If you follow the Chinese Zodiac calendar, then you’ll notice that there are several years which would be great for public relations for various animal rescuers. Here are a few ways to raise awareness of your rescued animals while bringing in some funds.

The Chinese Zodiac revolves around 12 animals, many which are animals in our own rescues. Each year, the Chinese Zodiac focuses on one animal, and holds a celebration in January or February, depending on the year. For 2006, the focus animal is the dog! Now that 2006 is coming to a close, the next animal on the calendar is the Pig, or Boar. The Year of the Pig (starting Feb 18, 2007) is a great time for pig rescuers, guinea pig rescuers, or barnyard sanctuaries to raise awareness of their special animals in a fun way.

For the Dog Rescuers who are closing out their year of focus on rescue dogs, be sure to send out a recap to your media members and in your newsletter to highlight the progress of dogs in your area. You can summarize your rescue’s year of successes and changes, or discuss the changes of all dogs in the area. Make note of any major changes, such as new anti-chaining laws, or the opening of spay/ neuter clinics in your community. Make this your State of the Union (or State of the Rescue!) speech to keep everyone in your area informed of your progress and your goals!

For Pig Rescuers, use this opportunity to raise awareness of homeless pigs in your care. Make 2007 the Year of the Pig for your community! As pig rescuers know, pigs are associated with loyalty and being friends for life. This is perfect for donors, since we want them to become ‘friends for life’ of your rescue!

You can connect with a Chinese heritage group to host a new year celebration together, or march in their parade if you’re near a large city. You can work with a Chinese restaurant to host a special fundraiser, with an emphasis on non-pork food items if you’d like. Many ethnix restaurants have several dishes that are vegetarian or possibly vegan as well.

Ask your mayor to sign a proclamation to recognize 2007 as the Year of the Pig for your town. Sample proclamations can be found online through a Google search. You could incorporate a buffet style Pig Out festival with several food vendors, or a Taste of the Town event in honor of your rescued pigs. Of course, having BBQ pork may not be in your best interest here, but again, there are lots of vegetarian or non-pork foods you can highlight. You can find lots of Chinese style decorations through local party stores, and online party stores, such as Oriental Trading, www.oriental.com for low prices.

You could do several regular fundraisers throughout the year, but create a bigger pig focus. A Piggy Bank Push (also called a Penny War) or a Kiss the Pig contest would be perfect for local school systems as well as for media personalities. If you have some fun loving police officers, you can partner with them to work that ‘pig’ angle in a positive way. A Harley Davidson motorcycle ride would also be perfect for pig rescues with the obvious ‘hog’ theme. This could be done as a regular event ride, or as a poker ride where riders get a playing card at several stops along the route and the best hand at the end of the event wins. Contact your local Harley Davidson showroom for help in setting up a motorcycle rally, or to get in touch with motorcycle groups in your area.

For OTHER rescues, don’t worry, there will be a Chinese Zodiac animal coming along in a few years that might suit you well. 2008 will be the Year of the Rat, and 2009 will be the Year of the Ox/ Buffalo. There may not be a lot of Buffalo rescuers out there, but the buffalo can be representative of wild animals or sanctuary animals who need to be rescued, and the Ox could represent cows. After the Ox comes the Tiger (cats), Rabbits, Dragons (lizards), and Snakes. Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster and Dogs follow. While many of the animals are better suited for barnyard sanctuaries, Roosters could double as Birds in general, and the Monkey can symbolize animals in the wild, such as those in rainforests who need to be protected.

Use your imagination to adapt your regular fundraisers to suit the Chinese Zodiac theme, particularly around Chinese New Year in January/ February.