RESCUE FREAKS-Part 3 of 3!!!!

If you have not done so already, please read Rescue Freaks-Part 1 and Rescue Freaks-Part 2!

OK...so we've covered why some people think that we shouldn't rescue (Part 1) and why we think we should (Part 2). Let me spend a little time telling you my current theory on rescue.

I think there are 2 types of dog rescue:

The "IDEAL" or "BIG PICTURE" Rescue: For me these are the perfect rescue situations...we save the babies, vaccinate them, ensure that they can't breed (spay/neuter) AND stop the mother of the litter from breeding ever again (force a spay on her as well). This is my favorite type of rescue...because it stops the cycle in 2 directions...with babies and with mom. If someone calls us with unwanted pups, we will ALWAYS work this option first, even if that means paying for mom's spay and burying the cost in the price of the puppies. We don't get to do this one as often as we would like.

The "IT'S STILL A GOOD DEED" Rescue: This is when we have no control or say over the parents. Maybe we save an underdog or a stray or a puppy mill puppy, neuter them, vaccinate them, and adopt them out. We still stop the breeding cycle from this generation down, but we don't accomplish the exponential halt that we do in the IDEAL Rescue. This also is the category for people who are moving, divorcing, just can't keep the puppy kind of people. Our goal in this situation is NEUTER or SPAY AND VACCINATE. This is not my favorite, because it does not keep mom from having more litters. But sometimes, this is our only choice.

So there you have it. Obviously, we have to be selective on our rescues, because A.) We don't have the space for Large Adult dogs and we must consider available space; B.) We can't take aggressive dogs, because we are a no-kill facility; and C.) Quarantine currently happens in my kitchen. That is tough.

MY VISION FOR THE FUTURE- I envision:

• A separate facility for the intake and quarantine of rescues...very clinical in nature (since most come from an unvaccinated history)...that doubles as a Parvo clinic if we have an outbreak.
• All unvaccinated rescues would be held for 14 days after we vaccinate, so that if they were cooking any disease it would break with us, NOT with the new owner. That way, we can treat it at our expense, in a controlled environment, and the new owner doesn't have to bear that expense. We would treat all rescues with Parvaid and Vibactra (holistic antibiotics) to help boost the immune system and stop the progression of any incubating diseases.
• All rescues would be microchipped, with the chip registered to us. That way, if one of our rescues turned up at a shelter (anywhere in the country)...which should NEVER happen...it would come right back to us, instead of being euthanized.
• Rescues right next to "perfect " Perky Puppies in a friendly, bright, clean environment.
• All get neutered or spayed (or contracted to do so) prior to adoption.
• Move any rescues who are over a certain age to our dog hotel (Play N Stay Pet Camp) to begin socialization and housetraining. They will live there INDEFINITELY, until they find their forever home.

We are well on our way to accomplishing this! It's an expensive way to run a rescue operation, but I think it's WELL WORTH IT!!! I hope you agree! This is going to be wonderful! Thanks for joining us on the journey!!!

All the Best,

Jessica