What is Rescue?
Rescue is made up of ordinary people, just like you, who are dedicated to saving companion Pets from crisis situations. We strive to alleviate pain and suffering, to provide a second chance for wonderful Pets who have no one else to speak for them. We foster, provide veterinary care, work through all sorts of behavioral issues and seek appropriate homes for these animals when we feel they are ready..

We share what we have learned so that more people are aware of the tragedies of pet overpopulation. We seek to promote responsible Pet ownership and care.

What Dogs need Rescue?
Dogs who are without an owner or home for any reason, a dog in a pound or shelter, a dog that has been abused, or suffered neglect. Rescue obtains dogs who have been saved from imminent danger, who faced euthanasia by animal shelters, neglect and other forms of abuse. Others faced abandonment by their current owners, or maybe obtained as the result of "free to a good home" ads.

Why are there so many homeless animals?
We have a pet overpopulation crisis in Canada. Each year shelters put to death more than 10 million healthy animals. Each day approx. 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in Canada. versus 10,000 human births. Do the math! There are just not enough homes.

Where do all these animals come from?
Too often owners fail to consider the long-term commitment, and financial or moral responsibility, (i.e. neutering and healthcare), when adding a Pet to their family.

Owners fail to neuter their pets, and the results are accidental litters. An owner may purposely breed their Pet because they have a "purebred", or think that motherhood will improve their Pet's disposition—–maybe they think theirs is an exceptional Pet. The saddest, and most irresponsible excuse is that they want their children to witness the miracle of birth. (Then take the children to the shelter and help them understand the consequences!) Then there is GREED. Puppy millers and irresponsible breeders make money without regard to the suffering caused by Pet overpopulation.

What kind of pets are found in shelters?
Every variety imaginable! Pets are surrendered for many reasons including divorce; moving; and financial difficulties. There are puppies and kittens just starting life; small dogs; large dogs; and everything in between. They may be any age, and at least 25% are purebred.

Some of these Pets may need a bit of training, but many are already housebroken and are well mannered. ALL are just looking for the opportunity to love someone, to have a family--- to live in a loving, secure and stable home.

What's wrong with a shelter/rescue dog?
Usually not a thing. They were given up by individuals who were not willing to educate themselves, or commit to being a responsible pet owner – unprepared for the time, money and care required. Many purebreds end up in shelters because they just didn't measure up to a preconceived ideal. Television shows and Movies influence a breed's popularity---but not every Jack Russell Terrier will behave like Eddie from the TV show "Frazier.

What happens to most animals in shelters?
National shelter statistics show that typically only 25% of pets brought into shelters get adopted. Through no fault of their own, the majority will be put to death. The sheer numbers make no other outcome possible. This is the gruesome reality!

Number 463 who had no one to come for him

What About Those Cute Pet Shop Puppies?
Purchasing a Pet Store puppy would be encouraging the puppy mill industry to flourish. The "Breeding stock", the mothers of those cute puppies, are confined to cages for their entire lives, covered in mange, and barely able to stand. Pet store pups are notorious for costing their owners--not just in the funds to cope with the many health problems resulting from filthy conditions they were born to, but emotionally--as many owners fight a losing battle with bad genetics, compromised immune systems, and unstable temperaments. Watch our site for more information about this! We are STRONGLY advocating against the selling of ANY live animals in pet shops and will be devoting an entire page to this very sad and tragic situation.  PLEASE DO NOT BUY FROM PET STORES! Check out www.nopuppymillscanada.ca for more information, or to help us in this crusade!

Free to a "Good Home" Ads?
Owners may give up their pets for a variety of reasons, but usually there is a problem and they may not be forthright in sharing this information. All too often this results in animals being bounced from home to home, or a sad end at the side of the road. Free can be perceived as having no value. Please read Brutus' heart breaking story: http://www.animalaidsw.org/free.html

Why Adopt A Pre-Owned Pet?
What you see is what you get! Older animals are easier to train, have better attention spans then puppies. They’ve passed the puppy chew stage, and are usually housebroken. Rescued Dogs always seem to give just a little bit more, knowing how tenuous life is. They blossom in a new loving environment, forming strong bonds and becoming exceptionally loyal companions.

