Board Meeting Report - January 9, 2021

Our annual meeting was held on Saturday and included Tina Russo, Karen McCall and Jeannie McMahon (board member emeritus) in person and Briana Sullivan (board member emeritus) on speakerphone; Dotti Ernst, board member, was unable to attend by Zoom as planned, due to a health emergency. The meeting was started at 11:00.

We reviewed the minutes from the Board meeting in January 2020, and there were no additions or corrections.

All areas of GSRNE were reviewed and discussed, starting with Intake, which reported that we took in 24 dogs in 2020 and responded to 233 calls from locations in New England and 16 from out of our area.

Our Foster Home responsibilities are divided between reviewing a new application and responding, which is handled by Debbie V; other duties include scheduling a home visit for those who qualify, checking references, setting up an approved foster home with a dog to foster, support person for each foster home, sending and keeping track of microchips, and a coordinator to keep records and send reminders when vet visits and foster home reports are due. We currently don’t have a FH Coordinator so support people are helping out, and we need to fill that position.

In the Buddy area, there was an increase in donations to $1,995 from the amount donated in 2019, which was $1,100. Most of this came from the monthly donation option.

Our Adoption Team placed 29 dogs in 2020, in spite of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We tried posting the Adoption Application on our Website, but this caused a large influx of new applications, many that would have been weeded out by our Hotline volunteers. People were having to wait too long to get a response, so we have discontinued that option.

In the Events/Fundraising area, we were not able to do in-person events; but our Online fundraising efforts were successful. Our Membership Renewal Drive, under Briana S., Sam T. and Tina R. in February 2020 brought in $5,000 last year. The Calendar Raffle, headed by Lauralee D. raised $11,100, and Trim-a-Tree, done by Chris H. and Sam T. brought us $10,862. Our 2021 calendars are selling well; many thanks to Rob P. for processing all orders, setting the payment system for them and handling the orders! A new offering is our GSRNE masks with a GSD logo, which was suggested and managed by Loueen L. with help from Jeannie M., and that made a profit of $2,333.35 over the expense of buying the masks. We’re continuing to sell those in 2021 and still generating income there.

The Working Dog program exists to help dogs who are too energetic to be in most homes, and our Training Director, Mary F., responds to those calls to follow up.

Hotlines area: After many years as the Adoption Hotline Coordinator, Amy K. asked for someone to take over that job. Debbie J., who has helped listen to and return those calls for years agreed to become the new coordinator. Those volunteers responded to 670 calls in 2020! The General Hotline is handled by Mike L. and his team, and they took care of 154 calls last year.

Membership area: We sent out a membership renewal letter in February 2020, thanks to the efforts of Tina R., Sam T. and Briana S. This brought in $5,000 from members, and we plan to send a reminder this February. This really helps make up a bit for not being able to hold one of our major fundraisers, the Auction!

Foster Supplies area: Jim H. and Peter A. move supplies to new foster homes as needed and help with keeping the supplies in order in our storage unit.

Photography area: We are sad to lose two of our talented photographers. Donna J. was our first Photography Coordinator and helped bring others on board. Sue D. has moved too far away, accepting an excellent job opportunity; they will both keep in touch with GSRNE. Our current Coordinator, Loueen L., has been doing an excellent job for several years, taking photos, recruiting new photographers, keeping all our photos organized in folders on Smugmug and helping put together our annual GSRNE calendars.

Follow-up area: Lucy M. reaches out to our adopters to request updates about our “graduates” (adopted dogs), and we feature at least one in our monthly Newsletter. She also responds to inquiries from people who see our dogs on Petfinder. Raj P. has been keeping our Happy Tails pages updated, and Jim H. will be taking over that job. The Rainbow Bridge page was being updated by Tahirih M., who recently had to leave due to work, and Briana S. will take over, as one of her many jobs for GSRNE.

Communications/Website: Tina R., our Facebook Coordinator, reports that our FB page now has almost 23,000 followers, and our posts reach 104,000 people! Briana S. is our Website Manager, Gail V. and Gina D. create our Newsletter each month, and Melissa W. does Instagram for our rescue. Kathy V. responds to emails that come to our Contact Us email address. We use Constant Contact to send special information to our membership, and Sam T. makes sure those go out.

Transport area: Barbara J. is our coordinator and sends out a request when a dog needs to be moved. Requests are sent to her from the Intake Coordinator, Dotti E., and board members are notified about who will be doing the transport so it can be authorized.

Volunteer area: Jeannie M. is the coordinator, and Dotti E. has been doing initial interviews with new applicants and sending overviews to the coordinators so they can put the new volunteers to work. Jeannie follows up to ask whether they have a GSRNE job yet.

