As we have all heard and seen, the devastation in Houston and the surrounding areas from Hurricane Harvey has been heart wrenching. The animal rescue community has stepped up and is making a real difference in helping animals that have been affected by the storm. Life is Better has been inundated not only with requests for assistance, but also offers from all over to assist. It reaffirms my faith in humanity when I see so many people from so many places try and make a positive difference.

We have received two incoming transports of animals so far, and after much discussion with our Best Friends Network Partners, we have decided to drive to Houston to do an evacuation in our LIBRA vehicle.

We want to assure everyone that the animals we are rescuing are not those that might have potential owners looking for them. In most cases, these animals were already in the shelters prior to the hurricane, and need to be moved so that there is room for the animals that have been displaced.

At this time, we have three needs:

Our greatest need is for volunteers. We specifically need those people who are willing to help care for the cats at our Care Center during both the week and on weekends. Volunteers who will come help us process the animals once they have arrived on transport, and most importantly, volunteers that will come to our adoption event on 9/16 & 9/17 to help us try and get this major influx of animals into new, forever homes. Contact volunteer@lifeisbetterrescue.org for more information and to get signed up.

Our second need is for foster homes. We are only able to take dogs if we have a place to put them, whether it be local transfers or those from out of state. While they may still need some vetting when they arrive in Colorado, they will have been treated for parasites and we will try and temperament test them to make sure they are good with people and other dogs. What we've heard so far is that the greatest need is for larger sized canines and for felines. The cats will come back to our Care Center, but if you want to make a real difference during this disaster, opening your home for a dog in need gets them a ticket out of Texas. Please, contact fostering@lifeisbetterrescue.org for more information and to get signed up.

Lastly, we need donations. This effort will have a financial impact, as we need funds for our travels as well as those to then vet the incoming animals when they have arrived. We also need physical supplies, and will be taking a truck of supplies with us to Texas. We are currently working on various donation drop points, but the items we need most include:

• Paper towels
• Clorox wipes
• Bleach tabs
• Laundry detergent
• Dryer sheets
• Trash bags (kitchen drawstring sized as well outdoor yard drawstring sized)
• Ziplock bags (gallon sized)
• Dishwasher detergent
• Clorox anywhere spray
• Simple Green D Pro 3 (*this specifically for the sterilizing properties)
• Windex
• Zip ties

All of the donated funds and items will be used toward our trip and after care. Any additional resources will 100% be used for the animals in our program. It may sound strange that we are not requesting dog or cat food, but thanks to our amazing friends at Boulder-based "I and love and you" pet food company, we are well-stocked to provide help for Texas needs and feed the animals once they arrive in Denver.

We can't do this alone, and the support we have received thus far has been phenomenal. It is what allowed us to consider taking this extra leap and actually traveling ourselves in order to make the biggest impact. We are currently scheduling our departure for the week of the 10th, but our needs will continue to be ongoing as we prepare these animals for adoption, and consider another run based on how well we manage with the upcoming drive.

Thank you for any support, and thank you for helping to spread and share our message. Life will be better for these animals, and it will be better because of you!

Georgia Cameron
President & Executive Director
Life is Better Rescue

Donate

We can accept donations through PayPal or Colorado Gives.

Sunday, October 8, 2017: Adoption Event at Old South Pearl Farmers Market

Life is Better Rescue will be at the Old South Pearl Street Farmers Market. We will have dogs available for adoption. The market is located on the 1500 Block of South Pearl Street and is from 9 am to 1 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for everyone that came to this year's Love for Life. It was a huge success!

Photos of the evening, provided by Lily Red Studios, are now available.

If you love your photo, please feel free to share and download. Please make sure to tag Lily Red Studio and Life is Better Rescue when sharing on Facebook. For every download, please consider making a $10 donation to Life is Better Rescue. If you would like to purchase a print, you may do so through this gallery. Lily Red Studio will donate $10 to Life is Better Rescue for every print purchased.

View photo gallery.

Please note on your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping.

What is BarkBuddy? BarkBuddy pulls adoptable pup profiles from Petfinder and presents them in a fun way for iPhone & iPad users. (Android version should be available in the next few weeks!)

Click this link and BarkBox will donate money to Life is Better Rescue.

Life is Better Rescue is partnering with BarkBox to bring you savings and your pups joy. Get $5 off any BarkBox subscription and support our rescue! For every coupon used on BarkBox.com, our rescue will get a $15 donation from BarkBox. Be sure to use our special promo code: LifBBX1.