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October is coming to an end but not the reason for celebrating Adopt-A-Dog month. This cause will always be around and dogs will always be looking for someone to come along and make their life special by providing a loving home for them. There are dogs in shelters and rescues throughout the United States looking for that forever home and there may just be a special one out there for you.
Rescue Organizations
Dogs are not only found in shelters but also through organizations such as Breed Rescues and Dog rescues. If people are looking for a specific breed or even one with similar attributes to that breed often times they can be found through Breed Rescue Organizations. These dogs are the lucky ones because they are being fostered in a home rather than a cage located in a shelter but they still need to find forever homes. Adopting from a Breed Rescue does have some benefits. The Breed Rescue will put the dog into a foster home where they can be evaluated as to personality, and any fears they may have. Generally you will also know if they get along with other dogs, cats or small animals and children. You will know if a dog is not safe around kids or is fearful of them or perhaps fearful of men or women. The dogs in rescue will have had a full medical exam and be spayed or neutered and up-to-date on all of their vaccinations. Most often these dogs are owner-surrendered due to change of lifestyle or family emergency. They will also be given to the rescue organizations through cooperation with humane societies throughout the United States and Canada. On occasion they are also dogs rescued from Breeders who have just gotten over their head or in cases such as the one that Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue worked on, they are victims of an auction when a breeder dies or finds they can not care any longer for their animals. In cases such as this, these dogs normally are not available immediately for adoption. They often have health issues and need to have the time to be socialized and cleaned up and evaluated. Often times the Rescue Groups will have a place on Petfinder.com that shows you what they have in foster care. You can usually find this by going to Petfinder.com and typing in the breed and location that you are looking for. My search for Maltese resulted in 320 nationwide. Not all were purebred and many had interesting combinations.
Breed Rescue Groups
Breed Rescue groups are located throughout the United States. On occasion you will find one umbrella group with several subsidiary groups listed underneath of them. This is actually a great way to find a rescue group in your area. We would like to introduce you to a just a few of the groups. Most breeders from small to large dogs have a rescue group. Sometimes if it is a relatively unknown breed it may be one individual breeder doing the rescue and in other cases where it is a popular breed, it may be a specific organization set up just to do this type of rescue.
Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue
They are dedicated to rescuing and caring for Maltese and other toy breeds (as room allows) who are either rescued from shelters, found as strays, or no longer wanted by their family (owner). This group rescued 20 Maltese from a Puppymill auction.
They are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization so all donations are tax deductible. These little dogs need YOUR help now. Every little bit can help. Donations can be made out to:
Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue PO Box 355 Hixson, TN 37343
To find out more about the organization please visit their website by following the link below.
Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue
DVGRR is a volunteer non-profit group that rescues displaced Golden Retrievers and places them for adoption. Although they operate in much the same way as your local SPCA, they take in only purebred Golden Retrievers. They operate in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and have successfully placed over 1600 Golden Retrievers into new homes since 1993. Why do Goldens need rescued? Many reasons are given as to why people have to give up their dogs such as allergies, divorce, death, moving and lifestyle changes. Other reasons include very specific reason’s related to the breed itself such as the shedding of the Golden’s hair coat and the mouthiness which is common to the breed. Occasionally there are strays or abuse cases in which they have no background on the Golden. Their healthy and nurturing environment, careful evaluation and the experience of their loving volunteers almost always results in total rehabilitation.
The single reason most often given for relinquishing a dog is not enough time. Because of the popularity of the breed as a family dog, people sometimes do not realize that Golden Retrievers do not raise themselves- they need lots of exercise, socialization with other dogs, human company and most of all, a commitment of time and training to help them find a secure place in the family pack. Today's busy lifestyle leaves little room for that training and exercise, both of which are critical requirements for any well behaved companion animal.
To learn more about Golden Retrievers and how to adopt one please visit their website below.
The Senior Dog Project
Many people do not realize that adopting a senior dog can bring a lot of joy into your lives. There are top ten reasons listed through this project as to why you should adopt an older dog:
1. Older dogs are housetrained. You won't have to go through the difficult stage(s) of teaching a puppy house manners and mopping/cleaning up after accidents.
2. Older dogs are not teething puppies, and won't chew your shoes and furniture while growing up.
3. Older dogs can focus well because they've mellowed. Therefore, they learn quickly.
4. Older dogs have learned what "no" means. If they hadn't learned it, they wouldn't have gotten to be "older" dogs.
5. Older dogs settle in easily, because they've learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack.
6. Older dogs are good at giving love, once they get into their new, loving home. They are grateful for the second chance they've been given.
7. What You See Is What You Get: Unlike puppies, older dogs have grown into their shape and personality. Puppies can grow up to be quite different from what they seemed at first.
8. Older dogs are instant companions -- ready for hiking, car trips, and other things you like to do.
9. Older dogs leave you time for yourself, because they don't make the kinds of demands on your time and attention that puppies and young dogs do.
10. Older dogs let you get a good night's sleep because they're accustomed to human schedules and don't generally
The Senior Dog Project actually serves as a Portal for information regarding adopting senior dogs, health issues and a link to various groups that do specialize in Senior Dog Adoptions.
