two bizarre questions

How about that, for weird, huh? These are my questions. I am currently writing for a website that is being re-designed for the breast cancer foundation I work for. Of course we want to have a page of recent articles. I have plenty of articles, but the question came up about rights and legalities of posting articles. Mine come from a variety of places on the web and I don't want to get in trouble for using the articles/studies, etc. Does anyone have a handle on the rules?

Secondly, we have a client whose not doing well, stage IV and going down hill (there are a lot of reasons for that and I don't want to scare anyone). She lives at poverty level, partly due to the disease, and she has two dogs that mean a lot to her. One dog requires eye drops that are $40/month and she can't afford it. Does anyone know of anywhere I could contact for this kind of help? I ask because she is thinking of surrendering the dog to the humane society and it is breaking her heart. this has come up for some of my clients before so any ideas would be so appreciated. We all know and appreciate the positive effects our pets have in our lives.

Thank you so much.
Love, Joy

Hi Joy,

Hope you're doing well today.

Can't help you with the dogs, but I might be able to with the posting of articles question. I'm no lawyer, so take what I say with a grain of salt...

But basically, as I understand, the international copyright law has a provision called the "Fair Use" doctrine. It says that you can reproduce copyrighted materials if it is strictly for educational and non-profit purposes. So, if your foundation has filed its proper documentation as a non-profit, you are in the clear...As long as you're not charging for the information, you are ok.

Hope this helps...

Jeff

Hi Joy :)

You might want to try here:

http://www.imom.org/

I'd also suggest talking to a vet about discounts or samples. Or find a vet who would give the medications at cost. Most of them do make money from medications. I'm sure there would be someone willing to give her a break.

Good luck,
Julie

In Canada the SPCA will provide certain types of vet care for free to bona fide impoverished people. I beleive that she would have to provide proof of income assistance or something (I don't know the exact rules). They might be worth checking out in the States.

What about contacting a Kennel Club?

Regards,
Merridith

Thank you everyone. I will look into all of those resources. The Foundation I work for is a 501© 3, so we are good there. Actually I work for 2 non-profits and my kids go to a Waldorf school which is also a non profit. It all adds up to crazy.
love, joy

Joy,

To help with the dogs eyedrops...do you have a vet school close by? Many times they will help with this. My dad is a retired vet that worked at a large university that helped animals and families all the time when they couldn't afford treatment.

Wow, that is a great idea and I'm embarrassed that I didn't even think of it. I work down the street from Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital which is one of the very top veterinary institutions. A friend of mine is the head of small animal surgery. I will ask him. I'm having a "duh" moment.

Thanks Ruth!
Love, Joy