URGENT! We need 1-2 volunteers next Friday afternoon (10/29) at CHICAGO O’HARE International Airport (ORD). Please contact me a.s.a.p. if you can help us out for a couple of hours….

As Let’s Adopt! is growing worldwide we are in need of volunteers at major US airports to assist us receiving animals from our flight volunteers, AFTER they have passed through customs.
The airport volunteer will then take the animal and check it in for its connection flight to its final destination – its new home

It’s one of the most vital part of our operations, and with that also
a lot of fun and very rewarding:

• Time commitment is only few hours.

• You’ll need a vehicle to accommodate the kennel(s) or crate(s), depending on the size and number of animals to be transported.

• Meet with the flight volunteer at Arrivals

• Receive animal(s) and all necessary paperwork.

• Give animal(s) a quick potty/water break.

• Continue to designated cargo facility nearby.

• Check in animal(s) with airline (we do all the booking)

• Send them on their way and don’t forget to take pictures and videos for our community.

• DONE!

What’s in it for you?
Be a hero to our rescues and special needs animals, by providing this essential link to the Chain of Change.
What feels better than being part of a movement, saving lives and inspiring other? There’s nothing quite like it….

“BEing in the moment – BEing part of the movement - BEing The Change“!

Will you join us?

e-mail me at misha@myletsadopt.com

URGENT:
We need 1-2 volunteers next
Friday afternoon (10/29)
at CHICAGO‘s O’HARE
International Airport (ORD).
Please contact me a.s.a.p. if you can help us out for a couple of hours. BE part of our movement!

Thank You!

Misha

BE The Change

UPDATE September 6th,2010:

SOPHIA HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Thanks to everyone who helped save her….

——————————————————————-

Many of you might remember my rescue trip to the San Francisco Bay Area in July.

leaving Portland for San Francisco

I was able to bring back ten dogs of which we kept two with Let’s Adopt! in Portland to re-home locally.

The lucky two were Sophia, a 2-year old Chi-Rat X, who found the greatest foster home in the city, Our very own Donde.

The other is Esperrranza “Espie”, a 1-year old Chi-Pin X, who is rooming with my little tribe.

Both have been vetted, spayed, and well socialized. They’ll have a play date with potential adopters over the weekend.

Let’s recap real quick why we had to rescue these dogs…

They were on death-row – on the kill list of the shelter for the very day I got my hands on them.

Espie wasn’t even available for adoption to the public. Her crime? She was “Timid”…TIMID! After 2-3 weeks in the madhouse, all that noise day in, day out, in a cold kennel, on concrete, did I mention the noise? I WOULD BE TIMID.

The instant she was out of the building and in the parking lot with us, she gave kisses…something she’s now famous for. In fact, she chases Ouzo down on the sofa and basically gives him a complete dental at least twice a day. Very sweet girl. After weeks at the pound she needed a refresher on the house training, which she is doing well with.

Sophia is a little speed devil. She’s proud to walk on leash and can’t wait to get to the dog park to play with the other dogs and meet all the people…oh and treats of course.

I don’t even remember why she was on death row, but it strikes me as hideous that perfectly healthy animals are being killed in our municipal shelters.

With OUR tax dollars.

Can’t we do better than that?

I think we can.

Please read this week’s blog on how to become a *gulp* community organizer. To bring true change in your own community. It is time that YOU and I step up to the plate. Are you ready?

Meanwhile…sign up as a foster for us, rescue a dog or cat from your local kill pound this week, and foster it for a few days or weeks….we’ll assist you in re-homing it through our network…surprise me…

BE THE CHANGE

-Misha

Dear friends,

Today we are going to try something that, as far as we know it has never been done before, something that just a few years ago it could have never been attempted without a massive advertising expenditure.

pls read carefully and at the end PLEASE SHARE.

One of the most challenging aspects of our mission is to find foster homes. A network of foster homes is absolutely essential for the good fonctioning of any rescue organization.

A foster home is,  a temporary home where the animal gets chance to recover from the stress of being in a shelter or abandoned.  Additionally, the foster volunteer has the opportunity to work with the animal  to introduce him to family living (if its a puppy or a kitten) or to correct some of the behavior problems that may have led to him being abandoned.

Quite simply: Fostering Saves Lives.

So this is what we are going to do here today. Today we are going to use our entire network to build up our network of foster homes.

