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The Zootoo/Stray Rescue Rally was so much fun! There are so many people in the St. Louis area that support Stray Rescue and truly care about the homeless animals. It was great to see those people showing their support at the rally. Randy Grim and Stray Rescue do wonderful work!

We had so much FUN at the zootoo.com Rally with Stray Rescue an what seemed like thousands upon thousands of supporters! St. Louis and Stray Rescue have really caught the zootoo fever!

Big thanks to Bob Bagby and AG Edwards for donating the future home of
Stray Rescue. We'll put it to good use to save more lives.

Thanks Zootoo.com for the tremendous opportunity and for taking the cause of the animals to the media and the nation! The rally was wonderful – so good to see the community support as well as many dogs that we have taken care of in the shelters with their new forever families and/or foster homes. Randy is an inspiration to all of us.

Of course we would love to win the makeover. We have a building and a tremendous, giving, community that could make this dream a reality. I see it now – kind of a Habitat for Humanity project for our four legged friends!

In the end, we all love animals. This makeover contest has brought nothing but good out of the communities in which all of these shelters operate. We hope that this means more adoption opportunities for these animals that are generally not of the designer variety. They make wonderful pets and repay their guardians with the love they have many times lived without.

Thanks again Zootoo and everyone else out their making a difference in the lives of animals. Go Stray Rescue!!!

Thank you to Zootoo and St. Louis for such a wonderful day. May 1st will be a day to remember as we guess over 1000 people came to the rally in support of Stray Rescue and to show Zootoo.com how much we love our animals. To know that so many people care about the homeless strays struggling to survive on the streets and missed work to prove it, is very uplifting and exciting. In fact, everything about the Zootoo.com contest has been energizing and positive. Thank you Zootoo.com and thank you St. Louis!!

What a terrific rally- zootoo was awesome! It would mean so much to this community if we could save more animals from a life of neglect. The animals Randy saves are ones that would be put down anywhere else. He is so brave and has a big heart. During the rally,I was impressed at the enthusiasm that Richard, from zootoo, had for the commitment to animal welfare throughout this country. He really sees from a global perspective what is needed in each small community. It has to start somewhere and I am glad to see Richard spreading this message throughout the country- which is the same message Randy has said to this St. Louis community for a number of years. Stray Rescue, deserves this makeover. I know that this community will roll up their sleeves and help build a new shelter with their hard work and big hearts. Thank you zootoo for this opportunity!

I've been following this competition for months. It was amazing to watch in 1 week's time, Stray Rescue go from #52 with 94,000 points to #2 with over 600,000 points. The support from the St. Louis community for Stray Rescue and its founder Randy Grim is overwhelming. Randy has such a genuine personality and an obvious love for animals which is contagious. Stray Rescue's volunteers and foster parents are always ready to step up to the plate when it's most needed -- in the horrible heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter, when a puppy mill is shut down in Missouri and Stray Rescue is called to help, when many dogs were brought back in Stray Rescue caravans from Mississippi's hurricane Katrina stricken area, when a family moves and leaves its dog chained to a tree in the yard with no food or water and, of course,
most recently at the ZooToo pep rally!

While walking back to my car after the pep rally, I realized the rally had symbolized everything Stray Rescue is about. People from all walks of life coming together to help our poor animals who ask for nothing more than food, shelter and love. The ZooToo pep rally was a heart-warming event.

Go Stray Rescue! Go Randy Grim!

I'm a little confused about something in the journal entry.

"The Mayor even committed to getting the building permits for the building that Bob Bagby generously donated if they won."

I'm hoping that Mr. Bagby will donate a new building regardless of the final outcome of the competition. After all, if it is a new building, it won't need a makeover, and if they're planning on selling the existing buildings when move into the new one, then those buildings won't need makeovers either. The proceeds from those sales will provide funds to help animals for some time to come.

The animals in this shelter will be the big winners no matter what place this shelter finishes in in the Zootoo competition. How wonderful!

I am VERY glad the rally went so well. I would have been there if at all possible myself! I hope the show of support accomplished their goal and they are awarded the makeover as there could not be a shelter more deserving!!! I have always admired Randy and his staff for all they do for so many unfortunate animals and I can't wait to attend the volunteer training session on May 20th so I can start doing my part!

I am so glad that the rally went well. It was a very moving event and it was awsome to see everyone showing their support. Who could have imagined with such humble beginnings that Stray Rescue would grow to win the hearts and minds of so many. I hope Stray Rescue accomplishes all they set out to do. Go for the gold...I hope you get the big prize. You certainly deserve it!

We really need Zootoo's help. I volunteer for Stray Rescue; I see these animals everyday. I love them. I help them, but it hurts when I leave knowing I can't do more. With Zootoo's help we can do more. We can have a bigger, more comfortable shelter for more animals. A place open to the public so adoptions will be easier. Then we can rescue more animals in need and St. Louis will become a truely animal friendly place--- everyone can have an awesome pet! Also, Stray Rescue is the only no kill shelter in St. Louis! We need this makeover so our shelter can be the biggest and the best. All the St. Louis aniamls should be able to live "kill free" until they are adopted! Please Zootoo help us; we can't build our dreams without you.

Yesterday was amazing. St. Louis really turned out to support Stray Rescue. It warms my heart to know that so many people care about the animals as much as
I do. Thanks to Zootoo, Richard T, ClearChannel, My103.3 and all the community
leaders, celebrities, businesses and supporters that gave of their time and talents
to back this wonderful organization. Stray Rescue Rocks.

