What would it be?
I would love to be able to fund a livestock sanctuary. Cattle, sheep, chickens, you name it!
I’d also take in un-adoptable kitties and maybe a dog or two.
It would also give me a great place to keep my three mares!
How about you?
A cat rescue for sure, especially a colony for FIV-positives and the like, probably in conjunction with a local vet school to provide a hands-on learning experience (I live near Cornell, so that would be handy).
Or a feral cat “capture, alter, and release” program.
Or maybe both!
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;6976038]
A cat rescue for sure, especially a colony for FIV-positives and the like, probably in conjunction with a local vet school to provide a hands-on learning experience (I live near Cornell, so that would be handy).[/QUOTE]
Oh, really? Like a leper colony for cats? If you could tart up the name, I don’t think the residents would mind.
If I won the lottery, I could afford to fence acres and acres for the FIV cats. Maybe I’d build 'em a jungle, too.
I don’t think the residents would care what I’d call it as long as there were decent meals and 'nip for all. 
I wonder if cats do okay in fenced in habitats like the ones they do for rescued birds of prey (four walls and a ceiling of fence) with an adjoined shelter room and if something like that was built, what’s the comfort range of space? Like 15sq feet of floor per cat?
Yes I would start a rescue. I have done a truck load of it through my life and just cant any longer because I dont work anymore. So there went my mad money funds I spent on all that rescue. I was always out of pocket and never on the books because I didnt want all the paper work. But anyways since I have slowed down on it so much, I do miss it. (Cant believe I am saying that)
I still have alot of cats.( always just shy of 20) They are all fixed, vaxed, vetted when needed, and live in a heated insulated cat shed in the back lawn. They are head counted and locked down every night. We love them extra dearly because someone did not.
We have slowed down on dogs because of time, money, and physical demands and only have 2 left, just lost the old one. (That was really fricken hard) But I think at one point not so very long ago we had 9 dogs all rescues.
I do miss doing horse rescue as well, as we did ALOT of that , but I really just cant do it anymore. One time I took a trailer full of six ponies headed to slaughter. It was here or there. It was of course in the middle of a blizzard and everything. When hubby came home and discovered that mess, he had to hurry and build six stalls pronto. He wasnt even mad, just shrugged and said it had to be done.
Yeah I miss it and would do more again if I won the lottery, cause I could hire worker care takers.
A rescue for cats, plus a TNR and feeding program for the local ferals, with a small horse center for retired horses who would otherwise be sold who-knows-where.
I would take in senior dogs…the ones whose owners have died, who have to go into a nursing home…I’d take them all. The sad ones who get dumped because they’re too old or have accidents in the house. The old ones really just break my heart. And if the owners were still living…I’d make sure the dogs visited them occasionally.
I would do horse retirement/rescue. I would take the horses that are no longer sound and their owners don’t want the hassle of keeping them till the end.
They would live out their days in spoiled happiness.
Didn’t Lauraky already take in an old dog whose owner was either ill or dead? And how about that woman who was going to give up her dog to the rescue but for the fact that Lauraky gave her dog food?
I guess LK would just give more food to more dogs and take in more dogs if she hit the lotto. And buy that mini-barn for her husband’s office.:lol:
Does it have to be domestic animals? I would love to do a big cat rescue complete with habitats. And would totally do fowl and old cats!
[QUOTE=tidy wabbit;6976636]
Didn’t Lauraky already take in an old dog whose owner was either ill or dead? And how about that woman who was going to give up her dog to the rescue but for the fact that Lauraky gave her dog food? [/QUOTE]
Yes, I’m the proud owner of a new/old cocker…15 last month. Her owner had Alzheimer’s and had to go from assisted living to the memory unit. She’s convinced herself that Bonnie died, but I send pictures and updates to her daughter every couple of months. Bonnie is such a sweet old thing!
As for buying food for the craigslist dog…shhhh…no one is supposed to know.
I guess LK would just give more food to more dogs and take in more dogs if she hit the lotto. And buy that mini-barn for her husband’s office.:lol:
LOL, I’m trying to convince him that I can turn an empty stall into a very nice office…so far, he’s not buying it!
I think that I would start a rescue for animals that are injured or need some kind of medical treatment. I am not talking about keeping animals alive if they are in pain, but I do like to see animals that need expensive treatment restored to a healthy, happy life if possible. If I could, I’d want to try taking in almost any type of domestic animal. I love to learn about different species and have a little variety in life.
I always wanted to pair a dog rescue with an obedience/training center. The dogs would get medical care and TLC like many other rescues, but would also be worked with by trainers - to help evaluate their personality/temperament, etc., and potentially give them a basic start in obedience. Then potential owners would have more to go by other than looks, and would be required to participate in a few classes (covered by the rescue) to ensure that the match was a good one based on both owner & dog needs/personality/activity levels, etc.
Having known of some very poor matches from shelters in the past - it just breaks my heart to know that some are returned simply because the owners didn’t know/realize that the dog needed more “something” (usually activity/work) than they were anticipating.
I also love the idea of an older dog rescue/permanent “foster home”. Not sure how many old dogs I can fit in my bed, though. 
free spays and neuters for everything and anything. No questions asked.
A fund to help people pay for vet care when they’re struggling. Care Credit’s a lifesaver, but some people don’t qualify, and even if you do, it’s still a credit card with painful terms - the interest is punitive if you fail to pay it off on time.
A home for retired broodmares (in need) as well as retirement board for other horses and a cat sanctuary. (ferals mostly) And absolutely a spay/neuter clinic, free free free to everyone!
I think low cost spay neuter is the best way to make a lasting impact on a community, and that would definitely be my number one choice.
Secondly, like another poster said, obedience training for dogs placed in adoptive homes, and/or help screening prospective dogs for adopters before they are adopted.
The group I volunteer with does have programs to help keep pets in their homes (pet food bank, emergency vet fund) and that is a great aspect of what we do, I’m very proud of it.
If money were truly not an issue for whatever reason I would not go the non profit route as there are too many hoops to constantly jump through. Those hoops are there for good reason but are still hoops I would avoid by doing my own thing. I would probably have a little bit of everything, including nurse mare foals and TBs straight off the track. Probably even cats and dogs.
[QUOTE=littleum;6976974]
free spays and neuters for everything and anything. No questions asked.[/QUOTE]
Now theres a great idea! Perhaps gelds too.
Don’t underestimate how much money is needed for good cat fencing-- miles and miles of it-- the original build and then maintenance. You’d have to call in a special designer who could disguise it’s concentration camp/jail look. Let’s be frank: Cats would need some tall, hard core looking fencing. Oh, and the big a$$ jungle will take some dough, too.
Another good thing I’d do (partly because it is likely to be unpopular): A traveling gelding and/or euthanasia clinic for horse. The nice thing about having this funded privately as opposed to via donations, is that you don’t have to stress out any donors who can wrap their mind around cutting off balls or putting animals to death.
