For this project, team members collaborated to create a mobile marketing campaign for the Paleontological Research Institution. Julia Kohn strategically delegated work to group members and mock-ups for the new mobile website were created. Google Analytic was additionally used to strategize marketing plans and to increase website traffic.

3. Executive Summary......................................................1
Situation Analysis....................................................2-6
PR Plan........................................................................................7-17
Timetable..........................................................................18-19
Budget..................................................................................20-21
Measurement and Evaluation...................22
Staff Bios.................................................................................23
Supplement.....................................................................25-35
Table of Contents

4. Innovative Minds has devised a plan with a series of strategies
and tactics in order to help boost awareness, raise money, and in-
crease dog adoption rates in the Cayuga Dog Rescue. In order
to meet our challenges such as maintaining social media, further
developing the website and increasing fundraising events we have
contrived a series of ways to improve these outlets. Innovative
Minds created a new tagline “Do It for The Dogs”, we are hoping
this will serve as a plea for kindness and help to the Cayuga Dog
Rescue. By redesigning the website, which is the main attraction
for people who are seeking out the Cayuga Dog Rescue, this will
increase its popularity as well as clarify the objectives and adop-
tion process. Cayuga Dog Rescue is a small organization within
the small town of Ithaca and one of the main contributions we want
to get out of our objectives and tactics is community involvement.
As a team we planned two events “Who Let the Dogs Out” and the
“Halloween Dog Parade” that we hope will stimulate some attention
Cayuga Dog Rescue. Through the execution of community events,
our tagline integration and social media campaign, we hope to bring
further awareness and contributions to the organization. Thank you
for the opportunity.
Executive Summary
1

5. Situation Analysis
Current situation
Right now, we feel as though CDR is lacking both interested parties for adoption
make sense in order to make the organization more successful. As you will see later
in our plan, we feel as though our combination of events, social media integration and
community outreach will improve the future of CDR and help them to reach their goals.
2

6. Strengths:
• fully volunteer staff
• adoption process
-home visit, references, pet meetings
-shows that they care about their animals
• owner
-has full time job yet still runs this busi-
ness
-shows passion & drive for CDR
• support vet care, pet supply stores (as seen
on website)
-mission statement/”what we do” easily
found
-fostering program
Weaknesses:
• low number of adoptions
• only do local adoptions (Ithaca, Bing-
hampton, Syracuse and Corning)
• adoption fee ($150-250; is this too high?)
• poorly designed website
• no real way to contact
-PO Box instead of physical address
-no email/phone number
• lack of web search Optimization
• lack of social media presence
Opportunities:
• increase adoption rates
-look up other shelters to see their rates
-see what goes into CDR adoption
(shots, etc.)
• events/fundraisers
-doggie day spa, Christmas photos, &
Halloween parade
• publicize rehoming program
• partner with vets, pet stores & other ser-
vices
• open house with incentive
• donation drive
• social media presence
-adoption pics
Threats:
• other dog adoption agencies in the local
community (Salty Dog, Dryden Dog, etc.)
• Competitors:
-SPCA
-The Humane Society (in Binghampton)
-Broome County Dog Shelter
-Project Paw
-Greater Binghampton Animal Rescue
4

7. Audit of Articles
The Cayuga Dog Rescue does not have a presence in any source of news in the
Ithaca community. After searching the archives of the Ithaca Journal and the Ithaca
dogs that are up for adoption and didn’t have any information about the actual
company. These articles all found on-line did not even have links to the CDR page.
We realized that their presence in the news was very poor and we need to restructure
their forms for press release.
Current Research
• On average 29 percent of people in New York state own dogs. [1]
Approximately
3409.74 people own dogs in Tomkins county[2]
and since 1970 to 2010, “...the num-
ber of dogs and cats in homes has increased from 67 million to an estimated 164
million.”[3]
•
untill the fourthpage and on google they came up second, below the SPCA.
Future Research
• To conduct future research, we plan on tracking the web search optimization tactics,
for their website, by using google analytics. This will allow us to see if the tactics we
Works Cited
[1]
https://www.avma.org/News/PressRoom/Pages/TopBotomTenStatesForPets.aspx
[2]
http://www.petpopulation.org/faq.html
[3]
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html
5

