A Rotta Love Plus loves dogs! The Minnesota-based nonprofit focuses on helping unwanted and neglected dogs — especially Rottweilers, American Pit Bull Terriers, and other non-traditional breeds — receive love and care. Most recently, one of the workers with ARLP, kicked off a fundraiser called “Paige is Running!! Without her camera!!” Each mile Paige runs will be dedicated to a specific dog and his or her needs. The organization sat down and shared with Mightycause how the fundraiser got started, what it takes to make sure their dog friends safe, happy, and healthy and some of their best practices for fundraising.
What made your organization decide to focus on helping Rottweilers and pit bulls?
Rottweilers and pit bulls are honored breeds of past generations who have fallen victim to the exploitation of humans. Because these two breeds are known for their loyalty to their humans and for doing whatever their humans demand, their traits have been exploited for entertainment, illicit financial gain, and symbols of status. ARLP was founded on the desire to restore the breeds and their reputations as valued family members.
Part of what your organization does is advocate for the humane treatment of all dogs. How do you do that? What are the biggest factors that typically contribute to inhumane treatment and how do you stop it?
Education is the MOST important factor in securing a future for the pit bull and Rottweiler breeds. We need to educate the public about responsible dog ownership. We must show them what and who these breeds really are and the plight they are facing.
Our Education Team brings our CGC and therapy Rottweilers and pit bulls to numerous groups and hundreds of children each year. During our education programs we work to teach dog safety and to demonstrate compassion towards dogs. Many of our education program dogs wear scars that they received from the inhumane treatment of their former lives. In each of our programs we show the dogs as real life examples of how compassion can have a positive influence on a living creature. By demonstrating compassion, we hope to teach the younger generations humane treatment of all dogs.
What are your organization’s biggest needs?
We are always in need of foster homes willing to open their hearts and their homes to the many dogs that await rescue. We are an all foster-based organization and we can only take in as many dogs as we have foster homes for. Our fosters provide a secure environment for each program dog in their home; then work with the dogs, bringing out their personalities while polishing their manners.
For those who are unable to foster, we also need committed volunteers willing to bring their experience to the organization, to help expand ARLP as we mature into the best rescue for Rottweilers and pit bulls in Minnesota.
And of course, we always need donations. We rely on, and are entirely funded by, donations. We receive no federal or local funding. We are a completely volunteer-run organization.
What moments in your work make you realize it’s all worth it?
At ARLP we all do what we do for our wonderful dogs. These dogs make it all worth it in so many different ways. ARLP makes a commitment to each and every one of our dogs the moment we take them into our program. The truth is that some days in rescue are stressful, some days are hard. Yet at the end of the day when we look into our dogs’ faces we know that it was all worth it.
What inspired your Mightycause fundraiser “Paige is Running!! Without her camera!!”?
ARLP has a small group of very dedicated volunteers. Without financially tapping out this small group, Paige wanted to show other ordinary people that with a little networking, it is possible to do something extraordinary, for these extraordinary dogs. Paige wanted to inspire her friends outside of ARLP to donate to a worthy cause, without ever having to leave their computer.
What are some of your tips for others raising money on Mightycause.com?
Network, network, network. If you have a way of tracking how many hits your site receives and from where, it might help to determine a new set of target fund raisers. Also, when people offered to give personal checks via mail or in person, Paige implored on them to use Mightycause, since 100% of the donation goes to ARLP. This also allowed the donation to count towards the $10,000 goal – and allowed the donation to move the meter forward so that all donors could track the success of the fundraising.