Andys Pet Shop

Come and join us Sunday, with or without your pet. Look for the 1954 F100 pickup truck with the classic shop sign in the back. Ruby the Scarlet Macaw (like the sign) will be with us. See the parade website for details and the parade route. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. and ends on The Alameda.

We are second to last, with dogs in front of us, and horses behind us. Meet us at the staging area. The plan shows that the dogs, our truck, and the horses will be staged on Shasta (just off of West San Carlos Street) with the parade starting at Martin and Shasta. If by chance we aren’t there, ask any horse rider or look behind the shopping center where the other entries are staged.

Since we’re at the end of the parade, you can watch the parade near the start line and then step out to join us as we pass. The truck will be in the display area during the festival after the parade, or possibly in front of the old store. Stop by and visit.

Volunteers are needed to walk behind the horses and clean up, well, you know what happens. A compost wagon and shovels will be provided. There will be 1-3 horses, going once or twice during the parade. Children who think they want a horse are encouraged to experience one of the less glamorous aspects of horse ownership. Or perhaps you’re a neighborhood gardener who wants some soil amendments? Send email if you can help.

If you’re on Facebook, become a fan of Andy’s Pet Shop.

We are looking for retail space from 5,000 – 10,000 square feet with plenty of parking. Ideally with heat and air conditioning, and FREE, or very, very low cost. There are lots of empty spaces right now. Who needs some good karma by giving a year of rent-free space to help homeless pets? The Adoption Center will take half the space, and Andy’s will sell food and supplies in the other half.

The idea is to create a new non-profit organization or to have an existing non-profit act as the Adoption and Education Center. So in addition to the good karma, there should be some income tax benefit.

Of course we’d love to stay in the neighborhood but will consider any reasonable location in the South Bay, temporary for one year or permanent.

Caring for pets in the store means we’ll need to install a hot water heater, washer, dryer, mini-kitchen, and a large grooming/cleaning sink. These items will be moved from the current building or bought new. The important part is that we need good DRAINS.

We’ve set up a Twitter account, to send out quick, short updates. You can see Andy’s Twitter page on the web, or sign up for account, and get updates via email or to your phone. We’ll list new dogs, events, and updates on our fund-raising and move to a new location.