A year ago, on October 1, everything changed.
We were told that The Pet Cottage would have to leave the property we had called home for five years. Suddenly, the future of our Sanctuary was uncertain.
Then, in November, everything changed again. Our landlord reconsidered, and we were given an opportunity we hadn’t expected: we could purchase the property.
We just had to find a way to make it happen.
And you showed up.
People who believed in our mission stepped forward and helped us raise the money we needed to purchase the property and turn the place we had been calling home into our Forever Home.
I’ve thought a lot about what happened during that time, because I’ve watched it happen again and again since.
This summer, an incident with one of our Sanctuary Residents made it clear that we urgently needed a secure fence across the front of our property. I reached out for help. Within two hours, the money we needed had been committed.
You showed up.
Then, in September, our air conditioner died. In Florida. In a house filled with Sanctuary Residents.
We needed to replace it, and once again, you showed up.
People gave. People called. People offered portable air-conditioning units. People asked, “What do you need?”
And just this past weekend, I watched belonging take another beautiful form.
Fergy and Kiara came from the same home after their mom moved into assisted living. They each needed a new home and the right person to welcome them.
Two families did just that, becoming their Forever Guardians.
Fergy and Kiara are now part of The Pet Cottage for life. We pay their veterinary expenses, stay connected to their Forever Guardians and continue keeping our promise to them.
And their Forever Guardians become part of our pack, too.
This is what happens when people know they matter to each other. This is belonging.
There is a small but significant difference between supporting an organization and belonging to one.
We call our community our pack for a reason.
When you are part of our pack, we want you to know that we see you. We appreciate you. You matter here.
Whether you make a gift, volunteer your time, open your home as a Forever Guardian, share our story or simply tell someone about our mission, you have a place in the circle of protection surrounding these pets.
And we show up for you, too.
That’s the part I don’t ever want us to lose as The Pet Cottage grows.
On October 24, we will gather at our Forever Home and celebrate how far we’ve come in one extraordinary year. When I look around that day, I know I won’t simply see a property we were able to purchase.
I’ll see people.
People who showed up. People who opened their homes. People who gave. People who cared. People who helped us keep promises to pets they may never even meet.
I’ll see a pack.
The Forever Promise is what we do.
Belonging is what you feel when you’re part of it.
And belonging is the difference.
COME SEE WHERE THE FOREVER PROMISE LIVES
The Pet Cottage Open House & Ribbon Cutting Saturday, October 24 | 11 AM–2 PM
Come visit our Forever Home, meet members of our pack, and celebrate this extraordinary year with us.
RSVP: [email protected]
