Have you collected one of our fun WAMAL bookmarks at any of our events or have you seen the posters of the available adoptables? Do you have one of our 2022 calendars? Those are just a few examples of the talents of our super volunteer Ron Kerrigan! Not new to rescue, Ron has been involved with several local rescues like Old Dog Haven and WAIF (Whidbey Island) and is very active with Dogs on Deployment. Dogs on Deployment is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides a central network for America's Heroes to find volunteers willing to board their pets while they are deployed or have other service commitments making them temporarily unable to care for their pets. No pet should ever be surrendered to a shelter due to a service commitment.
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To say Ron has a huge heart when it comes to helping dogs would be an understatement. Zippo, one of our senior dogs, was Ron's 61st adopted dog! Ron shares, "In March 2022 I lost two of my senior dogs. Only having three other dogs, I decided I could foster a younger dog through WAMAL. When I inquired about a two- or three-year old dog, I was told about 10-year-old Zippo. He was in a foster home but the family needed to get him a new place by mid-April. Not wanting to send him back into a kennel environment, he came to my place for a visit to meet my current pack. It went well and a few days later Zippo came to stay, along with his box of medications and supplements.
"Zippo turned out to be very affectionate and quickly picked up our routine, including a daily walk back in the woods of his new home. He was an expert counter-surfer, so some care was needed when leaving anything edible in his reach. He even learned to open my refrigerator, so now the kitchen was off-limits.
"He is the 61st dog I've adopted; many were old or in poor health, so their time wasn't that long with us. Zippo has many old-dog ailments, and his medications and supplements help keep his aging body comfortable during his retirement. As expected, he howls when I leave the house, but I have understanding neighbors. He may not be with us for many years, but he will have a comfortable place for as long as it's needed."
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Sadly, Zippo's remaining days were shorter than we had all hoped, and he passed away after only a couple of months with Ron. Flint, one of Zippo's littermates, came to Ron for fostering shortly after. "Coming up on his sixth night with us and it's probably safe to move him into the "Adopted" column," Ron wrote to us. Adoption #62.
Ron, you are the embodiment and personification of all the good things that are RESCUE! We are honored to count you among our 'pack' of fantastic volunteers, supporter, fosters, and adopters! You are ALL of the above and more!!
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RAISE THE RWOOF!...SHED HAPPENS!! |
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When we first opened our Malley Valley kennel, we converted the existing barn space into 8 kennels. The plan was to eventually expand our facilities to house up to 12 pups, the maximum permitted. When Covid hit, adoptions went way up. But then the ‘post-Covid’ realities created a new dynamic and WAMAL, along with other rescues and shelters nation-wide, were hit with overwhelming numbers of surrendered pets.
Six months ago, WAMAL decided it was time to act. After meeting with several design firms to consider expansion plans, it became clear that our dreams and our current realities took divergent paths—it was too expensive and time consuming to build our dream facility.
So, we stepped back and took a closer look at our current facilities. Was there a way to make the current kennels easier to access and clean? Was there room in the already existing structure to add additional kennels? Could there be a place that would allow more comfort for volunteers who are out there in all kinds of inclement weather?
The answers, we are happy to say, were YES! In mid-July, we started moving forward after receiving seed money to start the upgrades. There is concrete being poured, fences being moved, new kennels being assembled, and plans in the works for new safe and secure coverings for all the kennels.
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Integral to the overall design are 2 new sheds: a tool shed to allow for additional kennels by freeing up barn space currently used for storage; and a feeding preparation/volunteer shed. This will be a sheltered space for volunteers to check in, grab something hot to drink on a cold day, or a chilled beverage on a hot day, change into dry/clean clothes, and record and share information about the dogs. In addition, there will be ample space to prepare meals for the dogs and to store supplements and medications for easy access.
The time has come to order these 2 sheds and in order to keep moving forward we are asking you for help. We are kicking off our “SHED HAPPENS” phase of the RAISE THE RWOOF! funding campaign which will last through August! The total estimated cost for these 2 sheds is $10,000 with additional monies needed for plumbing, electrical and build out costs.
