NOTE: This rescue is multistate rescue with foster homes in three states and a state licensed kennel in southwestern PA. This rescue maintains an office in southeastern Pennsylvania and southwestern Pennsylvania. Transport to east coast locations might be available for our companion animals. The rescue shows animals for adoption at both the kennel in southwestern Pennsylvania and at our southeastern Pennsylvania office as well at other remote site locations as needed.
Personal checks are no longer accepted. This "new rule" has been established because of the number of bad checks written to the organization. The organization does not accept credit cards.
If you live far from us, you must come to our location to adopt--we do not ship our companion animals except when we take them with us where ever we are going. Call the rescue to find out times and what pets will be taken. Also, we will take a pet with us to a location by special request if you call and complete the application process in advance. We show pets at the kennel by appointment so call before you stop by. DO NOT COME TO OUR KENNEL OR ONE OF OUR FOSTER HOMES IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO ANOTHER KENNEL on the same day. When you come to the kennel be prepared to step in a disinfectant solution and wear old clothing.
The animals at the kennel desparatly need HOMES more than they need anything else. If you cannot give an animal a home, then try to send people to adopt . In terms of "things" the animals need, they can always use stuff like rugs, blankets, old towels, stainless steel bowls and pans and big rubber balls and rubber toys.
We have pet food available for distribution to the public and other rescues. Please feel free to call us and make application if you need help with pet food . We especially encourage seniors to contact us.
We have a few dogs who are afraid of men so we really need female only homes for these great pets. These are wonderful female oriented dogs who have had bad experiences with men from all appearances.
If you have an animal that you no longer can keep in your home, you can contact us and see if we have space in our foster network or at our kennel. We will do our best to help the animals that need help. We have established the following priority/order to guide the people of the rescue when considering taking an animal. Our first mission is the rescue of good natured animals from animal control shelters regardless of age, health, appearance, gender. If we have space in our network, we will take on the care of puppies and kittens and dogs and cats regardless of age. We will help with the pups, kittens and the moms. If you want to keep the mom, we will have her spayed free of charge for you so that she will not have any more unplanned pups. If you do not want to keep the mom, we will take her and find her new home. We do not take "fighting dog" types of dogs. We are really sorry, but we cannot acomodate the special needs of the "fighting" dogs. We will, however, help you have your 'fighting dog" type of dog spayed or neutered at very little cost to you if you will keep your dog and provide it with a home. We work with other rescues, so if we can not take on your pups we still can help the pups by getting them into good rescues who will take good care of them. If you need help with an adult dog--especially a mother dog---please call us. We will help you with puppy food for mom and her pups and medical care for mom and her pups including the spay of the mom when she has finished with the pups. All the same applies to cats and kittens. If we have space on our farm location, we will help with some farm animals such as goats, cows, pigs, sheep, geese, ducks, chickens and horses. We try to help.
We will now proceed to get back to what we are really about---helping find new homes for family suitable pets that have ended up in animal control shelters that have limited space and resources and are forced to "put down" good pets for lack of space and homes into which to adopt the pets. These folks who work at the "kill shelters" have very hard and very sad jobs. They do not want to kill nice animals, but space is often a problem. People do not adopt enough animals from animal control shelters. Some people will say that they do not want to adopt from these shelters because it is sad to go there---not a good excuse. Another excuse commonly given is that adoption from a "kill shelter" supports the killing of pets---again not a good excuse. If the shelter does animal control--and everyone wants stray dogs taken off the streets-- then where are the stray dogs suppose to go? When the animal control shelter is full, what is suppose to be done to make more room for the next stray? We try to provide a way for pets that end up in "kill shelters" to get into homes and YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING. We feel that the pets that end up in animal control shelters are forgotten--and their caretakers at the animal control shelters are also forgotten except to blame them for the deaths of unwanted pets. The real 'bad guys" in the animal control world are the people who own the pets and do not properly care for the pets, do not have them spayed/neutered, and who do not treat the pets with respect--the same respect that is due and owing to all living things. We strongly urge all people looking to adopt to look into the pets that are waiting in animal control shelters that have to "put down" pets for lack of space before they look at "no kill" rescues. Often