Annual Report: Briana S., as treasurer, is putting together the information to be posted on our Website. The estimate for Income in 2020 is $103,400, with expenses of $119,000.

Our Mail comes to a post office box in Wayland, MA and Debbie S. and Fran P. continue to do an excellent job of picking it up and sending it to the people who will follow up.

Some fundraising ideas had been presented on a Zoom meeting hosted by Sam T. and were brought up by Jeannie M. to help us generate income this year so we can continue helping the German Shepherds who need us. We need ideas and volunteers who can put them into action!

The GSRNE Board of Directors

We have sniffed out the best images for our GSRNE 2021 Calendars.

They are available at future events, through our website, or mail at our PO Box 299, Wayland, MA 01778. Cost is $15 plus postage.

Storm - the 2021 GSRNE Calender Cover Photo

Information is available on our website at:

 https://gsrne.org/gsrne-live/2021-calendar/ and our newsletter.

Our 2021 Calendar is filled with GORGEOUS shots of our GSRNE dogs! Buy one for you and all your friends too!

Keeping track of important dates on your calendar is easy when you can view 12 months of inspiring images that reflect your personal interests. Our high-quality calendar adds impact to any room. Calendars will again be $15.00 plus postage

GSRNE CANDLES FOR SALE!

With 29 different fabulous scents to choose from we know you’ll find your favorite!  Our GSRNE Candles make the perfect gift for friends, and family.  Try our amazing scents that are perfect for Fall as well as upcoming Holiday gift giving!   Still 100% soy..... they burn evenly (same product as before but new company and more scents). Candles are 16 oz and cost $19.99 plus shipping and handling.

Choose from a variety of styles to decorate every room in your home. Indulge yourself with our Spa fragrance, be inspired with our Pure Soy line, create your own scents with our clamshells, evoke your memories with the Hometowne Illuminations and create any mood with our classic line.

Click on the link below to see all styles in the collection.

Our masks are available for purchase now! Check out our website to order at  http://www.gsrne.org!

You can always find exciting offerings at our annual Auction. Mark your calendars for our AUCTION 2021 at Springhill Suites in Peabody, MA on Sunday, Oct 3rd! This Marriott property is the same location as last year and provides us with a most spacious venue.

Springhill Suites by Marriott

43 Newbury Street

Peabody, MA 01960

Please Save The Date! Sunday, Oct 3, 2021

This is always an exciting event! We hope to see you there!

Katy #495 was adopted by Tammy and Mike in 2018 after a series of small world incidents connected them and their puppy Mason (not a GSRNE alumni) to Katy. Mason and Katy started life as litter mates, went to different families, and are now reunited as brother and sister in a loving home with Tammy and Mike.

They are both three years old now and loving life; they play and “fight” like a true brother and sister pair. Katy is the wild-child of the sibling pair though they are both relatively active. They stay home contentedly together all day while Tammy and Mike work but in the evening, the fun begins.

Katy (left) and Mason (right)

Katy especially loves her stuffed animals and toys – Katy will grab hold of any toy and then run away so she is chased. She and Mason also love to play tug-of-war with Frisbees and that seems to be Katy’s favorite. She also loves to swim in the swimming pool though Mason will only get his feet wet. Tammy and Mike take the two dogs hiking as well since they are such active dogs.

Katy is very loving and attached to her humans. Neither Tammy nor Mike can move without Katy following them. She sleeps in their bed and has a tendency to take it over; a lot of the time she wants nothing more than just to be petted. Thanks to GSRNE and Tammy and Mike, Katy is in a loving home after an unusual journey!

You may have noticed that you have not been getting messages from our Yahoo group mail. Yahoo is no longer supporting our group or any other. All members were to have been automatically moved to the new platform which Google provides. If you are receiving posts then all is well; however, we think many of you are missing. Here are the actions to take if you wish us to verify you are in the group:

1) CREATE an email message to volunteer@gsrne.org SUBJECT LINE: Google group.

2) MESSAGE body should include your name and email address to check.

3) ADD email of gsrne@googlegroups.com to your contacts so you will be able to post.

We will research and be sure you are added. You will receive a confirmation email from Remy or Jeannie.

This is the group communication with our volunteers and members asking for home visits, sharing adoption news, letting you know of events and letting you ask questions and share information about your dog, etc. Please be sure you are part of the group!! Thank you!

Rocco was owned by an elderly woman who fell when taking him for a walk. Being a typical GSD, as people went running up to help her, there was a lot of yelling and commotion, and he became very protective of his owner as the strangers tried to pull him away from her. Unfortunately, he nipped one of them on the arm. It was small punctures and fortunately, no stitches were needed. This was the first incident ever like this from Rocco who has always been good with people.

