Thank you to All The Best Pet Care, Nature’s Variety, and Pound For Pound Drive participants for donating more than 2,300 lbs. of cat food to the shelter this week!  We have some happy kitties around here!

These wonderful supporters will also be donating dog food soon too!

Meet this month’s Homeward Headlines eNewsletter sponsor… Martha Faulkner, RSVP Real Estate Broker and true animal lover!

When Martha isn’t finding her clients the homes of their dreams, you can find her walking Homeward Pet’s shelter dogs every week. Martha’s own home is filled with four-legged family members including her two shelter cats, Sammy and Morgan, as well as her dogs’, Libby and JoJo, all Homeward Pet alumni!

As an RSVP Real Estate Broker, Martha shares her love for animals by donating 10% of her commissions to Homeward Pet and other worthy organizations. Her new website proudly promotes her dedication to animals and Homeward Pet by listing our shelter as one of her charities of choice! Martha truly believes that ‘Everyone Needs a Home’.  You can learn more by visiting her website:  www.homes4petlovers.com

We recently had a chance to catch up with Martha and she shared a few tips and tricks for selling your home this spring! Check them out below.

• • Hire a Real Estate professional.If you need to sell your home fast, you need a professional that knows exactly how to do that. A Real Estate agent can help you assess what your home and your listing needs to stand out on the market.

• • Price it right from the start.Sellers often think that they should start the asking price high and then lower it later if the house fails to sell. But that can result in a slower sale and sometimes even at a lower price. Hiring a full-time real estate professional will help you price your home accordingly and get you the most money for your house.

• • Enhance your home’s curb appeal.This could mean planting some flowers, adding new sod, or painting the front door. You only get one chance at a first impression so make sure that when a potential buyer pulls up to your home, the first impression is a lasting one.

• • Update the interior and exterior.There are a couple easy and cheap ways you can tidy up the exterior and interior of your home. Replacing fixtures and a coat of fresh paint will do the trick.

• • Clean and declutter your home.The fewer things there are in the home will make it appear larger. Remove excess furniture and family knickknacks. Religious or political posters or items should also be removed. You want the buyer to be able to envision their furniture and decorations in the home and taking these small steps will help them do that.

• • Stage your home.Homes that are professionally staged sell faster and for more money than homes that are not. Arrange furniture in a way that promotes a good flow when showing the home. A professional stager can be a great resource to help sell your home quickly.

• • Make the property easy to show.The more flexible you are about visits and showing the home, the more people will be able to see your home. Be ready for potential buyers early in the morning, at night, or on weekends.

• • Take your pets out.As an animal lover, you treat your pets well with toys and beds galore, but a potential buyer shouldn’t know that a pets lives in the home when touring the place. So take the dogs for a walk or find a safe spot to kennel your kitties and remember to remove any pet-related items like dog dishes and cat litter boxes.

• • Make sure your home will be listed on all major online portals.Make sure your home is going to show up on Zillow, Trulia, realtor.com, Facebook, and your agent’s website. This is a part of our service to you as your real estate professional.

• • Make sure the listing has good, professional photos.Most home buyers start their search online and decide which homes they want to go see based on the photos of the homes. This is your chance to showcase your home with good quality photos.

Francisco spent the first years of his life, wandering from place to place always seeking out some small comforts, and something more.

One day, he walked right onto a freeway of oncoming traffic. He tore across lanes and ducked between cars, terrified and looking for some sort of escape. A kind Samaritan pulled to the shoulder of the road and plucked little Francisco up, taking him to the local municipal shelter.

Francisco’s feet were torn and bloody, and nearly all of his claws were broken or had been ripped off from sprinting across the hard and unforgiving pavement. Francisco was transferred to Homeward Pet where he was greeted by gentle hands and friendly faces.

Clinic staff soaked his paws in warm, soothing water. His feet were wrapped in bandages to ease the pain and prevent infection. His litter box was filled with shreds of soft paper. For the first time in his life, Francisco had fresh water, food, shelter, warmth and a whole room of cats to keep him company!

Staff and volunteers showered Francisco with more love and attention than he’d likely ever known. Francisco’s wounds began to heal and his lovable, happy go lucky personality made him a fan favorite at Homeward Pet.

It was no surprise that in less than a week of being with us, a family fell in love with him too. Jenn, Chris and their two kids, Dash and Emmaline came into Homeward Pet looking for a kitten. But then they saw Francisco. He practically leapt out of his kennel to greet them, and after they heard his story, they wanted nothing more than to make him theirs.

A week later—when Francisco was fully healed and available for adoption—Jenn and her family scooped Francisco up, taking him off to his forever home, where he remains today.

Jenn says Francisco is the perfect addition to their family!

“He is so friendly. He loves everyone he meets, he’s gentle with the kids and adults and he has so much energy and is very curious. There is no object too high for him to jump to!”

Francisco will forevermore have a home to call his own, and a loving family.

Thank you for creating bright and exciting futures for animals like Francisco. And for helping Homeward Pet make meaningful matches that create so much love and happiness in our community.

Here’s Levi and Mabel working with Dog Behavior Team trainers, Angie and Ashley, last night.  Levi and Mabel lived outdoors their whole lives and had limited interactions with people before arriving at Homeward Pet, and they’re learning that people are okay…and maybe even fun to be around.

Our Dog Behavior Team provides daily sessions to dogs who need some extra training.  They often work with dogs who are reactive to other dogs, who guard their toys, or pull hard on a leash.  But sometimes, we get dogs like Levi and Mabel, who’ve have had limited interactions with people.  Then, our Behavior Team works on building trust and getting those dogs comfortable with simple things, like petting, playing and being around people.