C.A.R.E. Closet Annual Yard Sale!

C.A.R.E. will host a Yard Sale outside the C.A.R.E. Closet Thrift Shoppe, 1328-B W. Sunshine, on Saturday, May 26 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The yard sale items will be set up in the parking lots, and will be priced at low yard sale prices. The store will be open as usual that day from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. with regular prices.

All proceeds from sales go directly toward the care of the animals. Every sale or donation helps us help them!

If you have items you would like to donate, please drop those off the day of the sale.

World Stray Animals Day

Today is World Stray Animals Day. According to Cesar Millan, ambassador for World Stray Animals Day, "People see stray animals going through garbage on the street looking for food and they would just rather not see them. They don’t make the neighborhood look nicer—they just seem like they’re dirty and spread disease. They don’t really care where they these animals go, as long as they’re gone." 

The American Humane Association estimates over 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the United States alone every year. These animals are living beings with feelings that live painful lives. Together we can made a difference!

Anyone can get help save a life and reduce the alarming number of stray animals.  

• Adopt a stray animal
• Foster a homeless animal
• Volunteer
• Donate
• Microchip your pets
• Spay/neuter your pets
• Share the World Stray Animals Day cause with other to educate the public

For more information about this day, please watch the video below.

A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association showed the importance of microchip registration for pets. According to the study, only about 22 percent of lost dogs that entered shelters were reunited with their families. However, 52 percent of microchipped dogs were returned to their owners. Getting your pets microchipped by your veterinarian will dramatically change these stray animal statistics. Together we can change lives!

"Saving the life of one animal may not change the world, but the world will surely change for that one animal" -Author Unknown

Furry Friends Friday!

This week, C.A.R.E. will highlight two furry friends!


The first furry friend is Bobby! Bobby is a little tri-color Jack Russell Terrier mix. He has spent his life in an outside pen, and is now ready to live the life he deserves with a loving forever family. Bobby is a little shy at first, but he is very sweet and loyal once trust is established. He would do best as the only pet. Bobby is available for adoption at the Ozark adoption center.

The second furry friend is Carmen! Carmen is a 5 year old Basset Hound mix. She is a great girl with a sweet and loving personality. Carmen loves everyone she meets and loves to get belly rubs. She gets along well with most other pets. Carmen is also most likely housebroken. Carmen is available for adoption at the Springfield adoption center.

Nixa's Next Top Paw!

Do you have a pooch that stands out from the crowd? Do they have what it takes to be the Next Top Paw? Bring them to enter in the most barked about event in Nixa!

Doggie Styles Dog Grooming and Studio 1910 photography will host the first ever “Nixa’s Next Top Paw” animal fashion event benefiting C.A.R.E. Animal Rescue on Saturday, March 31, from 1 – 4 p.m. This pet fashion event will be held at Doggie Styles Dog Grooming, 308 W. South St, Nixa, Mo, 65714.

 Owners can uniquely dress their four-legged friends or borrow from the fashion trunk at the event. Each Next Top Paw participant will be photographed during this event by Studio 1910. The participants will receive a 4X5 print from the photographers to take home!

A panel of judges will choose a winner based on fashion style, personality, and creativity. There will be special prizes for the winner. 

The fee to participate is $5 or the equivalent in pet supplies for C.A.R.E. All proceeds raised at this event will go directly to C.A.R.E. Animal Rescue. 

You won't want to miss all of the fun raffle prizes! C.A.R.E. will also have animals available for adoption that day.

Kinsley's Rescue Story

Our Spring 2012 Rescue Review is now out! In case you missed it, here is Kinsley's rescue story. 

During a C.A.R.E. rescue visit to Springfield Animal Control, C.A.R.E.’s Director Melissa Sartin rescued six dogs that had been living in a Suburban. There was a total of 12 dogs living in the Suburban with their owners. The owners would drive around from parking lot to parking lot like it was a miniature mobile home. The Suburban was feces ridden, and the dogs were very sick and unsocialized. 