8. Competitors
is a nationwide organization; however, they struggle with money and donations just
as much as the Cayuga Dog Rescue. The SPCA by far has more adoptions than the
search engine for dog adoption, “Dog Adoption in Ithaca, NY”. The CDR has had 434
dogs adopted since August 2005. The SPCA has had 26 dog adoptions for the month
of December. The SPCA has had problems with PETA because they are a Kill Shelter
whereas the CDR is not. Overall, they have a better presence in the community be-
cause they conduct more events and are a nationwide organization. Because of this,
the SPCA has by far more adoptions than the CDR.
Forces
The major forces that we feel are impacting CDR are economical, technological
and competitive. Economically, they are lacking, which is their current budget is only
$750 and their goal is to raise $5,000. If they had more money, we could also adver-
tise more, which would lead to more awareness about the organization, thus reaching
another one of their objectives. Additionally, with more money, CDR could have a high-
er programming budget, which would not only increase awareness, but it would also
looking through both their social media sites as well as their main home page that their
team is not very technologically savvy. If this were to be remedied, awareness and in-
terest in adoption would thus increase. Lastly, since the ASPCA in Ithaca largely domi-
nates the adoption animal scene, we feel as though that impacts CDR in a competitive
way.
6

9. PR Plan
Objectives:
-Raise $5,000 in money or goods for the organization
-We have created this motivational objective to get our target audience inspired
to act and want to help the Cayuga Dog Rescue in any way they can.
-We would want to raise money since the current state of the organization is
struggling to continue based on the small budget they have to take care of the dogs,
and other needed supplies to run the overall organization.
-To raise $5,000 in a year is a realistic and achievable objective for the Cayuga
Dog Rescue because the more our target audience hears about the issues with the
organization they will want to help out in some way even if they cannot actually adopt a
dog.
successes and shortcomings in the campaign.
-Raise awareness throughout Tompkins county about Cayuga Dog Rescue and
the need for foster parents and the dogs
-We have created an informational objective to bring awareness to our key con-
-The current issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of volunteers and sup-
port that Cayuga Dog Rescue receives. We want to change that by making the city of
Ithaca and Tompkins County more knowledgeable about the dogs
-By planning events and getting the word out about the organization, it is an at-
tainable goal to raise awareness.
-Raising awareness is not a tangible objective that we can measure, but in order
to evaluate our campaign we can see the growth in participation and interaction of our
target market in our events, social media, and other strategies we employ.
7

10. Target Audiences:
is residents of Tompkins County and the Ithaca area, since CDR is a local dog
adoption shelter. Our second group is people who are adopting a dog, known as
the prospective dog owner. Next, we have the group of new or current family dog
years old. We picked this group of people as a target market because since they
is the unsure dog adopter. This is the person who is not sure if they can actually
a pet, fall in love and adopt! Our last target market group is the older generation,
which is roughly 45-66 years old. Our train of thought behind our last target mar-
ket is that sometimes, the older generation gets lonely and looks for company.
Our secondary target markets include the media, the Tompkins County
Dog Owners Group, local pet and pet supply stores and the Ithaca Dog Training
Club. The media is considered a secondary target market because we plan to
have them cover our events and contests. Since we have worked with both the
Tompkins County Dog Owners Group and the Ithaca Dog Training Club, we also
consider them a secondary target market. Lastly, since we have worked with and
support local pet and pet supply stores on our website, they fall into the category
of secondary target markets as well.
8

11. Strategy:
Big Idea: “Do It For The Dogs”
Since our key two objectives for this plan are raising money and awareness
for the Cayuga Dog Rescue, we want to remind people that these objectives were
tagline & big idea, we hope the simple saying and the key message of “doing it for
the dogs” will not only stick with people, but relate to them on a more personal and
emotional level.
The tagline that will be implemented into our strategy “Do It For The Dogs”
will appear on all of our program initiatives to increase awareness and care for the
Cayuga Dog Rescue. One of our strategies is to have a social media campaign for
“Do It For The Dogs”. With the uses of various outlets of social media, we will be
reaching one of our main objectives of raising awareness. “Do It For The Dogs” will
also appear on all of our advertisements to reinforce the message. Lastly, we will in-
corporate our “Do It For The Dogs” tagline and theme into all of our events to reach
our second object of raising money. We feel as though if we remind people that their
and we will have a better chance of reaching our $5,000 goal.
Our brand value proposition is very highly based on emotion. With our key
theme idea “Do It For The Dogs”, we want to remind people that the Cayuga Dog
the homes these dogs are placed in. Since the runs CDR in addition to having a
full time job, it shows how dedicated she is to the dogs of CDR. Along with that, all
potential adopters are placed through various steps in the adoption process to make
Cayuga Dog Rescue loves the dogs that they deal with and we feel as though our
tagline and theme message reminds people of that. Since many of the people are
dog owners and see their pets as members of the family, we feel as though the “Do
It For The Dogs” campaign will reach many people on an emotional level and re-
mind them of why it is so important for dogs to have a loving home.
9