Will you consider a donation to help cover the cost for these sheds and allow us to continue with our upgrade plans for housing more dogs and creating a practical space for volunteers and food preparation? Any amount is appreciated because it all adds up! For any donation of $50 or more we will joyfully add your name or that of a beloved person or pet to the Donor plaque that will be displayed in the volunteer shed! For donations of $1000 or more, let’s chat! We’d love to offer you naming rights to one of our 12 new kennels!
Click HERE or the button below to access our RAISE THE RWOOF! website page to donate by PayPal or credit card. For donations of $50+ there is space on the page to indicate engraving details. For other payment options, please email us at treasurer@wamal.com; place "Raise the Rwoof" in the subject line.
If you work for a company that offers donation matching, your gift can have double the impact! Please email treasurer@wamal.com for any help with required forms or notifications.
Questions? Email us at wamal@wamal.com and place "Raise the Rwoof" in the subject line. Thank you SO much! We look forward to being able to help more pups with your generous assistance!
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There’s a fun, easy way to help feed, house and get medical care for one of our rescued Mals! Join our community of compassionate supporters whose donations help provide the necessary financial support for a rescued Malamute—become a WAMAL SPONSOR!!
- Sponsorships are monthly gifts of $25, $50 or more to help pay for housing, food, supplements, immunizations, medication, spay/neutering, and vet visits.
- You choose the Malamute you’d like to Sponsor!
- Receive a digital or printed certificate featuring your Sponsored Malamute and quarterly “pupdates” with news and photos!!
- Gift in the name of a friend or family member, and we’ll happily provide them with the certificate and pupdates!
- Your donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
Give the gift of compassion that helps a rescued Mal to live their life in peace, comfort, and safety while they await their furever home.
Click the button below to find out more and see our list of available dogs for Sponsorship! For any questions email sponsorship@wamal.com!
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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR POORLY DRAWN PETS FUNDRAISER! |
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Thank you to our volunteer “artists” and to all of you who submitted a picture of your pet(s)! We raised over $3000 to help our pups! Whoooo..hoooo!! This was our first year, and the response was incredible! We received such positive feedback that we will likely hold it again next year! |
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LOOT 4 MOOTS AUCTION IS COMING:
OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 6!
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The basement is overflowing, and the madness has started! We have been collecting Mal/Husky/Wolf centered items all year and have received some absolutely amazing donations too: a bright festive handmade quilt with 3-D details; personally crafted leather pouches with paw prints (and some with fringe); original artwork by Janet Knight (aka Lucking); unique clothing, housewares and decorator items; literally, hundreds more items!! We are busy grouping, inputting, and photographing everything to upload to our Auction website.
If you have any item donations you would like to submit, please email me at MalHappyTails@gmail.com ASAP so we can make arrangements to receive it in time to add to our catalog. In the meantime, make sure to put the Auction start date of October 25th on your calendar!!
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FUNDRAISING EVENT: HOPS n DROPS |
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This just in under the wire… HOPS n DROPS, a local family-owned restaurant, reached out to WAMAL offering to host a fundraiser for us at their Frederickson location: 5314 176 th St E, Tacoma. They had read about the Raise the Rwoof fundraiser for upgrades at our Malley Valley kennel and wanted to help out!
Join us Wednesday September 7th from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Come to the restaurant for some yummy food and drinks, and bring the flyer below or tell them you’re there to support WAMAL. HOPS n DROPS will donate 20% of your check total to us! In addition, we will be hosting a silent auction with some fun and unique gift baskets. 100% of the money raised from the silent auction goes to WAMAL too!
So please put this date on your calendar! Unfortunately, the September Malley MUSE will be coming out after this event, so if you are not on our social media you may miss it! You can always send me an email at MalHappyTails@gmail.com and ask me to remind you, which I am happy to do!
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Do you like baseball games? Do you like dogs? Then come on out to the Seattle Mariners' Bark at the Park event on Tuesday August 23rd!
Not only can your (well behaved) 4-legged bestie join you for the M's game against the Nationals, but WAMAL adoptable Midas will be there to represent - and hopefully meet his future furever family!
