The Petfinder Foundation’s Sponsor a Pet Grant Program is a partnership between the Spotsylvania County Animal Shelter and the website Petfinder, which lists the County’s adoptable animals to the public. Anyone viewing one of Spotsylvania County’s available pets can contribute to its care and wellbeing by clicking a sponsorship button and donating an amount of their choosing. Each quarter, Petfinder totals all sponsorship amounts, deducts a 10% administration fee, and sends the Sheriff’s Office a check for the remaining sponsorship funds. This money can go towards any animal shelter needs and does not have to go specifically toward the care of the animal that was sponsored, as it may have since been adopted.
In the first quarter of this partnership, the Sheriff’s Office received $45 in sponsorship funds. Rather than submitting items to the Finance Committee and Board of Supervisors on a quarterly basis, the Sheriff’s Office is requesting to appropriate an estimated annual sponsorship of $180, based on the last quarter’s funds. These funds will supplement the purchase of dog food for the shelter. The Sheriff’s Office will only expend funds once the quarterly sponsorship check has been received.
Some requirements to participate in this program include: providing Petfinder with shelter intake, adoption, and euthanasia numbers; completing surveys about the awarded grant; participating in press releases drafted by the Petfinder Foundation; submitting pictures and adoption stories to the Petfinder Foundation of pets who were helped with the grant award; and, sending timely thank you notes to donors who have chosen to share their information with the Animal Shelter.
There is no local match and there are no ongoing costs associated with the award.