Sponsor Hope

You saved us!
December 14, 2024

About the Program

Hello HART people,

We dogs and cats of Abingdon would like to thank all of you for everything you do to save us. We sit in that place they call the shelter in Abingdon and wonder what we did wrong to get there. They give us food and water and a pretty clean piece of cement or hard vinyl pallet to lay on but other than that it's noisy, hot, crowded and very scary. Sometimes they take dogs out and we never see them again. We wonder what happens to them. We think it's not always good. There's one lady who comes though and spends time with us and says nice words like "You're handsome", "You're beautiful" and "I'll get you out of here, I promise". That makes us feel better for a short time.

Then one morning the men in orange come and take some of us to a white van and put us in crates. That's scary. We travel a long way with some nice men who put us in another van and we ride some more. Late in the evening when we're hungry, hot and tired we finally stop. Some very nice people take us out, give us food and water, love on us, make us comfortable and tell us we're safe now. We don't know what that word means but somehow we know we're OK because we're with the HART people who we were told would take good care of us and find us loving homes. Animals always understand a kind hand and voice!

Love,
Dogs and Cats

This was written by Kay Stewart on behalf of the dogs and cats at the Abingdon shelter located in Southern Virginia near the Tennessee border. This letter was the inspiration for our new sponsorship program to help us rescue even more dogs and cats from high kill shelters in desperate need of our help. For many of these dogs and cats, HART is often the last or only resource.

Many of you know that the Abingdon shelter is a high kill facility. Sadly, it is not the only one. HART receives calls every day from rural shelters in Virginia and West Virginia (and sometimes even farther away) asking if we can take one more. Our partnership with Kay has made a huge difference at the Abingdon shelter, which euthanizes every dog and cat at the shelter at noon every Thursday. Working with HART, Kay pulls every animal we can commit to taking, and any others she can save, every Thursday morning, before the killing starts. While HART is able to rescue many wonderful animals from this high kill shelter and others, sadly we do not have the financial resources to save them all.

The "Sponsor Hope" program will help HART rescue more animals from Abingdon and other high kill shelters. Each sponsorship will go toward helping HART rescue a dog or cat from a shelter that would likely not otherwise be saved. We will post pictures online each week of all the shelter animals we pulled that week so you will see how your sponsorship helped HART save a life.

How You Can Help

It is heartbreaking to get an email from a shelter begging us to help a dog or cat they cannot hold one more day, but it does cost money to help. A vet exam, vaccines, heartworm test (for dogs) or FIV test (for cats) and spay/neuter costs about $300 for each animal. If we don't have an available foster home, boarding costs for a dog until it is adopted can average between $300 and $450. But any size donation helps save lives. We can’t do it without your help!

Please consider a donation that will go to sponsoring a dog or cat in a high kill shelter and to help HART help them. Donations are tax deductible and can be made by PayPal or by mailing a check to our office. Sponsor names will appear on this page for 1 year. PayPal donors: Please put your dedication (in memory of..., in honor of...) in the "Instructions for HART" box.

Any amount is appreciated; we have the following sponsorship categories:

Under $50 - Sponsor
$50-$149 - Bronze Sponsor
$150-$299 - Silver Sponsor
$300-499 - Gold Sponsor
$500 and Up - Platinum Sponsor

Click the button below to donate using your PayPal account or a credit card. You do not need to have a PayPal account to donate with a credit card! Please enter your address into the "Shipping Information" if you would like to receive our newsletter and our written thanks.

Platinum Sponsors ($500 and Up)

Charlie Winters
Sandra Scholar, In memory of Minnie, Lily, Babe, Hurricane Hattie, and all the other wonderful dogs and cats HART has saved in the past, and will save in the future.
Amy Cho, Hilda's new mommy
Anonymous, In honor of the surprise and joy of dogs.
Eleanor Smith
Shalini Robison, In honor of the overlooked and harder to adopt dogs. May they all find loving forever homes soon.
Joy Strickland
Stephen Grau, in memory of Atisha's Samwise
Kimberly Horner
Sandra Pressman, In loving memory of my beloved HART dogs, Daphne and Cricket, who blessed my life for more than 16 years. My heart is with you always.
Verena Sander
Jaime Toffling
Emily Weems
Verena Sander
Chantal Middleton, In Loving Memory of Walter the Beagle.
Chrystine Woodstock, In loving memory of our first rescues: Pebbles, Willow, Lovey, and Emma.