Attendees can even score a FREE custom pet ID tag from Pawsitive Alliance and a limited edition Bark at the Park Mariners-themed item. Click the button below to reserve your seats!
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Oct 1&2 10AM-6PM
Downtown Issaquah, WA
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WAMAL is expanding and so is our need for volunteers! Do you have some time and talents to donate? We are looking for volunteers to serve in the following roles. Please email me at MalHappyTails@gmail.com if you can help or would like more info!
Adoption team bio update coordinator: Frequently dogs change after being in a foster home or at the kennel for a while from when they first arrived at rescue. We need someone to keep the dog bios updated in order to accurately reflect their personalities and behaviors and to follow up with walkers, fosters, etc., especially when the dog has been with us for several months. Time requirement: 1-2 hours/week (will be more initially to bring current bios up to speed).
Sponsorship team member:
We are growing the program and looking to add to the existing team! Looking for someone who is interested in helping to promote sponsorship program and who is comfortable reaching out to existing sponsors with updates. Time requirement: 1-2 hours/week.
Grants team member:
We need additional team members who are interested and experienced in searching out grant opportunities and/or writing grants. Time requirement: 2 hours/week.
Vancouver/Portland events team members and Ambassadogs:
WAMAL is re-starting our in person events program in the Van/Port area. We need people interested in being at events in stores (ex: PetSmart), festivals and other community events to represent WAMAL, answer questions and hand out information. Anyone with a Mal (or Mal-mix) pup who is good with people and other dogs is invited to join our Van/Port Ambassadog team! Event shifts are usually 2-3 hours for people and 2 hours for Ambassadogs.
Events coordination:
Looking for people who are independently motivated and self-directed to take on coordination of events in the greater Seattle/Tacoma/Everett area. We need several team members who can interface with event sponsors, coordinate volunteers and Ambassadog teams, set-up and take down booths and handle sale of merchandise (when appropriate). Time requirement is dependent upon season and number of events.
Fundraising coordination:
Looking for people who are independently motivated and self-directed to take on coordination of Fundraising. We have several annual fundraisers that are already established with systems in place but there is room to expand! Fundraisers can be online, Facebook driven, tied to events, or in-person. Looking for several team members who can coordinate PR, respond to donors, brainstorm fundraising possibilities, and put them in motion. Time requirement is flexible depending upon the number and timing of fundraisers. We are looking for a team to put the ‘FUN’ in fundraising!!
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Your hands, my floof - I think we could make beautiful belly rubs together! They call me Maya and I'm looking for a new home where I'll get lots of said belly rubs - could you be the one I'm looking for?
I had a rough puppyhood and sadly those experiences have left me pretty reactive to other doggos, so I definitely want to be your only pup! But I'm a charmer and a cuddler around humans, even the little ones (all the better to get those belly rubs I love so much!)
I would love to play ball or tug with you and to go on car rides with you - I ride really well in the car! But if I can't go with you then I'll serenade you with my lovely wooooos when you get home!
I know my basic commands and I've even been trained not to pull so I walk quite nicely on a leash. I'm still a young girl so I'd enjoy lots of walkies!
Do you think there is room in your heart and home for me? Please apply to adopt me today!
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Hi everyone! My name is Tank and I'm proof that good things come in small packages! I'm a young, handsome (seriously - have you seen my striking mask!), playful boy who packs a lot of energy and a ton of good looks into this compact (for a mal, anyway) body!
I love meeting people and getting lots of attention. I know some basic commands and I'll be happy to learn more of them, provided you keep the treats coming! I'd love to be your companion on hiking adventures or even just leisurely sniffy walks.
I can sometimes play nicely with other dogs, but I kinda wanna be top dog and I don't really wanna share my toys or food, so it's probably best if I'm your one and only. But don't worry, I'll give you all the love and affection and puppy kisses you could ever desire!
I am looking for my furever home but in the meantime I'd also be happy to find a good foster home to get me out of the kennel! Won't you consider applying to bring me home?
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If neither of these pups seem like a good fit for you please make sure to check out all the other wonderful dogs WAMAL has up for adoption right now!
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