Who We Are

We are a small group of volunteers whose goal is to save the lives of homeless dogs suffering in high-kill shelters. In doing so, we hope to provide an alternative to the purchase of puppy-mill and pet-store dogs, thereby reducing the demand for and ultimately the supply of such dogs. We strive to match each dog with the right family after the dog has been observed in a foster home.

Please help us help them by adopting and never, ever buying. Opt to adopt!

Monthly Meet & Greet Schedule

PLEASE NOTE: All dogs shown on the website and Petfinder page may not be at our Meet & Greets every week.

The following is our monthly Meet & Greet schedule. It shows locations and times of our Meet & Greets for each week, and will remain consistent for each month. We will post updates if anything changes. Click on the links for store addresses, information and directions.

• 1st Saturday: Cutter's Mill Natural Pets in Chalfont, Pa., from Noon-2 p.m.
• 2nd Saturday: Pet Valu in Dresher, Pa., from Noon-2 p.m.
• 3rd Saturday: Pet Valu in Audubon, Pa., from Noon-2 p.m. (NOTE: Please check the calendar, as this event is sometimes held on other Saturdays.)
• 3rd Sunday: Cutter's Mill Natural Pets in Chalfont, Pa., from Noon-2 p.m.

IMPORTANT! Issues with Verizon E-mail Addresses

Please be aware that our replies to Verizon.com e-mail addresses have been bouncing back as "Undeliverable." If you have e-mailed us during May or June from a Verizon address and received no reply, please try e-mailing us again from a different (non-Verizon) address. We're hoping Verizon can remedy the issue soon, but in the meantime, we'd still love to hear from you!

JUST ADDED! Extra Meet & Greet on Sun., June 23

Please join us on Sunday, June 23, at the Pet Valu store in Doylestown, Pa., for an extra Meet & Greet event! Stop by and meet the Almost Home dogs and their fosters, grab a stylin' AH T-shirt, tank top, camisole or hoodie ... and you just might meet your new best friend, too! Hope to see you there!

SSSHHH!!! It's a Surprise!

... so we can't fill you in on the details just yet ... but Almost Home is cookin' up something BIG! Watch our home page and visit us on Facebook for information on our next big event, scheduled for late September! (Hint: Polish up your running shoes and start doing some warm-up stretches!)

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FEATURED PET

Bailey Bee

Wow, check out that laser-like focus in Bailey Bee’s gaze – can you say “undivided attention?” That’s what you’ll get from this brainy, bouncy, 14-month-old Boxer-mix girl, who is bound to be the star of any obedience class! Her foster mom has done lots of “prep work” with this girl, so she’ll go to her new home with a head start in the training department – what a nice bonus! And — even nicer! — she’s reliably housetrained, too ... what more could you want in a canine companion? Well, how about a stunning brindle coat hiding 68 lbs. of solid muscle? Bailey’s not just brainy — she’s buff! :-)

But the best thing about Bailey Bee is her sweet, sweet temperament — she’s thrilled to meet new friends, and is always ready to play with new doggy pals, too. Bailey and her foster mom are on a mission to find the perfect home, preferably one where somebody is home most of the time, since that’s what she's used to — could it be your home? Please stop by an upcoming Meet & Greet to find out if Bailey could “bee” the one for you!

MORE ABOUT BAILEY BEE
Spayed/Neutered • Up-to-date with routine shots • House trained • Primary colors: Yellow, Tan, Blond or Fawn, White or Cream • Coat length: Short

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BEHAVE YOURSELF!

In a perfect world, our dogs would already know everything we want them to know... but here in the real world, we often need someone to help us "speak dog!" Almost Home is fortunate to have the help of two wonderful behaviorists/trainers --  Lisa Berkenstock and Carol Siegrist .

Carol and Lisa have helped many of our foster dogs get off to a great start, and they're a terrific resource for adopters who want to build a better relationship with their new four-footed family member. If you and your dog need some "relationship counseling," please visit their web sites for more information!

Thank you, Lisa and Carol -- we couldn't do it without you!

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Click here to see more from DrawTheDog.com!

READING AND RESCUE? PERFECT TOGETHER!