12. Tactics:
Media relations: Newspapers like the Ithaca Journal and local radio
stations such as Cayuga Radio Group, will cover our events to spread the word
about the organization in way effort to gain publicity for our organization that our
primary and secondary target audience will notice.
Events: Our big event will be called “Who Let the Dogs Out.” This event
will bring together families, friends and of course their dogs for a day in the park
of games, food and fun. The main event will be a “Best in Show” contest featur-
ing the dogs of the Cayuga Dog Rescue. With this aspect of the event, we hope
to show off the adorable dogs and get people interested in adopting. With this in
mind, we will also have representatives from CDR to talk with interested parties
at the “Do It For The Dogs” table, which will have information on the adoption
process, CDR and examples of other ways we integrating our campaign. The
event will take place at the Ithaca Dog Park at Festival Lands during the spring
of 2014. This safe environment will be the perfect backdrop for the event. The
event will charge people for food and drinks but the games and contests are free
for anyone to enter. This event will be a great way for people to have some fun
with their dogs simultaneously raising money for the dogs still kept in shelter. For
the fall season, in order to meet our total fundraising goal, we will be hosting a
Halloween Parade featuring both the dogs of the Cayuga Dog Rescue and family
pets in the local community. The costumes for the CDR dogs will be crafted by
the CDR volunteers. The parade will take place on the streets in the Ithaca Com-
mons. In order ot incentive families to bring their dogs and children, we will be
partnering with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to encourage local businesses to
open their stores to the children for trick or treating. By incorporating families and
dogs together, we will be further promoting our “Do It For The Dogs” message.
10

13. Tactics:
Promotions: One of the promotions we will be doing will take place at our
event. If you adopt a dog at the event, we will provide you with a “Dog Starter Kit.”
In this kit will be a bag of dog food, a leash, food and water bowls and a toy. The
kit will be assembled by donors from generous businesses and organizations that
we have worked with in the past.
Community relations: In order to gain awareness we want to improve our
community relations because getting our community involved (which includes our
newspaper, or even follow us on our social media accounts.The more Tompkins
County is mindful about this organization the more support the organization will
gain.
Online: Based on our research, we found that our target audience tends to
use other pet search engines when looking to adopting a dog. We want to change
this by including the link to our website on pages like theshelterpetproject.org or
the IAMS search engine adopt-a-pet.
11

14. Tactics:
Website Enhancements:
website keywords need to be written into the HTML.
Keywords: Upon doing research, we found that the website included zero
keywords. This means that if someone were to search “Dog adoption in Ithaca New
-
words, this would make the website rank higher. Some keywords that may enhance
web search optimization include: Ithaca dog adoption, dog adoption, dog fostering,
buying dogs, rescue dogs, dog shelter, dog, rescue and family pets.
Linkable assets: Additionally, we propose to spread more linkable assets
throughout the website. A linkable asset is anything (pictures, banners, ect) that
moves you further through the website. Once these links are placed throughout the
website, keywords are often added to the tag, thus it becomes more searchable.
Backlinks: Thirdly, we propose to add backlinks. What this means is that
an incoming hyperlink from one web page is linked to another website. We recom-
included several pages (training, doggy daycare, groomers boarding and kennels);
however, not all of them were hyperlinked and when we checked to see if these
websites had the Cayuga Dog Rescue as a backlink, not all of them did. We recom-
mend reducing these links on the Cayuga Dog Rescue website by only permitting
the companies who have placed backlinks to the Cayuga Dog Rescue website on
their website. This would then consolidate the backlinks to one page.
Formatting: We plan to format the website to enhance its visual appeal. By
eliminating some of the text and adding more visuals, the website becomes easier
to navigate. We plan to update the logo in order to create a more modern look. We
have changed the color scheme of the website to a lighter blue and added a green.
Before, the website looked dark and gloomy with the black background; however,
by changing the background color to white, it becomes a more playful and enticing
design.
12

