Rescues Are Dropping Like Flies

Today I have had occasion to try to locate a breed rescue that could take a young Husky whos owners have moved away and left to fend for himself.

It is astonishing how many rescue links are dead out there on the web.

This is scary stuff. At a time when dogs are being dumped in our mountains in record numbers, rescues themselves are going under as quickly.

Our own GreenePets has had to stop taking in dogs, only the occasional Service Dog trainable candidate makes it through our doors, because due to lack of funding my husband and I personally support nine dogs five of which we never asked for.

One thing about small rescue organizations, everyone is hidy ho on the start up, then the volunteers and board members usually walk away down the road leaving the originator with dogs who are not adoptable but must of course be cared for, exercised, fed, socialized and veted. (My case.)

We can't support any more dogs, my husband and I are currently supporting 5 rescues in our kennels with no hope of adoption, and four personal dogs who travel back and forth from our kennels to our home daily. Some of the rescues we have had for five years.

All of our personal dogs are rescue, even though I did adopt one purebred Dachsie from a rescue in Nashville and had him trucked in for my husbands birthday two years ago. Even our little Houston was a rescue who had been dumped in Georgia when a puppy mill went under. He is a very special little guy, who still has issues two years later due to lack of adequate socialization during the critical learning periods. My reason for this adoption was an article I read about older men needing small dogs, and my husband has always been partial to the little Dachsies who have kenneled with us.

Please, we know that everyone is in a terrible crunch right now, but at least spay and neuter the pets you have. Don't be responsible for bringing more lives into this world with no one to care for them.

Consider when you do adopt taking on a dog who is older. You can see the temperament you will be living with when you adopt an older dog. You won't be going through all of the puppy capers that many people are clueless about and which usually result in the teenager dog getting dumped along a country road before his is a year old.

Please, Please, Please support the rescues out there. These dogs have no one to speak for them, and people in rescue really can't afford to do what it is they do, still the dedicated ones keep going.

Kat