Melissa McDaniel is a photographer who is using her talents to educate people about shelter dogs through her Rescue Dog Photo Book Project. The goal: to raise $300,000 for animal rescue groups around the country through her shelter/rescue affiliate program. Click here to visit the Melissa McDaniel Photography web site and purchase your copy of "The Rescue Dog Photo Book!" NOTE: 30% of the purchase price of all books purchased through this affiliate link will be donated to Almost Home Dog Rescue ... so please, shop 'til you drop! Pre-order now for an extra 15% discount, and remember, books make great gifts!

SPECIAL OFFER FOR ALMOST HOME ADOPTERS!

Dog Town doggy daycare and boutique is the latest and hippest way to spoil your favorite furry friend! Almost Home adopters receive a 25% discount on their initial purchase for a newly adopted dog, and a 10% discount on all subsequent purchases for the life of the dog. Now that's a doggone good deal! Stop by and check out their selection of top-of-the-line foods, treats, bedding, toys and accessories for your new best friend!

Can't Foster or Adopt? You Can Still ... SHOP!

Now your online shopping can benefit Almost Home! Our rescue has signed up with Give Back America and iGive , which means when you shop online through those sites, our rescue will receive a percentage back from your purchases. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and there are hundreds of major online retailers to shop from, including Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and many others. To get started, visit Give Back America and type "Almost Home Dog Rescue" for the Charity Name. For iGive , just type "Almost Home Dog Rescue" in the Keyword Search field. The stores are the same, but now it helps our dogs when you shop online!

Style to the Rescue: Almost Home T-Shirts, Hoodies, Camis and Baseball Caps!

Spread the word about Almost Home with one of our eye-catching T-shirts, tank tops, camis, hoodies (pullover or zip-front) or baseball caps! And now that the cool weather has returned, it's time for layering to stay warm ... so why not get one of each? E-mail us at AlmostHome4Dogs@yahoo.com for ordering info, availability and sizes, or pick one up at any of our adoption events!

The Truth About Puppy Mills

Factory farms where thousands of breeding dogs are kept in cages just slightly larger than their own bodies. Underfed dogs feeding an industry of corruption and greed. Instead of walking on grass, they stand a lifetime on stretched wire flooring in cramp rabbit hutches. Instead of collars or bandanas, they wear rusted livestock clips in their ears or chains with USDA tags embedded in their necks. Undeserving of a name after eight years of service, a breeding female is often led into a dark cornfield and killed once she can no longer produce her young for market.

The factory farming of man's best friend is an ugly business. Each step of the process is harsh, inhumane, and unspeakably cruel. From the time a female dog comes into her first heat cycle at six or seven months of age, she is bred unmercifully. Producing two litters a year for eight years, she will spend her entire life isolated from the outside world. Kept along with hundreds of other breeding dogs in rows of outside hutches or hidden away in dark barns. Deprived of the most basic of veterinary care, she can suffer from untreated bite wounds, pneumonia, heat stroke, ear infections, blindness, malnutrition, splayed and swollen feet, rotted teeth, and mange. Her puppies, taken from her too soon, will be shipped across the country in large tractor trailers to pet shops or brokers. Vulnerable to extreme temperatures and contagious diseases, many puppies die en route.

Unlike baby sea turtles scrambling toward the ocean, puppies heading to our country's pet stores will not find safety or comfort once they arrive at their destination. They will be weak, frightened, and often legally underage. Playing host to a variety of health and behavior problems, they will be purchased by consumers, uninformed and on a whim. Unsuspecting families who believe the sales assistant's lies about puppies born to small breeders and raised in loving households. "Our dogs don't come from puppy mills," she says. Don't believe it.

If you would like to help shut down puppy mills, please contact your state representatives.

Don't Be Fooled: ALL Pet-Store Puppies Come From Puppy Mills!

"Prisoners of Greed" is a video that depicts the torment suffered by dogs at puppy mills throughout the country -- many of them right here in Pennsylvania. Click on the image to the right to be directed to the "Prisoners of Greed" video.

