Underdog Rescue matches wonderful people with wonderful pets. Our adopters are people who have a special place in their hearts for orphaned, abandoned or neglected dogs and cats. Most of our pets are dogs and cats that overburdened animal control facilities and other shelters don't have space to hold. Our name, Underdog Rescue, grows out of our passion for the "little guys"--the waifs and strays who've had a bit of bad luck but never quit hoping to win someone's heart and a home. All our "underdogs" and "undercats" have a story. Our goal is to give each one a happy ending. Underdog Rescue does not operate from a shelter but rather from a network of foster homes in Northern Illinois. Underdog Rescue seeks loving and caring homes for our rescued dogs and cats. We are willing to work with many situations to ensure an appropriate placement. For more information on adopting an underdog, contact the foster home listed in the animal's profile. For general questions, call Joan at 847-529-5959.
The foster home setting allows us to better evaluate the dog's or cat's temperament in order to make the best possible match with their
future permanent homes. Foster care also helps the pet to readjust to family life after living in a shelter or being a stray. On average, we suggest the following baseline:
Please join Underdog Rescue for our annual "A Home for the Holidays" event and fund raiser on November 14th, 2009 at the Dry Dock Saloon and Shipwrecked Cafe in Antioch, IL.
5:00pm - 9:00pm
27045 Grass Lake Road Antioch, IL 60002
The event will include silent auctions, raffles, music, food and fun. All proceeds go to the care and medical needs for homeless pets in Underdog Rescue.
Visit our main site at www.underdog-rescue.com for more information about Underdog Rescue.
Our
Adoptable Pet List
Click here to see our Happy Adopted Tails!
UNDERDOG'S BIG ADVENTURE
Adopt an Underdog
MEET AN UNDERDOG
When you have chosen an animal that you are interested in, please call or email the foster home contact identified on the pet description page to arrange a meeting. The
foster home can provide you with the most up-to-date information
on the pet and answer any questions you may have. Before the appointment, you may also print and fill out
the Adoption Application Form from the links below
and bring it with you.
After you meet with an animal you'd like to adopt, your application is processed by Underdog Rescue's foster specialists. Your references will be contacted, and we may arrange to conduct a home visit. Our goal is find a good match between our adopters and animals. We want you to be happy with the "underdog" or "undercat" you bring home!
ADOPTION DONATIONS
Adult large dogs: $200; Puppies 1 year or younger: $250; Adult small dogs: $225; Kittens: $95; Cats: $85. Senior animals going to senior citizens cost half that animal's fee. Please be aware that our adoption fees are based on the MINIMUM required to cover basic veterinary and related costs at the special rates our wonderful vets give us. Individual fees are higher if the animal is a purebred or if additional medical expenses were incurred or if the animal was in foster care a longer period of time. Your prospective pet's foster home can tell you exactly what his or her suggested donation is.
Every animal we adopt out has had a recent health examination and is up-to-date on essential, age-appropriate vaccines. Our dogs are tested for heartworm, our cats are tested for feline leukemia and all are de-wormed for intestinal parasites. Because animal overpopulation is a major concern of ours, our pets are spayed/neutered prior to adoption. If a medical issue requires postponement of the surgery, we work out an arrangement with our adopters.
Unfortunately, some of our rescued animals require medical care above and beyond the basics. They may need prenatal care or treatment for kennel cough, heartworm, injuries or other illnesses. Your donations above and beyond the baseline adoption fee go a long way toward helping us offset the medical costs for these needy animals.
Help us provide care for sick, injured and needy puppies, kittens, cats and dogs! Please donate!
Please download, fill out and email the Adoption Application to your foster home contact. .
( Click on the links below to bring each document up.)
| ADOPTION FORMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Adoption Contract | ||
| ADOPTION APPLICATION | ||
| Release of Liability for Pet Visits | ||
( Adobe Acrobat Reader required) | ||
A not-for-profit (501c3), state-licensed (Illinois Department of Agriculture), all-volunteer organization based in Northern Illinois, Underdog Rescue is founded on the belief that kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us.
Collectively, our members have decades of experience in animal rescue, including disaster relief. (See our Hurricane Katrina photographs below.) We have personally saved the lives of hundreds of dogs and cats through our foster homes. And we are always seeking to learn more. Prior to our launch in spring 2007, our president completed an intensive, week-long rescue workshop at the nation's largest and perhaps most respected animal sanctuary, Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. Today, we are making a difference through the care we bring to the adoption process, our reasonable adoption fees, our all-breed focus, our humane education programs and our quality foster network.
We are proud to have the support of the dedicated veterinarians at Animal Care Center of Lake Villa (ACCLV) as well as respected animal trainer and educator Robin Bengtson of Robin's Dog Stars. Learn more about ACCLV at lakevillavet.com and about Robin Bengtson at RobinsDogStars.com.
Photos from the Underdog Rescue scrapbook:
Above, pictures 1-8 show our animal rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Below are UR's president, Joan Boro (center), at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, the largest pet sanctuary in the United States, with Best Friends co-founders, Faith Maloney (left) and Jana de Peyer (right). Click on any picture to enlarge it.
We need more foster homes! Foster families provide temporary care for an animal prior to adoption. Becoming a foster parent is a wonderful and personal way to contribute to saving homeless pets. Wtih so many pets unfortunately being relinquished to Underdog and local animal shelters due to the ecomony, this would be a great way to help save more dogs and cats as a family project. Medical care and food for foster pets is paid by Underdog Rescue. Please call Debbie Krueger at 847-571-1860 or Peg Braun at 847-420-9997 for more information.
Our organization also needs and values volunteers for other tasks besides fostering. We have many opportunities to get involved. Please contact Peg Braun at 847-420-9997 or Debbie Krueger at 847-571-1860 for more information.
In light of the economy, the volume of calls Underdog receives to assist families in need has heightened. If you find yourself in need of having to make the tough decision to relinquish your pet, please call Peg Braun at 847-420-9997. Underdog will certainly try to work with you and your situation for your pet.
Thank you for visiting Underdog Rescue.
The good news: Thanks to adoption services, shelter- to-shelter transfers, and aggressive spay/neuter programs, the number of animals being killed in shelters and pounds each year in the U.S. has dropped from 17 million in 1987 to 6-8 million today, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
The bad news: Six to eight million euthanized animals is far too many. Every adoption from a rescue organization saves another life!
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