The Save A Buddy Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit was established in 2014 by Mike Fatke and Molly Cichy in memory of their beloved rescue dog Buddy. Buddy was an overlooked, misunderstood adult dog who represents so many shelter dogs that remain homeless, unloved and lonely, yet have so much love to share and joy to give!
Shelters are full of “Buddys” who are passed over for brand new cute, cuddly puppies who oftentimes are adopted quickly only to be returned to shelters when they are “too big, not housebroken, not good with kids or other pets" etc, etc. These young dogs are then stuck in a vicious cycle of being unadoptable because they were not properly cared for or properly trained when they were babies. So shelters fill up with young-adult dogs nobody wants yet new cute, cuddly, puppies continue to flood shelters, only to repeat the cycle of puppies being adopted quickly, then being relinquished back to shelters for various reasons. And to top it off, think about all of the “free to good home” ads you see on various websites! These are puppies/dogs that are available to anyone who responds to the ads. Do the people responding to these ads guarantee to provide a loving, forever home for a puppy or dog or are there ulterior motives involved, with a helpless animal paying the price for whatever they are subjected to? This is the perfect example of pet over-population! Too many unwanted dogs already in existence yet more puppies being born every day!
So what is the solution to pet over-population? Spaying and Neutering! We have been volunteering and advocating on behalf of homeless animals since 1990 and know firsthand the most successful means of getting a handle on the pet overpopulation problem is by spaying and neutering as many pets as possible.
There are many reasons pet owners do not follow through on getting their pets "fixed" and quite often the biggest roadblock is that the cost of the surgery is simply more than the pet owner can afford, thus the reason the "Save A Buddy Fund" was created. The mission of our non-profit is simple yet extremely effective. Our sole purpose is to offer financial assistance to dog owners who need help spaying and neutering their pets. We currently offer two different spay-neuter programs: the Pit Stop Program and the Canine Spay Neuter Assistance Program (K9-SNAP). Our Pit Stop Program is offered in Manistee, Lake, Osceola and Wexford Counties, and our K9-SNAP is currently offered in Manistee County only, although we continue to look for funding to expand K9-SNAP to Lake, Osceola and Wexford Counties, as there is a huge need for affordable spay-neuter programs for ALL dogs!
The Pit Stop Program offers spay and neuter assistance to any pit bull/pit mix owner that requests help. The Canine Spay Neuter Assistance Program (K9-SNAP) offers spay and neuter assistance for any breed/mixed breed dog (other than pits and pit mixes, as more financial assistance is available through our Pit Stop Program for pits and pit mixes).
There are no income restrictions to qualify for our spay-neuter programs and pet owners can receive help as long as there are funds available.
Shelters are full of “Buddys” who are passed over for brand new cute, cuddly puppies who oftentimes are adopted quickly only to be returned to shelters when they are “too big, not housebroken, not good with kids or other pets" etc, etc. These young dogs are then stuck in a vicious cycle of being unadoptable because they were not properly cared for or properly trained when they were babies. So shelters fill up with young-adult dogs nobody wants yet new cute, cuddly, puppies continue to flood shelters, only to repeat the cycle of puppies being adopted quickly, then being relinquished back to shelters for various reasons. And to top it off, think about all of the “free to good home” ads you see on various websites! These are puppies/dogs that are available to anyone who responds to the ads. Do the people responding to these ads guarantee to provide a loving, forever home for a puppy or dog or are there ulterior motives involved, with a helpless animal paying the price for whatever they are subjected to? This is the perfect example of pet over-population! Too many unwanted dogs already in existence yet more puppies being born every day!
So what is the solution to pet over-population? Spaying and Neutering! We have been volunteering and advocating on behalf of homeless animals since 1990 and know firsthand the most successful means of getting a handle on the pet overpopulation problem is by spaying and neutering as many pets as possible.
There are many reasons pet owners do not follow through on getting their pets "fixed" and quite often the biggest roadblock is that the cost of the surgery is simply more than the pet owner can afford, thus the reason the "Save A Buddy Fund" was created. The mission of our non-profit is simple yet extremely effective. Our sole purpose is to offer financial assistance to dog owners who need help spaying and neutering their pets. We currently offer two different spay-neuter programs: the Pit Stop Program and the Canine Spay Neuter Assistance Program (K9-SNAP). Our Pit Stop Program is offered in Manistee, Lake, Osceola and Wexford Counties, and our K9-SNAP is currently offered in Manistee County only, although we continue to look for funding to expand K9-SNAP to Lake, Osceola and Wexford Counties, as there is a huge need for affordable spay-neuter programs for ALL dogs!
The Pit Stop Program offers spay and neuter assistance to any pit bull/pit mix owner that requests help. The Canine Spay Neuter Assistance Program (K9-SNAP) offers spay and neuter assistance for any breed/mixed breed dog (other than pits and pit mixes, as more financial assistance is available through our Pit Stop Program for pits and pit mixes).
There are no income restrictions to qualify for our spay-neuter programs and pet owners can receive help as long as there are funds available.