the same pet that you see on our cite, for example, was also listed at a local animal control shelter or was there and we got it out. You can get great pets from animal control shelters and really help prevent the workers from being dehumanized by their jobs as well as save the life of a pet. We also work on finding homes and helping special needs and elderly pets find homes. Often, special needs and elderly pets end up in animal control shelters because their owners no longer wanted to bother with them, wanted a younger pet, or just dumped them into the street because it was some how easier than caring for the pet. One dog that comes to mind for us instantly is now deceased tiny elderly toy poodle with an ear infection who was put out into the street to wander the streets when his old lady owner died. This little dog had never lived outside, and family and neighbors, instead of taking him in, called the local animal control shelter. We found him there and took him with us where he lived in a foster home for 2 1/2 years in good health until his natural death at age 18 1/2 years of age. This type of thing is very hard on the animal control shelter workers' spirits and very discouraging. Please seriously consider adopting a special needs or elderly pet--your soul and spirit will be much enriched by helping the most helpless and needy! Please obey all dog laws in PA relating to licensing and rabies shots and treat your pet well. We offer low cost shots, wormings, spay/neuter services to the public. We offer free pet food to needy homes so please contact us if you need help with feeding your pet. If you would like to donate pet food to our community give away program please contact us---the community needs all the help that it can get. Sometimes a pet can stay in its home if the owner has just a small bit of help with food and medical care and we try to fill this need as we are able.
Faithful But Forgotten Friends Animal Rescue and Placement, Inc., is a non-profit animal rescue organization. The organization sponsers good tempered pets for adoption into suitable homes regardless of age, appearance, and health. Space is limited. No violent, nasty or ill tempered animals are sponsered by Faithful But Forgotten Friends. This rescue is a "no time limit" rescue because once a pet is taken on by the organization it will remain within the organization's network until a new home is found for the pet. Elderly and special needs pets are sponsered by the organization . The organization is particularly devoted to the rescue and placement of abused or seriously neglected pets, pets who have ended up in "kill shelters" or animal control shelters, and mother animals who are either finished with their babies or are pregnant and older pets. The organization is firmly committed to spay/neuter as a means of controlling pet over population and suffering. The organization has a spay/neuter program open to the public . WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE everyone to contact your community elected officials and ask them to enact mandatory spay/neuter regulations.
Our offices and kennel are open on the weekend and some weekdays and some evenings. Call us for the exact times and for directions. You must have an appointment to come to visit because someone must be at the kennel who handles adoptions. There are some folks who help out at the kennel, but they do not handle adoptions so you must call first to make sure that someone is here to help you. Also, please do not come to our kennel after you have been to other kennels until you have cleaned up just in case your shoes or clothing are harboring a contagious illness that could endanger our pets. Illness prevention is a big thing with us and our pets. It should be a big thing to everyone. If you would be interested in fostering for us, we would be interested in hearing from you! We have a particular need for foster families who are willing to foster pregnant dogs and cats and foster families who are willing to take on longer term fostering for elderly or special needs pets. We provide food and medical care for our pets in foster homes.
We at Faithful But Forgotten Friends do not support the use of any animal in medical testing or product testing. We urge everyone to avoid the support of such activities. We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to help some poor dogs who have been the victims of such testing. For example, several beagles who have injured eyes from product testings and bones (which were injured on other beagles in labs) have been referred to us for placement. We do not support the use of ear cropping or tail docking or de-clawing procedures on pets.
We do not knowingly abort pregnant dogs or cats. Some rescues do abort pregnancies in their animals. We do not abort for two reasons: first, the babies are living creatures and the abortion is virtually the same things as simply killing them after birth and we do not involve ourselves in the killing of good tempered pets. The second reason that we do not abort is the risk that the abortion will harm or kill the mother. We are always interested in hearing from people who are willing and able to foster pregnant pets and their babies. We provide food and medical care for all moms and their babies in our network.
THE ADOPTION OF A PET IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER! ADOPTION IS A LIFE LONG COMMITTMENT NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. ONLY SERIOUS PEOPLE NEED APPLY FOR OUR FRIENDS.
