In June, St. Paws Thrift Store donated $2,500 to five El Paso County animal rescue groups: Westie Rescue Network, SAINT Animal Rescue, Kritter Karavan, Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic and Look What the Cat Brought In.Each group received $500 at an awards ceremony held at the St. Paws Thrift Store in Colorado Springs.SAINT Animal RescueJerry and Diane Rineck live in Calhan and founded Saving Animals In Need Together Animal Rescue after an incident of animal abuse in their neighborhood.Many of the animals – mostly dogs and cats – they take in are surrendered by people who are moving or being deployed, Diane Rineck said.The Rinecks don’t have enough room for all the animals they’re asked to help, so they would like to build a kennel. A kennel would cost $50,000 – over their budget – so they’re hoping for some donors to make that dream come true.Meanwhile, SAINT needs more foster homes, Diane Rineck said.SAINT will use the money from St. Paws to pay veterinary bills for dogs like Amber, who was abandoned in a backyard when her owners moved out.”She has an old, healed broken shoulder bone that we had X-rayed,” Rineck said. “Our vet thinks she might have been thrown against the outside corner of a wall, as the bone is broken in half and crossed.”They’ll also use the money to spay and neuter puppies, Jerry Rineck said.For more information, visit http://SaintAnimalRescue.org.Westie Rescue NetworkWestie Rescue Network in Falcon is a breed-specific rescue group for West Highland White Terriers.According to its Web site, through its network of foster homes, the group places about 70 dogs a year and often has more adoption applications than dogs available.For more information, visit http://westierescuenetwork.org.Hamlett Spay and Neuter ClinicSusan Moe, executive director of the Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic in Colorado Springs, said their St. Paws donation would be used for their Spay and Neuter Free for Seniors Program.Under the program, senior citizens 60 years and older can have up to four cats or dogs spayed or neutered for free in a single year. The procedure includes rabies and distemper shots, if the shots are administered the same day.Moe said the clinic has been providing this service for nine years, and it has become so popular that continuous funding is necessary.Kritter KaravanA retired Colorado Springs school teacher, Kathy Beers, has a passion for small exotic animals.Beers’ United States Department of Agriculture exhibitor’s license allows her to provide homes for exotic animals that otherwise would be un-adoptable.The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region asked her to take in a red-eared slider turtle that’s too small to be adopted by the public, and she was also able to take in two ball pythons that were left in the Humane Society’s night drop.Beers enjoys sharing her animals with others, especially children, whom she reaches through the Pikes Peak Library District.Last year, she gave a presentation for children at libraries comparing chinchillas (really soft) and hedgehogs (lots of hard quills). This year, she’ll be making 13 presentations involving more of her exotic animals.It’s a great way to learn to respect living things at a young age, she said.Beers said she plans to use her donation from St. Paws to supplement the $1,000 a month she spends on food and veterinary care for her animals.”St. Paws is a miracle for a lot of us,” Beers said.For more information, visit http://KritterKaravan.org.Look What the Cat Brought InJennifer Nosler is president and founder of Look What the Cat Brought In, a no-kill cat shelter in Colorado Springs.Her organization finds homes for cats from the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, the Montrose Animal Control Facility and private surrenders.Nosler said she received her donation from St. Paws in April because of an emergency.A breeder turned hoarder in Arizona was told to give up 95 Siamese, Bengal and Pixi-Bob cats or go to jail because of the terrible shape the cats were in and the conditions in which they were being kept.The breed-specific rescue groups in Arizona were overwhelmed, and Look What the Cat Brought In agreed to provide shelter and care for 35 of them, Nosler said.The $500 from St. Paws helped pay for dental care for the Arizona cats; one of the cats – the shelter staff named her Latte – had to have all of her teeth removed.The shelter also recently took in a cat found on Cimarron Street in Colorado Springs with a broken leg, possibly caused by a dog bite. The leg had to be amputated, Nosler said.”I can’t say enough about how good St. Paws is,” she said. “They’re becoming a great resource in the community, and they just barely opened their doors. They’re helping the shelters get to know each other and share resources.”For more information, visit http://lookwhatthecatbroughtin.org.About St. Paws Thrift StoreSt. Paws Thrift Store opened its doors at 3275 East Platte Ave. in Colorado Springs earlier this year with the goal of helping other organizations that care for abandoned, neglected and abused animals.A group of women who volunteer for local animal rescue groups started St. Paws, after realizing the struggles associated with each group’s fundraising efforts.The store accepts donations of used clothing, furniture, small working appliances, jewelry, books and other items; then sells them and donates all proceeds, after expenses, to local animal rescue groups.Because of its success, St. Paws plans to make donations to five rescue groups every other month, said Linda Hoover, volunteer.Since St. Paws opened for business, they’ve donated $4,000 to eight animal rescue groups, Hoover said.The store is open for shopping Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and they accept donations until 5 p.m. Donations are tax-deductible.For more information, visit http://StPaws.com.
