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Hello, this will be an unusual and long post, but I have not had success elsewhere so here goes : For some time I have been of a mind to leave my estate ( nearly a half million $ and a house in N.J.close to Manhattan ) to some animal welfare society when I go ( not that old now 66 ) in exchange for providing care for any animals living with me at the time and certain burial arrangements for my deceased friends and my self. Recently I have considered getting into animal rescue now with the use of my time and funds where appropriate.
This caused me to think out the stray/shelter/rescue/sanctuary situation here in N.J. which has caused me to hit a standstill as to what to do.
Certainly all rescues ( there aren't any dog sanctuaries in N.J I can find ) want $, but here in N.J that seems not to be the problem....the problem is the limited number of good homes for the dogs which seemingly has caused the rescues to compete for placements and adoption fees as well as donations.
I've checked a number of shelters and the dogs that are not agressive breeds are all taken by rescues or adopted out. The nice, friendly dog who gets euthanized because nobody takes him seems not to be the case in N.J.
A local rescue in my area run by a woman I've known slightly for years recently had to stop taking in dogs from the local high kill shelter due to a lack of funds.....but surprise, when I investigated I found that another rescue had picked up the slack and then some..all dogs rescued.
I'd like to become active in rescue, but if the real problem is not enough adoptive families and the number of rescues that exist are sufficient to save the dogs who can be saved (placed) then an infusion of time and money may not be as worthwhile as one would think. Also I'm not fond of the idea of my money going into vets' pockets or paying staff salaries. I'd like to be hands on and certainly be the last word on how my $ would be used. Really don't know how to pursue this any further at this time. Insights welcome...Stephen forneon@webtv.net

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:29 pm Post subject:

how about funding mobile spay/neuter clinics so the dogs living now can not reproduce? there are plenty of places to use your $. countless numbers of chipins for less fortunate pooches.

fundraisers are another you could help with- purchasing supplies or a shipment of food for the shelter animals that don;t get fed on a regular basis.

tons of places to get involved in that $$ certainly will help

appreciate your openess - jump in and help while you can make difference

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:08 pm Post subject:

I am located in Bucks County PA, perhaps not too far from you. In our area there seems to be plenty of adopters to be found. Two of my local shelters pull from other shelters in order to meet the demand.

Would you consider joining up with your friend who had to close the rescue due to funding? You often find rescue teams who divide responsibilities. One person may work very closely with the animals while the other handles fund raising, scheduling potential fosters and adopters. Each party can be as involved as they want to be based on their availability. But keep in mind rescue available is 24/7 in an emergency, the animals always come first.

Lastly, finding potential homes can really be fine tuned. You need to locate an area in need and fill that need. In addition, if you do any transporting in of dogs I suggest you don't transport in what is readliy available in your local shelters unless you are a breed specific rescue.

If a rescue is a non profit I believe their income, tax return, is public knowledge available right on the web. You may find a local rescue to work with that devotes all of their funding to the animals with no administrative deductions. Although you may have to look closely at what their expenses truly are, vehicles, cell phones, gas, food and lodging should be a fairly minimal percentage.

You mentioned dog sanctuaries, they are few and far between. If one were to open I bet they would be full in a week and not able to do more intake for years. Ideally, there should be one available to every dog in need. The reality is it is almost impossible to run a sanctuary without a lot of funding and a highly qualified devoted staff.

I am thrilled to read you are taking your animals future into account if something were to happen to you. Do you have a family member you would trust to care for them? If not, be careful... There are some amazing people involved in rescue. But, just like any situation in which money is involved there are plenty of people that would take advantage of your situation. Your animals would not benefit from their care. Again, be careful....

Youngdog had some great suggestions. I hope you find a way to help even just one animal in need. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

Edited as I am adding some additional info.

You asked how much it would cost to rescue. If we only knew the answer things would be so simple. One animal could cost $100 to rescue and adopt out, another $5,000 to do the same. There are so many variables when it comes to rescue, the biggest of all is vetting. When it comes to rescue a "save" is a "save". I believe rescues should go above and beyond in order to care for the animals they have "saved".

Yikes! You posted about not wanting a rescues money to go towards paying vet bills, did I read that right? Honestly that is where most of the money should go.

Lastly, be sure to have a living will for the animals in your care if you are planning to set up a trust for them. If need be would you want them to have chemo, surgery or other forms of life saving intervention. Be sure to stipulate what vet is to be used for their care and that he/she has a copy of the living will.

I am having the worst time posting this tonight! The site seems to be running very slow or maybe not at all...

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