I have been a volunteer with Stray Rescue for 8 years. I can tell you from personal experience that Randy does an amazing job. No one else would risk their life on a daily basis to save the dogs wandering the St.Louis streets. He helps those that no one else will help. Stray Rescue also helps other groups in the area. I had a great time at the rally! Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get started on that new building! There are thousands of dogs still wandering the streets waiting for their chance to be saved. All we need is the space to put them! Go zootoo!

"We (St.Louisians) will open our homes, open our hearts, but when we open our wallets.... there is not much at all to give."

Companies and Groups like Zootoo.com are the only way small groups can take that step up. SR has tried to nickel and dime St.Louis to get into their shelter. They have found that any money they could save up goes back into the system for their vet bills and kennel bills. How can they leave dogs on the streets when the weather goes into the single or triple digits! They don't.

This winter Randy asked how many dogs we can pull into foster. We told him 3 to 4 right now. That weekend there were 40 new dogs! I guess Randy has a different way of doing math. That was $10,000 for just basic vetting. Summer is just as bad, because St.Louis has more extreme hot days than cold. The cost even goes up more because of the Heartworm that SR treats and Spring TVT time is coming up as well.

There is such a need in St.Louis for Stray Rescue. They do what other don't do. They go out in the streets and take the dog's in that got dumped or were born on the street. As Chief Mokwa (St.Louis Chief of Police) said, "If we can't get the dog off the street we call Randy. He will find a way to do it."

The Downtown Shelter would be great for all. The Low/No cost Vet Clinic is what I am looking forward to. It is the small building that is off to the side. Visiting Vets could come in a use the Clinic. Community Days could be started and we could Spay/Neuter and my big thing is Micro Chipping.

I would have to say that my favorite part of the Pep Rally would have to have been when I meet Richard Thompson. Not just that he is doing a great thing, but because one of the Adoption Event tents blew over and hit me hard in the back. Too damn funny. Some of the other parts were seeing Tony La Russa speak about meeeting Randy in his first year with the Cardinals. The five Blues players, Rams Cheerleaders and of course the Race Car that sponsored Stray Rescue... yeah he sponsored SR!

I'm glad that the rally went so well. I was disappointed that I could not attend. Stray Rescue is such a great organization and does so much for animals that most people would just give up on. I'm proud to be an SR supporter, volunteer, and the gaurdian of an SR dog (Rosie). Keep up the good work.

My husband and I became involved with Stryay Rescue about 5 years ago when we adopted a dog from them, a year later we adopted another dog from them and a year later we started fostering for Stray Rescue. Watching the dogs recover from injuries, exposure, and malnutrition and seeing them learn to trust humans and become family members is amazing. Knowing that without Stray Rescue most of our former fosters would have died on the streets and never had the chance to live the lives they are now living with their"forever families" makes it all worthwhile.

The dogs themselves know how important Stray Rescue is, we consider our Edwina to be as much of a foster parent as we are. Whenever we bring home a new foster, she takes them under her wing, teaches them the house rules and breaks up any sibling squabbles with our other dogs before they become problems. Without her help we could not be as effective as foster parents, we really know that she is deliberately giving back to Stray Rescue to thank them for rescueing her.

I have been a volunteer with Stray Rescue for over 7 years now and what a difference it has made in my life. Thank you ZOOTOO for giving us this opportunity. Our rescue makes a difference in the lives of so many animals that would NEVER be accepted or kept alive in other shelters in this city. I am thankful and proud to be a part of this amazing organization!

It was awesome to meet Richard and the Zootoo.com team and see the compassion and caring shinning through when Richard spoke at the rally. I am amazed, humbled and thrilled at the support of the St. Louis community. Win or not I wish all 20 shelters the best of luck and I know the animals will win in the end, no matter what city gets the makeover. Zootoo is about community - what a wonderful life lesson! Many woofs and thanks to all the awesome volunteers, staff and especially zootoo.com!

Randy Grim

A KMOV news anchor said it best yesterday morning. She said something like - we all know Randy ... he's ... well, he's an angel. So true!
I hope we proved our need to zootoo.com! I know we showed our enthusiasm!
ZOOTOO pick the Lou!!!!!

I am so pleased that the rally went over so well with the community and Zootoo officials. I have been volunteering my time with Stray Rescue for over a year because I believe so strongly in Randy's mission and vision. I don't know of other shelters in STL that will actually go to high poverty and crime ridden areas (aka DANGEROUS) to seek out animals to help. This makeover could free up an amazing amount of space that we could use to rescue, treat, spay, neuter, and give loving homes to animals that otherwise would die on the streets.

I've only recently started volunteering for Stray Rescue, but I already can tell that this is going to be a very long term commitment for me. On a daily basis, I'm amazed at the community support that goes into keeping this organization going. And it all started with one person. St. Louis is so lucky to have Randy! I was so proud to be a part of yesterday's rally and see how many people showed up to support Stray Rescue! And thank you, ZooToo, for helping build such momentum.

I got my first puppy from stray rescue and I was so impressed with what they where doing and how they choices to do it that I started helping out, and for 4 year latter it is one of the best choices I very made! If this group gets the $ I know they will use every penny to help this big city and the stray animal population.

I can say it is a pleasure and honor to work with Randy, Jenny, Kelly, Jenny J. and the rest of the staff and volunteers. Myself along with Clear Channel Radio got behind Randy and Stray Rescue due to his constant showing of compassion and dedication to helping all of our forgotten friends. The rally was AWESOME, and the community support was overwhelming. St. Louis is truly a community that cares about Randy's efforts and Stray Rescue. The rally proved that. Although we are behind Stray Rescue 100%, we will walk beside them in their quest to win the $1,000,000 makeover. Thank you ZooToo for coming and the opportunity to show you what they can do.