ATR 2021 Annual Report

Learn about the special little pupp hearts of everyone he met from d one of survival and strength, and how dedicated

team

2021 VOLUNTEERS MADE A HUGE IMPACT

DONUTS LITTER

three whole litters arrive at

with two deadly infectious

no resources are spared trying to help them Hearts were broken in the making of

where there

SAFETY FIRST

Learn about the ATR’s cutting edge quarantine wing and how we keep our vulnerable population of dogs safe and healthy.

ATR KNOWS HOW TO THROW A PAWTY

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Park

A NOTE FROM GERI

Looking back at all ATR accomplished in 2021, it is hard not to get sentimental. We moved into a brand-new facility and filled every empty kennel with a homeless doggo family in need. We created a team of passionate and dedicated staff who work their butts off every day for the dogs. We recruited 376 volunteers who consistently showed up for the pups donating a total of 3,766 hours of hard work. We had 184 foster families open their homes and hearts to 435 dogs who needed extra TLC before hitting the adoption floor. We found loving homes for 531 AMAZING pets.

We could not do any one of these things without you, our supporters. To our adopters, our fosters, our volunteers, our staff, our donors, our advocates, our spread the worders, our social media sharers, our event-goers, THANK YOU!

Without you, we could not do what we do, save the lives that we save, and create the safe and loving space for dogs that we have.

I am beyond thankful to each and every one of you. As I look towards the future and all that 2022 has to bring, I can’t help but feel hope. I KNOW that we can raise more, I KNOW that we can do more, and I KNOW that we can SAVE more! ATR sees a future with fewer homeless pets and more rescue advocates, and while the journey towards ending animal homelessness is a long one, we look forward to continuing working our tails off to make these dreams come true!

Very best wishes,

Founder + Chairman

Geri Hormel

Together, we are doing BIG things for homeless dogs!

L E A D E R

Geri was always the girl with too many pets to count dogs, cats, goats, pigs, horses, and donkeys. She joined the animal rescue world at 16 years old, walking the dogs, working in adoptions, and then enrolling in the Emergency Animal Medical Technician program at Arizona Humane Society This led her to volunteer at Second Chance Hospital, learning the di l id f i h h d rience. Geri also volunteered . Realizing that one of the ce and care for large breed pace built in her backyard so ome That was the beginning of

MEGAN WIEWEL

EXECUTIVE

Megan has a background in animal care and a degree in Communication Studies, making her well suited to oversee operations and the strategic advancement of the rescue While each day is different for Megan, her primary responsibilities include coordinating animal care and overseeing staff and volunteers Megan enjoys being able to help dogs with less than fortunate backgrounds have a second lease on life She says the position is bittersweet; ‘the bitter’ is having to say goodbye to some of the sweetest, most loving dogs you could ever meet while the ‘sweet’ is the comfort of knowing they are going home with amazing, forever families Her favorite part of the position is getting pictures and updates from adopters with how the pups are settling in and how their personalities are forming Megan has fulfilled a childhood dream by being a part of the ATR team!

HEIDI LEYVA

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Heidi oversees all things related to development and marketing, and works nonstop to earn money that directly supports ATR’s mission. Heidi has over nine years of experience in nonprofit leadership; her background and education are in business and marketing. In 2017, she earned a mini MBA for Nonprofit Organizations. Heidi says of all the meaningful nonprofit work she has been involved in, ATR is nearest to her heart. Saving lives alongside the most amazing people is her dream come true. Heidi’s been involved in the Arizona rescue world since she started volunteering in 2006. In 2012, she started fostering and later began specializing in medical foster cases and at risk animals. She refers to herself as a “ crazy rescue person ” and couldn’t be happier having rescue be her full time gig! When Heidi isn’t fundraising for ATR, she is volunteering so she can be hands on with the pups she loves!

ANNIE VERDERAME

Annie heads our communications department, showcasing our adoptable pups where ever she can ATR also calls on her creative genius when it comes time to brainstorm, plan and implement fundraising events big and small. When Annie isn’t playing with the dogs, taking photos, or matchmaking, she is a full time Pilates teacher, and owns a studio here in Phoenix It is because of Pilates that Annie met our founder, Geri, and expressed her interest in being involved with ATR Her passion is to spread the word about the importance of spay/neuter while advocating for, supporting, and loving as many homeless animals as she can.

O F

F I R S

2021 was full of "firsts."