15. Tactics:
13

16. Tactics:
Social Media:
and awareness in order to improve our online and social media presence we want
to create a wikipedia and an instagram. Additionally, we want to improve our Twit-
ter, YouTube, and Facebook accounts by updating them regularly as well as delet-
ing the unrelated links and pictures to other pages. We want our changes to keep
our target audience more involved in the Cayuga Dog Rescue and their efforts
to generate more awareness and revenue. To keep consistent with our “Do It For
The Dogs” tagline, we also have CDR posting updates on their social media sites
on dogs up for adoption. We will also have a campaign where people could make
posts (and of course include cute pictures!) about what they do for the dogs in their
life, also using the #DoItForTheDogs hashtag. With this, we hope to engage poten-
tial adopters, while reminding them of what joy a new family friend by paying hom-
age to the dogs they already have in their life. To encourage people to participate in
this campaign, the person with the most likes on Facebook & Instagram, along with
the most favorites on Twitter combined will win a $100 gift card, generously donat-
ed by PetSmart.
14

17. 15

18. Tactics:
Advertisements: To promote our events we decided to create visuals ads.
Facebook page and will include a quarter-page ad in the Ithaca Journal. The ads
will include basic information about the events, and will be clearly be advertised on
our website as well. Additionally, we will place a quarter-page ad to promote the
Halloween parade. Our main purpose of these ads is to create awareness about
CDR in their efforts to increase adoption rates and raise $5,000.
16

19. 17

20. Timetable
Timeline: 1 Year
-Our social media campaign will start in January and run through the end of
our fundraising goal of $5,000 and give CDR a better presence in the community.
-From January through April, we will be working on our website optimization
-
to better communicate with our publics and promote our events to the best of our
ability.
-Around May, we will start our social media campaign which will through our
will bring a bigger crowd at our next event, the Halloween Parade.
-Our “Who Let the Dogs Out” event will happen in the middle of July, roughly
about a week or so after the 4th of July. We decided on this time slot because we
-
fere with 4th of July family events.
-From August to October, we will really focus on being active in social media
because after our campaign in May we hope to get many new followers, so during
followers.
-In October we will have our Halloween Parade the weekend before hallow-
een, which is Saturday October 25, 2014. By putting it before Halloween, we hope
-In November and December we want to evaluate our campaign to see what
we have accomplished. Its at this point that we would release our survey to see if
people associate Cayuga Dog Rescue with Dog adoption.
18

21. Timetable
19

22. Budget
Budget: $750
• Because of our objectives, most of our budget will go towards our two events.
Between advertising and logistics, the “Who Let the Dogs Out?!” event and
the advertising around it will cost roughly $300.
• Our second event, the Halloween Parade, will be sponsored by the Downtown
Ithaca Alliance. They will allow us to use their businesses and the commons.
We will only end up spending about $300 total on this event. We can spend
$200 on general event needs, and the other $100 we can divide up for the
costume contest $50 for 1st place, $30 for 2nd place and $20 for 3rd place.
•
formatting the website in HTML. This will cost roughly $150.00
• -
ously donating a $100 gift card. Therefore, we do not need to allot any money
in our budget for that.
20

23. Budget
21

24. Measurement and Evaluations
In order to track and manage our progress for CDR, we will monitor all entities of
-
es and see if we have met our $5,000 goal. These fundraising event include “who let
the dogs out” and the “Halloween Parade”. Furthermore, by the end of the year we
will count up the number of dog registrations to asses how many dogs have been ad-
opted within that year. As of right now, 434 dogs have been adopted from CDR since
August 2005 and people who are not ready to make the commitment to adopt a dog
can join the fostering program. Amongst all pet adoption and fostering we hope to raise
adoption sales to 5 dogs per week. Our main objective is to gain recognition within
the tompkins county area. By integrating the CDR into the community, people will as-
sociate dog adoption with our brand. Through our events and fundraising, we hope to
create this association and we can conduct a survey to later prove this point. These
question would ask if CDR was associated in their mind with do adoption and if they
would ever want to adopt from them Additionally, we hope to add more of a social me-
dia presence. To track this we plan on using the free social media presence-tracker ad-
dictomatic.com. This will allow us to see how many people are viewing our Facebook,
website. This tracking of our website and social media presence, allows us to see how
our search-engine optimization is working. Additionally, we will be able to evaluate our
-
surements are do-able and plausible to conduct our progress.
22

