FALL 2014

Meet Oreo’s Angel

New e-book helps children develop empathy for animals Safety from abuse for pets and people • Georgia puppy mill Keeping your pet safe during the holidays

DIANA BALLEW-RAIHLE quotes

Anatole France, “Until one has loved

an animal, a part of one’s soul remains

unawakened.” Diana has been a

RedRover Responders volunteer since

2005 and is also a RedRover Readers

volunteer and an On-Call Angel donor.

She has two decades of finance

experience, co-owns a consulting

business and is a Certified Public

Accountant. Diana resides near

Chicago with her husband, two dogs

and three cats. P.O. Box 188890 Sacramento, CA 95818

TEL 916.429.2457 WEB RedRover.org FAX 916.378.5098 EMAIL info@RedRover.org TAX ID # 68-0124097

Companion is published quarterly by RedRover and is distributed to its members. © 2014 RedRover.

For a listing of RedRover’s board of directors and staff, visit: RedRover.org/people

facebook.com/RedRoverOrgtwitter.com/RedRoverOrgyoutube.com/RedRoverOrginstagram.com/RedRoverOrgpinterest.com/RedRoverOrg

visit our website for gift giving ideas

that help animals: RedRover.org/holiday

The holiday season is also a special

time to express gratitude, and I can’t tell

you enough how much I appreciate your

compassion, generosity and support of

RedRover and the animals. I know we

share the belief that animals deserve to

be saved from suffering. I also hope we

share the belief that by working

together, we can make the future a

better place for animals.

This issue of Companion shares our

exciting plans for RedRover Readers,

which we think will make this unique

education program spread more

quickly, helping more children grow up

to be understanding and empathetic

toward animals.

And I hope you enjoy the other

stories of animals helped because of

your support! Thank you again, and

I wish you a warm holiday season!

NICOLE FORSYTHPresident and CEO

Greetings!THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS UPON US, and I hope you take a moment to

review the back cover of Companion

for our holiday pet safety tips. You do

so much to help us bring animals out

of crisis, but we also want to prevent

crises wherever we can! You can also

SHARRON BRADLEY, a life-

long animal lover

from Sacramento,

California, has

volunteered for

rescue groups and

is passionate about

saving animals.

She is the longtime

CEO of a trade

association with

years of experience managing both

nonprofit and for-profit businesses.

She holds a Master’s degree in Human

Resource Management and Organiza-

tional Development. Sharron shares

her home with her husband and two

very active Vizslas.

FOR YOUR VOTE TO BE COUNTED,

PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE ON THE

ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE

AND MAIL IT BY DECEMBER 20, 2014. For a director to be elected by written

ballot, he or she must receive a majority

of affirmative votes, with at least six

percent of members voting. Votes

withheld are not counted for or against

a director. The board of directors will

vote for directors if members do not

return a quorum of ballots.

Candidates for the RedRover Board of Directors

companion FALL 2014

RedRover READERS

IMAGINE a world where people

understood each other and animals.

Imagine a world with more empathy.

Our RedRover Readers program

has helped kids understand animals

and develop empathy skills in class-

rooms across the country. RedRover’s

new “E-Books for Empathy” project

will spread this program into more

classrooms and homes using everyday

technology that will make it fun for

kids to learn empathy for animals.

E-Books for Empathy will be a book

series that takes kids through the

adventures of a very special warrior,

Raja, who lives in another world.

When Raja arrives on Earth, he

becomes a domestic Earth cat and is

afraid. The Earth of 2050 is a dreadful

place, full of animals with no homes,

angry and lonely adults, terrible bullies

The Restricted Adventures of Raja the Cat

REDROVER HAS BEEN HONORED with a distinguished Top-Rated Award

by GreatNonprofits for the fifth year

in a row! We received the award based

on the overwhelming number of

positive reviews written by commu-

nity members who were helped by

RedRover’s programs, our volunteers

and supporters like you who care

about animals. Thank you!

You put us at the top!

With your support,

kids can learn to

understand animals

better, which means

the vision of a kinder,

more empathetic

society is possible.

and sad kids. Here Raja’s adventures are

just beginning, and the question becomes,

“How can he communicate with this boy,

and save the people and animals on Earth

when he is stuck with the body and

behaviors of a cat?”