To do this we are going to need YOUR help. I need you to do three things:

1. Please feel free to use our poster, Foster Saves Lifes as avatar in your Facebook profile. You can just save the picture in this post. Alternatively you can download the small version  HERE

2. We need to have the involvement of your trusted veterinarians in this campaign. For this I would like you to download the Hig-Resolution Poster HERE, print it (in colour please) and ask your veterinary clinic to put it in its announcement board. I understand this may be a bit too cumbersome to some, but it is the fastest and most efficient way to have an inmediate distribution of this poster all over the world. It will also help us stablishing a link with our members trusted vets all over the world.

DOWNLOAD HI-RES POSTER HERE

3. Finally, I need you to share this post with your own networks. You can share it on your wall, you can email it, it doesn’t really matter, but I need you to please become personally involved in this campaign. We cannot do this alone we need you. The animals need you. PLEASE SHARE.

This campaign is being launched in our Global, USA, Canada, French, German and Turkish networks simultaneously and the homes will be available to our friends at Soi Dog / Let’s Adopt (Thailand), that are doing such an incredible job in the Far East.

If you would like to have the poster designed in your language to be used in your veterinary clinics just drop me a quick email on viktor@myletsadopt.com and Ill make sure it gets translated.

Come on.. let’s get to work.. this is very exciting! help us build a truly global foster home network.

Fostering Saves Lifes!.. Let’s get to work! That’s what we do! Save Lifes!

Start fostering today!. Contact me on: viktor@myletsadopt.com

Viktor

Dearest Friends + Supporters of Let’s Adopt!

I would like to thank you for your tireless support and votes in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.
We have come to the realization, that we now have a zero chance to come close of making it into the top 2 of the $250k – grant category.
For that reason, we have decided to move on to focus on the urgent cases waiting for us to be handled.
We have numerous special needs dogs and cats in great need of new homes and/or vet care.
We’re also looking for volunteers in many areas.

So, I’d like to invite you to become permanent tribe members of our wonderful family, by joining your closest Let’s Adopt! network.
I have listed a few of them below:

LA! Global:
http://www.facebook.com/LetsAdoptGlobal

LA! USA:
http://www.facebook.com/LetsAdoptUSA

LA! Canada:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101251555667

LA! Germany/Austria:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99371202835

LA! Turkey:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=223594502500

visit http://myletsadopt.com/
to find a network near you!
I hope to see you on the other side…

Please continue to support our work.
We are not only looking for contributions,but are also in desperate need of VOLUNTEERS!

Flight Escorts
-
are you traveling a lot? Especially to/from Europe? – You can be a
lifesaver! At no extra cost to you. Just donate a little extra time at
the check-in/out and customs

Foster Volunteers
-
we need you in all countries!!
We’re desperate in Turkey.
TRULY desperate for foster homes. There are too many animals we can’t take in
because no one will step up and make a little space in their homes to
them….
We also need your help in Germany, France, USA, Canada, Bulgaria…everywhere

Activists
- you know who you are.
Annoyed by PETA, and a little scared of ALF?
We might just be the right place for you to land…

Contributors - our silent supporters who make so much of our work possible…
The Simba Fund:
http://bethechange.chipin.com/

Please download and add our foster flyer as your profile picture on FB for the next few weeks to raise awareness of the importance of fostering.

BE The Change

-Misha
contact me:
misha@myletsadopt.com

HALFWAY POINT!!!

Exciting???!! Well not so much.

We just fell to 110.
I promised myself I would fight for the Pepsi  Grant until the bitter end, but there’s only so much a handful of people can do.
I wholeheartedly thank everyone who supported this great opportunity for Let’s Adopt! and worked so hard, voted daily, if not twice, rallied friends, grandpa & grandma.
This evening I browsed a few pages of our ‘fans’ on Facebook  and noted how few of you bothered to re-post even once, put a little note in your profile to vote for us.

Yet Farmville, Mafia Wars and most ironically, PETville are some of the favorite time killers out there.

Daily, hourly, if not every few minutes, you’re chasing cyber goats, or chickens, feed you little cyber puppy…
Well, in the real world, puppies die, kitties die.

They are being tortured to death, starved, I just learned about a cat at my vet clinic who was dropped of because someone kicked her stomach so hard it was in her chest…
I’d love to take that cat on, but I don’t have the funds or the volunteers to do so. So, the staff does what it can, they did an emergency surgery on the cat – I don’t know whether she survived.
I don’t want to know, because I can’t make any difference in its life right now.
$250k was a big dream – a lot of money to save a lot of animals, fund spay /neuter – no kill action – we had a grand dream and an even bigger plan.
But halfway through the month it looks like we can’t compete with Farmville.
We can’t compete with your virtual reality.
My reality are the animals. Every day I see them, I sense them, I smell them, I live them.
Every day my heart breaks over one I couldn’t save for one or the other reason.
What I never did was give up or put my head in the sand.
I’d always try until the end.
So, what I am going to do now is, hand the voting power and our future in terms of receiving this grant money to you. The cyber farmers, virtual pet owners, mafia lords.
I challenge you to show that you’re alive out there and help us to get the votes we need. We need to make it into the top 2 of our category.
It was a feasible concept. Now I am too disillusioned to believe that.

