Honor Betty White with a donation to a local animal shelter on her 100th birthday

Sophia Lada, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
Cindy Ladd's American Staffordshire Terrier mix dog Emi Lu photographed after a walk at Lincoln Brick Park on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Grand Ledge. Ladd got Emi Lu on May 2 from the Ingham County Humane Society during the pandemic. Ladd takes Emi Lu on walks often at the park. "I live alone so she's meant an awful lot," said Ladd of her dog. "I think she's made it (the pandemic) livable for me. She's been a god send."

Denise Rose has 19 dogs, and 11 of them are foster dogs that will eventually go to a new home.

That's a more expensive undertaking than you'd think.

The cost of food, litter, medications, trips to the vet and other supplies are often what hinder the New Hope Pet Rescue in Charlotte from fostering dogs.

"We hate to say no to dogs that are on the euthanization list," Rose said. "But unfortunately if we don't have the donations or funding to pay for their vetting, we can't bring them in."

Rose is the director of the New Hope Pet Rescue, which spent $250,000 on vet costs in 2021. A lot of times, the cost of veterinarian bills is much more than the adoption fees.

The rescue pulls dogs from shelters across the country, which adds transport costs. Once they're in Michigan, they take the pet to the vet, then help them find a home.

#BettyWhiteChallenge

January 17 would have been the late Betty White's 100th birthday. Now, after she passed away on New Year's Eve, fans are marking the day by donating to local animal shelters in her memory.

White was an advocate for animal welfare and often donated to organizations that advocated for animal rights.

Now, local animal shelters in the Greater Lansing Area are honoring White's life by setting up donation options on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #BettyWhiteChallenge.

Julia Wilson, the president and CEO of the Capital Area Humane Society, said they started receiving donations from people honoring Betty White before the social media challenge was started. Now, they have received more than 1200 donations in White's memory.

The money raised goes into their general fund, which covers expenses for animals like food, water and veterinary care. Donations can be made for the #BettyWhiteChallenge on the Capital Area Humane Society Facebook page.

Rose said the New Hope Pet Rescue hasn't posted on Facebook yet, but donations can be made on their website, NewHopePetRescue.com.

"If they don't make [donations] to New Hope, I hope that they make it to a shelter or another rescue just to help out with the costs associated with bringing animals in," Rose said.

Here are some other animal shelters in Greater Lansing to donate to for the #BettyWhiteChallenge:

To learn more about the challenge and Betty White's life, check out this article from USA Today: What is the #BettyWhiteChallenge? Fans honor the legendary actress and her animal advocacy

Sophia Lada is a news assistant at the Lansing State Journal. Contact her at slada@lsj.com or 517.377.1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Honor Betty White with donation to animal shelter on her 100th birthday