Famous performing artist and animal welfare advocate Betty White, would have turned 100 years old on January 17, 2022. Her fans and admirers were all rooting for her to live forever. Indeed, she was such a force of nature and such an inexhaustible source of positivity, it seemed like she just might. Unfortunately, the famous lifelong animal lover died on December 31, 2021, just shy of spending a full century on Earth. The Earth will miss her. The entire rescue community will miss her. So, last Monday, Rescue Ranch marked Betty White’s Birthday with Cake and Puppies.
Soon after White’s passing, Rescue Ranch began receiving inquires from the community about donating in her name. It was a spontaneous response to the news of her death and one that was replicated at rescues around the country. We didn’t solicit funds in her name, but we do hold her in high regard and were deeply touched by the outpouring of affection from our supporters.
As a result, we thought it would be nice to celebrate her by holding an extra “puppypalooza” on her birthday, and offering visitors a piece of specially decorated birthday cake.
What is a Rescue Ranch Puppypalooza?
In case you’re wondering, “puppypalooza” is what Rescue Ranch calls meet-and-greets with fostered puppies. Typically puppies are not housed at the adoption center. The shelter environment isn’t ideal for nursing moms or very young puppies. And once they’re a bit older, they benefit from having a “home” experience.
Puppy Program Manager Mary Luton organizes the meet-and-greets. They are public events that usually occur on weekends at the ranch. Puppypaloozas serve multiple purposes. They’re a way for puppies and prospective adopters to meet and they help with socialization. They’re also great opportunities for community members who just want to come hold a puppy, which, I think most of us can agree, is good for the soul.
Puppypaloozas tend to be low-key and Monday’s event was no different. However, most of the families, adopters, prospective fosters and donors who came by, were Betty White fans. We were so grateful that they chose to stop by on that day to honor her memory, and perhaps join us in a piece of cake. We hope that she would have approved.
Thank you to everyone who donated in honor of Betty White
Well that was Betty White’s birthday at Rescue Ranch, we kept it low-key but it was wonderful to share some cake and puppies with our visitors in her honor. We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the many donors who gave to Rescue Ranch in memory of Betty White. We’re always deeply moved by the amazing support of our extended community. Rest assured that, as always, those donations will benefit the dogs. We believe that by acting in accordance with our moto, “we do it for the dogs,” we honor the spirit of the great star’s legacy every day.
