I don’t know about you but sometimes I think about companies like “Google” or “Victoria’s Secret” and I wonder just exactly where they got the idea for their name. I know that Wendy’s restaurants are named after the founder, Dave Thomas’s daughter, Wendy, and there are lots of stories behind company names but Roofs4Rover is a pretty straightforward kind of story.
A few months ago, I was on my way to an appointment. As any Tennessean will tell you, it’s pretty dang cold in this neck of the woods during the winter. Well, I passed by a house that was in need of some love and repair and I noticed a little pit bull puppy outside on a concrete slab. The actual temperature on this day was blistering 3 degrees and the little puppy was so cold that she couldn’t put both of her feet on the concrete at the same time. She was shifting back and forth to be able to tolerate the freezing cold slab. It absolutely broke my heart and I could NOT get that image out of my mind! I think that I missed most of what was said at the doctor’s appointment because all I could think about was how miserable that little puppy had to feel. On my way home, I stopped and picked up a dog bed and blankets. I secretly delivered them and went on my merry way.
Later that evening, I was telling the story to some animal loving friends over dinner and one thing led to another. Before we even made it to dessert, Roofs4Rover was born.
Roofs4Rover is an organization made up of about 6 people who volunteer our time to provide some shelter for needy animals. We pick up doghouses (wooden or plastic) that need some repair. We clean them up, perform necessary repairs, add a few coats of paint and we start looking for some lucky recipients. We started out by purchasing 10 plastic houses and set out to make some deliveries. The owners were a little skeptical on the front end and waited for the catch when we offered them a free doghouse. They were very receptive and grateful once they realize that we truly did not want anything at all from them other than for them to let us give them a doghouse for their pet. Since this all started, we’ve had over 28 doghouses donated and 25 of them have gone to needy animals. We also throw in some snuggly blankets and a big bag of treats with each delivery.
We aren’t here to judge anyone for not providing shelter for their animals. Times are hard and some folks are doing the best that they can but the money just doesn’t go far. We’ve yet to make a delivery where the animal wasn’t well fed or loved so the houses are just icing on the cake! We delivered a house last weekend and the puppy was so excited that she was crawling in it before we could even get it set down on the ground! THAT is why we do what we do!
I know that we aren’t the only animal lovers out there! So, if any of you are in the Jonesborough, Tennessee area and have some time to kill, we can always use the extra hands. Or, if geography prevents you from participating in the manual labor part of the plan, we happily accept donations. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of every single dollar that you donate goes to housing for the dogs. We have no administrative fees, delivery fees, set-up charges, etc. We have a heart for little souls that can’t help themselves and we like to think this is our small way of giving back.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a few pictures of our new friend, Buddy. He’s a 9 year-old lab/golden mix that got his new home right between winter storms and he looks pretty happy to me! We think you’ll agree!
No comments:
Post a Comment