As we reflect on 2015, SCAA's tenth's year in Shanghai, and look to 2016, we can't help but be a little wordy.  Please bear with us as we cover a lot of highs, few lows, and many thank yous.

In addition to our quarterly newsletter, SCAA frequently updates our facebook fan page and recently launched an official WeChat account (WeChat ID: SCAAShanghai) to share more news, events, success stories, and pleas with supporters and animals lovers.

2015 was a successful year thanks to generous supporters.  Once again SCAA animals benefitted from over a quarter million RMB a year in discounted PAW care.  This achievement is significant, and considering the difficult climate we face with increasing needs and shrinking resources, it's quite amazing.  

Most costs are associated with vet care basics and an investment averaging RMB1,200-1,500 a foster cat and more for a foster dog, but foster dog Chloe received over RMB16,000 in care for extraordinary expenses to repair a fractured pelvis.  Check our our Canine Corner feature below for details about this success story thanks to a community of dog lovers.

2016 will be a leaner year as we operate in a more cost-conscious way and focus on education initiatives.  Lasting change can only be achieved with long-term investment.  

Lucky SCAA animals begin the year assured of care thanks to sponsors and supporters of our annual fundraising event that raised RMB52,000 - SCAA's Annual Grand Raffle of Hyatt Hotels stays and our 2nd Vegetarian Cooking Competition (details below).  In addition to the support from generous venues and businesses like Hyatt Hotels, Wujie, Green Vege Cafe, PMG Group, and Hona Organics, volunteers and foster parents deserve special mention for going above and beyond.

Fostering is a tough and rewarding job.  It's thanks to foster parents volunteering their time to raise our foster animals with lots of love and attention that our fosters make fantastic pets.  The hardest part about fostering isn't daily pet care, booking PAW appointments or attending Adoption Days; it's eventually seeing our amazing animals off to forever families.

Managing foster care was less stressful thanks to foster parents who kindly contributed their time and helped foster animals with donations, arranging temporary foster help at busy holidays, and promoting foster care and adoption to friends and colleagues.  This generosity is most appreciated.  

Special thanks goes out to foster mom Joanne Liu for her regular donations of RMB1,000 and to foster mom Ann Ng for covering costly (even at our discount) orthopedic surgery for foster cat Yang as well as regularly paying for boarding (at SCAA's discounted rate at PAW) for her foster cats during busy travel times when foster homes are nearly impossible to find.  The same thanks goes out in advance to the Lowe family for arranging foster dog Fiona's boarding at PAW and covering this cost for Chinse New Year.

Foster parents Aurelie Boulan & family as well as foster mom Helen Rajpar deserve a special nod for paying some PAW bills on their foster cats' vet visits.  Foster parents Keith and Paula Howard donated an iPad Mini they won and didn't 'need' for a raffle prize and the popular item helped us raise a couple thousand RMB for animal care.  

Resourceful foster parents have regularly taken the lead in arranging reliable care through friends or Ayis during busy holiday times when SCAA is always critically short of foster homes.  SCAA can't thank foster parents enough for this help.  Speaking of holidays, details about our Chinese New Year foster home plea are below.

The danger with lists of course is that we risk missing someone.  To the foster parents who regularly attend Adoption Day (and haul cat cages up and down stairs), who go out of their way to ensure foster cats and dogs have reliable care during busy travel times, who gladly take their chance on raffle tickets for a good cause, and who have contributed to vet care costs, we offer a special thanks for making a special effort.

The Chinese New Year holidays are a busy time for SCAA as we search for temporary foster homes for many healthy & happy foster cats and dogs whose foster parents will be away for a week or two. If you can help foster for this short time please let us know.  
The animals to move are healthy and many are pet-friendly. Contact foster@scaashanghai.org
 

Pepe was a big hit again (of course!), this time with the 5th graders at the World Foreign Language School - all 60+ students, thankfully divided into 3 classrooms.  The students were patient, even when Pepe was no longer interested in treats by the time we reached our third group of kids!

SCAA and the students enjoyed an interactive animal welfare presentation highlighting "Before & After" rescued foster animal photos and safe interaction with dogs. The students were more than happy to practice lessons learned in meeting Pepe, giving him treats, and grooming him.   

  
  

SCAA's next school visit is to SUIS Hongqiao this month as part of the grade 2 unit "Helping Others".  

Interested in hosting SCAA, with or without Pepe, in your classroom? Contact education@scaashanghai.org.