Rescue Volunteer Is Lucky Winner of Free Pet Door
When Laura Leighton attended the Pima County Home and Garden Show in June, this Tucson resident did not realize how much it would change her life. Laura dropped by our booth and registered to win $350 toward a Hale Pet Door. Her name was chosen at random and she soon got a congratulatory letter from our Marketing Manager, Susan Everett.
“I couldn’t believe it so I called Susan to check for sure,” said Laura. “I thought, ‘This must be a mistake. What’s the catch?’” Susan assured Laura that there was no “catch.” In fact, Susan discovered that Laura was more than just a pet owner. She was a rescue volunteer and having a pet door would immensely help her efforts.
Laura shared with Susan that she was on disability due to severe osteo-arthritis. Winning $350 for a new dog door thrilled her, but she was concerned that it would not be possible to cover the installation cost. Impressed by her rescue work, Susan immediately told her, “Installation will be included. It will be our gift to you.”
“I was so excited,” said Laura. “And now that I have a pet door, I won’t have to get up and down all the time to let the dogs out. This is so much easier for me.”
Laura has a Shih Tzu named Mutthead and a cat named Puccini, as well as a long-term foster Chihuahua named Kiki. Over the years she has helped and fostered between 200 and 300 dogs, from tiny to large. Susan recommended that Laura have a large pet door installed so she would be prepared for whatever foster dog comes her way next.
Laura has volunteered for the Tucson-area rescue groups, Saving Animals from Euthanasia (www.safeanimals.com) and Foundation for Animals in Risk (www.faircares.org). She has also helped well over 100 dogs and cats on her own over the years.
Laura praised the workmanship of the “big, tall, good-looking, young fella” who came to her home to install her pet door. (That would be Eric from our Phoenix franchise. Thanks, Eric!)
All of us at Hale Pet Door wish Laura, her pets and her rescue foster dogs all the best. We are pleased that our pet door has made such a positive difference to this lucky winner.
by Jen Munch, Hale Pet Door Rescue Rewards Coordinator