A-PAL's Special Needs program

Our Santa Fund program started in 2010 with cats and dogs in our care or at our local animal shelter who need medical procedures, such as eye surgery, thyroidectomy, dental work, fracture repair, heartworm treatment, and other lifesaving procedures. Our Santa Fund helps these pets get the procedures they need to be placed in foster care and next placed for adoption. Santa Fund also helps the public with procedures. Residents need to have their animal current on vaccinations, pet has to be spayed or neutered, and after board approval A-PAL will pay for 50% of the procedure up to $1000. In 2021 The Santa fund helped with 44 procedures on dogs and cats.

For more than 10 years John and his wife Mary traveled from the Bay area to Jackson to be Santa in our annual Santa Paws fundraiser. They have always supported A-PAL and in 2009 just before Christmas, John was told he had terminal pancreatic cancer. Even with his new found illness John made the drive to Jackson to be Santa one last time. A few months later we lost John but his family and friends responded with great generosity in his memory. This fund is now named after our Dear John Liedl. We know he would be happy with the great success this program has had over the years.

This fund may be used for owned and unowned animals as follows:

  • Owned animals- must be current on vaccines and spayed or neutered.
  • The requested procedure must rectify the problem for the animal.
  • The owner must pay for 50% of the cost of the procedure after A-PAL approval.
  • Unowned animals - must be current on vaccines and spayed or neutered.
  • The requested procedure must rectify the problem for the animal and make them more likely to find a permanent home.
  • A-PAL will pay for the entire procedure after A-PAL approval.

This fund has assisted more than 120 animals through 2015. Procedures have included heart worm treatment, tumor removal, dental cleaning and extraction, orthopedic surgery, eye surgery and other life saving procedures. This fund is made possible by generous people who believe all life is precious and who want to support the animals and people with special needs.

SEE some Special Needs stories.

DONATE to the John Liedl Special Needs fund.
All contributions are fully tax deductible
A-PAL's Tax ID is 94-2462789