Watchung Mountain Poodle Club Rescue is a group of volunteers working in New Jersey to find good loving homes for homeless poodles. We don't have a shelter or adoption center. We are a collection of volunteers donating their time, love and homes. We accept poodles from shelters and homes where it is no longer possible to keep them.
Due to lack of volunteers, we can only accept dogs from New Jersey and again because of a lack of volunteers, we only place our dogs with adopters living in the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. On an exception basis, we may consider adopters in the States of Delaware and Maryland.
We are always searching for volunteers who can assist us and the poodles and especially volunteers who are willing to open both their hearts and their homes to our poodles.
Our Poodles
Our dogs come from a variety of places. We accept dogs in good health without a history of biting. We most frequently have mini poodles and standard poodles and a wide range of ages and experiences. They may come to us as a stray needing a bit of comfort and care, a puppy mill dog needing patience and time to learn to trust people or a perfectly well-behaved dog that has lost his home through no fault of his own. Also our dogs sometimes can have some issues that need time and patience to work through.
Most of our rescue dogs are purebred poodles although we do have some mixes. The poodles we place are fully vetted with shots for rabies and distemper, fecal and heart-worm check, and spayed/neutered. In the case of older dogs, a dental cleaning may also be done.
If you would like to adopt a dog but someone in your home has allergies, a poodle is a good choice. Many, but not all, people with allergies are able to live happily with a poodle.
It may be important to note that rescue dogs are NOT a low-cost alternative to purchasing a dog from a breeder. To begin with, we NEVER have puppies and seldom have dogs younger than 2 years of age. Additionally, we seldom have female dogs.
If you are very particular in regard to the size, age, color and gender of your dog, it would be best to contact a reputable breeder. However if you love poodles and would like to provide a loving dog with a very good home and you have some flexibility, patience and extra love, a rescue poodle might work out very well. Adopting a rescue poodle is a good deed, not a cost-saving consumer decision.
Adopting a friend
If you are interested in adopting one of our dogs, the first step in the process is completing an application. We require references from your vet and groomer . We verify that your previous pets received regular veterinary care. We place our dogs only in homes where all of the current pets are spayed/neutered and are receiving regular and appropriate medical care. In most cases, we require a traditional fenced yard, not an electronic fence.
We welcome your application for a specific poodle. However we try very hard to match the right dog to the right home, believing this is the most successful way to have a happy outcome for both you and the dog. In the case of multiple applications for one dog, we give much thought to our placement decisions which are based solely on the welfare of the dog. For example, dogs are always placed in the home that most closely can match their needs.
A Story with a Happy Ending written by Pat and Dee, one of our wonderful adoptive homes
LUCKY and BUDDY
We didn’t plan to adopt a dog. We wanted to purchase a puppy to replace our senior dog that had recently died. While at a dog show looking at various breeds, we stopped to chat with Louann Currey, the breeder of a beautiful standard poodle. She was also the Watchung Mountain Poodle Club Rescue foster to a 7 month old silver miniature poodle. “Danny” was placed into WMPC's rescue program when his owners moved out of the county and left him on a neighbor’s doorstep.
After spending an hour with Danny, we decided we wanted to adopt him. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. When Danny arrived at our home he settled in as if he knew he belonged. Since we were so lucky to have found him, we renamed him “Lucky”. Lucky is smart, friendly with people and animals, loves to run and jump and enjoys cuddling on the couch. He did go through a bout of intestinal problems but thanks to a great vet, he is now off all his meds.
After a few levels of obedience class, he earned CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and Therapy Dog certificates. One of the trainers suggested we try Lucky in agility competition. He enjoys agility and we love spending time with him in training and at the trials. He had been competing for over 3 years and has his Excellent Standard and Excellent Jumpers titles.
When Lucky was 5 years old, we decided he should have a companion. This time we knew we wanted a poodle. We got Buddy, a 2 ½ year old apricot miniature, from Watchung Mountain Poodle Club Rescue once again. We didn’t change his name. Buddy came from a wonderful family that had to give him up due to the severe allergies of a family member. Buddy is a sweet, happy boy who loves everyone and other animals and loves to play with toys.
Lucky and Buddy settled in together quickly. Lucky has become a patient big brother, to the sometimes overenthusiastic younger Buddy. They drink from the same water bowl, sometimes at the same time. When they chase after a ball whoever gets there first gets the ball with no arguments. They even play tug with the same toy. Buddy also likes to cuddle. In the evenings we can be found on the couch alternating person and poodle.
Buddy is doing very well in obedience classes and may soon start competing. We are going to see if he likes agility too. If he does compete in agility- great; if he doesn’t that is OK. What’s most important is that Buddy and Lucky are enjoying being part of our family as much as we enjoy having them.
Waiting for your Poodle
We do maintain a wait list for people who would like to be notified whenever a suitable poodle matching their requirements becomes available. In fact, most of our dogs are placed with people from our waiting list.
Re-homing your Poodle
If you have a poodle that you can no longer keep, please contact Gayle Roberson. Her phone is 609-426-0559, however please be considerate and call between the hours of 10AM and 6 PM ONLY; email:
pocopoodles@comcast.net
We do not operate a shelter so it is not possible to come by and see any available dogs. We are volunteers working in our home or place of business so please be patient when waiting for a callback.
Our pet list is constantly updated, and will give you all of the poodles currently available.
Our poodles are kept in foster homes where they are treated as a member of the family. We believe that this allows us to learn the true personality of the dog and find him/her the best home possible. Our foster homes are scattered over the state. It is your responsibility as the adopter to visit the dog in their foster home. We do not "deliver." We also do not offer an "installment plan" on our dogs. Full payment of the adoption fee is expected at the time of adoption.
Adoption Fees
Our adoption fees vary with each dog. For example, in the case of a special needs dog, the fee may be negotiable. Adoption fees are a sliding fee based on the age of the dog.
The adoption fee for a dog eighteen months or younger is $350, from eighteen months of age to four years, the adoption fee is $300, four years of age to six years will be $200, seven to eight years is $100. A dog of eight years or older has a voluntary adoption fee. Our higher adoption fee for younger dogs help us recover some of the higher veterinary costs associated with our older rescue dogs.
Want to help?
We need foster homes. Rescue dogs always need TLC but often need a refresher course in house manners, house-training with a crate, basic obedience and leash training. If you are a good, loving pet owner with recent vet references and some basic dog experience, we would love to meet you. It is a wonderful feeling when you watch a formerly unwanted dog walk off with his new family, happy and confident, thanks to your efforts. If you are interested in becoming a foster home, please call or email either Gayle or Regina listed above.
Interested in learning more about poodles?
Click here
for the website of the Poodle Club of America.
This a great place to learn more about breed information, health issues, shows and much more.
Click here
for the website of Versatility in Poodles.
This site is very educational and has lots of great information.
Do you want to know more about the "other" side of Watchung Mountain Poodle Club?
Click here
for the website of the Watchung Mtn Poodle Club.
Here we have have club news along with a listing of puppies available for purchase from breeders in our club. We love our rescue dogs and think that they are are close to perfect but we recognize some people want to buy a puppy for some very valid reasons.
Watchung Mtn PC Rescue Info,
Watchung Mtn PC Rescue, Gayle Roberson: 609-426-0559
Email:
pocopoodles@comcast.net
Having Some Behavior Problems with your Poodle? Maybe Animal Planet Can Help!