Kinsley, a German Shepherd mix, was one of the dogs that C.A.R.E. rescued. Over a period of two months, several times each day, volunteers and employees cleaned, fed, and provided socialization (play time) to Kinsley and the other animals. After much rehabilitation, Kinsley is now a whole new dog! She is available for adoption at the Ozark adoption center.


Kinsley’s story will have a happy ending but many other animals are not as lucky. We work hard to educate the public and provide a rescue, spay/neuter and adoption service to the homeless animals in southwest Missouri. Your contributions make our work possible. Kinsley and everyone at C.A.R.E. would like to thank you for making this rescue possible.

For Inspiration:

If I can stop one heart from breaking;
 I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
 or cool one pain,
or help one fainting robin onto his nest again;
I shall not live in vain.

-Emily Dickinson

C.A.R.E. For A Pounding Success!

Our first ever "C.A.R.E. For A Pounding" event was held at Springfield Skateland on Sunday, March 11. Those tough roller girls from Springfield's Queen City Roller Derby are tough, but they have a soft spot for the animals! 

We took 9 animals to the event and 5 went home with his/her forever home! Anyone who brought a donation for C.A.R.E. received a ticket into the raffle. We received quite a bit of food for the animals as well as monetary donations!

One of the roller girls adopted Lou, one of our feline friends. They were so happy together!

The roller girls escorted the dogs out onto the rink for a C.A.R.E. animal half time show.

C.A.R.E. and Springfield's Queen City Roller Derby were LIVE on KSPR talking about the bout! Here is the link in case you missed it.

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/kspr-kspr-community-closeup-care-for-a-pounding-springfield-queen-city-roller-derby-20120309,0,5364896.story

C.A.R.E.'s 20th Anniversary!

Today is a special day for C.A.R.E.! No, not Valentines Day. Today is C.A.R.E.'s 20th anniversary! We have come such a long way in the past 20 years. 


In 1986, Director Melissa Sartin was upset after learning that her local pound killed animals after only three days. Other organizations were euthanizing 70 pets per day during the summer. Those were the only options for stray, injured and homeless animals because at this time “no-kill shelters” just did not exist. 


From 1987 to 1989, while still living at her parents home, Melissa began taking in strays and local pound animals and found them homes. By 1990, she had built makeshift kennels at her parent’s home and was working two jobs to pay for pet food and veterinary costs. In 1991, she began calling the rescue the “I Care Shelter.” It was quickly changed to C.A.R.E. (Castaway Animals Rescue Effort). Finally, on February 14, 1992, the shelter was licensed and registered as a non-profit corporation. C.A.R.E. was the first no-kill shelter in this area. Now, 20 years later, C.A.R.E. has rescued over 15,000 animals!

C.A.R.E. would like to give a special thanks to all of its awesome volunteers and donors. Without you, none of this would be possible! THANK YOU!


I will leave you with some inspiration:

I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs to human society.

I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal; and I was angry.

"God," I said, "this is terrible, why don't you do something?"

There was silence for a moment and then the voice whispered softly, 

"I have done something, I created you!"

-Author Unknown

Soulmutt Success!

Our first ever "Find Your Soulmutt" event was held this Saturday, February 4, at WineStyles. It was a pet-adoption event modeled after speed dating. C.A.R.E. has never had an event like this in the past, so we were all so excited and nervous about it!

Each dog was set up at a table with a C.A.R.E. volunteer escort. Then, participants had the opportunity to spend a couple minutes with each dog. Participants could then contemplate their adoption decision over wine, cheese and entertainment!

All of us at C.A.R.E. agree that this event was such a success! We took 8 dogs to the event, and 4 went home with his/her perfect match that night!

Both KOLR10 and KY3 came out to get some footage of the event. Click on this link to see the segment from KY3!

Susan, Margo, and others assisted the media with coverage of the event.

C.A.R.E. had a great turnout of people!

Our musicians, Jeremy, Jack, and Sam really helped set the "date" mood. They are a very talented group of young men.

Cherie, a C.A.R.E. volunteer, escorted Remi, a Min-Pin/Sheltie mix, the evening of the event. Remi was adopted and is now living with her forever home.