E-Books for Empathy will inspire

kids to want to make the world a better

place while giving them a much needed

opportunity to practice the skills needed

for empathy. With your support, kids

can learn to understand animals better,

which means the vision of a kinder, more

empathetic society is possible.

Watch a video to learn more about RedRover’s e-book series and interactive learning app: RedRover.org/e-book

It all started with

Oreo, a black-and-white

cat who needed surgery

for a life-threatening urinary

blockage. His owner, a college

student named Brittany, couldn’t cover

the full cost of Oreo’s surgery and

hospitalization with her part-time job

waiting tables, but she was determined

to get Oreo the help he needed.

Brittany applied for a RedRover Relief

grant for financial help in hopes of

giving her “baby” another chance at life.

We reached out to Pattie, a long-time

donor and cat lover, to see if she could

personally help fund Oreo’s case. Pattie

recalled being Brittany’s age when she

was unable to afford expensive veterinary

care for her beloved cat, Tuffy. With

Pattie’s donation, Oreo was rushed to

RedRover RELIEF

Inspiring AngelBAMMY NEEDED BLADDER STONE SURGERY. Jake had two broken legs.

Skylar was suffering from parvovirus.

They are just three of the animals

who were granted miracles by one

special donor named Pattie Reber.

Pattie’s generosity inspired us to

create our On-Call Angels program,

where we work with individual donors

to help animals get the lifesaving

veterinary care they need.

What a lovely team Brittany and Oreo are!! I wish I could tell that dear child not to weep, but to love her cat and be happy always. Love to you at RedRover,

— PATTIE

BAMMY

surgery and returned to Brittany’s

loving arms. “I am so extremely thankful

for everything you have done for me

and Oreo,” Brittany told us. “You’ve

lifted the weight of the world from my

shoulders and filled me with hope.

I cannot express my gratitude enough.”

Pattie’s generosity for Oreo

marks the beginning of RedRover’s

On-Call Angel program. Pattie has

even helped pets escape domestic

violence with their families by donating

toward their overnight boarding and

care. Her compassion, empathy and

generosity inspired countless miracles

Her compassion, empathy

and generosity inspired

countless miracles for

animals in need with

help from other On-Call

Angels like her.

2 companion FALL 2014

I am so extremely thankful for everything you have done for me and Oreo.

— BRITTANY

OREO

JAKE SKYLAR, After

SKYLAR, Before

BAMMY

OREO & BRITTANY

BAMMY

for animals in need with help from

other On-Call Angels like her.

Pattie shows us that it is possible

for one person to make a difference —

and that together, we make up a

community that can create a better

world for animals. Thank you to our

entire RedRover community for helping

animals in crisis and cherishing the

human-animal bond.

Learn more about becoming an On-Call Angel like Pattie: RedRover.org/On-Call-Angel

AT RIGHT (clockwise): Oreo’s life was saved thanks to Pattie. Pattie helped Bammy get his bladder stones removed. Skylar, a six-week-old pit bull puppy, survived parvovirus thanks to Pattie’s generosity. Jake is with his loving family today thanks to Pattie’s donation for his lifesaving surgery.

WINTER 2014 companion 3

RedRover RELIEF

OVER THE SUMMER, supporters

like you gathered online to

help pets and people escape

domestic violence together.

Your support inspired a

$6,000 matching grant from

A Guardian Angel Foundation,

and together, we were able to

raise funds to help four more

communities protect pets and

people from abuse:

■■ Anna Marie’s Alliance in St. Cloud, Minnesota

■■ Dove Center in Oakland, Maryland

■■ SAFEHOME, Inc. in Overland Park, Kansas

■■ Underground Railroad, Inc. in Saginaw, Michigan

This year, MARYLAND became

the 35th state to implement a

SAF-T shelter that can house pets

with their families. We want every

state to have the ability to keep

people and their pets together

after escaping abuse.

Your support protects pets from domestic violence

■ Connecticut

■ Delaware

■ Hawaii

■ Illinois

■ Indiana

■ Iowa

■ Maine

These 15 states still need our help

■ Massachusetts

■ Mississippi

■ Nebraska

■ New Hampshire

■ North Dakota

■ Oklahoma

■ Rhode Island

■ West Virginia

Want to learn more about the resources to help pets and people in your community? Visit RedRover.org/DVResources

You helped put MARYLAND on the map for protecting pets!

