Linda Grimmer raised money for Paws R Us by re-labelling bottles of wine and putting cute animals on them, sadly she passed away, but her family continue to honour her legacy.
Johannesburg, South Africa (10 February 2020) – Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to showing your special someone they are loved. A few years back, Linda Grimmer came up with a smart way to raise funds for the Paws R Us animal shelter. She re-labelled different wines, each one featuring a dog up for adoption. Linda sold 1500 bottles of wine in 2017!
Sadly, Linda lost her cancer battle in 2018 but to honour her memory, the family have decided to run her Paws R Us wine project during the month of Love to raise funds for the animal charity once again.
When Linda launched the project, she had five wines and a bottle of sparkling wine for sale. Today, her family have expanded the options so they can offer more to South African wine and sherry lovers.
“Each bottle features a rescue orphan that has been in our care. They have been specifically chosen because they each represent a welfare theme or issue close to our hearts.”
- THE MONTY MERLOT
- THE ROSS ROSE
- THE PABLO PINOTAGE
- THE CAMO CHARDONNAY
- THE SHEENA SHIRAZ
- THE BRANGELINA BRUT, and
- THE SARGE SPUMANTE
- THE CLIO & CAESAR CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The Sherry range includes:
- FUR-BALL FULL CREAM,
- MEOW MEDIUM CREAM and
- PURRFECT PALE DRY
They shared the stories behind the labels on each wine.
Monty was an extraordinary Bull Terrier boy who fought an immensely brave battle against skin cancer. His courage and his story drew attention to the reality of cancer in pets via Paws R Us #SurvivorsRock campaign. He passed away in January 2020;
Ross is a Shepherd mix boy who was given the name of Ross Learmonth from Prime Circle – the first celebrity to have jumped in to support PAWS R US (SA). Our beloved Ross is still waiting for a home and family;
Pablo represents the thousands of Jack Russell Terriers who are misunderstood, abandoned and dumped at shelters around the country.
“PAWS R US (SA) have more than 60 Jack Russells in our care – also arguably the most surrendered breed in SPCA’s”
Camo represents the misunderstood Pitbull breed. Victim of stereotyping, prejudice, ignorance, and now even exploited by humans for greed via the rampant rise of dog-fighting.
“Our magnificent CAMO passed away in May 2019 from a suspected lung tumour. CLIO & CAESAR also appear as part of the range to raise awareness re the plight of power breed dogs;”
Sheena represents the x-breed Africanis dog, common to our country. These dogs have endless resilience and so much personality and grit – if people would only take the time to truly see their magnificence. In Sheena’s case, she was rescued from being stoned by a group of children. Sadly, she is still waiting for a home and family;
Brad and Angelina (Brangelina) are two long legged medium size Fox Terrier mixes. They are profiled because of their amazing resilience and their very long wait for a forever home. They waited for more than 4 years for the chance to get adopted – fortunately, that happy moment finally arrived in December 2017. They symbolise the sad reality of shelter animals who wait longer for blessings to come;
Sarge represents the LBD – the Little Brown Dog or the Little Black Dog… Thousands upon thousands of little X breed spirits waiting in hope for a 2nd chance at life, and all too often being overlooked.
“We know from experience that they are legends – brimming with spunk and personality! Our Sarge passed away in 2017.”
The wine not only raises much-needed funds for Paws R Us, they also raise awareness for adoptions and the importance of caring for the animals we have.
Paws R Us relies on funding to remain operational, they use the money raised, to support the rescues in kennels and purchase quality food for the dogs. They also pay for monthly kenneling bills and monthly rescue vet bills. The non-profit company employs kennel staff, so they are also involved in job creation.
Anyone looking for more info can get in contact via their Facebook page or via email. PS: If you don’t have a Valentine, treat yourself!