25. Staff Bios
Lauren Ryan is a sophomore IMC major from Hawley, PA. On campus, she
serves as the Events Executive for HiFashion Studios, the Membership Chair for IC
the Logistics Chair for IC A Cure for Kids. Her favorite dog is a pomeranian.
Morgan Gatzemeyer is from Hillsborough, NJ and she is a sophomore at Itha-
ca College. She is majoring in IMC and minoring in Italian. In her free time, she serves
as the advertising chair on the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter where she moti-
vates students to participate in weekend builds and break trips to places like Alabama
and South Carolina. Her favorite types of dogs are golden retrievers and cavalier king
charles.
Sarah Lombard is from Watertown, CT. She is a sophomore at Ithaca College
studying Integrated Marketing Communications. Out of the classroom, she is the ward-
robe executive for HIFashion Studios and is also a member of the American Advertising
Association. Her favorite dog is a golden retriever.
Julia Kohn is from Sharon, MA. She is a sophomore at Ithaca
College studying Integrated Marketing Communications major
with a minor in Communications Management Design. When
she is not doing homework, she works at Campus Center
Event and Services. Her favorite dog is husky.
Alora Sherbert is from Jamestown, NY. She is a sophomore at Ithaca College
studying Integrated Marketing Communications with a minor in Psychology. Out of
the classroom she is involved in the Ithaca College Chapter of the American Adver-
tising communication and Rent the Runway. Her favorite dog is pomsky.
23

26. Supplements/appendix
The Art of Rescue (from Ithaca.com)
By: Jillian Bateman | Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:00 am
Meet Huckleberry, an eleven-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever. When he was found
at a nearby regional shelter, he was covered in open sores and had lost half of his fur. Days
lingered and turned into weeks. A month had passed and the balding dog, tortured by bac-
dog was released to Cayuga Dog Rescue, he was given immediate attention by the Ithaca
veterinary hospital; it was determined that Huckleberry had a severe staph infection. After a
week of intensive veterinary treatment and months of veterinary care, Huckleberry was ad-
opted.
In order to continue to save dogs like Huckleberry, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is spon-
soring the Paw are the Cause: An Evening of Local Art and Music fundraising event. In July
the two women founded the Cayuga Dog Rescue. “At the time, both of us were working for
abuse case of the 30-pound Labrador-pit bull mix dog, Princess, has reassured Wiser that
back and paws. After the March 10 attack, veterinarians at the Cornell University veterinary
hospital have established that Princess will most likely struggle with eyesight the rest of its
much people in this region care about the welfare of our dog companions,” says Wiser. “The
dogs rescued through CDR are loving, sweet dogs who were ill-treated, neglected or aban-
doned in their former lives.”
abused dogs in Central NY, as well as dogs that are deteriorating in regional shelters or are
scheduled for euthanasia due to shelter overcrowding.” In order to carry this mission out to
its full potential, helping dogs in pain like Huckleberry and Princess, this all-volunteer orga-
nization must seek help. The Paws are the Cause fundraising event will feature a gala art
auction hosted by David Hall, professional auctioneer of National Book Auctions. The live art
symbiotic relationships between art, nature, and us. The three cannot be separated,” says
Laurel Hecht, a local artist. “All that we are or can ever hope to be is inextricably connected
to art and to nature.” Hecht is also the chair of the art donation committee. “Artists have been
incredibly generous by donating their art to help raise money for these dogs,” she says. “I
reached out to some artists who told other artists and soon the number of donations skyrock-
eted.” Local artist Carlton J. Manzano speaks to his donated artwork. “This lithograph was
Finger Lakes artists have personally donated their artwork. “I started getting calls from artists

