November 29, 2022

Dear Animal Lover,

The holiday season is a wonderful time for us to reflect, be grateful and give thanks. This gives us an opportunity to see what we have accomplished and where we need to work harder. Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue faced new challenges this past year. Here are some highlights and outcomes from Ayla’s Acres 2022 accomplishments.

Numbers Tell a Story

• In January, Ayla’s Acres rescued a total of 54 dogs/puppies from one home. These dogs were Pug/Chihuahua/Pekingese/Dachshund mixes. None had ever been to a vet. None had any training. To date, nine dogs remain for adoption. This rescue was extremely costly and time consuming. However, these dogs are living their best life now, with most of them already in furever homes.
• Through the end of October, 92 dogs and 61 cats have been adopted through Ayla’s Acres. Our goal was 10 animal adoptions per month. We plan on ending the year with approximately 180 adoptions—more than 40% above our goal. Including the animals at our sanctuary in Madison County and St. Augustine, Ayla’s Acres has spent approximately $85,000 on vet bills so far this year. This includes three hip surgeries, two ACL surgeries, a leg amputation, a cleft palate repair, hundreds of spay and neuters, emergency room visits, vaccinations, heart issues, heartworm treatment, tumor removals, dental treatment, etc.  In addition to our rescues and fosters’ care, in carefully considered situations, we have covered the cost of vet bills for people who could not afford to pay for care their animals critically needed. This enabled them to keep their pets. 
• Ayla’s Acres has been responsible for 75 Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) cats. The major focus was Lincolnville in St. Augustine, with several cats off Green Acre Rd. and at Madeira as well. A feral cat feeding station was also assembled in Lincolnville. The station enables the cats to eat and to stay dry during inclement weather. Our volunteers keep the food stocked for the cats. Reminder: a stable, neutered feral cat population is benign or beneficial in most situations and often reduces rodent and other pest populations.
• Four thousand Beagles were rescued from a laboratory in Washington D.C. this year. Ayla’s Acres accepted two of these Beagles. Both have been adopted into wonderful homes. 
• Two hurricanes struck St. Augustine in 2022. Ayla’s Acres Thriftique was flooded by both hurricanes, Ian and Nicole. The shop lost approximately $50,000 in sales during those closures. This money pays for food, vet bills, rent, training, boarding, etc. Its loss is a major hit to Ayla’s Acres rescue budget.  
• Ayla’s Acres Animal Resource Center (formerly Peter’s Friends) is moving forward slowly. The St. Johns County School Board is asking for a $30,000 assessment from Ayla’s Acres as a condition before approval. The County Health Department continues to hold up the project. We are working through both issues with our engineering group and an attorney. 
• The sanctuary of mostly unadoptable animals in Madison County has about 70 animals still in its care. We have a full-time employee and two full-time caretakers helping to keep the animals fed and cared for daily. We have three adoptable dogs at the sanctuary that we are trying to bring to St. Augustine so they can be seen by potential adopters. 



Thanks For Your Help—We Hope You Will Continue

We continue to give thanks to our community. Your support and generosity enable Ayla’s Acres to continue its mission. Ayla’s Acres still NEEDS your help. We will continue to work hard to help homeless animals in our community. We need your help more than ever this year, due to the hurricanes.

Please dig deep this year to enable us to continue the important programs we provide to the community. Please join us in making a year-end contribution to Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue, Inc. of $100, $50, $25, $10 or whatever is comfortable for you. If you can do more, we hope you will. You can mail your contribution (P.O. Box 1634, St. Augustine, FL 32085), donate at aylasacres.org or use the QR symbol below. You can honor friends, family and/or pets with a holiday gift made to Ayla’s Acres in their names. Just let us know and we will send a prompt acknowledgment of your donation.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers of Ayla’s Acres, we wish you and your loved ones a joyous Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Kwanzaa and a very Happy New Year. Again, thank you for all you do to make our work possible. 



For the animals,






Paul Thompson
President, Board of Directors




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To send a check, our mailing address is


Ayla's Acres Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 1634
St. Augustine, FL 32085



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