Let’s Adopt! is a network of ACTIVists not couch potatoes.
You want change? Join us. You want to chase cyber chickens?

Please don’t waste our time with ohhs and aaahs over cute dogs on death row.
I could post pictures of abused cats and dogs to bring my point across, but I am honestly not very hopeful it would make a difference.

Thank You… I guess

BE The Change

Misha

We’re doing well!

KEEP VOTING!

This race is about endurance, and we’re in for a virtual “Ironman”.

http://www.refresheverything.com/letsadopt

I believe this little video will “speak” to each and everyone of those who watch it…

We are in a long distance run…

Come run with us…

Please vote for Let’s Adopt at the Pepsi Project… and SHARE…

As most of you know Let’s Adopt! USA is currently competing for USD 250.000 in the Pepsi Refresh Project.
Our goal is to use part of that money in building the worlds largest animal rescue plattform.
This competition is going very well… we are now in 431st position, bearing in mind that only the first two projects will be awarded you can clearly see we are in a position of advantage. We certainly can win this one!

Let’s Adopt is currently working in a number of secret projects. Our most ambitious one is to start rehoming animals in the Moon and Mars, to be followed by Venus.

A team of Let’s Adopt! scientists is currently based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, putting together the last details of this incredible project.

The choice between Congo and Cape Canaveral was a diffcult one but we are very satisfied with the results.

Here is a video of our historic launch…

We encourage all members of Let’s Adopt USA to continue voting for us in the Pepsi Refresh Project. Come on, we can win this one!

Please, if you are a US resident please vote HERE

To Create the

United States Largest

Animal Rescue Network:

Let’s Adopt!

Two years ago we had an idea,  to create a “virtual” animal rescue network that enabled its members to support one another in their rescue activities across the nation. We called it Let’s Adopt!.

Today, Let’s Adopt! has turned into an global  organization, entirely run by volunteers that operates using the multiplying power of social media networks.

Project description:

We have groups all across the United States that work around the clock rescuing animals and educating citizens on animal welfare issues.

We also have a number of micro-comunities:
- Creative network: A network of volunteer artists and media people.
- Legal Council: Network of volunteer lawyers specialized on animal rights
- Veterinary support: Advice to vets on nutrition and pet health issues
- Petzcool: A network about education on animal behavior issues.

What makes us unique:

• We are an entirely volunteer organization, with a 0% administration costs.

• We operate a nationwide network,  coordination our network of flight volunteers.

• We don’t apply rehoming fees.

• We have built a horizontal organization that is not slowed down by hierarchy, committees and any of the typical structures that create inefficiency.

• We aim to solve the most difficult cases . We focus on senior and handicapped animals.

• All our rescues are public. All our members see where the day-to-day evolution of our rescue operations, and are able to connect with the people involved. This “connection” is what keeps the entire community together and united.

All groups are integrated; we all speak to each other. The process happens quickly and seamlessly because of the horizontal structure of the group.

—

How would the money be distributed:

50.000: Preparation and implementation of a world-class internet platform that functions of assistance to approved rescue networks around the USA. Providing them with real-time information as well as solution tools to manage their operations. This platform will be built by the team that designed Barak Obama social media campaign, Blue States Digital.
200.000: Seed for the Simba Fund: A fund of nation-wide scope whose returns will entirely be destined to finance medical treatments and rescue operation of abused animals across the USA.

Milestones:

Month 1:  Funds made available.

Month 1 – 3: Design and implementation of internet platform.

Month  1 – onwards:  Investment of the remaining funds on yield-producing related projects.

Challenges that could hinder our project success:

None that cannot be overcome thanks to the commitment and passion of Let’s Adopt! volunteers.

Vote for Let’s Adopt! HERE

and TEXT 101884 to Pepsi (73774)

Invite your friends, family, co-workers, create your own office challenge.

You have 10 votes a day, where you can vote for 10 different projects.

If you like you can go the extra mile, pick projects in the other money categories (5k/50k etc) as well and let them know that it comes from Let’s Adopt! ($250k).

This way, we’ll receive a few return votes from those groups as well.

BE the Change!