27. saying they had heard about this event and wanted to be a part of it,” says Hecht. “To get
this kind of response - this means it is really heart felt.”
“The Paws are the Cause event gives people a very enjoyable way to participate in
dog rescue,” says Wiser. “How wonderful is it that buying a great painting can simultaneous-
ly provide a litter of abandoned puppies with vaccinations and arthritis treatment for an older
dog in pain?” Individuals and businesses in the community have also rallied for the cause,
and spa services means that a suffering dog gets the leg surgery she needs or that a hand-
ful of dogs will get the heartworm preventative medicine that will keep them healthy all sum-
offered. The diverse services auctioned will spark the attention of many. Timothy Smith, a lo-
cal astrologer, has donated an astrology session. The Lotus Room Yoga Studio has contrib-
-
McGonagle along with the Colonial Veterinary Hospital has donated one dog or cat massage
therapy session and one underwater treadmill session. “Dogs and cats suffer from the same
therapy and is a licensed veterinary technician.
We have to work together as a team,” says McGonagle. “It takes a team - a supportive
community, a good veterinarian, supportive owners and trusting dogs.”
The local music group The Yardvarks will also contribute their talent to the event. This Itha-
ca trio of John Simon, Tom Farrell and Ken Zeserson will perform their acoustic folk-rock
throughout the evening. Red Newt Cellars will provide wine for the evening and 12 local
restaurants, such as the Lost Dog Café, Blue Stone Grill and Smart Monkey Café will offer
appetizers and desserts. “This is a worthy cause. There are no egos involved,” says Eliz-
which they deserve. Dogs give us so much.” “We are all lost dogs in a way,” says Hughes.
“The Lost Dog Café was created with the idea of connecting people, bringing them together
-
ing dogs with their forever home.” “The CDR dogs, like most rescue dogs everywhere, are
sweet, loving and loyal pooches who were unfortunate enough to be born into poor circum-
stances or to uncaring or irresponsible owners,” says Wiser. These rescue dogs require this
love and compassion along with expensive medical treatments. For this, the Cayuga Dog
Rescue is reaching out. On Saturday, April 7 at 7:30pm the Paws are the Cause event will
provide food, drink, auction art and music at the Museum of the Earth. All proceeds from
this fundraiser will fund the veterinary care of current and future rescued dogs. “These dogs
make up for lost time when you provide a good life for them,” says Wiser. “They give back
more love and exude more happiness and gratitude than you can imagine.”
Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Grain
and Pet Supply, Finger Lakes Running Company and Claws and Paws Pet Grooming. For
more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cayugadogrescue.org.

28. The Art of Rescue (from Ithaca.com)
By: Jillian Bateman | Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:00 am
Meet Huckleberry, an eleven-year-old Yellow Labrador Retriever. When he was found
at a nearby regional shelter, he was covered in open sores and had lost half of his fur. Days
lingered and turned into weeks. A month had passed and the balding dog, tortured by bac-
dog was released to Cayuga Dog Rescue, he was given immediate attention by the Ithaca
veterinary hospital; it was determined that Huckleberry had a severe staph infection. After a
week of intensive veterinary treatment and months of veterinary care, Huckleberry was ad-
opted.
In order to continue to save dogs like Huckleberry, the Cayuga Dog Rescue is spon-
soring the Paw are the Cause: An Evening of Local Art and Music fundraising event. In July
the two women founded the Cayuga Dog Rescue. “At the time, both of us were working for
abuse case of the 30-pound Labrador-pit bull mix dog, Princess, has reassured Wiser that
back and paws. After the March 10 attack, veterinarians at the Cornell University veterinary
hospital have established that Princess will most likely struggle with eyesight the rest of its
much people in this region care about the welfare of our dog companions,” says Wiser. “The
dogs rescued through CDR are loving, sweet dogs who were ill-treated, neglected or aban-
doned in their former lives.”
abused dogs in Central NY, as well as dogs that are deteriorating in regional shelters or are
scheduled for euthanasia due to shelter overcrowding.” In order to carry this mission out to
its full potential, helping dogs in pain like Huckleberry and Princess, this all-volunteer orga-
nization must seek help. The Paws are the Cause fundraising event will feature a gala art
auction hosted by David Hall, professional auctioneer of National Book Auctions. The live art
symbiotic relationships between art, nature, and us. The three cannot be separated,” says
Laurel Hecht, a local artist. “All that we are or can ever hope to be is inextricably connected
to art and to nature.”
Hecht is also the chair of the art donation committee. “Artists have been incredibly generous
by donating their art to help raise money for these dogs,” she says. “I reached out to some
artists who told other artists and soon the number of donations skyrocketed.”
Local artist Carlton J. Manzano speaks to his donated artwork. “This lithograph was inspired
Lakes artists have personally donated their artwork. “I started getting calls from artists saying
they had heard about this event and wanted to be a part of it,” says Hecht. “To get this kind

