Liz B.

Copied from the Columbia Tribune, Columbia, Mo. Shelter, Zootoo say legal issues are over Thursday, April 23, 2009 ST. LOUIS (AP) — An animal rescue group and the founder of a popular pet Web … Read more

Copied from the Columbia Tribune, Columbia, Mo.

Shelter, Zootoo say legal issues are over

Thursday, April 23, 2009



ST. LOUIS (AP) — An animal rescue group and the founder of a popular pet Web site that had offered a $1 million makeover are parting ways, saying they had reached a legal agreement yesterday.

Under the settlement, Richard Thompson’s Zootoo.com gave an undisclosed amount of money to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

Stray Rescue will build its own shelter for the street dogs it rescues, rehabilitates and adopts out, founder Randy Grim said. The money from Zootoo, he said, provides “an awesome start.”

Grim said he still needs the community’s support to build a shelter for an estimated $3 million. Stray Rescue has about $500,000 in pledges made before the contest.

Both Grim and Thompson, in separate phone interviews, said they were happy the matter was resolved.

“There’s been some miscommunication, obviously,” Grim said.

Thompson added, “We learned ways to communicate better.”

Last year, Thompson’s Zootoo.com had dangled a fantastic prize for one lucky animal shelter: a

$1 million makeover to the winner of a national contest. Stray Rescue eventually won after competing with more than 1,000 animal shelters across America.

But two weeks ago, Grim said his not-for-profit had gotten no money — just lots of pressure from Thompson to beg subcontractors, suppliers and labor unions to donate their goods and services for the shelter makeover.

Thompson responded by saying that the contest rules pledged “up to $1 million in value” — including cash and donated goods and services.

Thompson said Zootoo.com had provided $400,000 for the makeover so far, but Stray Rescue said most of that was in donated goods and services.

Grim said Thompson even instructed him to wire $170,000 of Stray Rescue’s funds to pay some of the shelter makeover’s startup costs. Grim thought he’d be reimbursed.

Thompson said some of the $170,000 was from a Pedigree Foundation grant Stray Rescue wouldn’t have gotten if the organization hadn’t won the makeover.

A joint statement released yesterday said the Pedigree grant “was and remains part of the value delivered by Zootoo.”

The end.......lets hope so!

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