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* What are donations and membership fees used for?
Approximately 95% of donations and membership fees go directly toward the goals outlined on our home page. PFPSA.org is staffed entirely by volunteers. The remaining 5% covers merchant services and minor operating expenses. * What are the advantages of membership? Members in good standing after one year are eligible to vote on officers and directors, submit nominations for officers and directors, and vote on other matters submitted to the membership for consideration. Also, your membership dues will go toward advancing the efforts of PFPSA.org. * How are membership dues calculated? Membership dues are $4 per month, billed annually in January. For new members, the dues are pro-rated through the end of the current year in the first 9 months of the year, or pro-rated and added to the next year's dues in the last 3 months of the year. * How do you decide which pet food products to test and whose samples to use? Obviously, with limited funding, we can't offer free laboratory testing to everyone. Volunteers associated with PFPSA.org have been contacted by thousands of pet owners who have concerns about the food they are feeding their companion animals. In the course of reading and answering those letters, certain patterns begin to emerge which suggest some circumstances and foods are more highly suspect than others. In the final analysis, giving priority to one set of circumstances over another amounts to a judgment call. Our primary concern is to identify the most obvious threats and their causes as soon as possible, in order to warn pet owners of the danger. In essence, we're trying to do, with limited funding, what the FDA isn't doing with $2 billion a year of your tax dollars. We by no means intend to discount or minimize concerns raised on products we decide not to test. The more funding that becomes available, the more tests we will be able to order. * We just got clobbered with huge vet bills and ordered laboratory tests we can't really afford. The pet food tested positive for toxins. Can you help? Yes, in special circumstances, and if funds are available, we will help with some or all of the costs of lab work if you are willing to make the results publicly available to other pet owners. We will not share any personal information about you in the course of making such test results available to others. * Can you recommend any safe pet food products? No, in the current environment of poor pet food quality control, and lax or nonexistent regulatory enforcement, it is impossible to endorse any commercial pet food product as being safe. The only recommendation we are able to make with a clear conscience is to make your own pet food at home. There are lots of recipes available online. With a little practice and experimentation, it is completely practical, and as economical as commercial pet food, to feed your companion animals safe and healthy food you make yourself. * Do you accept checks for memberships and donations? Not at this time. The project was launched on September 20, 2007 and as of this writing is quite new. Processing credit card payments through PayPal is currently the most convenient way to keep accurate records and provides those joining or making donations with an extra measure of security. * Do I have to join PayPal to donate or join? No. PayPal now accepts credit card payments without the requirement to first join PayPal. The service is available to anyone with a major credit card. |