Since opening in 2002, New Leash on Life has been responsible for saving over 5,000 animals while hosting, among other things, Lend-A-Paw, a therapy and assistance-dog program for rescued pets. But unfortunately it lost its major funding and its board of directors recently made the difficult decision to close The Ranch. But the board raised enough funds to keep the facility open through December 2009. They now must raise $250,000 by June in order to make the facility self-supporting.

New Leash on Life will host an online Black Friday Auction the day after Thanksgiving, during which the group hopes to raise $50,000. This amount would help keep The Ranch open through the spring while other funding avenues are pursued. Interested animal lovers are encouraged to visit NLOL.org, where you can bid on items like a four-day stay in a $6,000-per-night Mexican villa. Of course, you can also help out in a number of other ways, like purchasing pet items from the group’s online store, making a donation or adopting a needy pet.