Hello, my name is Andy Braz, I'm 14 years old and welcome to my to my fundraising page where I'm trying to raise $2,000 for the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire. I love animals and want to help out my local shelter by donating money to help pay for stuff they need. Donations through this website are simple, fast and totally secure to support my effort. If you prefer to donate to my fundraiser via cash or check, please contact me directly. Checks can be made out to the "Animal Rescue League of NH". Thank you so much for your support and don't forget to forward this to anyone that loves animals and wants to make a difference in the lives of pets that need our help!
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On September 24, 2011, the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire is holding an event called Pet Step and I will be captain for the Centrix Bank Team again this year. The event is from 10AM-2:30PM at the Hillsborough County 4H Center in New Boston, NH. In addition to raising funds, we are walking our dogs on a two mile trail, watching dogs compete in an Agility Competition, participating in games and lots of fun at Pet Step! Join us if you can, if not, a donation will help the well-being of animals at the ARL (Animal Rescue League). Give your pet(s) lots of love today!
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My story.....
Baxter
My name is Andy Braz (as you might already know) and I have longed for a dog as long as I could remember, so finally having a dog is the best thing that ever happened to me, so I would like to give back as a thanks for making a difference in my life. Baxter is so happy that he was adopted into a family that loves him dearly and here is our story...
I got Baxter from the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire on May 28, 2010. He is a rambunctious Jack Russell Terrier, but we may think he has something else in him. Anyways, his previous owners gave him up after five years of having him because he did not get enough attention and for being too energentic for them. We decided to start looking at the Animal Rescue League to check out what kind of amazing dogs they had. On our way there, I wondered what kind of dogs and what personalities they had and hoping one of them was a perfect match for our lifestyle. We all had different opinions on breeds of dogs with the same general idea of owning a dog that was small to medium sized with short hair.
As soon as we got to the shelter, we asked where the kennels were, so we can see what dogs they had and boy did they have a selection! We passed Labrador mixes, Huskies, German Sheperd mixes, Miniture Pinchers, and Baxter, the dog that smiled whenever we walked by. His smile was so alluring that we decided to take a look at him.
When we reached his kennel, he stood up on his hind legs and put his front paws on the door, peering through the glass door, smiley as ever. My mom, step-dad, and I instantly knew that we had to see how he was outside of his kennel because we were definitely intrested in him. A member at the ARL helped us arrange a play session on the spot. She took him out and we all headed for the door passing a dog named Austin, a beautiful Lab mix, who was barking at us, Baxter barked back too!
We got onto the plastic grass where we saw Baxter run around and explore. He kept coming back to us pretending like he was going to play, but then ran somewhere else. The member handed us some toys (ropes, squeakers, tennis balls, etc.) and he seemed intrested. After playing with him, we knew that he was the dog and they let us put him on hold, so we can prepare for our new canine family member.
A few days later, after a few regular visits, we were ready to take him home. My step-dad and I ran over to the ARL to go pick him up and when we got there, he signed all the paper work and we were all set to go. On the way out, he licked everyone good-bye and the start of our new life with a new member of the family began.
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Kissy
Almost exactly a year later, around Memorial weekend, I got e-mailed a picture of a cute, little Jack Russell Terrier/ Italian Greyhound mix named Kissy by my mom. She was currently at the Animal Rescue League and I told my mom that she was so adorable and that we should definitely check her out at the ARL. She agreed and we told my step-dad the news! After discussing about Kissy, we all had a date in mind to go over to the shelter to see her with Baxter, to make sure she got along with him.
A few days passed and we were all set to go! All of us packed into the car, along with Baxter, and drove to the Animal Rescue League. I was very anxious to see how Baxter would react to Kissy and how she would react to us! When we got there, we told one of the people who worked at the ARL that we were intrested in seeing Kissy, so she went inside and so did my mom and step-dad. I waited outside with Baxter, as they consulted inside...It would take about five minutes until we could see Kissy, so we walked Baxter around the shelter until Kissy was ready. As we started our second loop, near the play area with the plastic grass, we saw Kissy! She was running around and was very curious of Baxter. We walked through the gate and instantly Kissy and Baxter began to sniff and chase each other! At first, my mom was nervous because the were playing a little rough, but that's how two terriers play and that's exactly what the ARL staff said!
After a very long, first meeting, it was time for the big decision...should we adopt Kissy? It didn't take us very long to decide because we saw how good they played, so it was a YES! The staff told us to come back in two days when we were ready. My mom picked up Kissy that day and she came home around six o'clock with Kissy, but she parked halfway up the street and I waited with Baxter halfway too, so they could walk in the house together. That went perfectly and now, ever since we got Kissy, they have been loveable, happy terriers!
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Sincerely,
Andy, Baxter and Kissy