Letter from The President

Dear FAPS Friend,

One of the best parts of writing this President’s letter is that I know if you are reading this, you are also an animal lover. I am sure that you are like me-when I go on and on about my dogs, some of my family and friends just groan and can’t believe how we live with our animals. I, on the other hand, couldn't image living otherwise. Our dogs are a part of the family.

I believe we all have many stories about “our pets” and that is why I feel so sorry for all the abandoned, abused, and neglected animals in our area. We have the greatest staff and volunteers at FAPS. They spend all day, not just feeding and cleaning up after the animals, but “talking to”, loving and training them. I continually get to watch that shy, skittish dog that refuses to come out of his house evolve into a happy tail-wagging, loving pet. Even the shyest cat will slowly come around. They may take longer than the dogs, but with enough time, cats too, transform into loving pets.

The animals at FAPS are the lucky ones. They may never be as fortunate as our own pets who get to sleep with us, receive presents on their birthday or under the tree, or get to visit the park, beach or mountain home. But they get plenty of food, lots of medical and physical attention, and they get a CHANCE to go to a loving home, THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT.

Shelters are just a band-aid to the real problem. There are so many animals that don’t have the FIRST CHANCE, much less, a SECOND CHANCE. So, if you are reading this letter, you probably already know this, but I want to remind you that FAPS is much more than a shelter. At FAPS, we are saving as many companion animals as we can, but it is a very small percentage of the neglected pet population in our area. Your loyal support allows us to maintain a shelter and to fund progressive programs like our spay/neuter initiative and our areas first large scale humane education program, Kind News, currently in 226 elementary classrooms. With your help we will continue to educate citizens to serve as responsible pet owners. Our volunteers will distribute brochures at public venues on the importance of spaying/neutering, annual vaccinations, no tethering, protective enclosures and micro chipping, to name a few. With the collaboration of our legislative committee we are working to change/enforce laws to stop dog fighting and to encourage stiffer penalties for animal abuse and neglect. We are determined to make Fayetteville a more humane place for companion animals, one step at a time.

As we move forward in 2008, celebrating 26 years of successfully rescuing, sheltering and placing companion animals, we continue to encourage kindness towards animals and pet adoption. As Cumberland County’s only active no-kill, non-profit animal shelter, we rely on the support and generosity of animal lovers like you to help us carry out our mission and save lives! Your donations have been the lifeline for our animals since 1982, and for this we are forever grateful.

On behalf of all the animals who cannot speak for themselves, we thank you for your support and interest in Fayetteville Animal Protection Society, Inc. (FAPS)

With warm regards and best wishes,
Linda Lewis

<< Return to top of page