Shaggy Shoppe Special Delivery

The boxes kept arriving but no one seemed mind all of the unpacking. The other day, Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League received a big shipment of new merchandise for The Shaggy Shoppe, our boutique and pet supply center.

Inside the boxes are lots of fun items for your Halloween and Christmas celebrations. Every year we introduce some new items to the mix of popular favorites.

But wait, you say, "It's 90 degrees and super humid outside. How can we think of fall holidays right now?"

We're all about preparation but if you feel like you must shop for summer, while it is summer, then you'll love our selection of nautical and Hawaiian themed dog outfits.

And you can make sure your cat doesn't feel left out by picking up a new toy from our wide selection.

There's nothing scary about our Halloween chew toys. And what dog wouldn't want to sink his teeth into a squeaking "Chick Magnet" toy.

We know this is a lot of information to take in but we want to make sure that you understand that all proceeds from the Shaggy Shoppe help our adoptable animals.

We are very excited about our new collection of Pet Odor Eliminators. These sprays and candles come in a variety of scents. Here's the super cool part: These enzyme formulated products attack and remove pet and household odors.  And did you know that they are Made in the USA? Want to find out more? Go to this website.

We also carry all the essentials to start off right with your newly adopted pet. Everything from collars, leashes and ID tags to litter boxes, cat beds, and a variety of cat toys. We carry name brands such as Kong, Premier, Zymox, Science Diet, and our hottest NEW product, the Thundershirt for very anxious dogs. We also have a variety of Barkworth gourmet dog cookies, training treats, pill pockets and cat treats. 

Our Shaggy Shoppe is constantly evolving to meet your needs. It's located next to our lobby in the Grace Pavilion and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Every once in a while, visitors to our lobby are awarded a coupon to the Shaggy Shoppe.

If you're still in the shopping mood, you might want to visit our Thrift Store in West Palm Beach.

Field Facelift

At Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, our fields play an important role for our animals. In a part of the country where real estate is costly, we're lucky to have a campus with so much land.

Our fields are a place for our adoptable dogs to run free as well as take part in behavior and training exercises.

They also are home to our community classes, where you and your animals can come and learn new skills together, which will strengthen your bond.

We're excited to have started some important renovations to these areas.

Our agility field is getting a facelift. It's being leveled, stumps are being removed, holes are being filled, and sod has been laid.We want it to be the perfect place for our animals to enjoy and grow. It's also a great way to meet other dog lovers.

New fencing is also going up. This will allow us to expand the amount of sections, to six, where play groups and training can take place. And soon, we'll have a seventh field, which will be behind the Grace Pavilion.

While fencing and sod may not be the most glamorous things, they will help produce long term benefits for our adoptable dogs and your beloved animals. It's just another part of our commitment to our community.

Psst: Did you know that the upcoming issue of the Shaggy Sheet will have our Behavior and Training program as our cover story? Stay tuned for that issue, which will be out in early September. In the meantime, you can enjoy our library of previous issues.

We Love the Number 19

Meet Jillian - One of our adoptable cats

19 is a powerful number at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. 19 is about taking on a serious problem. 19 stands for the day when no animals will be euthanized in our community because of overpopulation.

19 refers to the number of instruments that are in one of our spay/neuter surgical kits.

A simple operation can change so much in our community. And it all starts with the number 19.

In 2012, we performed 7,903 spay/neuter surgeries. In 2013, that number should go even higher thanks to several innovative strategies we'll soon unveil.

19 represents a promise to you, in thanks, for your support of the League.

Do you love the number 19?

Speaking of love, have you seen the video of a happy reunion between a man and his lost dog?

The Extra Mile

It was a transformation that took our breath away. We saw Abby, a sweet, 8 month old Standard Poodle struggling with crimpy and curly hair.

How can you experience the world when your eyes are blocked as well as your ear canals? Does an animal's appearance play a role in his or her's ability to be adopted?

We knew that Abby needed some special attention. Susan, one of our staff Behaviorists, took the dog into our grooming area. After a lot of cutting and trimming, a new Abby emerged.

Abby was the same dog but also a different one!

Now, we're so excited to report that a much more comfortable Abby has a new forever home. 

This is just one story of the more than 3,000 animals who will arrive at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in need of a new home.

Each can have special needs and we will help them however we can. Want to find out more about this process and how it's truly a team effort? Then check out the latest edition of the Shaggy Sheet Newsletter, which you can view online here.

And we never forget that our work with dogs like Abby would not be possible without the support of so many in our community. We're proud to share our successes!

You might enjoy this earlier clip of Susan grooming some of our other animals.  

Shopping for the Animals

When you do anything for 40 years, you get pretty good at it! We're proud that this year, our Thrift Store is turning 40.

Did you know that we sell anywhere between 100 and 200 shoes per month. So over the past 40 years, that means we've put shoes on close to a quarter of a million feet! Shoes are just one of the treasures you'll find inside.

When our store first opened, volunteers picked up all of the donations in their personal cars. Today, we have big truck and two drivers. This makes picking up large items, like furniture, much easier.

Over all this time, the sales from our Thrift Store have helped our animals. We thank all who have shopped and helped that dog or cat who was in need of a second chance.

The Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League Thrift Store
1905 S. Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (561) 833-8131   

South of Okeechobee Blvd, west side of Dixie Highway
Parking in rear of building.

 For information about our donation policies, click here.

And since you've read this email, we want to let you know that this Sunday's Palm Beach Post (Accent Section) and The Palm Beach Daily News (The Shiny Sheet) will feature a 20% of coupon for our Thrift Store. Clip it and save!


Here's a special message for our volunteers from Steven and Benny:

A Message to Our Volunteers

We can't thank our volunteers enough for the many contributions they make to Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. In this message, Joan and Drue, share their appreciation.

As Joan said, helping with laundry is a big deal at our shelter. On an average day, we easily do more than 60 loads. Having an extra pair of hands to assist with that process frees up our staff to spend more time interacting with our animals.

Laundry is just one of the many tasks where our volunteers make a difference.

It's something that pays off for the animals in so many ways. Our benchmark for finding an animal a new forever home is 30 days. We're proud that right now, that number has dropped to 29 days.

To find out more about our volunteer programs, click here. 

And to read more about Drue, click here. 

Scent Training at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

At Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League we understand that it's important that we care for both the physical and mental health of our dogs and cats. As part of that commitment, we've expanded our animal behavior services. One of these exercises has our adoptable dogs perform a scent training exercise. Here you can see Missy in action.

Our upcoming issue of the Shaggy Sheet will tell you more about some of the other behavior services we're offering our adoptable animals. It's all about preparing our dogs and cats for their new forever homes.

If you have a dog, you might want to check out training classes. They offer you and your animal the chance to bond and learn together.

It was a busy week at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League as we also received a a four wheeled surprise that should help our four legged friends.