Q: Where can I find a list of local animal shelters and rescue organizations?
A: Here is a page of contact info for shelters and rescues in Shasta County.
Q: Where can I find a list of food banks in our area?
A: Here is a page of pet food assistance programs in Shasta County and around the country.
Q: Is Love Your Pet Expo a non-profit organization?
A: We are all volunteers and now we're also a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. We're hoping this new status will help in funding our work with special needs animals.
Q: Where does the money go from Love Your Pet Expo?
A: The fairgrounds gets most of it. If it weren't for the generosity of Petco to help offset that expense, there would be no Expo. Most of our advertising is donated, and our printing expenses discounted, but we still have some expenses in these areas. Web hosting is $25 per year with a bargain service, but that means no bells and whistles on our web pages. (Suz donates her services as webmaster.)
All of the profits from our annual event go directly to support our rescue animals. Since 2007 was our first year, those profits translated into approximately 2 bales of hay. 2008 was no better. In 2009, we went in the hole about $1500 due to a bad decision about movie theater advertising, but a generous donation of pet strollers helped to offset the deficit and keep our 60+ sanctuary animals fed and sheltered. Read about Katie's rescue critters and special needs animals, here.
Suz and Bob (Katie's parents) rescue stray cats in rural Oregon. They have 12 at this writing, all spayed/neutered. Several of these cats were from Katie's feral cat rescue efforts. Pet-related expenses consume more than 20% of their grocery budget, which doesn't go far on social security.
During the 2008 holiday season, Katie rescued a senior Aussie dog from the Holiday shopping center in Cottonwood. "Holly" was a perfect fit for Bob and Suz, so she now "manages" the cats in the Oregon sanctuary, but also adds to the overhead, causing even more of a budget crunch.
Since the Expo doesn't generate enough revenue to offer any support to the Oregon critters, Suz will be starting an online charity store, with all proceeds going to these animals.
Q: Does the website generate revenue?
A: Our website has never generated revenue before, but as of September 1, 2008, we added Google Ads, which covers the cost of web hosting.
Q: How much work does it take to put on a successful event like Love Your Pet Expo?
A: In 2007, Katie and Suz each spent about 1,000 hours on Love Your Pet Expo. In 2008, Suz was able to cut back to about 500 hours, since the website, sponsors, and advertisers were mostly in place, but Katie's workload increased with the addition of another building and barn for the 2008 show. By 2009 things had leveled out some. 2010 found Katie able to ease off a little, which is a good thing, since she works 5 days a week, goes to college 3 nights a week, volunteers all day on Saturdays, and takes care of almost 50 rescue animals. Suz is working harder this year, getting ready to expand the website and online store.
Q: I heard that what was donated to rescues was part of the entrance fees
and that it only went to "some rescues" and that the rescues who
benefited were some of the first to sign up. So, one rescue could be
getting nothing and be in a booth next to another rescue who got some
of the proceeds from the entrance fees.
A: The entrance fees go toward the cost of the fairgrounds ($1500-$2,000), insurance, advertising, and printings as do the vendor fees and sponsorships. The money that goes to the charities is from the charity auction. Yes, first come first served except Shasta Wildlife. They are one of our charities every year because Katie utilizes them so much when she finds injured or abandoned wild critters that can't be adopted or need specialized care and confinement.
Q: What is your adoption policy?
A: We don't offer adoptions. Love Your Pet Expo is a sanctuary. When an animal comes to us, it's coming to a forever home. If you're looking for a cat or dog to adopt, please visit our Shelters page. There you'll find links to available pets in Shasta County.