29. of response - this means it is really heart felt.”
“The Paws are the Cause event gives people a very enjoyable way to participate in
dog rescue,” says Wiser. “How wonderful is it that buying a great painting can simultaneous-
ly provide a litter of abandoned puppies with vaccinations and arthritis treatment for an older
dog in pain?” Individuals and businesses in the community have also rallied for the cause,
and spa services means that a suffering dog gets the leg surgery she needs or that a hand-
ful of dogs will get the heartworm preventative medicine that will keep them healthy all sum-
offered. The diverse services auctioned will spark the attention of many. Timothy Smith, a lo-
cal astrologer, has donated an astrology session. The Lotus Room Yoga Studio has contrib-
-
McGonagle along with the Colonial Veterinary Hospital has donated one dog or cat massage
therapy session and one underwater treadmill session. “Dogs and cats suffer from the same
therapy and is a licensed veterinary technician.
We have to work together as a team,” says McGonagle. “It takes a team - a supportive
community, a good veterinarian, supportive owners and trusting dogs.”
The local music group The Yardvarks will also contribute their talent to the event. This Itha-
ca trio of John Simon, Tom Farrell and Ken Zeserson will perform their acoustic folk-rock
throughout the evening. Red Newt Cellars will provide wine for the evening and 12 local
restaurants, such as the Lost Dog Café, Blue Stone Grill and Smart Monkey Café will offer
appetizers and desserts. “This is a worthy cause. There are no egos involved,” says Eliz-
which they deserve. Dogs give us so much.” “We are all lost dogs in a way,” says Hughes.
“The Lost Dog Café was created with the idea of connecting people, bringing them together
-
ing dogs with their forever home.” “The CDR dogs, like most rescue dogs everywhere, are
sweet, loving and loyal pooches who were unfortunate enough to be born into poor circum-
stances or to uncaring or irresponsible owners,” says Wiser. These rescue dogs require this
love and compassion along with expensive medical treatments. For this, the Cayuga Dog
Rescue is reaching out.
On Saturday, April 7 at 7:30pm the Paws are the Cause event will provide food, drink,
auction art and music at the Museum of the Earth. All proceeds from this fundraiser will fund
the veterinary care of current and future rescued dogs. “These dogs make up for lost time
when you provide a good life for them,” says Wiser. “They give back more love and exude
more happiness and gratitude than you can imagine.”
Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Grain
and Pet Supply, Finger Lakes Running Company and Claws and Paws Pet Grooming. For
more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cayugadogrescue.org.

30. Doggy Haven (From Ithaca.com)
By: Jake McNamara | Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:00 am
died. She survived a Kentucky shelter where eight to 10 thousand animals a year are
euthanized because of space shortages. Now Lyndsey is in Ithaca, adoring her ani-
mal-foster home and awaiting adoption. This is just one of the stories behind Cayuga
Dog Rescue (CDR), the newly-formed, all-volunteer Ithaca-based dog rescue organi-
so unconditionally loving,” said Susan Wiser, co-founder of CDR. “They just have such
enthusiastic little spirits.” Wiser and friend Melissa Munch began the group this July,
found local dogs in need of help, but they also found dogs nationally, which is how
dogs like Lyndsey showed up on their doorstep.
Both Wiser and Munch praise local animal shelters. But as both became more
involved in understanding local shelters, they saw a problem. “Pretty much everybody
in this business will never go out of business because there are so many animals
around,” Munch said. “There are far more homeless dogs than most county shelters
can accommodate,” Wiser agreed, “and county funding is too meager to allow most
shelters to provide optimal or sometimes even adequate care for [many dogs].” Wiser
said the Tompkins County SPCA is a rare exception to this case, with its state of the art
facility and successful donor campaign. But counties like Cortland and Schuyler, where
CDR gets many dogs from, are not as fortunate. CDR gets most of its dogs from local
people and shelters. CDR takes the homeless dogs and places them in one of a dozen
or so foster homes. Wiser explained that many dogs who seem depressed and unlove-
able after months in shelter cages change entirely when they move into a foster home.
Take Jack, a foxhound mix, for example. Wiser found him in the Cortland SPCA,
where he had spent nine months. “This poor dog was just going crazy,” Wiser said. “He
back to life,” Wiser said, adding that only last week, Jack found an adoptive home.
dogs are matched in suitable foster or adoptive homes, applicants complete an exten-
sive application and receive a comprehensive home visit. Munch has fostered 45 dogs
done it for so long and know what problems can arise,” she said. Wiser and Munch
-

31. Both women have dedicated almost all of their free time lately to getting CDR off
-
zation. Currently, there is a CDR donation jar at Ithaca Grain, but they are looking for
other businesses to put donation jars on their counters. They also encourage commu-
nity members to donate to their organization, whether with money, dog treats, or Buster
Balls, a favorite toy of dogs.
CDR can be contacted at susan@cayugadogrescue.org or melissa@cayugado-
grescue.org. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 722, Ithaca, NY 14851.
Jake McNamara