Why Breed Rescue?
Breed Rescuers know the good and bad qualities of their breeds, the health and nutritional requirements. They know their breed’s behavior, what training and care is required. They can advise when their breed may not be appropriate for a family. They foster, screen rescues for behavior and health issues, address those issues, and attempt to make the best of all possible matches with adopting families.

What Should I Know Before I Adopt?
Time! Do you have the time to devote to a new companion? How will the addition effect your lifestyle? Expense. Are you prepared for the costs of food, treats, toys, preventive veterinary care? Commitment! Are you prepared to love and care for a living, breathing, thinking being for it’s entire life?

What Can I Expect When Bringing Home My New Family Member?
With patience and love—you can expect unconditional love and companionship!

Written by a 16 year old volunteer at the Louisiana SPCA. It's incredible...

A Tribute to Rosie

Rosie’s Story ~ A tribute to euthanized shelter animals

Anyone who looked into Rosie’s eyes would have seen a whirlpool of different emotions. There was intense fear caused by a lifetime of abuse, sadness and heart wrenching hopelessness, wariness from continuously betrayed trust, and a crushed spirit extinguished by a broken heart. But if you looked deep into those light-hazel beagle eyes you would have seen something else shining out as well. Underneath the scars and bruises, inside the wasted body with protruding ribs was a soul that could not be conquered by pain and cruelty, a tender hear that would not be destroyed by hatred and suffering. Despite years of endless abuse and neglect, Rosie had not given up on humans. She was willing to give us one more chance, willing to trust again. She stole all our hearts, this gentle and innocent creature who truly believed in the goodness of mankind, and she taught us how powerful that belief could be. We wanted so badly to prove to her that she was right. We wanted to make her dream come true.

We wanted her to have a second chance at the life that had treated her so badly the first time around.
But mostly we just wanted to show this loving dog what it felt like to be loved in return.

Day after day Rosie waited, ever hopeful, in her kennel for the person she was certain would come. But the visitors passed by her cage, barely glancing in at the expectant creature staring out. “Too old,” “looks sick,” “abused,” she heard as they walked by. When adopters looked in, all they saw was the beaten body, they were blind to the indomitable spirit that resided inside that worn exterior. We watched with breaking hearts as the days went by, but her confidence never wavered, and her hope never died. She was a symbol of strength to all who met her. If any dog deserved a second chance, she did. If any story deserved a happy ending, hers did. She deserved to be saved. She deserved to spend the rest of her life safe and happy with someone who looked at her with as much love in their eyes as we saw radiating out of her eyes everyday.

Rosie was euthanized on December 6th, 2004.

This dog that had given us so much had asked for only one thing in return, and we had failed, we couldn’t save her. She was the happy ending that never happened. It must have broken her heart when she realized that her trust was being betrayed again, but this time it was for the last time.

And I just hope she knew that we were sorry.

The ending of Rosie’s story is the ending of the stories of countless other animals across the country every year. Each one of these animals is special and unique, each one has a past, a story to tell, every single one of them deserves a second chance, but their lives are ended for no other reason than the fact that there simply are not enough homes for them all.

These are the untold stories. The forgotten ones. The ones that society doesn’t want to hear about. These animals, all individuals with unique personalities become mere statistics, just numbers on a euthanasia list. They leave nothing behind. No loving owner to put their pictures on the mantelpiece and recount happy stories from their puppy hood or kitten hood, only a fading memory in a world of cement cages and cinderblock walls, and holes in the hearts of the people whose lives they briefly touched. It is important that the stories of these animals not be forgotten. Only by remembering can we understand, only by understanding can we change, and only by changing can we end the unnecessary suffering of animals like Rosie everyday. These are the true heroes in the fight against animal overpopulation, the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This page is dedicated to the memory of all the homeless animals euthanized in animal shelters worldwide.

You are not forgotten.

- Allie Mayer