The last several months have been tough on our community, and the world. The pandemic and quarantine proved a challenge for everyone—and even though Lollypop Farm has remained open throughout, things look different for us as we work towards welcoming back the public, just like they do for the rest of our community. Through it all, staff at Lollypop Farm have continued working hard to protect pets in need in Rochester, and over the last three months, there have been SO many things to smile about happening at the shelter. Plus, we’ve found ways to continue offering many of our favorite programs and events in a virtual setting! Here are just a few of our favorite things that have come about over the last several months.
Pete finds a home
In mid-March we made the decision at Lollypop Farm to hold an adoption special for all animals in hopes of finding as many happy homes as possible for homeless pets and ensuring that with fewer staff at the shelter, all pets still remaining would continue receiving the very best care. Pete, an 11-year-old cat, had already been waiting to be adopted for several months. When every other cat in the Day Lily Adoption Center had found a home, Pete found himself all alone. With the help of our incredible social media community, a post about Pete’s predicament was shared far and wide, and just two days after posting Pete’s story, this feline friend found a happy home!
Meet cats currently waiting for homes: www.lollypop.org/adopt/adoptable-pets/cats-all-locations
The Digital Be Kind to Animals Art Show
This year, Be Kind to Animals Week was May 3 – 9. Usually we would invite local school children to help us celebrate by creating works of art to be displayed in the lobby at Lollypop Farm. But this year—we went digital! Kids K – 12th grade got creative and helped spread the word about being kind to pets in our community by creating works of art about animals at home. We then created a Facebook album so that everyone could enjoy their incredibly creative pieces.
Explore the Digital Be Kind to Animals Art Show here.
Happy tails all around!
Nothing makes us happier than sending pets into their purrrrrrfect homes! In the last three months, a total of 348 pets were adopted, including Gilbert, a senior mix-breed who waited several months for his perfect person. In addition to pets who found families, 117 pets went into our foster care program, where they received temporary love and care before becoming available for adoption!
Digital Animal Tales Story Time
Usually every Friday at 11:30 a.m. we would host Animal Tales Story Time in the barn classroom at Lollypop Farm. Since the shelter closed to the public, our staff (and animals!) had to get creative! We’ve been sharing weekly Digital Animal Tales Story Time, and in these videos, staff members and pets sit down at the shelter and read their favorite children’s books about animals for the enjoyment of kids at home. We’re so happy that we can continue sharing our favorite stories! You can visit our YouTube channel to see all of the animal tales that we’ve filmed so far.
Community donations to help pets in need
In mid-May, it became clear that the shelter was running very low on something very important – treats! We put out a plea on social media to our followers asking for donations of some of the pet’s favorite treats. From snausages to crunchy kitty treats, our friends knew just what pets at Lollypop Farm were craving. We were astounded by the number of treats that were dropped off at the shelter and sent from our Amazon Wish List! Thanks to you, no pet at Lollypop Farm will go without their favorite snack.
And not only did the community step up to help pets in need, you helped our staff members, too! We have received an incredible number of mask donations so that our staff in the shelter can continue working to help pets in need. Thank you for helping keep us safe!
Interested in how you can help? Learn more here.
Vision in Focus Gala
We recently made the very difficult decision to cancel our Vision in Focus gala and move towards a safe, virtual experience that would still benefit pets in need—an online auction! From June 4th through June 13th, Lollypop Farm hosted the Vision in Focus auction. From paintings created by potbellied pigs to vacation get-aways, supporters could bid on exciting auction items and all the while, provide for homeless pets in our community. Our community came together, yet again, and rose to the challenge. The Vision in Focus online auction raised a total of $128,780 to help homeless and abused pets!
Walter’s 10th Birthday
June 10th was Walter’s 10th birthday! Many of you already know Walter, one of our much-loved clinic cats at Lollypop Farm. If you don’t know Walter, he has a very important job! From kittens, to dogs twice his size, to potbellied pigs, Walter comforts other pets after they undergo surgery in our clinic. He licks, cuddles, and snoozes with pets on the “beach”—a heated portion of the floor where patients wake up from anesthesia. For his birthday, Walter enjoyed lots of treats and love from his clinic friends. For a cat with such an important job, this feline friend deserves to have the best birthday ever. Enjoy, Walter!