32. Rescuing Dogs From Death Row (From Ithaca.com)
Pet Corner By Glynis Hart | Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 1:14 pm
Dog Rescue, but if you assumed, as I did, that the rescue is for local dogs, read on.
Susan Wiser, who started CDR in 2005 with Melissa Munsch, explained that the dogs
-
their dogs; we pull dogs out of high kill shelters, in life-or-death situations,” says Wiser.
The no-kill movement is clearly taking hold, with laws being passed in California and
outside the US mandating that shelters spay and neuter all animals being adopted.
Meanwhile, parts of the country are still, as Wiser puts it, “In 1910.” The southern
states, in particular, lag behind the bandwagon on saving their animals.
Cayuga Dog Rescue works with a shelter in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for instance,
-
whelmed, and the dogs have no place to go but to be put down. “Some of these shel-
What happened is that people who work in the shelters got sick of the killing and
started calling people to save the dogs. Some years ago this column talked to Nan-
cy Givens, who runs Pet the Pet, a rehoming center in Trumansburg. Remember the
adorable pictures of fuzzy, healthy puppies there? I remember taking those shots, and
neutered, from a loving family home where both parents had lost their jobs, the fam-
-
en retriever who made best friends with a goose. Back then, Givens told me that she
knew a couple people in shelters in Ohio or Kentucky who would call her and beg her
pipeline going North from the kill shelters, and part of it comes to Tompkins County.
-
damaged, but the majority of the time even the ones that need help eventually come
around, if you just give them a little time and work with them.”

33. CDR is a group of 20 to 30 volunteers who work to rehome the dogs. They put up
posters; they fund raise; they put together the process to get the dogs to foster fami-
“are our responsibility,” says Wiser. “We do a lot of medical care. Once we take in a
dog, we give them what they need. If they need more money, we raise more money.
we can do that.”
The dogs stay with a network of around 20 foster families while CDR advertises
out. “Often people will call us and ask, can we stop by your shelter? There is no shel-
an application and be prepared to be thoroughly inspected. “We have a very thorough
process. Some people really love and appreciate it. Others, not so much,” says Wiser.
and the next step, if all goes well, is to introduce the dog to your other pets and make
sure they all get along. Then the adoption fee- $250- and you get a free training ses-
sion with a dog/people trainer to get your relationship with your new pal off on the right
foot.
shelters north to safety, in the “doggie underground railroad.”

34. Pet Corner: Rescuing Dogs From Death Row (From Ithaca.com)
By Glynis Hart | Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 12:00 am
Dog Rescue (CDR), but if you assumed, as I did, that the rescue is for local dogs, read
on. Susan Wiser, who started CDR in 2005 with Melissa Munsch, explained that the
-
the animals they take in, as opposed to an average of 50 to 60 percent for most shel-
almost never take their dogs; we pull dogs out of high kill shelters, in life-or-death situ-
ations,” said Wiser. The no-kill movement is clearly taking hold, with laws being passed
in California and outside the U.S. mandating that shelters spay and neuter all animals
being adopted. Meanwhile, parts of the country are still, as Wiser puts it, “in 1910.” The
southern states, in particular, seem behind the bandwagon when it comes to saving
their animals.
For example, Cayuga Dog Rescue works with a shelter in Bowling Green, Ky.
overwhelmed, and the dogs have no place to go but to be put down. “Some of these
What happened? People who work in the shelters got sick of the killing and started
calling people to save the dogs. Some years ago this column talked to Nancy Givens,
who runs Pet the Pet, a re-homing center in Trumansburg. Remember the adorable
the Tompkins County shelter before being snatched up. I remember a yellow Lab, four
years old, neutered, from a loving family home where both parents had lost their jobs,
-
meranian-type dogs, and a golden retriever who made best friends with a goose. Back
then, Givens told me that she knew a couple of people in shelters in Ohio or Kentucky
comes to Tompkins County.
-
ty percent of the dogs are incredibly resilient, happy, loving, joyful dogs. Sometimes
come around, if you just give them a little time and work with them.” CDR is a group
of 20 to 30 volunteers who work to re-home the dogs. They put up posters; they fund
raise; they put together the process to get the dogs to foster families, or even provide
-
ty,” said Wiser. “We do a lot of medical care. Once we take in a dog, we give them what

35. they need. If they need more money, we raise more money. Luckily, Ithaca is super
The dogs stay with a network of around 20 foster families while CDR advertises them.
application and be prepared to be thoroughly inspected. “We have a very thorough pro-
cess. Some people really love and appreciate it. Others, not so much,” said Wiser.
and the next step, if all goes well, is to introduce the dog to your other pets and make
-
sion with a dog/people trainer to get your relationship with your new pal off on the right
foot.
from kill shelters north to safety, in the “doggie underground railroad.”