Bradenton rummage sale proceeds going to the dogs ... and cats

MANATEE -- If you love animals, you will love this yard sale.

The Picture Them Adopted organization has been collecting donations for the past three months and will hold Rummage for Rescues yard sale this weekend to raise funds for four local animal-welfare groups.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday through Sunday, at 1135 Montezuma Drive, in Palma Sola Park.

Caryn Hodge, who started Picture Them Adopted when she saw a similar program in Texas mentioned on a television show, said as well as raising money, she hopes this will help raise awareness of the plight of homeless animals.

"We want to encourage people to foster pets," Hodge said. "They can provide a temporary home for the animals."

She became a foster home for a dog named Ginger after she lost her 22-year-old cat, Miss Kitty, about last Christmas.

Volunteers have collected enough donations to fill the 10-foot-by-20-foot storage unit that Hideaway Storage, 4305 32nd St. W. provided for free, Hodge said.

"We've got Schwinn bikes, furniture, housewares, sports equipment, books, garden stuff and tools," she said. "We also have some neat antiques, include a wicker chaise lounge that is said to have been owned by one of Manatee County's first settlers.

"It's in great condition," Hodge said.

Hodge said her mother, Ruth Uecker, has been a great help.

"She's been a trooper," she said, "in organizing all of the items."

The Picture Them Adopted volunteers are professional photographers and animal handlers who donate their time and talents to photograph rescue animals in a more favorable light to make them more adoptable.

The group hopes to raise $5,000 to distribute to Moonracer No Kill Animal League, Forget Me Not Animal Rescue, Gulf Shore Animal League and Animal Network.

The first two groups work to save animals who are only days from being euthanized, Hodge said.

Gulf Shore Animal League rescues cats and kittens and helps with the trap, neuter and release program for feral cats.

And money for Animal Network will be dedicated for the heartworm-treatment program.

Debra Starr, marketing and public relations director for Animal Network, said the organization helped 180 heartworm-positive dogs.

"These dogs would have been put to sleep," Starr said. "This money will help."

The cost for an individual dog owner for heartworm treatment is between $600 to $800, she said.

"Without funding, we couldn't do it," Starr said.

For more information about Picture them Adopted or Rummage for Rescues, check out the Facebook page, or call Hodge at 941-713-3105.

This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton rummage sale proceeds going to the dogs ... and cats ."