Help Save Our Rescue!!!! Please!!!!

[zsmith1188]

For everyone reading this post, i would like to thank you for just looking. My name is Zachary Smith and i have been a proud animal owner for over 10 years, currently best friends with 3 Ferrets, 4 Parrots, 8 Parakeets, 10 Bearded Dragons, 8 Leopard Geckos, 2 Russian Tortoises, 3 Horned Frogs, 12 Tarantulas, 2 Ball Pythons, and 1 Red Tail Boa. I know its not everyday someone posts a thread asking for this kind of help, but in this case i have nowhere else to turn. For the last four years i have been slowly accumulating more and more friends to care for, and my wife working at the local pet store, has come across many animals needing homes and no one wanting to adopt them. So out of my love of animals i took them into my care to assure they recieve the love and attention they need, thus being named the local exotic animal rescue. Now i know most of you are saying "If you cant afford to keep them, then dont take them." But i assure you that this is not the case at all, i have no problem affording to care for them and uphold routine vet visits, the problem that i have is that the city has found out about my at home rescue. You have to understand i am doing this 100% non-profit, i do not charge to accept animals, nor do i charge an adoption fee, all cost of caring for the animals is strictly out of pocket, with expenses exceeding $1000.00 a month at times. So the city has given me notice that i must pay for licensing and fines for keeping the animals unlicensed as an official animal rescue, a total of $2560.00 that i have to pay by October 1st of this year. Now i am not asking for donations for the full amount, i have strained every resource available and have collected $2200.00, even taking from some of my monthly bills. I know that i am asking alot, but anything will help, even if you can only give a quarter, please help me, if i dont do this they will take them all from us and place them in a county animal shelter where they will not recieve the love that my family gives them, we have made finding them good homes a lifestyle and dont want to lose it. So if you have read this far, thank you so much again for taking the time to hear my plea.

We are accepting donations through our Paypal account
Paypal Email: [email protected]
Or if you would like to donate using a different method please call:
(801) 336-8198, if no one picks up please leave a message.

Thank You, And God Bless

Sincerely,
Zachary Smith

 

[redhood23]

Why dont you do a fund raiser or something to earn the money if you are a true shelter? I am sorry, but I would not feel comfortable giving money to someone who SAYS it is for licensing and fines without seeing actual proof. In this industry there are a lot of crooks and crooked people, begging for money like this without actual proof kind of makes it seem you are like part of that population. I am sorry but that is just my oppinion.

 

[zsmith1188]

Everyone has a right to an opinion and i understand what you are saying, and we have already held a fundraiser as well as several yard sales. If you would like to donate that is your own choice, but thank you still for just reading what i have to say.

 

[Lucille]

So the city has given me notice that i must pay for licensing and fines for keeping the animals unlicensed as an official animal rescue, a total of $2560.00 that i have to pay by October 1st of this year. Now i am not asking for donations for the full amount, i have strained every resource available and have collected $2200.00

Make an appointment with whoever fined you, plunk down your $2200.00, and ask for an extension.

 

[redhood23]

If you do that, they will not turn you down. But if you are a real rescue, also it would be smart to get your name out there. that way people don't just think of you as a freeloader. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I see so many socalled rescues, and most of the time it is someone looking for free andimals to flip.

 

[zsmith1188]

Well i wish it was that simple the $2560 is the total for both the fine and my licensing, so i have $2200 saved for both things. The fine alone is $2300, my licensing is $260. The fine was placed by the state, and Utah is not well known for its leniency, i miss North Carolina

 

[Lucille]

3 Ferrets, 4 Parrots, 8 Parakeets, 10 Bearded Dragons, 8 Leopard Geckos, 2 Russian Tortoises, 3 Horned Frogs, 12 Tarantulas, 2 Ball Pythons, and 1 Red Tail Boa......... I has come across many animals needing homes and no one wanting to adopt them. So out of my love of animals i took them into my care to assure they recieve the love and attention they need

There are plenty of people right here on this board that will adopt some of your critters, Hoarders many times get in over their heads by thinking that no one else can take as good a care of the critter as they can, I'm not saying your hoarding, but if you want good homes with plenty of love and attention for your little guys, why not screen some of the good folks here and send them some of these critters?