We were called to help Rocco when it was evident that the elderly woman who owned him could no longer care for him. She was moving into a senior housing complex that would not allow a big dog like Rocco to live there. As a young dog he had a lot of professional training even staying with the trainer for boarding, and accompanying the trainer with his own dogs and family on camping trips. At the time Rocco was being surrendered, the trainer wrote us a lovely letter explaining how great a dog that Rocco was and was relieved we were taking him into GSRNE.

In mid-September, we moved Rocco to a new foster home that had a three-year-old female GSD. At first things went well, but within a few weeks, once he became more comfortable in the home, Rocco became pushy. He seemed to bond very quickly with the husband but was beginning to growl at the wife when she would walk into the room. After a walk, he would plop down into a sit and refuse to come inside and with a tug on the leash, he would begin to growl. The foster home started to become afraid of him, and we realized that he was more dog than they could handle, so we moved him to a board and train facility.

Rocco has completed his obedience training and is doing excellent. He is friendly and well behaved with all the staff at the facility. He is a dog that needs strong leadership and good dog skills. He requires a confident person because he will test you at first to see if you’re a pushover. Our trainer, who has been working with him, told us he’s a great dog but needs a pack leader —someone who is not afraid of the big 100-pound boy, or he will challenge you. He has been out in the daycare facility with other dogs, and he is fine with the females but not with the other dogs that are males. Rocco would do best in a home that is willing to continue obedience training with him.

After his inauguration, President Joe Biden, a long-time GSD lover, brought two GSDs into the White House. Champ is 12 years old. Major is 2 years old and will be the first shelter dog to live at the residence. The Bidens fostered Major for the Delaware Humane Association and then adopted him.

Since the origin of the GSD breed in 1899, there have been a number of GSDs to occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The first was Pat, a GSD belonging to Herbert Hoover. Known as “#1 Dog”, Pat patrolled the grounds of the White House from 1930 to 1933 during Hoover’s term as President.

Right after Hoover vacated the residence, another GSD, also named Major, moved into the White House when Franklin D. Roosevelt took office. Major was formerly a police dog in New York and had a reputation for some aggressive behavior. He chased staff in the White House and hassled visitors on the grounds. Then during an official state visit, Major tore open the seat of the British Prime Minister’s pants. That incident resulted in Major being sent back to FDR’s New York home.

Clipper occupied the White House during John F. Kennedy’s time as President in the early 1960s. Clipper was Jackie Kennedy’s favorite canine companion and they were seen walking together on the grounds.

All dog rescue groups need volunteers to operate successfully, and German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc. (GSRNE) is no exception! Volunteering a little bit of your time goes a long way in helping a needy German Shepherd. If you would like to learn more about our volunteer programs, go to: https://gsrne.org/gsrne-live/volunteer/

Jeannie M. at: volunteer@gsrne.org

To see all the dogs available for adoption please check out Available Dogs

Foster Homes Needed!!

If you love the breed and want to help, consider fostering. GSRNE pays all the expenses. You provide the love and care. We receive several hundred calls for help every year from Shelters and Owners looking to place a dog with GSRNE. We cannot help them all but we need Foster Homes to help those that we can. Some of our Foster Homes become so attached to their Foster Dog that they become the dog's Forever Home. We love every happy ending but that also means we need a new Foster Home for the next dog in need. To learn more about fostering, please visit www.gsrne.org/foster/

If you are located in New England and your situation fits our requirements, we encourage you to complete the online Foster Home Application at https://gsrne.org/foster-homeapplication/

www.gsrne.org/foster/ 

GSRNE’s biggest fundraiser, our Auction, will be rescheduled to Sunday, Oct 3, 2021 due to the fact that Covid is still hanging around!

Therefore, we will have no Tagging Party this coming March.

We hope everyone will hold onto their items to be donated to the Auction for later in 2021. Keep your fingers crossed!

Our Auction has been scheduled for Sunday, Oct 3! We hope by then, we can safely gather!

We will be having some other Events also:

Our Membership and Renewal drive is upcoming!

Our popular Calendar Raffle event is coming back!

And in June we hope to hold our Reunion Picnic at the 4H Fairgrounds, safely together!

We all need some fun times to look forward to!

 volunteer@gsrne.org

If you like to shop on AMAZON as much as we do please consider choosing GSRNE - German Shepherd Rescue of New England as your charity. 

By choosing 'GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE OF NEW ENGLAND' as your AmazonSmile charity you can help our homeless dogs. It's easy to sign up and AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchase amount to the rescue.