States with pet-friendly domestic violence shelters

States that NEED pet-friendly domestic violence shelters

4 companion FALL 2014

RedRover RESPONDERS

BE IT RAIN OR SHINE, summer or

winter, or even a big holiday weekend,

RedRover Responders volunteers know

they may be called upon at any moment

to help when animals are in need. We

can’t predict when or where an animal

emergency will happen, but it’s part

of why volunteering with RedRover can

be such an exciting experience. For

6 brand-new volunteers and over 300

rescued dogs, the timing was just right.

County, Georgia. One week before and

just two counties over, we had held a

RedRover Responders workshop to train

a new group of volunteers. I felt so lucky

and thankful that we would have enough

volunteer support to give the needy

dogs the brand new lives they deserved.

Six bright new volunteers joined

14 others to provide daily care for the

rescued dogs and puppies. “I was

pleasantly surprised when I was asked

to deploy,” reported Jennifer Kopp, a

newly trained RedRover Responders

volunteer. “I was just thrilled to be able

to help these animals.”

It was Julie Maddock’s first

deployment, too. “It’s been lots of work,

it’s been exciting and it’s been lots of

awesome teamwork.” Julie and the other

volunteers worked long hours to feed

the dogs and puppies, interact with them,

exercise them and keep them clean and

healthy. She added, “Everyone working

here is amazing.”

Long-time RedRover supporter

Sheri Boyd agreed. “Everyone is very

INTERACT ONLINE

Follow us on Facebook to see

deployment photos and updates:

facebook.com/RedRoverOrg

Watch a video of these volunteers

sharing their stories:

RedRover.org/AWeekApart

Learn about becoming a RedRover

Responders volunteer:

RedRover.org/JoinResponders

Whenever, wherever, we’re helping animals

We can’t predict when

or where an animal

emergency will happen,

but it’s part of why

volunteering with

RedRover can be such

an exciting experience.

friendly and hard working. They’re

all willing to get their hands dirty.”

And that’s what I love about our

volunteers! These caring individuals

give up their time and sometimes

travel hundreds of miles to take care

of animals who need us most. Your

generosity, combined with their hard

work and determination, makes for

a happy new start for all the animals

involved. Thank you!

By Beth Gammie, Emergency Services Manager

In July, RedRover received the

request to care for 357 dogs rescued

from an alleged puppy mill in Cherokee

FROM LEFT: Volunteer Sheri cuddles a newborn puppy; These puppies got a second chance at life; Newly trained RedRover Responders volunteers pose at their training together in Georgia, a week before deploying. FALL 2014 companion 5

along with increased thirst, urination

and heart rate. Candies containing a

sweetener called xylitol are also toxic.

Poultry bones can splinter and cause

blockages, and greasy, spicy and fatty

foods can cause upset stomachs.

Decorate with caution. Tinsel, ribbons, aluminum

foil and cellophane can all

cause intestinal blockages if ingested.

Glass ornaments can cause injury and

electrical wires can shock animals who

chew on them. Cover Christmas tree

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Celebrate the holidays safely with your pets

WHETHER family comes to visit during

the holidays, or you take Fluffy with you

to visit a relative’s home, it is important

to be aware of the dangers that holiday

festivities can pose to companion

water with a tree skirt because it may

contain fertilizers or bacteria that could

make your pets sick if they drink it.

Go faux. Since many

common plants, like

mistletoe, poinsettias,

holly berries and lilies

can all be toxic to animals,

keep these items well out of reach

or consider using artificial versions.

Do you know these 25 items that can be hazardous to pets? Take our quiz: RedRover.org/hazards

You can educate your

family members and

friends about common

pet threats so that every-

one enjoys a wonderful

holiday season.

animals. You can educate your family

members and friends about common

pet threats so that everyone enjoys a

wonderful holiday season.

Resist the temptation to reward pets with

“people food.” Sweets,

especially chocolate, are

dangerous for pets. Chocolate contains

theobromine, which can cause vomiting,

diarrhea, seizures and hyperactivity,