Animal rescue group

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An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is a group dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take animals into their homes and care for them—including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behaviour problems—until a suitable permanent home can be found.

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Rescue groups exist for most pet types (reptile rescue, rabbit rescue or bird rescue), but are most common for dogs and cats. For animals with many breeds, rescue groups may specialize in specific breeds or groups of breeds. [1] For example, there might be local Labrador Retriever rescue groups, hunting dog rescue groups, large-dog rescue groups, as well as general dog rescue groups.

Animal rescue organizations have also been created to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals, such as lions, tigers, and cheetahs; a job which is normally shared or backed by zoos and other conservation charities. These animals are normally released back into the wild where possible, otherwise they will remain in captivity and may be used in breeding for an endangered species.

Widely recognized as an umbrella organization for animal rescue groups, Petfinder.org is an online, searchable database of more than 13,000 shelters and adoption agencies across the United States, Canada and Mexico. [2] The American Kennel Club maintains a list of contacts, primarily within breed clubs, with information on breed rescue groups for purebred dogs in the United States.

Animal shelters often work closely with rescue groups, because shelters that have difficulty placing otherwise healthy and pet-worthy animals would usually rather have the animal placed in a home than euthanized; while shelters might run out of room, rescue groups can often find volunteers with space in their homes for temporary placement. Some organizations (such as Old Dog Haven) work with older animals whose age would likely cause them to be euthanized in county pounds. Each year, approximately three to four million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters due to overcrowding and a shortage of foster homes. [3]

In the United Kingdom, both shelter and rescue organisations are described using the blanket term rescue, whether they have their own premises, buy in accommodation from commercial kennels, or operate a network of foster homes, where volunteers keep the animals in their homes until adoption.

Kennels that have a council contract to take in stray dogs are usually referred to as dog pounds. Some dog pounds also carry out rescue and rehoming work and are effectively rescue groups that operate a pound service. Some rescue groups work with pounds to move dogs to rescues. By law, a dog handed in as a stray to a UK pound must be held for seven days before it can be rehomed or euthanized.

In the US, there are three classifications for pet rescue:

Many modern not-for-profit rescue organizations now not only focus on rehoming rescued animals, but rehabilitating and training them as well. Severely abused animals cannot move quickly from their previous environment into a new home. Specialized and trained rescue staff must identify signs of aggression and anxiety and work to remedy these behaviors. Like people, the recovery process is different for all animals. Some might recover immediately while others might always should signs of trauma.

Rescue groups and shelters

There are two major differences between shelters and rescue groups. Shelters are usually run and funded by local governments. [5] Rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers. While some shelters place animals in foster homes, many are housed on-site in kennels. Some rescue groups have facilities and others do not. Foster homes are heavily utilized in either case.

Within the dog rescue community, there are breed-specific and all-breed rescues. [6] As its name implies, breed-specific rescues save purebred dogs of a certain breed, for example, Akitas, Boxers, Dalmatians, Labrador Retrievers, etc. Almost every breed is supported by a network of national and international rescue organizations with the goal to save abandoned dogs of this breed. All-breed rescues are not limited to purebred dogs. Instead they save dogs of any breed. Many work with specific shelters to support their efforts.

Adopting through a rescue group

Most rescue groups use similar adoption procedures, including completing an application, checking a veterinary reference, conducting an interview (can be in person or by phone) and a home visit. Rescue organizations are usually volunteer-run organizations and survive on donations and adoption fees. [7] The adoption fees do not always cover the significant costs involved in rescue, which can include traveling to pick up an animal in need, providing veterinary care, vaccinations, food, spaying and neutering, training, and more.

Most animals in the care of rescue groups live with foster home volunteers as members of the family until an appropriate adopter is found. There are a number of different techniques that can be used to make the transition from life at a rescue's foster home to an adoptive home easier on the animal. Generally, rescue groups provide adopters with basic information to aid in a successful transition.

Often, adoption counsellors are involved in the process in order to ensure that the pet is being sent to a good, fitting home. Questionnaires for adoption vary between organizations, but are essentially used to ensure that the animal being adopted suits the lifestyle of the prospect owner and will have all of his or her needs fulfilled.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies accounts for the largest amount of dog and cat shelters in Canada. With 172 shelters throughout the country, it is estimated that 103,000 cats and 46,000 dogs were taken in during 2013. [8] Of these, 60% of cats and 49% of dogs were strays, 28% of cats and 34% of dogs were surrendered by their owners, 2% of cats and 3% of dogs were cases of abuse, and the rest were either transferred from neighbouring facilities or born in the shelters themselves.

Of the thousands of animals in shelters in Canada in 2013, only 47% of dogs and 45% of cats were adopted. The remaining majority were left to be euthanized, sent back to their previous owners, or stayed in the shelters, possibly being transferred from one to another hoping for better outcomes.

The rise of social media has since aided in adoption of pets, as shelters and rescue groups can now post pictures and biographies of the animals on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. These outlets allow for people to, often without intention, find suitable pets in need of homes. Online interviews are now also possible, as well as international adoption through many organizations. Developments such as social media pages help shelters find appropriate adopters by venturing outside of their immediate surroundings and creating online networks, allowing more people to be exposed to the information and possibility of animal adoption. Dogs and cats of the Dominican Republic, for example, is an organization that creates profiles for stray animals in the Dominican Republic, and uses an almost entirely online platform to find homes for them, usually overseas, before sending them by plane, spayed and neutered, to be picked up by their new owner.

