Sharing the days of our lives

How do people stumble across our blog? I recently did a google search using the terms "dog shelters Singapore" and found out that - gasp! - our humble shelter may have fallen through the cracks. 

Do you know many years ago we used to be one of the top few hits with that same search term? I think we've now been relegated to second page or further. No time for weeping though! The more participants in the field, the more dogs can be saved. It's a good thing really. 

I've recently been involved in our calendar production for next year. The calendar is a really important source of funds for us each year. We are small and privately run and this stifles our ability to fundraise publicly. So we try to sell things instead, calendars and tshirts to name a few. 

You won't believe the constraints that we face in putting together the calendar. Because we are small, there is an added need to be prudent and cost conscious. Our calendar is simple and tidy. It has a total of 14 pages - a page each for the 12 months, 1 cover page and 1 introduction page. Nothing extra because extra costs. 

We try to keep the calendar functional by ensuring the grid is practical. Each day is clearly demarcated with enough space for scribbling. The lunar date and work week are also indicated. 

We do up the calendar ourselves, so it wouldn't be the most fancy. But precisely because we do it ourselves, there's a personal touch to every page. We tell our dogs' stories straight from the heart. 

I guess what we lack in sophistication, we make up for it with sincerity and lots of heart.

This year, we pick 12 dogs and try to show their transition from day one of their rescue to the present day. We want to show that small shelters like ours continue to make a difference. In the same way, we continue to need your support. 

I fully expect all other animal rescue groups and shelters to launch their own calendars for the upcoming year. If you ask me, no one group is more deserving than the other. So why buy ours and not theirs? 

At the end of the day, you really only end up using one calendar for your purposes. But as a vested stakeholder (haha), let me tell you that though you use just one, that doesn't prevent you from buying more. Share the love right? It's not a mutually exclusive thing. 

Jokes aside, if I have to do a pitch for our shelter, it'd be a very simple one:-

Fund our love. 

Unlike other animal rescue groups who have active fostering programs, we are first and foremost a shelter. We take care of our dogs on our own on a daily basis. We don't hire a single worker. Food, shelter, medical needs... It's all on us. We know the dogs as if they are each an integral member of the family - their different personalities and quirks, their respective likes and dislikes. 

We love them dearly. We do our hardest to provide them with a meaningful life while they await adoption. I hope we have somehow managed to convey that through our Facebook page, this blog or during your visits down to our place. 

But sadly, love alone is not enough to keep the shelter going. 

We need your help to fund our love. 

And you can do it through the purchase of our calendar. 

Each calendar costs $10. The purchase of every calendar means the world to us.

More details will be released on our Facebook page and over here as well shortly. For all and any queries, please email us at farmwaylove@gmail.com.

Thank you for letting us share the days of our lives with you. 

Remaining 

ever grateful 

for your support and patronage,

GP