What is Dog Rescue?

What Is Dog Rescue?

Every day thousands of animals become lost, are dropped off at shelters, or are abandoned. Some of these are Scottish breed dogs, such as West Highland White Terriers or "Westies."

Why Do Dogs Become Homeless?

Reasons include illness or death in a family, human allergies, a move, lack of time, expense, etc. However, the most frequent cause is that the dog was never taught house manners. For the lack of a little training, the dog becomes unwelcome and, therefore, homeless.

Yes, rescues do take in dogs that have been victims of puppymills, have become strays, or have been neglected or abused. However, the majority of dogs received by rescues, such as Westie Rescue, are good, healthy dogs who just found themselves in circumstances where their original owner had to give them up.

Unfortunately, the more popular a breed becomes, the more the number of homeless dogs of that breed will increase. Whereas, Westie Rescue might take in 100 dogs per year, the rescue for a more popular breed might be contacted to take 500-800 in the same time period and same area. At times, the number of dogs of a popular breed needing help can overwhelm the foster home capacity of a breed rescue. So, dogs end up in shelters. That is why breed rescues are always looking for good foster homes!

What Does a Dog Rescue Do?

Every dog breed has at least a national rescue organization and usually several regional rescue groups. For example, Westie Rescue of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. works to find homes for Westies in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Upon request, we also assist dog owners and other rescues throughout the U.S. to help dogs that otherwise would "fall through the cracks" in the rescue network.

In addition, there are mixed breed rescues and shelters. In many locales, almost 60% of the dogs in shelters are pure breeds.

Most breed rescues do not have shelters where you can visit and look at the dogs available. Why? Because breed rescues consist of volunteers who take into their homes any dog of their breed who needs a second chance. These volunteers fulfill the role of a foster family for each dog until it is adopted into a permanent new home.

The rescue starts out by obtaining a veterinary evaluation of and, as necessary, medical care for the "rescued" dog. Responsible rescues require all dogs to be spayed or neutered and have a current rabies shot/certificate prior to adoption. As their limited funding allows, rescues also ensure the dog has other preventative vaccinations and needed medical treatment before going to its new home.

After the physical needs are met, the dog's emotional needs for attention, patience, and love (of which rescue volunteers have plenty to share) are addressed. The foster family evaluates the dog's personality and training needs. They begin to assist the dog in learning home manners, something new to many rescue animals, so that when the dog goes to a new home it will be successful in making it a permanent home.

For dogs who have been abused or neglected, this work is vital. With a focus on love and other positive reinforcement, a rescue works on teaching them about how it can be fun living with people rather than how it might have been in their previous situation.

In addition, the rescue seeks potential adopters for rescued dogs by placing information in veterinary hospitals, grooming establishments, dog training schools, and shelters and by participating in public events, such as the Virginia Scottish Games and Festival, where they can set up information tables to attract people who might want to adopt a dog. As such events, they provide educational material to people who are interested in learning about what to expect in a dog of a specific breed and whether such a dog would be right for them.

As a dog becomes available for adoption, the rescue

· Evaluates all applications on file and contacts the people who best match to see if they still are interested in adopting.

· Visits the home of each potential adopter to ensure, if selected, the home will be the best one for that dog.

· Helps the selected individual or family to prepare for the arrival of their new pet.

· Gives the new owner an adoption kit with information on health, grooming, and training needs of the dog.

· Offers assistance, if questions occur later.

Many times, rescues will recommend that each dog and owner attend an obedience class, not only for

training but to the strengthen the bond between them.

How Can You Help Dogs To Find the Loving Homes They Deserve and Need?

Rescues Need....

· Donations to cover medical expenses needed to help sick/abused/neglected dogs recover their health.

· People who will call a breed rescue if they know of a dog who is in jeopardy or needs a new home.

· Volunteers to go to events to inform the public about the rescue and its program.

· More foster families to care for dogs until they are adopted.

· Good folks to give the dogs a permanent home and a place in their hearts.

How Can I Find A Breed Rescue?

If you go to “More Info About Scottish Dogs,” you will find a list of breed clubs and rescues.

You can also go to the Web site of the American Kennel Club to find rescues for the breeds they recognize (the 13 Scottish breeds listed here are recognized by the AKC).

For the Greater Washington, DC, area, you can use MetroPets Online to find a list of local breed, all breed, and mixed breed rescues and shelters as well as groomers, veterinarians, and other services; dog activities, lost and found information, and animal related jobs