It’s about the animals

Misha

Vote for us daily

WONDERFUL NEWS

AMAZING NEWS!.. EXCITING NEWS!!!

WE ARE IN THE RACE FOR A $250k GRANT BY PEPSI!

TIME TO PUT OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY TO WORK!

Vote for us here!
http://www.refresheverything.com/letsadopt

bookmark the page and keep voting daily.

Also join our Let’s Adopt! Pepsi Refresh Team here…

We are going to need you this month!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125831834127932

We need you.. our animals need you… TODAY

If awarded, we will be allocating $50k to pulling animals from dead row in the USA. The money will be matching donations for equal amounts. That way the total amounts will double up to $100 k .

Check back daily for updates and please don’t forget to vote for us every single day throughout the month.

Your vote can be the difference of us getting a quarter of a million dollars for our budget.

Invite your friends, co-workers, Nana and Pops. – we will need every single vote we can get.

Remember, we are one of the few if not the only agency out there in animal welfare that operates with zero overhead. Which means 100% of our funds go to our rescue efforts.

What else is there to say?

Oh Yes..

Don't forget to vote for LA! every day in August

This is truly your time to shine – to show your support, not for us, but for the animals and their welfare!

This is the time to                                                                                    BE THE CHANGE

Misha

PS: Feel free to download the Let’sAdopt-Pepsi Image, and use it as your profile picture in the month of August. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Last week I posted about my trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, where
we were able to rescue ten dogs who have since settled  in nicely, some have already been adopted.
Our two Let’s Adopt! girls Sophia and Esperrranza are awaiting their spay surgery and glamour shots…
One of the dogs we pulled was a dog we named Jester. We were told he just needed a dental and had some nail problems, but was otherwise in good health.

Well – in actuality, Jester’s organs were shutting down and he was dying.
It is with great sadness that I have to report Jester’s passing. He was the 8 yr. old Aussie shepherd mix, who in the end could barely walk, and was unable to hold his bowels.
After long talks with my rescue partners, two different vet opinions, I made the decision to relieve Jester from his suffering.
Here’s what I wrote to my fellow rescuers that day:
I picked up Jester from Dogstar at about 12:30PM.
I had planned to take him on a nice walk, feed him some steak and then take him to the vet.
Unfortunately, his hind-legs wouldn’t cooperate, so we took him straight into my car.
We arrived at my vet’s clinic with lots of time to spare – so we sat down, soaked up some sun, Jester had his steaks which he loved so much, he licked my fingers clean
I gave him big belly rubs, thinking of all of you, who have shown so much goodwill toward this boy.
When it was time, we strolled into the office – everyone knew and was so kind.
They took him back to set the catheter. My vet gave him a quick exam and agreed that this was a dog in A LOT of discomfort.
I brought a cozy blanket for Jester, and we settled down for a while. I gave him more hugs and kisses. Mark, the vet entered the room, set down on the floor with us and asked me whether I was ready. Well, when are you ever ready for this, but this was about Jester not me, so I said yes.
The first order of business was to find the cookie jar.
Mark fed Jester lots of cookies. Then it was my turn, while Mark did his work…. Jester literally passed away while munching on cookies.
We agreed that we wanted to be fed Sundaes as well before we “go out” some day.
This was the best we could have done for Jester and he wasn’t scared, he wasn’t  stressed. He was calm, happy, a belly full of steaks and cookies.

I am still very upset with the shelter or whoever gave this false information. Jester should have NEVER spent a week at Martinez. They should have put him to sleep the day he came in. That would have been humane. Whoever had a chance to look at him for more than 2 minutes, MUST have seen that there was something terribly wrong with this dog.

I am annoyed with his former companions, I am sure he was a loyal friend to. How dare they just dumped him at a killer pound, with all the stress and noise to have him sit there in pain, confusion, suddenly abandoned with out the comforts of home. What has he done? He was sick, not a criminal. The least an animal’s caretaker MUST do is give their animals a dignified death. This should be a budget item in everyone’s household. As important as rent or a mortgage. To dump this poor dog after 8 something years was so cruel.

Why not take him to a vet and have him go with dignity.

What is wrong with our world?! Has everything and everyone become disposable?

On the other hand I am very glad, he had a week here in Portland where he was loved (the staff at DogStar adored him, and we didn’t have the heart to tell them where we were taking Jester…), well fed, relatively happy considering the pain he must have been in – and we were able to give him a dignified passing.
I’ll get his ashes back in a few days and will spread them at my favorite place here in Portland. A little beach, where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet…

…Fare well, Jester <3

you touched so many in just the few days we shared.
~Misha