You can visit their website to learn more about adopting an older dog by following the link below.
Senior Dog Rescue Groups
H.A.R.T. (Humane Animal Rescue Team), Fillmore, CA
H.A.R.T. (Humane Animal Rescue Team) is a non-profit organization devoted to rescuing senior dogs from senior individuals who have become too ill to take care of the dog, have to go into a retirement home, or have passed away. The H.A.R.T. sanctuary can take in 50 dogs at a time, and has an 80% success rate in adopting out dogs to loving families. Their adoption policy is strict, screening prospective adopters very carefully, performing a house check, and carefully matching the right dog to the right family. H.A.R.T. takes on the very tough cases, and depends on donations as well as people to adopt and foster their seniors and special needs dogs. If you are interested in adoption of a senior dog or a long-term foster arrangement, H.A.R.T. may be able absorb all associated veterinarian costs during the dog's lifetime. Of course, donations are also most welcome. You can learn more about them by visiting their website at http://www.hart4dogs.or.
Another group is a relatively new one:
The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs (SSD), Cleveland, OH, is a new organization (incorporated 1/3/01) dedicated to the rescue, adoption, and life-long care of senior dogs. The founder, Deborah Workman, lists the objectives of the organization:
--To rescue senior dogs in need
--To provide lifelong quality care for rescued senior dogs
--To adopt appropriate dogs into loving, permanent homes
--To develop programs that match senior dogs and senior people to their mutual benefit
--To foster an awareness of our lifelong responsibility to our companion animals
--To strengthen the bonds between humans and animals by teaching respect and compassion for all living things
Their website is http://www.sanctuaryforseniordogs.org
A great place to find links to Dog Rescues throughout the United States is through NetPets. You can connect to their website by following the link below.
Small Dogs May Be Just the Right Addition to Your Home
If you are looking for a small dog, some of the rescue organizations specialize in Small Dog Rescue such as SOS Dogs located in New Jersey. Their initials stand for Save Our Small Dogs and that is exactly what they specialize in. For some people rescuing a small dog is just the ticket especially when living in an apartment or small house or the city. Since 1990, SOS DOGS has been finding loving permanent homes for small dogs whose owners can no longer keep them. They are an advocate for small dogs, carefully screening prospective homes and selecting only the best for their furchildren. They are a 501c3 registered non-profit organization, located in NJ but serving the entire mid-Atlantic region (MA to VA). All of their dogs are given needed medical treatment, altered, updated on shots and incredibly precious to us.
They SPECIALIZE IN:
• Yorkshire Terrier Rescue
Coordinator of National Network of Independent Yorkie rescuers for Project BREED
• Westie Rescue
In cooperation with Mid-Atlantic Westie Rescue
• Bichon Frise Rescue
• Maltese Rescue
• Coton de Tulear Rescue
• and other Toy Breed Rescue
They are currently looking for volunteers to foster in the South Jersey area and experienced temperament evaluators who can foster while evaluating. Like all rescues, SOS DOGS is run out of a private home, and dogs for adoption are kept in private foster homes. Most dogs have lost their homes due to some change in lifestyle on the part of their owners (death, moving, change of job, divorce, etc.) and the pet can no longer be kept. Sometimes it's simply having a baby, and the new mom is overwhelmed. They are dedicated to saving tiny, helpless, dogs from being put into a shelter. They work to place them in loving homes with experienced, compatible and compassionate owners.
You can learn more about this group by visiting their website at: http://www.sosdogs.org/
If you are thinking of adopting a dog, do your research
One of the most important things you need to do before deciding to bring a new dog into the family is to do your research. Even if you are planning to adopt a non-purebred dog, take a look at the breeds of dogs that are out there and find the ones that have attributes that you would like to see in your new companion. Often times dogs in rescues are a mixture of a few recognizable breeds and this may help you to find just the right companion for your family. A very common mixture is a Collie/Shepard mix. Often times shelters can tell you if the dog is a mix of a larger breed. If you want something on the medium size a Saint Bernard or Great Dane mix may not be the dog for you. If you are looking for something that will be great with energetic young children , a terrier mix might be just right. If you do have young children, look for a breed or breed mix that is known for its patience. If you want a lap dog a terrier might not be the one for you. Terriers often times do not settle down until they are at least 2-3 years old. You might want to look into getting a small dog mix such as a poodle mix or a maltese mix. The American Kennel Club has a great guide to purebred dogs that just might help you decide what type of a dog would fit in your family. You can visit them at http://www.akc.org/breeds/breeds_a.cfm
Research also includes deciding how much time you actually have to spend with a dog, what type of commitment a dog will require and if the expense of having a dog will fit into your budget. Looking at the entire picture instead of just saying you want a dog can prevent just the type of situation that landed many of these dogs into rescue in the first place. A dog should be a forever companion and a little foresight on your part will make it just that….a permanent family member.
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Links
Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue
Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue
Senior Dog Project
NetPets Dog Rescue Information
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