As you may know, Brierpatch Cats is a project run by me (Jane Keeler) and my mom (Sandy Keeler). We take care of all the cats ourselves, and we pay all of the vet and other animal related bills ourselves. We do not receive any outside funding. I have been going back to school since August 2009, and as such have been working ultra-part-time (less than ten hours a week at minimum wage). This means that my mom has been paying all of the vet and other animal related bills. We calculated that in 2009, my mom spent a full THIRD of her salary on our animals. Additionally, since I've been working ultra-part-time since August '09, my mom has spent a good portion of her salary buying me food and paying my bills.
The school year is almost over, and I have decided that what I really need is a job. (I already have my Bachelor's degree, BTW, for those of you who didn't know.) I really hate being 31 years old and relying on my mom for gas money, bills, groceries, etc. This is the first time since 2001 that I haven't been self-sufficient, and it is maddening. Unfortunately, while the economy may be on the rebound in other parts of the country, jobs are few and far between here in Waycross. I've applied for several, been interviewed for one, and been hired for none.
Meanwhile, I've received a really good job offer from the school in Daegu, South Korea (where I taught in 2006-2007)! I've decided to go overseas again to teach English (as I did from 2005-2008). The job in Korea pays enough that I will be able to send home a decent amount to help my mom cover veterinary and other animal related expenses. (I've also applied for a teaching position in Kazakhstan, although I've yet to hear back from them.) Additionally, I'm planning to put my house up for sale. (Of course, given the housing market in Waycross, I'm not sure what kind of luck I'll have!)
While having an additional source of income will help a LOT with the expenses of caring for so many animals, AND we'll be able to put money towards fixing the flooded part of the road to the land and improving our facility out there… having me out of the country will make things rather more difficult for my mom, considering how many critters we have at this time. As such, we need to downsize.
See, my mom works full time AND she will be turning 66 in August 2010… Caring for fifty cats, eleven dogs, and two horses is a lot of work. A friend of mine who lives here in Waycross has volunteered to help my mom out with the animals when he can (thanks, Mark!!), although the biggest thing that would be of help to us would be if we could lower the number of animals for which we care at this point in time.
Whether I move to Korea or Kazakhstan, I will be leaving at the beginning of August 2010. As such, we are starting a big push to adopt out as many cats and dogs as possible during the next three months. (Obviously, our permanent residents, feral cats, and horses are not up for adoption and are not included in this.)
The school year is almost over, and I have decided that what I really need is a job. (I already have my Bachelor's degree, BTW, for those of you who didn't know.) I really hate being 31 years old and relying on my mom for gas money, bills, groceries, etc. This is the first time since 2001 that I haven't been self-sufficient, and it is maddening. Unfortunately, while the economy may be on the rebound in other parts of the country, jobs are few and far between here in Waycross. I've applied for several, been interviewed for one, and been hired for none.
Meanwhile, I've received a really good job offer from the school in Daegu, South Korea (where I taught in 2006-2007)! I've decided to go overseas again to teach English (as I did from 2005-2008). The job in Korea pays enough that I will be able to send home a decent amount to help my mom cover veterinary and other animal related expenses. (I've also applied for a teaching position in Kazakhstan, although I've yet to hear back from them.) Additionally, I'm planning to put my house up for sale. (Of course, given the housing market in Waycross, I'm not sure what kind of luck I'll have!)
While having an additional source of income will help a LOT with the expenses of caring for so many animals, AND we'll be able to put money towards fixing the flooded part of the road to the land and improving our facility out there… having me out of the country will make things rather more difficult for my mom, considering how many critters we have at this time. As such, we need to downsize.
See, my mom works full time AND she will be turning 66 in August 2010… Caring for fifty cats, eleven dogs, and two horses is a lot of work. A friend of mine who lives here in Waycross has volunteered to help my mom out with the animals when he can (thanks, Mark!!), although the biggest thing that would be of help to us would be if we could lower the number of animals for which we care at this point in time.
Whether I move to Korea or Kazakhstan, I will be leaving at the beginning of August 2010. As such, we are starting a big push to adopt out as many cats and dogs as possible during the next three months. (Obviously, our permanent residents, feral cats, and horses are not up for adoption and are not included in this.)
We DO NOT charge an adoption fee; however, we DO interview (either via phone or email) all potential adopters to ensure that our animals go to the best of homes. If you live within reasonable driving distance, we will drive the cat or dog to you. If you wish to have an animal shipped to you, we will cover all the local expenses (traveling crate, veterinary health certificate, transfer to airport), but you will be responsible for flight costs.
Please consider adopting one of our cats or dogs today! And spread the word to everyone you know! Thank you so much for your help!!
5 comments:
You're gonna miss us. :) Hope that everything works out according to your plan. Good luck!
Hahaha. You know that post you wrote about young adults in their 20s-30s not wanting to live here because there is nothing to do coupled with no opportunities? Yeah. That would be me.
Want a cat or a dog? Know anyone who does?
I'd be willing to take one animal off of your hands, but one low- maintenance baby and one low- maintenance dog keep me insanely busy already. And that's even with assistance of a very helpful husband!
Was that a typo when you stated that your mother will turn 66 in a few months? Based on the pictures that you've posted in this blog, I'm thinking you meant 46...either that or she's a lot better preserved than my parents are.
Gwen - it's a shame that a flight would literally kill my rottweiler (he would have another embolism) becuase he is the least-maintenance of all my critters. If he were healthy enough, I'd be scaring Koreans with him left and right :-) As it is, I'll probably bring Twitter... much smaller and healthier and not tooooo much trouble....
Anonymous - I will pass that compliment on to my mom!! She really is about to turn 66 (not so sure how she feels about me posting that for all to see!) - she has just aged really, really well :-)
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