Rankin Shelter Dog Yard, Dog Beds, and more

PART 2! July 27th NOTE: We did it on the dog yard! Now it's time for dog beds for each kennel! (See July 26 and July 27th updates, below, for more information!)

Hi everyone! :) This is a fundraiser exclusively for the benefit of RANKIN COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES, a humble animal shelter in Rankin County, Mississippi. The shelter has a VERY, VERY small budget and mostly relies on donations of dog food, etc. They do the best they can but are constantly overwhelmed, serving a population of over 160,000 residents, 800 square miles, and taking in over 2,000 dogs (strays and owner surrenders) annually! [Their FB page is here: https://www.facebook.com/RankinCountyAnimalShelter You can also see photos of some of the dogs available for adoption, via a wonderful non-profit organization ("Best Friends of Central MS") that works very closely with Rankin, and is helping coordinate this effort, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/110780151964826/ ]

This is precisely the type of shelter that needs us all to come together to help them out. First, let me tell you a bit about why it would be so easy to create TRANSFORMATIVE, POSITIVE change, easily and swiftly (and for a nominal cost!), and what I'm looking to do:

As you can see from the photo, the shelter is an extremely modest wooden structure, with a small, hot, cramped area, in which the dogs are kept in kennels. It has a skeletal staff, which means there is no one to walk the dogs. (This is NOT the shelter or the county's fault - they just don't have the funds or labor for that.)

The area where the dogs are housed has *no AC*, and, in Mississippi, the heat index repeatedly reaches well over 100, which makes the inside area brutal. This summer in particular is due to be exceptionally hot.

The one thing Rankin Animal Services' location has going for it? Land! It's on a large, open plot of land with grass and even a line of shady trees.

So.... you see where I'm going with this.... Use that land and ***build a yard for the dogs to use for sun, fresh air, and stretching their legs***!

This would give the dogs the ability to be let out into a grassy, fenced area outside to (a) stretch their legs, (b) get fresh air, (c) get some sun (keeps them healthy and their immune system strong!), and (d) just breathe and play, while they await (hopefully!) a chance at their forever home.

The play-yard/dog-run will ALSO function as a ***meet-and-greet area*** (YES!!), so that prospective adopters have somewhere relaxing to interact with the dog/s (which will lead to more adoptions!) [Currently, there isn't really a place to interact with the dog off-leash, sit down, etc.]

Click here for a brief, 30-second video: This is a video that the chief volunteer took and sent me, a few weeks ago when I first raised this idea, of the area that the shelter would like to use a the dog yard. As you can see, it's perfect! (GoFundMe only allows me to link to YouTube videos, so instead I'm linking to a tweet of mine that has the video.) https://x.com/AJDelgado13/status/1798684053505208661" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://x.com/AJDelgado13/status/1798684053505208661https://x.com/AJDelgado13/status/1798684053505208661

Best of all: This plan has been officially approved by the shelter AND by the county's attorney, Mr. Dare (on May 24th) and approved at a county board meeting. Now we just need the cash to get this going!!! The county and the shelter are all very excited about this. Not only will it make an ENORMOUS difference for the dogs' well-being (this is the difference b/t being in a tight, hot kennel 24/7 vs being able to get outside and stretch their legs/enjoy fresh air) but will also, we hope, lead to more dogs being adopted, as it makes for a nicer experience for prospective adoptees.

The shelter has selected an area, adjoining the housing-structure on one end, with trees on the other, as seen below:

So... now the details. What amount are we seeking to raise, and why:

a) We have a top-rated, highly-respected fencing company, JEFCOAT FENCE (in business for 50 years!), that has kindly provided a very fair quote (the quote includes all materials and labor) for a fence that is:

2) We want to add an outdoor PICNIC/PATIO TABLE for (a) volunteers to sit with the dogs while they play (the shelter hopes that the play-yard will lead to more volunteering options) and (b) for prospective adopters to have somewhere to sit while they take their time and engage with their (hopefully) new family member! I estimate an economical, simple outdoor patio table, which seats four, is about $450 (per local prices at the Home Depot or Lowe's).

3) We also want to add a GARDEN HOSE to keep the bench clean, or, better yet, to have the dogs play (dogs LOVE playing with a hose) and to connect a couple of splash pads, etc (see below). So we're adding another $60 to the goal, for a standard 100-foot hose.

4) We also want to add a couple of 'splash pads' and one or two 'sprinkler' toy systems, for dogs to cool off and enjoy, especially in the brutal heat. I can order about three of these on Amazon for about $100.

5) Lastly, the play-yard should have one of those 'dog waste stations' (the kind you see at dog parks, with the dog-bag dispenser and the metal garbage stand underneath). Those are about $200 on Amazon. I also want to add in a year's worth of biodegradeable doggie poop-bags, which is about another $130.

6) Since the shelter has no AC, and Mississippi heat is brutal, we're also looking to donate a couple of 'industrial' type floor fans.

(GoFundMe keeps 3%, so out of a $7,000 goal, if met, the amount received is $6,800.)

The plan, if we don't reach the $7K, is to 'build as much fence as we can, with what we raised', or, if we don't raise enough for any fence, to use this for fans-and-food, but we really hope it doesn't come to that, and that we are able to reach the goal.

Lastly, a quick note on TRANSPARENCY: ALL use of funds will be fully transparent and you will be able to see exactly the amount raised and the payment receipt to the fencing company, as well as the receipts for all items purchased. I know it can sometimes feel strange to donate to a fundraiser and wonder 'Where EXACTLY will the money go?' and I, too, hate that! So we will be posting every receipt, as well as video and pictures of the fence as it's going up, etc. You'll see exactly where your money went! I had hoped someone would step up, and asked on Twitter, e.g., an accountant, who would have an 'escrow account' that could be used, but no one did. Nevertheless, these funds will all be transparent.

It's tax-refund time so, yeah, I'm lookin' at you! What greater good deed than to donate a few bucks for some dogs to get out of suffocating-kennel-heat and outside into a play-yard? So c'mon - hit the Donate button and let's get this done before the summer heat kicks in!