We took in our first litter in our new facility. We held brand new events like our Ultimutt Puppy Parties, Park and Bark, Vanity Fur, and so much more. We hosted Puppies, Pilates + Prosecco at home to show off our new digs. We had scores of first time volunteers, fosters, adopters, and donors. At the end of the year, we even celebrated our first anniversary at our not so new anymore facility. It’s been a whirlwind!

With this exciting year of change, one thing has remained consistent: YOU. Without you, our supporters, we wouldn’t be here today. You are the main character in our story. You and your support is what gets these homeless dogs the love, care, and resources they need to not just survive, but thrive.

With so many animals in need, rescue can sometimes feel like a numbers game. While we work hard to rescue a large quantity of dogs, we also invest in the quality of the process. Each individual dog matters to us, and we are dedicated to providing each and every one of them with what they need. Our goal is always to save as many dogs as possible in the best possible way. In 2021, we believe we more than accomplished this goal.

We have done so many incredible things together!

Within this publication, we've included as many stats and anecdotes as we could fit. Our hope is to provide as much information on ATR's 2021 as possible.

ATR

WYBIE

We got word from a rescue partner that they were transporting some puppies to us, and that one of the pups was significantly smaller than the others and in rough condition. When we first saw him, we thought he had passed away — he looked that bad.

when his siblings were closer to six pounds He was in such rough shape we didn’t think he was going to make it. Fleas covered his whole body and were in every nook and cranny. Between his toes, in his ears and nose, even his eyes which had swollen almost completely shut.

He had tremors and was covered head to toe with ticks and fleas. Fleas, which eat blood, were causing him to be dangerously anemic. He had abdominal bruising which indicates more serious problems. His temperature was incredibly low and he was cold to the touch. His gums were pale and he was severely dehydrated. He was just barely over a pound

“This was the worst flea infestation I’d ever seen in over a decade in rescue."

Heidi Leyva, Development Director

Security footage shows staff working on Wybie for over 9 hours

Wybie arrived to ATR covered head to toe with ticks and fleas

We sprung into action and immediately began treating him in our on site medical clinic. We spent 9.5 hours pulling fleas and ticks from him, giving him fluids, and syringe feeding him. He continued to fight alongside us and he improved by each hour. We spared no resources in getting him comfortable and getting him healthy.

Once we got his temperature up we gave him fluids to combat the dehydration. He was too small for flea and tick shampoos and medication so we bathed him in Dawn Dishsoap and got off what we could. We immediately dried him and kept him toasty with a heating pad and space heaters (our team was literally sweating it during this rescue)! With him warm and toasty, we began the arduous process of manually removing the fleas and ticks that were literally sucking the life out of him.

Over nine hours later we had removed just about everything.With medical care and love he slowly started to recover in a medical foster home.

Wybie's siblings were 6X his size

When his adoption date came around we noticed something was off. Our medical team advised us to take him to a neurologist, which we immediately did. All of his tests came back normal but the neurologist agreed something wasn’t quite right and wanted him to be monitored daily.

His amazing medical foster took the best care of him and soon decided she would adopt him – even though we still didn’t have answers for his symptoms. We soon learned he had a neuro degenerative disorder which didn’t change her mind one bit. His incredible foster turned forever mom committed to taking over all the future medical attention he requires and loving him forever, even if he would never live a “normal” life.

Wybie’s mom has since dedicated herself to #wybiesbestlife and creates special moments for him throughout his day to day life. He gets to enjoy walks in his open air stroller and recently visited the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden. Wybie has had the privilege of trying new foods like banana (he was NOT a fan) potato chips, and a Crumbl oatmeal cookie (he gave an enthusiastic “YES” to the chips and the cookie)! Wybie’s BFF (besides his mom) is “his” cat. The two are oftentimes found cuddling up together on the couch. Wybie spends his days in comfort and happiness, oftentimes playing happily with toys while his mom works beside him.

To think this sweet pup was once covered in ticks and fleas, fighting for his life… Now he gets to sample gourmet cookies and explore botanical gardens in luxury and style.

Best of all, Wybie gets to enjoythe things that make life btruly eautiful love from a familyand a home he can call his own.

Having our very own on-site medical clinic allows us to provide the highest quality care to our dogs, from the moment they first arrive. Our med clinic has also been a prime location for shelter miracles (like Wybie’s incredible comeback)! The start to every ATR dogs’ journey, this multipurpose space supports our team's efforts and helps keep everyone healthy

Our thorough intake process takes place in our clinic, along with vaccinations, deworming treatments, microchip administration, “mutt makeovers” and so much more!

The Donuts litter was found abandoned in a cement hole in Tuba City. They were very dirty and malnourished Some of them had minor injuries that also needed to be treated.

