization and the government should pay for the police dogs and they go out and raise funds to pay for vet bills so SAR teams should be able to do the same, ESPECIALLY since it's done on your own dime.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Not sure how it works with military spouses who are not citizens (I'm guessing that you're not since you haven't been here very long), but are you able to get a job and earn money that way?

[Jax08]

But my point that the fund shouldn't be used for expenses that the owner should pay for is just as valid. I wouldn't be very happy to hear that the money from the local FP BBQ went to buy tires for the fire chief's personal truck instead of going to buy equipment for the fire department, even though that truck is how he got to the fire.

If it is an injury that was sustained prior to joining the team or sustained not while training or working then it is not appropriate to use funds from the team. People would not be willing to give money for that.

Personal responsibility is huge in the American culture and a sure fire way to turn people off, thus Lauri's comment that she would raise money for someone else's dog.

[jocoyn]

Our team has had discussions about money and donations and dogs and came to this point.

No donations go towards any expenses related to the dogs or personal expenses of the team members-and as a 501(c)3 it would be hard to do that anyway as all expenditures are accounted for.

The dogs are our personal property and our responsibility. Money goes to infrastructure such as radios, computers, mapping sofware, safety gear, and bringing in trainers or seminar assitance. We have talked about gasoline reimbursement and even that...no.....so we often carpool to a search and usually those who have the money and bigger vehicles just don't take money towards gas anyway from the others...

Because we cannot tie into a state insurance pool (there is none for SAR in SC) 100% of our liability insurance is on us. It is our single biggest bill and the one we struggle the most to meet (over $2500 a year) and we do raise money for that --Members can choose to buy their own dog health insurance outside of the team.

I have to reflect on the value of the SAR dog since I have a cadaver dog who has made multiple finds (dead of course) and have been on live searches where lives were saved by the dog team.

No you can't put a cost on that and it is the single biggest return for all we do. Even to be out there and NOT find the missing loved one (a body on a speculative search) and have the family come up to you and hug you and thank you just for being there and trying...THAT pays back tenfold what it costs.

Honestly, it sucks away a lot of my money-we tell new members to be prepared to spend $3-5K per year. The reality is that I could spend the same amount of money more wiselely and do MORE good for humankind than I am doing now so it is not just about the altruism (and to be honest -- I really think I could so I have to say it is a bit selfish). I ENJOY this and probably personally get a heck of a lot more out of it than I give.

I am afraid I would be in the same place with Judge as your team. He is not an operational dog with a lot of training behind him who could face some minor correction and be back at work.

[Jax08]

That makes perfect sense, Nancy. Thank you for explaining all the things the money is used for. Everyone always forgets about the liability insurance that the organizations have to pay for, including dog rescues. That chews up a huge amount of resources.

[AbbyK9]

I think it would honestly depend on the circumstances.

My friend Cindy has a rescue pug that she had for about two years before he was diagnosed with cancer. They started treatments that ended up being so costly (but did work!) that she and her new husband did not go on their honeymoon, used up their emergency fund, and refinanced their home. They put over $26,000 into the dog's care and treatment before they started asking for help, and then they started a ChipIn page to help pay for things because they simply could no longer make things work on their own.

I think they're more than justified in asking for help and fundraising for their own dog after having used up the resources they themselves had at their disposal. I mean, who has thousands of dollars laying around to spare? But their pup is a member of their family and the treatments helped (he has now been cancer free for a year).

I also see nothing wrong with SAR teams or police associations raising money to help pay medical bills for their dogs, whether still working or retired. Matter of fact, the Vermont Police Canine Association has Lacy's Fund, which is a fund set up to pay the medical bills of retired police K-9's. I don't donate thousands but I do donate to Lacy's Fund at the Iron Dog every year - they sell T-shirts, patches, wrist bands, etc. to support their cause.

[Syaoransbear]

Originally Posted by Mrs.K

Would you? Doesn't matter if it's to cover a surgery or for cancer.

Would you Fundraise if you hadn't the funds to cover a Vetbill or would you feel bad and think it's wrong to go out and asker people you don't even know to give you money to keep your pet alive or to fix it up.

What do you think justifies fundraising and what doesn't?

Would you make a difference between a shelter dog and a police/search and rescue or service dog because they have a purpose or do you think it's a living beeing and they all deserve to live or simply rehome the dog or put it to sleep just because it can't be worked.

If you already fundraised for the dog, why did you do it and did it pay off in the end or did the dog had to be put to sleep because the procedure did not work? Would you do it again?

Personally I wouldn't, because I'm a very antisocial person and that would involve a lot of people orientated things.

I don't think fundraising is the same as begging at all. I've been to a fund raiser for a dachshund that was mauled by her friends german shepherd. She needed $2000 for medical bills. It cost I think $10 or $20 per person and you got a large meal, dessert, a free drink at the bar and you were entered into a raffle that raffled off donated items.

People fundraise for all sorts of things, like to go on a trip or new uniforms. To save an animal's life is definitely one of the better reasons.

A police or S&R dog would probably get more money because they help save human lives, so I think people would be more inclined to help save the life of an animal that saves lives vs a house pet that the owner would just really miss.

The friend who did fundraising for her dog ended up getting almost enough to cover all of the vet bills, and he's still alive, so it was definitely worth it.

To sum it all up, I think it's a good idea.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Mrs.K

They may not be owned by the team but it's sad when a dog is out there saving lives and you can't even get help to get the dog fixed up if it gets injured durin a search or training.

I didn't know judge was an actual search dog who had completed successful finds? Hadn't you only recently joined the team when he began having problems? I am surprised that you would think the team would be able to help pay for his medical expenses. Everyone falls on rough times. I know that we personally were in NO position to spend around 7 grand on our deceased Kodi, but we paid some up front, put some on care credit, some on visa, and we paid it off. We paid the majority of it off after he was already deceased. Those aren't fun bills to receive when you don't even have the dog anymore. You do what you have to do for your dog, but in the end - it's your dog and your responsibility.

Unfortunately, there are tons of great dogs out there and all their lives can't be saved. There isn't even enough money to go around to help the dogs who have actually "done" things (saved lives, etc) much less those who were just in training or were hopeful prospects.