Clancy is a rescued Aussie adopted by Kathy Glaes and family. To read Clancy's story, click here. |
All information on this page, except Aussie rescue links and photo, are from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Dog by Sheila Webster Boneham, Ph.D. (Alpha Books, 2002), and may not be copied or used without the authors prior permission. For more information, please visit www.sheilaboneham.com. |
If you work with rescue or are interested in rescue work, Breed Rescue is an excellent resource. Named Best General Reference Book, 1998. For more information, visit |
Perennial Aussies Versatile Aussies for Companionship & Competition |
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This page was last updated on: 12/17/03
Perennial's Rescue Page |
Rescue refers to people and groups who take in and foster dogs (and other animals)and then place them in new homes. Rescuers are unpaid volunteers. They give their time, their knowledge, their dog-handling skills because they love dogs. Most people have heard of Greyhound rescue, a network of groups that place retired racing Greyhounds into homes as pets. What many people don't realize that there are rescue groups for nearly every breed of dog. |
Why do purebred dogs need to be rescued? Sometimes a dog loses his home when his owner dies or experiences a serious change in circumstances that prevent him from caring for the dog any longer. Some rescued dogs are strays whose owners can't be found. Sometimes dogs are confiscated from puppy mills or other abusive situations and turned over to rescue volunteers for rehabilitation and placement. All too often dogs find their way into rescue because their first owners didn't do their homework before buying, didn't train the dog once they had him, and finally got fed up with the dog's uneducated behavior. |
Purebred rescue organizations are always looking for volunteers. You don't have to handle rescued dogs to help, and you don't have to give more than a few hours a month to be useful. There are lots of jobs that need doing, from making telephone calls to fund raising to bookkeeping. If you'd like to help the rescue effort, contact a group and find out where you might fit in. |
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Rescued dogs tend to be older adolescents or adults, although occasionally puppies are placed through rescue programs. Some rescued dogs have behavioral problems due to lack of exercise, training, or socialization, but the majority of them blossom into terrific companions once they have proper care and training. Many rescued dogs have no problems at all, or just minor ones that are easily corrected with gentle training and lots of love. If you're not up to the work of raising a puppy properly, a rescued dog may be just what you need. And don't shy away from truly mature dogs a healthy dog of 5, 6, 7 years or even older can be a wonderful, wise friend with lots of life still to live. Anyway, love and friendship are measured by their depth, not their duration. |
Rescue volunteers nearly always foster the dogs for some time before placing them. Fostering gives rescuers a chance to evaluate each dog's temperament, behavior, and training needs in a household environment, which helps in placing each dog into a suitable home. Rescuers work hard to provide some basic house manners, and most recommend that adopters take their dogs through basic obedience classes. Rescued dogs are generally given physical examinations, and potential adopters are advised about possible health problems. All reputable rescuers require that every dog be spayed or neutered before it is placed or very shortly afterward. In general, rescue organizations will not place dogs with known histories of biting, aggression, or severe behavioral problems. If you contact a rescue group about adopting, ask what their policy is on these issues. |
Rescue usually is used to refer to dogs fostered and placed into new homes by volunteers who work with one or two breeds. Search and rescue (SAR) refers to dogs who are trained to search for victims of a disaster or for people who are lost. |
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If you want to adopt a rescued dog, you will be asked to complete a detailed application form, provide references, and agree to a home visit by a rescue volunteer. These requirements are meant to ensure that you will get the right dog for your situation, and that each dog will be placed into a suitable home. When you adopt a dog, you will sign a contract requiring you to provide proper care. The contract will probably specify that if you ever find that you cannot keep the dog you will return him to the rescue organization. You will probably pay an adoption fee, which can range from under a hundred dollars to several hundred dollars. Some organizations ask only for a donation. If that's the case, please be generous. Without donations, organized rescue would cease to exist. Most rescue groups provide post-adoption support. They will give you information about the breed and about the individual dog. They are usually available to answer questions you may have. And don't forget to call and tell them how well your rescued dog is doing. That is the rescuers' main reward knowing that a dog they saved is doing well and making someone happy. And indeed, rescued dogs make wonderful pets. |
You may have to wait for the right dog to show up, depending on the breed and your requirements. That's OK good things are worth waiting for. Use the time to study the breed, to locate a veterinarian and obedience class, and to learn more about canine nutrition, health care, and training. If you have children, get a good book on dogs and look at it together so that they will be ready too. Most kids are delighted to know that the dog they are getting is very special, and that your family is doing a good thing by adopting a dog who needs you. |
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If you work with rescue or are interested in rescue work, Breed Rescue is an excellent resource. Named Best General Reference Book, 1998. For more information, visit |
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All information on this page, except Aussie rescue links and photo, are from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Dog by Sheila Webster Boneham, Ph.D. (Alpha Books, 2002), and may not be copied or used without the authors prior permission. For more information, please visit www.sheilaboneham.com. |
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Clancy is a rescued Aussie adopted by Kathy Glaes and family. To read Clancy's story, click here. |
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Levi and Lexi are rescued Aussies owned by Kevin Leech and Deb Hoehn of Fort Wayne. Levi came from ARPH, and Lexi from a shelter in northern Indiana. I've had both boys in my obedience class, and they're wonderful examples of how nice rescued Aussies can be. |
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