Gold Sponsors ($300-$499)

Patricia Cake, in memory of all the Cake and Lynch kitties in heaven
Jeanne O'Donoghue, in memory of Casey Girl and Duchess
Charlene Bofinger, in honor and memory of Ed Kurowski - a long time HART volunteer and wonderful foster Dad. Ed, you will be terribly missed by so many including all of your four legged family members. I hope that in some manner you are with your beloved Domino now.
Anonymous, in honor of Victor H. Atehortua and his sidekick Jolie
Dora Rodrigues
Shellie Coury, William & Jessica, this is in your honor for the sacrifice, dedication and LOVE you give to all of the dogs you save from shelters. Teddy Bear is the best dog we have ever met and are grateful you saved his life. THANK YOU, love the Coury Girls
Deborah Sellmeyer
Marc Langston
Stephen Swart

Silver Sponsors ($150-$299)

Carolyn Cyran
Neal Henderson
Mary Alice Beale
Alice Moore
Rachel Tanner & Susan Taylor, in honor of all our past and present furry family members
Adam Frank
Rena Loesch
Zachary Kennedy
Eileen Walsh, With gratitude for HART volunteers who helped us find Minou, and with the hope that all pets find a safe forever home. - Eileen, Ron and Erin
Maria, in honor of APEX / Marti- Anatolian shepherd dog. Thanks for saving him - Maria
Tina Huang, in memory of ET, Sasha and Silika
Marie Cecil
Tran Khuu
Jared Travis, To honor Vicki Denfeld- Thank you for your love of animals and your love of people. We appreciate your dedication and support! Your friends at the GTHCC
Kristina, Kyla, Kerstin, and Jeff Gordon, in memory of Pele and Smarty, two awesome dogs that were saved from euthanasia at a shelter in Southern VA and brought a lot of joy and teaching moments to their human companions. And for HART who help even more dogs to enrich people's lives.
Susan Pohl
Jay Leathers
Francis Fisher
Rena Loesch
Anonymous, In memory of Millie Mutinsky
Javier Rodriguez
Kimberly Lucci, In memory of Don Lasko and his beloved cat, Ethel. Both were kind, generous and loving souls. They will always be missed and never forgotten.
Sonya and Sandy Duong, In memory of Vivian Thuy Nguyen and her unconditional love for her two dogs, Simba and Brody

Bronze Sponsors ($50-$149)

Diane Harris, in honor of Roxanne Harris' former HART dog named Sacha
Anonymous, "This is in honor of all the HART volunteers who do such a great job and get so little recognition."
Barbara Coughlin
Courtney Evans
Your Dog Smiles Pet Services, in Memory of Cathy Cottle
Francescka Bailey
Rachel Miller
Charlene Bofinger, in memory of William Vessey, Sissey's beloved dad. Mr. Vessey loved dogs and particularly his much adored basset hound, Ethel.
Marcia Walker, in memory of Rocky and Kacie. Beloved pets of Alex Walker and family.
Tiffany Tully
Jeanne Trimble, in memory of Pepper Slater (1997-2010), beloved German Shepherd of David Slater
Jeanne Trimble, in memory of Scarlet Hartman (1995-2010), beloved dog of Susan Slater Hartman and the Hartman family.
Carolyn, in honor of her Dad, who was beloved by dogs big and small...
Amanda Scholl
Christina Dzingala, in loving memory of Mia
Orman Deane, "Thank you for Zora the boxer!!! She is the best dog we could have ever asked for!!!"
Karen Shaw
Jeanne O'Donoghue
Karen, in memory of Andy
Rena Loesch
Marylin Shaikh
Debra Wright, A contribution made on behalf of Kyle Wright for his 16th birthday from his furry shadow Charity (from Abingdon).
Jessica Rothfuss, in honor of Kim Bradley
Tiffany Tully
Brian Purdy
Wendy Brafman
Sonya Goldstein, In honor of Harry (formerly Yogi) who is greatly loved and adored by his fellow Jack Russell "terrorist" Frasier and the Goldsteins. Thank you HART!
Patricia Jennings
Andrea Infante
Nicole Bourke, in honor of Cashie, my beautiful, loving cat who is my forever friend. May other people out there get to experience that same bond of friendship with an animal.
Nancy Chajet, in memory of Sadie, who was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.
Christine Mendoza
Kim Poineau
Keith Farb
Dana Campbell, from Jack the cat and Sophie the cat on behalf of their canine and feline brothers and sisters
Tina Huang and BugBug, in memory of ET.
Ellen Rajewski
Loretta Paruti, in honor of my second family: Sam, Kathy, T-Bone and Rocket Scoggin...there is never a shortage of puppy love with you!
Alice Trued
Lisa Pozega, With love from us all at www.Badkittycrafts.etsy.com! Keep up the amazing work HART!
Klarita Kalmanovich
Stephannie Ledesma
Katy Gadzichowski
Lovey Testa
Charlene Goldstein
Matt McGarry
Erin Hallahan
Jenny Wang
Amanda Witkowski
Jenny Wang
Corinne Ogu, in memory of Sandy
A. Michael Monroe
Melissa Dickey
Cynthia Laurrell, in memory of Sonny, the sweet and very well-loved furry child of Susan Slater Hartman and her family.

Sponsors (Under $50)

Wendy Brafman, in honor of all rescuers and the pets they saved
Jenny Miller
Oki Radic, in honor of George, Peachy Pie and Jessie
Cynthia Freeland
Surah Rahman
Jim & Marianne Herzog, thanks Hart for all your great work
Kevin Wallace
Maria Rivero, for Roxy, thank you!!!!
Leigh Nicholl
Carla Mangone