 

[Lucille]

Utah is not well known for its leniency

You are asking people for their money here and it's hard times. It behooves you to ask whoever fined you and not make assumptions before asking readers here for cash.

 

[Lucille]

A quick peek at your past posts shows some buying and selling going on, if you need funds why not sell some of your critters, you have done that prior so it isn't as if each cherished tarantula was part of the family:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1238136#post1238136

 

[Fatman608]

I see "3 Ferrets, 4 Parrots, 8 Parakeets, 10 Bearded Dragons, 8 Leopard Geckos, 2 Russian Tortoises, 3 Horned Frogs, 12 Tarantulas, 2 Ball Pythons, and 1 Red Tail Boa" that you can sell to raise the money.

Fatman

 

[Wolfy-hound]

You've been looking to buy as well as selling, and I would assume breeding since you had a "proven breeder" for sale at one point. It's very difficult for a 'rescue' to present itself as a legitimate rescue when they also breed and sell animals.

I'm not saying you are taking in animals then selling them, or breeding and calling yourself a rescue... but it's hard to seperate it all, especially to a group of people you've been buying and selling with.

You should be able to pay for your license, then pay the fines. It would also help to show the official pages showing the fines/fees for your city that show where you have to register as an animal rescue, when you've only been taking in unwanted pets as personal pets. If you are an actual charity, you should have tax paperwork to show when you take in donations, since the IRS has strict rules about that.

But if you are just taking unwanted pets and keeping them, then the city couldn't say you're acting as a rescue, and you wouldn't need a license or nonprofit status. I mean, I've taken in a lot of unwanted animals, placing some into new homes... but I've never had any officials come inform me that by taking in a rescue animal I have to register as a rescue.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

I have to agree with Theresa.

You've been looking to buy as well as selling, and I would assume breeding since you had a "proven breeder" for sale at one point. It's very difficult for a 'rescue' to present itself as a legitimate rescue when they also breed and sell animals.

Besides buying and selling here, trying to purchase incubators, buying and selling on arachnoboards, posting pictures of eggs incubating on your flicker account, I would have to state your not just rescuing animals. Matter of fact, you state on another forum that you are starting some breeding projects.

But if you are just taking unwanted pets and keeping them, then the city couldn't say you're acting as a rescue, and you wouldn't need a license or nonprofit status. I mean, I've taken in a lot of unwanted animals, placing some into new homes... but I've never had any officials come inform me that by taking in a rescue animal I have to register as a rescue.

That's correct. Accept, he stated the city found out about his little rescue. Which leads me to believe he was advertising himself as a legitimate rescue when he wasn't. That would explains a lot.

the city has found out about my at home rescue. You have to understand i am doing this 100% non-profit, i do not charge to accept animals, nor do i charge an adoption fee, all cost of caring for the animals is strictly out of pocket, with expenses exceeding $1000.00 a month at times. So the city has given me notice that i must pay for licensing and fines for keeping the animals unlicensed as an official animal rescue, a total of $2560.00

So what animals are you being fined for? The animals you listed aren't all rescued animals. I know the tortoises aren't.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239499

You are selling T's on another site so I wouldn't call those rescues either.

So the city has given me notice that i must pay for licensing and fines for keeping the animals unlicensed as an official animal rescue,

This just doesn't make any sense. You have to pay fines for keeping unlicensed animals as a official rescue. Well, your not a official rescue as you have stated. That's why you have a fine. So your not keeping unlicensed animals as such. If your not a official rescue why would you need a license to keep the reptiles you have? It seems you have been busted for advertising yourself as such and not being one. People who do that and also sell and buy don't sit well with most for obvious reasons.