Secret Paws

What is Secret Paws?

Secret Paws is a name/gift exchange where you are assigned a Secret Paw to send clues and gifts throughout the entire year.  They try to guess who is sending to them.  In the meantime, a Secret Paw has your name in which they in turn send you clues and gifts while you try to discover their identity.  It is loads of fun but it requires ~COMMITMENT~.  If you are not comfortable with the word ~COMMITMENT~ , Secret Paws is not for you.

Secret Paws is for Dogs, Cats and Rainbow Bridge pawticipants.  You can play Secret Paws as a family or if you have individual profiles, you can have a Secret Paw for each profile but you must meet the monetary requirements for EACH profile.

If you do not want to send/receive gifts or mail – you can sign up for the free VIRTUAL SECRET PAWS and exchange e-mails, e-cards, letters etc.

Group Leaders

This year we have Group Leaders that can assist you with questions and concerns.  You will be assigned a Group Leader and that will be your contact for the year.  Group Leaders are:

Hannah Banana ~ profile 4155

Biskit ~ profile 9495

Kolchak ~ profile 7129

12, Chappy, Whiskey ~ profile 1676

Smoochy ~ profile 16947

Pepsi ~ profile 9423

Pastor Fonzie Tuxedo ~ profile 2457

Shana ~ profile 2002

DOGGYSPACE SECRET PAW GROUP REQUIREMENTS

Basic Requirements:

·        You must be at least 18 years of age to participate as there is a monetary requirement to play.

·        You understand that you are providing your personal information and it will be released to another individual.  Secret Paw Leaders are not liable for any misuse of your personal information.

·          You cannot change your profile number

·          You must have an active Doggyspace account for the past 3 months (if you delete your account, you will automatically be removed from the program).

~Sign Up~

Open enrollment will be October 15th to December 15th.  Your Secret Paw will be assigned to you in January, 2010.  If you currently do not meet the minimum age requirement of at least 18 years of age or your account is less than 3 months old, you will have the opportunity at the end of each month to apply once you meet the requirements.

Doggyspace Journals:

Having active journals is mandatory for participating in this program. If you're new to Doggyspace, please note that you must have at least 5 posts in order to join SP. This online journal is a great place for the SP who is spoiling you to find out who you are and what you like or dislike (do you like sweets? are you allergic to specific foods?). It also provides a place for you to publicly thank your SP when the packages/cards start rolling in. Remember it is always more fun if your Secret Paw writes frequent journals.

Anonymous Email Address:
You must set up an anonymous email address such as the free ones from Hotmail or Yahoo so you can contact your SP buddy without giving away your identity. Make sure to check the account regularly. You might want to consider having that account’s mail forwarded to your regular email account so you don't miss anything. If you do this, don't forget to reply from your anonymous account when corresponding with your paw!

Minimum Contribution:
You will be able to select from two options; $30 or $60 in US dollars over the course of the twelve months of the exchange. This does not include the value of your time if you make something or any postage costs. Establishing the amount should make it clear to all what a fair commitment should be, and no one should expect more, or less. $60 over twelve months is just $5.00 a month. $30 over twelve months is just $2.50 a month.  If you feel this amount is too much, this exchange is not for you.

Your Paw:
Once you have been assigned a Secret Paw, please send them a quick note to say hello (from your anonymous email address) so they know they've been paired. Keep in mind that the fun of a Secret Paw event is to have fun with a person who shares a common interest with you (love of animals & Doggyspace). There is a method to the madness of matching up all participants and you only get one match. Complaints about your secret paw of the "I'd rather not have a paw who..." variety are a quick way to have yourself removed from the event. If you feel you have a valid reason to request a rematch, feel free to email your Group Leader. Please remember though that you cannot pick and choose your secret paw and we will not hesitate to remove anyone who appears to be missing the point of a Secret Paw exchange.

What To Give:
Toys and  treats and pet-related items are great but not the only thing you are limited to sending. Lots of participants also like to send their paw gift certificates, name a star in honor of their Paw and other special ideas. Just remember that not everyone can have all types of treats and toys. It's a good idea to get to know your paw by reading the responses to their questionnaire and their journal entries. If you're still stumped, ask your paw what specific things they like. You can always ask your Group Leader for help too. We've seen lots of neat packages and will be more than happy to make suggestions.

***If you will be gifting items from your stash they MUST be in brand new condition.***

Number or Frequency of Gifts:
The number of gifts you send to your paw is entirely up to you. You can send one package a month to spread out the gifts, or one big package at the end. However, sending something snail mail to your paw once every other month is absolutely required and a really great way to keep the exchange fun and exciting. Post cards, letters and cards are great, inexpensive ways to stay in touch with your paw if you choose to send only one package of gifts at the end of the exchange. If you do choose to just send one package, make sure to let you paw know your plans so they don't feel abandoned. Purchasing delivery confirmation for packages is a great idea. It's less than $1 at the post office or free when you use click and ship at the USPS website. If sending one package at the end of the exchange delivery confirmation is a requirement.

Contact:
You must make contact with your paws once each month of the exchange to let them know you're still around with either an e-card, journal comment, or email. Of course if you'd like to contact your paw more often, you're more than welcome to do so. Remember to use your anonymous email when contacting your paw. If you're going to be away, you must let your paw and Group Leader know. It's an awkward situation when you think your paw may have dropped out of the exchange because you haven't heard from them. Remember to treat your paw as you would like to be treated.

Please remember that keeping in touch with the paw spoiling you is just as important as staying in touch with your spoilee. A quick email to let your paw know that a package has arrived will ease their mind as to whether or not it got lost in the mail, not to mention it's just plain old good manners. A public post to your journal to thank your paw is required within 72 hours of receiving your goodies. Part of the fun of Secret Paw is the joy of giving and that includes knowing your gift was received.

Stuff Happens:
If for some reason you are unable to follow through with your responsibility with the program please let us know immediately so that we can find a replacement for you. We realize and completely understand that things come up some times that are totally out of your control which might prevent you from participating but you need to let us know instead of avoiding your paws and your Group Leader. If you stop participating and don't respond to your Group Leader you will be replaced and your name will be added to the banned list for future SP programs.

If you have not had contact from your paw as outlined above, please let your Group Leader know immediately. Do not use your journal to blast your paw. We will try to find out what happened to your paw and if they have flaked we will get you a replacement.

Angels:
If someone does fail to participate as they agreed we will remove their name from the participation list and replace them with someone else. This means we will need a list of "angels" who are willing to jump in as replacements.

Option 1: To cover pups that had to drop out due to financial hardships (may be long term).

Option 2: An occasional gift to different pups in need (on a rotation basis).

Option 3: A one- time gift.

Rainbow Bridge Pups:

Option 1: MAIL

·     Donation in pets name

·     Memorial Items (i.e. Memory Book, Name a Star, Angel Statue, trinket box, mouse pad, a mug, key chain, a few cute frames etc.)

Option 2: VIRTUAL

·     E-cards

·     Letters

·     Playing with clues but not gifts

Final Note:
It's an important one! Please keep in mind that we are volunteering our time to run this event. We all have participated in past Secret Paw events and know how much fun they can be and want to help continue the tradition. This takes an incredible amount of time and effort.