ATR got them the medical care they needed, and ATR bottle baby fosters stepped in to help raise them. Some were especially weak and needed extra help eating.

With medical care, love, and affection each puppy survived and was able to grow into happy, healthy pups!

Formula isn’t cheap, but giving puppies a second chance at life is priceless! Each puppy was adopted out to the forever home of their dreams.

BOTTLE BABIES GET A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE

Every dog deserves love no matter how small.

Formula isn’t cheap, but giving puppies a second chance at life is priceless!

Fosters SAVE

HEARTBREAK, HEALING + HOPE

We took in two 10 month old sisters from the same litter, who each had litters of their own. We also took in another young mama and her litter from the same area around the same time. All three litters appeared healthy upon intake, but we soon discovered that two of the three litters had Parvo, a deadly and incurable (but treatable) disease with a 25% mortality rate.* We later discovered they all were sick with other ailments as well, including Distemper, another deadly, incurable but treatable disease which, unfortunately, has a much higher mortality rate at 80%.**

We lost some puppies early on. Then, some others presented with more advanced symptoms of Distemper Two more presented with severe neurological issues. They seemed healthy one day and appeared to be dying the next. Soon after, more puppies experienced similar hardships, and one of the sweet mamas did too.

TRUE RESCUERS COMMIT IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH.

We made the decision to give each of them as gentle of a goodbye as we could. We took them to the vet and held each one until they crossed the rainbow bridge. Then, we wrapped them gently in a soft blanket, kissed their little heads and left the vet empty handed. They were no longer suffering.

We didn’t spare any resources in helping these sweet dogs — regular vet visits, pricey meds, expensive hospital stays, around the clock care, administering regular subcutaneous fluids, syringe feeding anything and everything we could do to help. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t cheap, but true rescuers commit in sickness and in health.

ATR will never let an animal suffer due to cost of care. Ever.

CELEBRATING SURVIVORS

With the help of ATR and our wonderful medical fosters, two mamas, Meadow and Honeywheat, were able to recover and finally test negative!

They will get to live long, healthy lives and will get to do so with their furever families.

(Meadow’s medical foster adopted her while Honeywheat, now “Bindi”, was adopted by another wonderful family.)

Many organizations lack the resources to care for dogs with distemper, as well as lack ways to contain the spread of this highly-contagious illness. Because of this, they are oftentimes forced to euthanize dogs immediately after they test positive for distemper.

Thanks to our supporters, we are able to help dogs like Meadow and Bindi — no matter how long or how much it takes.

SAFETY FIRST

We serve some of the most vulnerable types of dogs, and most of our dogs are not yet able to be fully vaccinated during their stays with us. ATR’s facility was built with the health, safety, and wellness of all our dogs in mind. Every single kennel in the building is capped at the top with an isolated supply and return airflow, and a separate drainage system to keep all pups healthy and safe from their neighboring animals. Yet, ATR’s Quarantine or “Q side” takes safety even further.

On the Q side, there are six kennels dedicated for intake and quarantine These kennels are used for the first fourteen plus days of each dog’s stay to monitor for any sign of illness. They are also used for longer should any sign of illness be noted at any time during a dog’s stay with us. Each intake kennel is equipped with its own air filtration and entry room for team members to fully suit up to prevent any cross contamination. Q side even has its own play yard that gets completely sanitized in between each use! We attribute this technology, our procedures and diligence to our successes containing illness.

While we have cared for sick animals with highly contagious diseases in our building, not a single other kennel has ever been infected with illnesses brought by new intakes.

MR. KRABS

This sweet face is Mr. Krabs, who was originally adopted from us in 2018 We were contacted in early 2021 when his chip was scanned all the way in North Carolina! He was wandering the streets when a kind human found him. We're not sure how he became a stray in North Carolina (when we contacted his previous owner they confirmed they had rehomed him). We knew we had to get him back and help him.

We worked with some amazing volunteers and a volunteer transport team to get him back into our care. We soon found he was walking with a pronounced limp. He had visual muscular atrophy on his hind end and was lumpy in several areas. After two separate consultations, we confirmed that he had torn his cruciate ligaments in both hind legs

This surgery is pricey but we take our commitment to our dogs seriously While we weren't prepared for the expense, we did what we needed to do to make his surgery happen We then asked our community for help...

At ATR, we commit to our dogs forever and no matter what.

When we asked for help, some really amazing things happened. First, Two Pups Wellness Fund generously offered to match all donations up to $2400! Then, the public donated an additional $5,875 for a whopping total of $8,275!

