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Christmas Went to the Dogs 2013
We did our first ever "Christmas is Going to the Dogs" collection drive entirely through Facebook! Ray and I had decided to find some needy shelters – call them to find out what items they needed (kind of like what we did in the old days) and instead of buying gifts for each other, we would go to the shelters on Christmas and deliver the items we had purchased and/or collected. We ended up finding 3 shelters in the same general vicinity that needed our help. We put it out on Facebook and our friends were awesome! So much so that we decided to make it a yearly event! We delivered plenty of Kong toys, home-made dog toys, home-made dog cookies, dog food, peanut butter, jerky treats, comforters/blankets & towels, trash bags, paper towels, parts for Kuranda dog beds, and used a couple of donated plastic bins for part of the delivery!
Thank you SO much to the following friends for making this day a true success! Cheryl Kay Goldstein, Mary Lynne Hamilton, Eileen Murphy-Mendoza, Perfect Pet Salon & Boutique, Head to Tail Pet Wellness Center, Linda Davis, Robin Olander, Rebecca Lustig and Teri Glasheen. Thank you all, for sharing our passion.
The people we met from the shelters were wonderful too! Thank you to Humane Society of Walden Shelter Manager Tracey Carvell, Marbeltown DCO Bill Warren and Rosendale DCO Ed Hintz for taking time from their own holidays, to spend so much time with us. It was very heartwarming to see how dedicated they are to helping the animals in their care. We were even welcomed into Bill's home, and as you can see from one of the pictures below, our dog Dayta, and Bill's dog Nicky had a wonderful time too! While we were there, we also received a call from Diane at the Daily Freeman. Thank you to her for believing that our mission was worthy enough for a story!
We hope even more people will join in to make "Christmas Is Going to the Dogs," even bigger and better in 2014!
Photos of Christmas is Going to the Dogs 2013
Humane Society of Walden, NY
 
 
Rosendale Shelter, NY
 
 
Marbeltown Shelter, NY
 
Christmas in Ulster County is dog day for upstate couple
By Diane Pineiro-Zucker, Daily Freeman
POSTED: 12/25/13, 4:50 PM EST
For Kathleen and Ray Collar, Christmas went to the dogs.
The Collars, of Glenville, who founded Dogs In Need Everywhere (DINE) in 2005, work with shelters statewide to improve conditions for their canine residents.
"It's definitely worth it," Kathleen Collar said on Christmas, explaining that she and her husband gave up a traditional holiday celebration to visit shelters in Rosendale, Marbletown and Walden with a small truckload of nearly indestructible toys, peanut butter, dog biscuits, jerky treats, dog food, blankets, comforters, cleaning supplies and garbage bags.
She spoke to the Freeman by phone from the Marbletown shelter, which, through empty Wednesday, was in need of comforters for new four-legged residents when they arrive.
"If we can make the dogs' lives a little more comfortable, a little more content, a little more happy, then we're doing what we set out to do," Collar said.
Bill Warren, who has been the Marbletown dog control officer for the past 30 years, greeted the Collars with an invitation to share Christmas dinner with his family. The Collars, who had just eaten the Asiago cheese sandwiches they'd packed for the journey (an "upgrade from your ordinary cheddar," Kathleen said), weren't very hungry but sat down with the Warren the family anyway, she said.
Warren was pleased with the Collars' donation, which he said will keep the shelter's future residents comfortable.
According to DINE's website, its mission is "to provide essential items to dogs in the care of shelters and rescues in the (New York) state Capital Region and offer community education to students."
For more information about DINE, go towww.dogsinneedeverywhere.org or the group's Facebook page.
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