I’ve decided to do all my holiday shopping at pet rescue fundraisers this year. The idea came to me after a long table of raffle and silent auction items greeted me through the door at a Hamilton Greyhound rescue event recently.
Silent auction is a particular vice of mine, combining two of my obsessions: shopping and winning. It’s like competitive shopping. But for charity. Awesome.
There’s been a lot of talk about spending you holiday dollars locally, at independently owned stores away from the chains. Well, this idea is one better – spend your money at charities, bid high, buy raffle tickets, purchase items from vendors supporting the events and you’ve created a double whammy of holiday cheer.
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And if these events directly benefit cats and dog (and you pay no tax) even better.
Here’s my haul so far (not all yet allocated):
- An easy-to-wrap boxed waffle maker from the Greyhound Rescue silent auction in Binbrook, Ontario sponsored by GLOHW (Greyhound Lovers of Hamilton-Wentworth) and giant bag of Royal Canine Urban Dog (affiliate link) large-sized kibble for Sasha, the lab-cross who’s my dog Victor s best friend.
- A pink leather collar for some doggie friend from Pawloosa in London, Ontario last summer and a grey dog bed for my schnoodle Victor from WienerFest in August.
- Victor also gets assorted SOOS Dead Sea mineral shampoo (affiliate link) purchased from a vendor at summer Woofstock in Toronto, Ontario.
What’s my crowning silent auction achievement so far, you ask? A 32-inch flat screen T.V. from the HOWLer Pound Dogs fundraiser in Aye, Ontario … for me.
Also for me, and everyone I share with on Social Media, is a photo of Victor and me thanks to Furever Young Pet Photography in Hamilton, Ontario, set up at the previously mentioned Greyhound rescue. That was a particularly good auction/door prize/fundraising day.
The season’s not over yet. Bring on the bidding. On Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Fido.
[…] broke out the waffle iron for this one (one I bought from a dog rescue silent auction fundraiser). Trouble is, I hadn’t used it before. One thing I learned: don’t over fill it, or […]
[…] If you loved this, check out my report about London’s Pawlooza event or learn about Greyhounds by shopping at holiday fundraisers. […]
What a wonderful idea! I’ve been telling friends that we should buy goats, but this idea of yours is much more personal and as local as can be. The consurismn of this time of year grates on me with the consumption. Although I missed this years events, I’m planning for upcoming birthdays and other celebrations through supporting local fundraisers.
Thanks. When I saw a huge table of variety I thought why not? Especially the T.V. because I was going to buy one anyway and this way – no tax. For some reason that no tax thing really appeals to me.