Holiday shopping for a good cause

Alright!  We're about 1/3 of the way to our goal thanks to a purchase for a friend's birthday by Susan Gaughan of New York City and a generous donation from Leslie Chappell of North Carolina.

Don't forget my candles make great gifts for any occasion and can be made unscented upon request.  I've got some great new holiday candles coming out shortly and of course everything sold in my shop until October 18th will go towards Mugsy's operation so get some holiday shopping done early or pick up a unique gift for an upcoming birthday or anniversary.  Need gifts for Hanukkah?  Drop me a line and I'll see what I can do!  

Or once again you can simply make a donation, whether it's $1, $5, $20 or even $50.  No amount is too great or too small and every penny we get is appreciated.  As always, anything leftover after the operation gets donated to the Coastal Humane Society of Maine.

Fall has arrived and we have a new tally

Good afternoon everyone!

Fall has arrived at last and it promises to be a beautiful weekend.  The new numbers are in and thanks to you all we have cleared our first $100 with a grand total of $140 thanks to the latest candle purchase by Janet Sullivan of New York. We still need $560 for the operation and don't forget, everything we get once the operation is covered is donated to the Coastal Humane Society of Maine. So pester everyone you know, take a look at some of my scrumptious scented candles and get some early holiday shopping done or give up that one cup of coffee to help some furry friends with a donation instead.  You'll be glad you did:)

Have a great weekend!

New Tally

Who says nightgowns are just for people?

Good afternoon everyone:)

Just a quick update that we are nearing our first $100 of the $700 Mugsy needs for his operation.  Great work everyone!  Thanks to Julie Nussbaum's purchase of a Granny Smith Apple soy candle and the latest donations received by Kristen Fondale of Modesto, CA and Jessica Hanna of North Carolina, we now have $80!

We're moving right along and every little bit helps so spread the word, tell your friends, neighbors, coworkers, the mailman.  If everyone could dig up even $5, you can help this little guy return to health in no time:)  Have a great evening!

Fundraising update

Good afternoon everyone!

Your response and show of support for Mugsy has been overwhelming and on behalf of all of us, I say thank you.  Candle orders are pouring in and donations have been picking up.  At this rate, we should make our October 18th deadline with time to spare:)

Now, for some reason Etsy is charging about $8 shipping per item purchased so I'll have to check my settings again.  So if you pay for your order and notice an unusually high shipping rate, please contact me and I'll refund the difference.  Otherwise contact me before payment and I'll recalculate it for you.  Right now USPS Priority shipping for packages are ranging from $7-$15 depending on weight and distance from Maine.

In the meantime, special thanks to everyone sending in donations.  So far we've received $35 from Deborah Ragsdale - Georgia, Kristen McDonald - Hawaii, and Danielle Hendry - Washington.  Current candle orders are pending until payment is received and will be added to the tally.  Please continue to spread the word and thank you again for your generosity:)

What's it all about?

Greetings and welcome!

About a month ago a family member whose living situation had changed temporarily placed into our care an 8 year old Shih Tzu named Mugsy. We received this little guy in a disgusting and dirty condition and discovered he hadn't seen a vet in 7 years so we told his owner we would cover the cost of updating his shots, heartworm etc. but any pre-existing conditions the vet found would have to be covered by them. Upon examination the vet tells us he has several sebaceous cysts which if left for too much longer could rupture and possibly become cancerous. Many of Mugsy's teeth, the ones that hadn't fallen out, were rotted and would have to be removed and both conditions were due to improper diet, grooming and negligence. The estimated cost of the operation is $700 upfront, no payments.

My husband is active duty enlisted military while I, after being unemployed the last few years, only recently started a new job so we just don't have this kind of money lying around. In fact, it's for this reason our other two shelter dogs have insurance. Unfortunately, pet insurance works pretty much like people insurance and they won't cover pre-existing conditions meaning Mugsy won't be covered until after the operation. After making multiple attempts to contact the family member over the past few weeks I recently discovered from another family member that Mugsy's owner "has other priorities."

So as his owner has relinquished all responsibility and underhandedly abandoned him to us, we're trying desperately to raise the money for his operation on our own as quickly as possible. I have an Etsy shop where I make and sell faux food soy candles called Culinarychiq Concepts and from now until October 18th (when we hoped to have the procedure) all proceeds from any candles bought in this shop will go towards the operation.

If you're interested in making a donation instead of a purchase I will have a donate button linked directly to my paypal account shortly. I will be updating this blog as funds come in and let you know as soon as we reach our goal. Please note that any money not used for the operation will be donated to the Coastal Humane Society in Maine.

Mugsy is a sweet little guy who likes to test the canine hierarchy in this house with my two younger but much larger smooth collie mix females often with humiliating results;) He loves to nibble on his nylabone, toss his tennis ball at his sisters, lounge in patches of sunlight on the floor, guard the house via the window sill next to the couch and snuggle. We are working to reverse the bad habits and health issues he's picked up from life with his previous owner and make the next 4-6 years (hopefully) on this planet a healthy and happy time.

So please spread the word and many thanks in advance for your generosity!