Rescue group
Encyclopedia
An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption
. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray
pet
s and attempt to find suitable new homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take the animals into their homes and care for them—including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems—until a suitable permanent home can be found.
Rescue groups exist for most types of pet—for example, rabbit rescue or bird rescue, but are most common for dog
s and cat
s. For animals with many breed types, many rescue groups specialize in specific breeds or groups of breeds. For example, for dog
s, there might be local Labrador Retriever
rescue groups, hunting dog
rescue groups, large-dog rescue groups, as well as general dog rescue groups. Some rescue organizations specialize in a geographic location such as Corridor Rescue Inc. which focuses on an area called The Corridor of Cruelty. 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. The American Kennel Club maintains a list of contacts, primarily within breed clubs, that will provide information on breed rescue groups for purebred dogs in the United States.
Animal shelter
s 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 euthanize
d; while the shelters might run out of room, rescue groups can often find more volunteers with space in their homes for temporary placement. Some organizations (such as Young at Heart Pet Rescue, www.yahpetrescue.org and Old Dog Haven
) work with older animals whose age would likely cause them to be euthanized in county pounds.
In the UK
, 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 7 days before it can be rehomed or euthanize
d.
In the USA, there are three classifications for pet rescue:
. Rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers. While some shelters put animals into 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.
Depending on the animal, there may be a number of different things that can be done to make the transition from life at a rescue group to a home easier. Generally, rescue groups have basic information that will allow greater success in transitioning an animal. There are also numerous resources available in print and online for helping assimilate rescue dogs into new homes.
Pet adoption
Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or released to a shelter or rescue organization...
. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s and attempt to find suitable new homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take the animals into their homes and care for them—including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems—until a suitable permanent home can be found.
Rescue groups exist for most types of pet—for example, rabbit rescue or bird rescue, but are most common for dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. For animals with many breed types, many rescue groups specialize in specific breeds or groups of breeds. For example, for dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, there might be local Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
rescue groups, hunting dog
Hunting dog
A hunting dog refers to any dog who assists humans in hunting. There are several types of hunting dogs developed for various tasks. The major categories of hunting dogs include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and gun dogs...
rescue groups, large-dog rescue groups, as well as general dog rescue groups. Some rescue organizations specialize in a geographic location such as Corridor Rescue Inc. which focuses on an area called The Corridor of Cruelty. Widely recognized as an umbrella organization for animal rescue groups, Petfinder.org
Petfinder.org
Petfinder.com is an online database of adoptable pets in the care of about 13,000 animal welfare organizations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The site has facilitated 17 million adoptions in its first fifteen years. At any one time, 300,000 adoptable pets are listed: dogs, cats, rabbits, birds,...
is an online, searchable database of more than 13,000 shelters and adoption agencies across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The American Kennel Club maintains a list of contacts, primarily within breed clubs, that will provide information on breed rescue groups for purebred dogs in the United States.
Animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
s 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 euthanize
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
d; while the shelters might run out of room, rescue groups can often find more volunteers with space in their homes for temporary placement. Some organizations (such as Young at Heart Pet Rescue, www.yahpetrescue.org and Old Dog Haven
Old Dog Haven
OldDog Haven is an Internal Revenue Service-approved 501 not-for-profit charitable organization whose goal it is to improve the quality of life of geriatric or “senior” dogs that need care and homes, mainly in the western part of Washington State. The group was formed in 1994 by shelter volunteers...
) work with older animals whose age would likely cause them to be euthanized in county pounds.
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 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
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
, 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 7 days before it can be rehomed or euthanize
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
d.
In the USA, there are three classifications for pet rescue:
- A municipal shelter is a facility that houses stray and abandoned animals, as well as animals that people can no longer care for, on behalf of local governments
- A no-kill shelter, which is usually a privately-operated organization with a physical location, such as a storefront or free-standing building. Their policies include the specification that no healthy, pet-worthy animal be euthanized
- Not-for-profit rescue organizations that typically operate through a network of volunteer foster homes. These rescue organizations are also committed to a no-kill policy as specified above.
Comparing rescue groups and shelters
There are two major difference between shelters and rescue groups. Shelters are usually run and funded by local governmentLocal government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
. Rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers. While some shelters put animals into 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.
Adopting through a rescue group
Most rescue groups have strict adoption procedures that can include completing an application to adopt, checking a veterinary reference, conducting a phone interview, and conducting a home visit. Rescue organizations are usually all-volunteer organizations and survive on donations and adoption fees. The adoption fees usually do not cover the significant costs involved, which include traveling to pick up a dog in need, providing veterinary care, vaccinations, having it spayed or neutered, giving it any training necessary, and helping to socialize and feed it.Depending on the animal, there may be a number of different things that can be done to make the transition from life at a rescue group to a home easier. Generally, rescue groups have basic information that will allow greater success in transitioning an animal. There are also numerous resources available in print and online for helping assimilate rescue dogs into new homes.
See also
- Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals RescueDedication and Everlasting Love to Animals RescueDedication and Everlasting Love to Animals Rescue is an animal welfare organization based in Acton, California, USA. With two hospitals and of sanctuaries, it is the largest no-kill, care-for-life sanctuary in the United States. With more than 1,500 animals on the property, it is the largest...
(DELTA) - Pets for vetsPets for vetsPets for Vets is a 501 non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to providing a second chance to shelter dogs by rescuing, training and matching them with American veterans who need a companion pet.- History :...