#30796 - The Dog in the Back Room Hello, is anyone there? I thought I heard someone, I guess not. I am so lonely. There are other dogs here but I am in a cage all by myself in a back room in this building. There are no windows so I cannot see very much. I do not know if it is day or night but it is dark and cold. There are cracks in the walls and the snow and wind are blowing. I'm so cold I cannot stop shivering. I'm hungry and thirsty, it has been a long time since The Man came in here. He put water in my dish but it froze before I could get enough to drink. He threw some hard, dry food in my bowl and his hand hurt me when I went to get a drink of water. I don't like hands - they hurt. After The Man left, I ate some food. It hurt my mouth. I heard someone say that my teeth are abscessed, I'm not sure what that is, but I know when I put something in my mouth it hurts. Everything hurts me. My eyes are so sore and my hair sticks to the corners when the runny stuff comes out. My ears ache and smelly stuff oozes from them and mats the hair together. It hurts. When I try to move to get comfortable, the hair on my belly and neck and legs is all one big, huge mat and it pulls and hurts really bad. I am so cold and hungry and thirsty and I hurt. I heard the children talking the other day. They were playing in the snow and talking about something called Christmas. They are very excited about Santa Claus. Apparently, this Santa Claus person checks to see if the children were naughty or nice and then he brings them many presents. They make a wish list and if they were nice, Santa fills it. Later, I heard The Man and The Woman talking and they said that my puppies all sold at the pet store so Santa would be very good to the children this year. Is that you Santa? Can you hear me? Do you care about dogs? Just in case you do, I'm going to send you my wish list: I wish for a home, a real one, where I can live inside and have food to eat every day and where there is always fresh water (the kind that is not frozen please.) II wish for a human with a soft voice and a soft touch to love me. Just me. I wish for them to talk to me softly, to love me gently and to protect me from The Man and The Woman. I wish for a bath and I wish for my hair to be brushed so that it flows pretty like the dogs in the pictures. I wish to be clean and mat free. I I wish to go to the veterinarian and get my teeth fixed. I wish that my mouth would stop hurting, my eyes would stop seeping, and my ears would no longer cause me pain. I I wish to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer with no fleas or ticks or parasites or heart worms to bother me. I have a lifetime of love I've been saving to give a human, so yes please, I wish for my very own human. I want to give them nose licks and kisses, I want to protect them from strangers and alert them if a leaf falls in the yard. I want to welcome them when they come home every day. I want to share their life in good times and bad and I want to show them how special they are and make sure they know they are the best person in the whole wide world. I wish for my own name, I think I would like to be called Angela. Please Santa; take me away from this cold, dark place. I'm a good lilttle dog and I have so much to give, please help me. I'm so very, very cold. Thank you for considering my wish list, #30796 - the dog in the back room

Rescue Angel Tail tucked between your legs, Confusion in your eyes - I know it's hard to understand That someone heard your cries. When loneliness is all you know And pain is all you feel And no one can be trusted, And hunger's all too real... That's the time the Lord sees you And lets you know He's there That's when He sends His messengers The hearts that love and care. Yes, rescuers are angels You cannot see their wings, They keep them neatly folded As they do their caring things. The medicine to make you well Good food to make you strong, And finally to help you learn That hugs are never wrong. The perfect place then must be found The home where you can live Secure and safe and happy With joy to get and give. When you reach your Forever Home, Your place to feel whole, The Angels smile, and off they go To save another soul. Author Unknown

A Senior's Sonnet One by one, they pass by my cage, Too old, too worn, too broken, no way. Way past his time, he can't run and play. Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way A little old man, arthritic and sore, It seems I am not wanted anymore. I once had a home, I once had a bed, A place that was warm, and where I was fed. Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail. Who wants a dog so old and so frail? My family decided I didn't belong, I got in their way, my attitude was wrong. Whatever excuse they made in their head, Can't justify how they left me for dead. Now I sit in this cage, where day after day, The younger dogs get adopted and driven away. When I had almost come to the end of my rope, You saw my face, and I finally had hope. You saw thru the grey, and the legs bent with age, And felt I still had life beyond this cage. You took me home, gave me food and a bed, And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head. We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low, You love me so dearly, you want me to know. I may have lived most of my life with another, But you outshine them with a love so much stronger. And I promise to return all the love I can give, To you, my dear person, as long as I live. I may be with you for a week, or for years, We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears. And when the time comes that God deems I must leave, I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve. And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new, My thoughts and my heart will still be with you. And I will brag to all who will hear, Of the person who made my last days so dear Author Unknown