At Faithful But Forgotten Friends we encourage the application for & adoption of our pets by families and single or divorced people. We do not discriminate against potential adoptive families or single people on the basis of race, creed, national origin, ethnicity, religion, handicap, sexual preference or for any other reason except to the extent that we do not place our pets into homes habitated by unmarried "co-habitating", heterosexual couples or homosexual couples who are not committed to each other for life. We have found "live together relationships" often break up and leave the pet in a mess. We want our pets to enter stable dependable homes where the people in the homes have evidenced a firm committment to family values and committment to each other as well as society as a whole. Cohabitating couples who have not married or joined to each other via a civil union need not apply to adopt our pets. Please do not argue with us; there are many other rescues who will adopt to unmarried couples so we suggest that you contact them.
We encourage the adoption of our pets by handicapped folks and elderly folks who want the company and help that a pet can provide. We have found that often our special needs pets fit particularly well into homes with handicapped family members. We offer a senior citizen discount to senior citizens who adopt our pets. If we realize that a pet will make a pet therapy pet, we will so indicate on the pet's information.
Please keep in mind, that most of the pets sponsered by rescue have been rejected, abandoned or sometimes abused in some manner. We strongly suggest that the pet be given at minimum several weeks for a settling in period. They are like children in that they will be leaving the security they have known and going into a new home and are unsure. They need time to get used to you and what you expect.
If you live more than a 2 hour drive from us and you want to adopt a pet, then you must drive to us after we complete the review and verification of your application and you will be charged a $50.00 spay/neuter deposit rather than a $30.00 deposit if the pet is not already spayed or neutered. We do not ship pets anyplace.
You will be required to follow the vet check procedure outlined above. You will be required to sign a contract. A copy of the adoption contract can be sent to you via e-mail upon request. Should you decide to not keep the pet that you adopt from us you will be required to return the pet to us. Under no circumstances should one of our adopted pets be placed into a kill shelter setting at any time during its life.
Please only contact us if you are seriously interested in knowing more about one of our faithful friends. We are all volunteers and do not mind answering questions and helping you find the right pet for your life or family if you are seriously looking for a pet to adopt. However if you know that you can not take in an animal and you know that you can not afford to take care of an animal in the long run, then please do not waste time. Our pets' future homes are screened through adoption applications and interviews, so we only have the time for serious people! If you are not serious, or are just curious, please do not call us. If you email us, please allow 3 days for a response! Please be sure that we are able to speak with the head of the household. We can not receive information about families or finalize adoptions with minors. Please call us during sensible hours and not at very late hours. We do not accept collect calls. Again thank you all for your interest and we hope to hear from you soon!
We do accept donations of old blankets and the like as well as food and things for the pets. We are not extensively funded through grants or trusts; rather we fund our rescue primarily through adoption fees . We have set our adoption fee on the basis of average estimated vet costs and care costs for all the pets during the time they spend within our network. We have concluded that the adoption fee charged will enable the rescue to continue on a brake even basis. Some of our pets have no health problems, but some do and their care costs money. We believe that fund raising (such as ticket sales, raffles, begging for money with donation cans, etc.) takes time away from the care of the animals and demeans both us and the animals that we sponser. We offer a subsidized cost adoption to the public, since in the private market the cost of basic vet care (shots, wormer, physicals, heart worm test, fel-luk test, fiv test, spay/neuter) would normally exceed our adoption fee. We do not reduce the adoption fee because you ask, so do not waste your time asking us to reduce the fee. If you cannot afford or do not want to pay the adoption fee (although senior citizens do get a discount) to adopt one of our pets, then look elsewhere. We have concluded after years of looking at many adoptions that people who cannot afford to pay an adoption fee cannnot afford to care for a pet for its life. Further more, we have concluded that if a person simply does not want to pay the requested adoption fee, then that person probably feels that they should be getting a free or greatly subsidized pet, and the able to pay person, who simply does not want to pay, is not a suitable home, because we doubt that good care will be provided to the pet for its life. The cost of your pet is your responsibility, not the rescues' responsibility to subsidize, so the bills associated with your pet are your responsibility. We do allow people to sponser the vet care for our pets, so checks payable to our vet are accepted.
