MIDLOTHIAN, Va. (July 29, 2015) – PetSafe® brand, an industry leader in the development of innovative pet behavioral, containment and lifestyle product solutions, has donated $2,000 to the Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia, a small, foster-based dog rescue that specializes in saving pregnant and nursing mama dogs, orphaned puppies, neonates and bottle babies from shelters.
The award will fund additional equipment needed to complete the Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia’s Puppy NICU, including a puppy incubator with complete oxygen setup, custom-made nursers, a digital puppy scale and a whelping box. The Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia hopes to unveil the new Puppy NICU this September, which marks the group’s 5-year anniversary.
Toni Mark, Richmond Team Lead of the Philanthropy Committee for PetSafe brand, recognizes the commitment the Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia has to saving the lives of pregnant, orphaned and sick dogs.
“The Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia has developed a reputation in the community for their completely dedicated fosters and their adeptness in helping the young, tough cases,” Mark said. “We are honored to support the important, lifesaving work the Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia does for the dogs in our community.”
For Adri Herron, executive director of the Sanctuary Rescue Group of Virginia, news about the grant funding was bittersweet.
“Ironically, we got word that our proposal for a Puppy NICU had been granted on the same day that we lost one of our bottle babies, Lincoln, to pneumonia, so I was very emotional when I got the message,” Herron recalls. “Despite the sadness we felt over losing Lincoln, I was overcome with hope for all the puppies that come to us in the future and will have access to this lifesaving equipment, thanks to PetSafe brand’s generous grant.”
Herron says the cornerstone of the Puppy NICU will be the puppy incubator with digital humidity controls/readout, a supplemental oxygen setup that will allow the incubator to function as an oxygen cage and a special nebulizer attachment.
“Unfortunately, it isn't unusual for us to get puppies born prematurely due to stress from the shelter environment on their mom, smaller puppies born to a malnourished stray, puppies that quickly contract pneumonia due to kennel cough, or even orphaned puppies,” Herron adds. “The incubator is a very high-tech piece of equipment that many veterinarians’ offices don’t even have, and is going to give any puppy that's struggling in the first few weeks of life every possible advantage to grow stronger and healthier.”