As for Mr Krabs? He recovered from his surgery in the home of our very own Foster Coordinator, Kelsey Doyon! There he received lots of cuddles, chew toys, and even some water therapy.

The vet cleared Mr Krabs and he was ready to find his happily ever after.

Mr Krabs, now Bowie, is living his best life! Bowie’s dad is a teacher at a local elementary school who absolutely dotes on him. Bowie gets to go on all kinds of adventures with his dad, and always has a safe, loving, place to call home.

These are the fairytale endings we work so hard for. Thanks for being such a crucial part of these stories and making the dreams of so many deserving dogs come true!

Mr Krabs as a puppy in 2018

In 2021 Almost There Rescue

ATR knows how to throw a PAWty

PILATES + PROSECCO

In August, ATR excitedly brought back the incredibly popular event, Puppies, Pilates + Prosecco! With so many people excited to see our new facility, we hosted it under our very own roof. It was so popular that we hosted another one later in the year

Guests got their burn on, enjoyed puppy snuggles and kisses, drank some tasty drinks served up by Modern Bartender, and shopped the vendors and merch booths! Some even adopted puppies and others won some of the fabulous raffle prizes!

VANITY FUR SOIRÉE

Chers amis, we ’ re delighted to announce: Vanity Fur, a soirée, at the historical Wrigley Mansion was a massive success! In November, Almost There Rescue hosted a lavish affair at the beautiful Wrigley Mansion Guests dressed in their best cocktail attire and joined us for a marvelous and memorable experience with decadent drinks, devine hors d’oeuvres, unique silent auction items, puppy races (yes, you read that right), and much more!

While this event was an absolute blast for attendees, it also raised over $65,000 for the shelter!

ATR's team would do ANYTHING for dogs...

ATR partnered with nonprofit Jordan’s Way to raise as much money as possible utilizing social media and some truly off the wall tactics.

It all started when ATR was one of two Arizona rescues selected to be part of the Jordan’s Way 50 state tour to help raise awareness and funds needed for saving and caring for more homeless dogs in need. Jordan’s Way is a 501(c)3 non profit organization that hosts 4 hour fun filled live Facebook fundraisers at animal rescues and shelters across the country.

Founded by Kris Rotonda to honor his best friend, a shelter dog named Jordan, Kris and his team have helped more than 250 shelters in over 40 states raise millions. Kris and his team visited us and all hell broke loose!

We kicked off December with perhaps the most bizarre fundraising event most had ever seen. all hell broke loose!

LITTER-ALLY ANYTHING!

Our dedicated team is always willing to help raise the funds needed to save more dogs and nothing showed that more than the insane tactics ATR’s team engaged in to raise money Staff and volunteers alike took pies to the face, ice water buckets in the frigid night air, and so much more

ATR’s Development Director, Heidi, offered to get an ATR logo tattoo while another ATR team member, Ashley, even offered to shave her head if we met our goal. ATR raised an incredible $31,000! We smashed our goal, Heidi was tattooed, and Ashley had her head shaved! Now that’s dedication!

YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK

We fundraise

because we know the money goes right to the dogs. We want you to know exactly how your

helps

rescued friends too; Look how far your dollars go!

PARK + BARK

Almost There Rescue moved into a gorgeous, brand new facility in December of 2020, and to celebrate one year we held a Park + Bark! Held in our parking lot in the beautiful Arizona winter weather, this event included adoptions, good food, some of our rescue partners, and some great barking lot items for sale!

As we ended our eventful year, we reflected back to when we first moved into our wonderful new facility. We had no idea what incredible things 2021 had in store for us.

While 2021 seems impossible to top — we ’ re very optimistic — and we have good reason to be!

Rescue is hard work, physically, financially, and emotionally. Oftentimes, the dogs that come into our care arrive dirty, hungry, and scared. Sometimes they are hurt or sick. But because of you, we can give them the best possible care. Because of you, these dogs get a clean, warm place to sleep, full bellies, and lots of love. They get medical attention and whatever they need to be comfortable and happy. Mamas can birth and raise their babies in peace. Puppies can socialize and play in a fun and safe environment. Families find their perfect match. Deserving dogs find their forever homes. You do that, and we are so very thankful.

While dogs are at the center of what ATR does, ATR is also about people. Volunteers, adopters, fosters, donors, and partners make this important work possible. Together, we are accomplishing bigger things, elevating the greater community, and saving more lives.

Our vision for the future is bright! Join us!