One of A Kind Education

We are often asked where we get the 4,400+ animals we rescue every year. Last year, we rescued 4,466 dogs and cats from the danger of euthanasia and found them forever homes. But where did they come from and how did we do this?

Our animals come from a variety of places:

• High Intake Shelters – We pull dogs from a variety of high intake shelters and animal control facilities in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky that are in danger of being killed. In rural parts of those states, in particular, there is a lack of adequate spay and neuter clinics to keep the homeless and stray population from growing.
• Puppy Mills – We save dogs from puppy mills who would otherwise be killed. At many puppy mills, male and female dogs are no longer of use for breeding to the puppy mill operators after the dog turns five. One of two things happen if we don’t rescue them – they are taken to the vet to be euthanized because puppy mill operators are no longer allowed to shoot the dogs, or the dogs are given to a backyard breeder that is not governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and that dog will be used for breeding until the day he or she dies. The dogs that are used for breeding receive no positive human interaction; they are usually only pulled from their crate to breed.When these puppy mill dogs arrive at our rescue, they often are very shy and scared and don’t know how to be a dog. They’re afraid of doorways, they’re often afraid of men and don’t know how to socialize with people or other dogs. Our staff and Dog Playgroup volunteers work diligently with the dogs to earn their trust and bring the out of their shell so they can live out life to their full potential with their forever families.
• Strays – When space allows, we will accept stray pets or pets whose owners need to surrender them locally. However, we get more than 100 requests a day and we unfortunately don’t have the capacity to take in all strays. Sometimes, we also unfortunately arrive for the day to the rescue to find abandoned dogs and puppies tied up outside our doors or cats and kittens in boxes by our dumpster. (Please don’t do this!) Recently, two 11-year-old bonded cats were abandoned at our front door with a note that one needed a leg amputation. Those cats are now in our care and that orthopedic surgery is one that we are responsible for.

How can you help us?

• Donate to us financially – Your donations are tax-deductible. If you work for a company that does a company match to your donation, that’s even better and your donation can go further. Please visit our monthly giving program page for more information.
• Donate needed goods or items – Our needs change frequently, based on the supplies of what we have, but we have some wish lists with items we need all the time. We have a Chewy wish list and Amazon wish list. Our donation page also has lists of our most-needed items and other items you can donate.We are so appreciative of donated items, like blankets and towels, but we have so many donations of these items that we have more than enough for our needs (and some in storage!) We’d encourage you to find another animal shelter or rescue, which could use your donated blankets and towels (please no pillowcases or fitted sheets).
• Volunteer at the shelter – We have the best volunteers! Come join us! We need volunteers to sit and play with cats, cuddle with puppies, walk dogs, join our dog playgroup, or help us clean around the rescue. We also have fund-raising events where we could use help. If you are interested, go to the volunteer page for more information. You’ll need to attend a volunteer orientation and an extra orientation if you’d like to walk dogs and then you can come when your schedule allows!