We are contacted almost every day by wonderful people
who have found a dog and need help, as well as people
who need or want to surrender their doxie.
If You Have Found A Stray
Scan for a chip at any vet. There is no charge for the
scan, and might be the jackpot to locating the family.
Put up flyers. Chances are the dog has not traveled far
and getting their picture out in the neighborhood is also
a quick way to helping locate a family who is missing their
doxie!
Go for a walk with the dog. Chances are the dog might
be able to lead you to where he came from.
Check your local shelter. Families who have lost dogs
will often post photos and flyers at shelters in case their
dog is brought in as a stray.
What is an Owner Surrender?
Families or caregivers of families often need to give up or "surrender" a dog due to various circumstances.
Can you help me?
We try our very best to help as many of the people who contact us, but as with all rescues, our resources are limited. Our ability to take an owner surrender is governed mainly by the availability of a foster home. We try to balance the needs of those dogs who are "safe" in a home vs. those at risk of being put down in a shelter. We are also all unpaid volunteers who do our "doxie homework" in the evenings after home and family are taken care of, so we appreciate your patience and undersatnding to work through the process.
Help us help you...
There are things you can do and steps you can take to help us be in a better position to assist you and your doxie.
- Shelters. Strays often have as little as 5 days to find a home in a county shelter before being put down, and many shelters allow for an owner surrender to be put down immediately as there is always a shortage of space. It is a difficult reality, but taking a stray or a dog you can no longer keep to a shelter is tatamount to ensuring they will be put to sleep.
- Can You Foster? It usually takes us between 4-6 weeks to place a dog. If you have a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. who would be willing foster your dog, that makes it much easier for us to help you.
- Get your doxie up to date medically. The reality of rescue is that our highest expense is our vetting costs as our average vetting cost is $436 and our average adoption fee is $209. If a family can approach us with a dog who is up-to-date on shots, with medical history, and maybe even a clean bill of health from a recent vet visit, this makes the dog much easier to adopt and also helps us reduce our vetting costs.
- Send us a picture. We are all suckers for a cute face in need and putting a face with a situation can move volunteers to help.
- Timing. As much as we would want to, we can't take in a dog right away. Foster space needs to be identified, transport arranged, and intake approved and the process can take as long as a week+ for strays and often longer for owner surrenders.
- Seniors. Please think long and hard about surrendering a dog who has been with you for many years. Seniors, or dogs over 8 years old, are difficult to place and suffer greatly when separated from the only family they have ever known. Seniors can take us over a year to place, and those with medical issues are nearly impossible to place and become "forever fosters" with the rescue to cover the costs of their medical care for the rest of their life. Even if you "don't have time" for the dog, often staying in familiar surroundings with smells and people they love is easier than transitioning to a new home. How would you feel if your family tried to give you away after a lifetime of love?
- Need more info? Drop us a note at info@dachshundrescuesouthfllorida.com..