Wildlife rescue groups

Wildlife rescue groups, unlike many other animal rescue organizations, focus on the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. [9] There are also groups which rescue animals from illegal breeders, roadside circuses, and many other abusive situations. [10] [11] They do not seek to find adoptive homes for the animals, but rather to reintroduce the animals to lifestyles that suit their needs and that allow them to live freely, sometimes even releasing them into the wild.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet adoption</span> Adoption of pets that have been abandoned by previous owners

Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal shelter</span> Place where stray animals are housed

An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppy mill</span> Type of commercial dog breeding facility

A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the mill’s dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after World War II. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greyhound adoption</span>

Greyhound adoption or Greyhound rescue programs focus on finding homes for Greyhounds who are no longer needed for racing. In some countries, they live in kennels at the track.

In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.

A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals based on time limits or capacity, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals, animals suffering poor quality of life, or those considered dangerous to public safety. A no-kill shelter uses many strategies to promote shelter animals; to expanding its resources using volunteers, housing and medical protocols; and to work actively to lower the number of homeless animals entering the shelter system. Up to ten percent of animals could be killed in a no-kill shelter and still be considered a no-kill shelter.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compassion and Responsibility for Animals</span> Organization in the Philippines

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Abandoned pets are companion animals that are either inadvertently or deliberately abandoned by their owners, by either dumping the animals on the streets, leaving them alone in a vacant property, or relinquishing them at an animal shelter.

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The Lange Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1993 in West Los Angeles, California, by Gillian Lange. The organization is a no-kill shelter committed to rescuing stray and abandoned animals and facilitating adoptions. Animals that are not adopted may remain at the kennel indefinitely without consequence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Rescue Foundation</span>

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Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP), formerly known as the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania, known commonly as Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center (ARL), is an animal welfare organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1909. The ARL is a non-profit organization that offers various services to support both animals and pet owners alike. It is the only animal shelter in the Pittsburgh area that accepts both domestic animals and wildlife. The agency's shelter and clinic are located in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood, while its wildlife rehabilitation center and boarding kennels are a few miles away in Verona, Pennsylvania. The organization maintains a contract with the city of Pittsburgh and accepts all stray pets that are apprehended by the Animal Control unit.

Safe Humane Chicago is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization founded in 2008 by animal rights advocate Cynthia Bathurst. The nonprofit works to educate youth on animal safety and seeks justice for dogs that have been confiscated by law enforcement by placing them in foster care to later be adopted into new homes.

Manchester and Cheshire Dogs’ Home is a registered animal charity which operates two dog shelters in North West England. The charity takes in and cares for stray and unwanted dogs, making the animals available for adoption once they are fit and healthy. The charity also promotes responsible dog ownership by the public. Manchester Dogs’ Home has cared for and rehomed more than one million dogs since it opened.

The Humane Society of Harford County, Inc. (HSHC) is a nonprofit open admission animal shelter located in Fallston, Maryland, contracted with the Harford County Government to provide sheltering services for all animals brought to HSHC by Animal Control as stray, or subjects of animal cruelty or neglect cases.

Internet Miniature Pinscher Service (IMPS) is a non-profit animal rescue organization based in United States of America. The organization was established in 1998 by Petie Hoving Durand and is dedicated to adoption and rescue of Miniature Pinscher, a small breed of dogs originating from Germany. Internet Miniature Pinscher Service (IMPS) is the largest single breed rescue service in America. Currently, organization operates in United States of America and Canada. The organization has to date rescued over 20,000 dogs and currently has 500 volunteers throughout the United States and Canada.

The Sato Project is an animal rescue and protection organization founded in 2011 by British-born Christina Beckles. It works to rescue abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico, educating the public and advocating for abused and abandoned dogs. "Sato" is the Spanish word used in Puerto Rico and Cuba for referring to stray dogs or cats. Many of the project's missions have involved airlifting dogs before and after natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico in 2019 and 2020. "Spayathon" is a spaying and neutering program, attended by Sato Project and other animal rights organizations in Puerto Rico, which has had an impact on the stray dog population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Kingdom Foundation</span> Filipino animal welfare organization

Animal Kingdom Foundation or simply AKF, is a non-profit animal welfare non-governmental organization based in the Philippines. Founded in 2002, it is committed to "improving the living and welfare conditions of animals", eliminating the trade of dog meat for human consumption, and advocating for the improvement of animal living conditions.

References

  1. ↑ Chipley, Abigail (September 2000). "In the News: Gimme Shelter". Vegetarian Times. Sabot Publishing (177): 21.
  2. ↑ Sweeney, Michael S. (2010). "Further Resources". Dog Tips From DogTown: A Relationship Manual for You and Your Dog. National Geographic Society. ISBN   9781426206696.
  3. ↑ Pets by the Numbers: U.S. Pet Ownership, Community Cat and Shelter Population Estimates Archived 2013-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 19 August 2017
  4. ↑ Biniok, Janice (2009). The Doberman Pinscher. TFH Publications. ISBN   9780793842537.
  5. ↑ Bial, Raymond (2011). Rescuing Rover: Saving America's Dogs. Houghton Mifflin. p. 40. ISBN   9780547341255.
  6. ↑ Smith, Caroline (2007). The Complete Guide to Border Collies. Kevin Winslet. p. 50. ISBN   9781908793034.
  7. ↑ Cannon, Sue (December 2004). "Ariel Rescue". Orange Coast Magazine. 30 (12).
  8. ↑ "CFHS | Animal shelter statistics". Canadian Federation of Humane Societes. Archived from the original on 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  9. ↑ Bjorklund, Ruth (2014). Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Worker (First ed.). New York: Cavendish Square Publishing. p. 13. ISBN   978-1-62712-472-0. OCLC   1046678541.
  10. ↑ Guynup, Sharon (2019-11-14). "Captive tigers in the U.S. outnumber those in the wild. It's a problem". National Geographic. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  11. ↑ Brulliard, Karin (2019-08-07). "The problem with exotic animal ownership in America" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
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