Rescue Spotlight

National Mill Dog Rescue recently received a donation from BestBullySticks.com and we always love learning more about the rescues we donate to and sharing their stories with our customers and fans. We didn’t know we would be so affected by the stories that were told, but are so grateful for National Mill Dog Rescue’s experience, care and love they pour out on dogs. Keep reading for more about National Mill Dog Rescue, their beginnings, their inspiration and their successes.

When & Why did you start?

National Mill Dog Rescue was established in February 2007, in honor of a forgiving little Italian Greyhound named Lily. Theresa Strader, NMDR’s Founder and Executive Director, rescued Lily from a dog auction in Missouri. Prior to that day, Lily had spent the first seven years of her life as a commercial breeding dog, a puppy mill mom. Determined that her years of living in misery would not be in vain, Strader started NMDR, giving a voice to mill dogs across the country.

During her years as a breeding dog, Lily spent all of her days confined to a small, cold wire cage in a dark, foul-smelling barn. Never was she removed from her cage for exercise or socialization. In her dreary confines, Lily was forced to produce one litter after another with no respite. Like all commercial breeding dogs, she was a veritable breeding machine whose worth was measured in only one way - her ability to produce puppies.

By seven years of age, Lily was worn out. Commonplace in the industry, she had received little to no veterinary care throughout her life, the result of which, for her, was terribly disturbing. Due to years of no dental care, poor quality food, rabbit bottle watering and no appropriate chew toys, the roof of Lily’s mouth and lower jaw, had rotted away. Her chest was riddled with mammary tumors and she was absolutely terrified of people.

Strader brought Lily and twelve others home from the auction and declares that even for a highly seasoned rescuer, the following months were the education of a lifetime in rehabilitation. That she would take up the cause for the mill dogs was never in question and National Mill Dog Rescue was promptly underway. In five short years, NMDR has amassed over 1,300 volunteers and has rescued over 6,300 puppy mill survivors.

Run almost solely by volunteers, NMDR has pledged to put an end to the cruelty of the puppy mill industry. Through widespread informative efforts, NMDR hopes to educate the public to acquire their companion animals through reputable breeders or better yet, from shelters and rescue groups across the country. Read more

Life is Labs was recently voted the winner of our Acts of Kindness Photo Contest!  BestBullySticks was super excited to hear back from Life Is Labs and learn about all the great work they've done. A non-profit rescue organization dedicated to providing dogs with a loving home, Life is Labs fosters animals for adoption, organizes rescue volunteers and spreads awareness in the community. Find out more about Life is Labs below in this week's BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight!

Over 17 years ago, my late husband and I started a boarding and training facility at our home.  We love all dogs and always kept 4-6 dogs needing homes at our facility.  We would provide them care, train them and then place them with loving families.  In 2007, my husband passed away after four long years of veterinary school and not even a year of practicing veterinary medicine.  It was heartbreaking on every level.  Our dream was to open a full-service campus for people and their pets, a place where people could go and get all the help they needed with their pets, enjoy all kinds of activities related to their pets and become part of a community of pet lovers.  Sadly, that dream was placed on hold and I wondered if it would ever happen as he was gone and the economy had taken a nosedive.

I also realized that the free vet care our adoptable dogs received was no longer available.  And when I did the math, I found we were spending $400-600 a month caring for our homeless dogs.  In 2009, we started asking clients if they were interested in sponsoring the animals in our care.  And they were.  I was so excited that we had some help and would be able to continue taking in homeless dogs.  Moreover, I had to let go of a portion of our business that took me away from home too often, travelling to competitions with retrievers almost every weekend for at least half the year.  I had some spare time and decided it was time to focus on homeless dogs and start a formal organization. Read more

When Nick Guginsky contacted BestBullySticks about supporting his local shelter, we told him we would place his favored organization, Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, in our 1-Day Animal Rescue/Shelter Giveaway pool. Every time these contests were held Nick tirelessly emailed us to ensure Second Chance was included. We knew he was dedicated, but little did we know Nick was a 14-year-old who loyally supported Second Chance every moment he could.

BestBullySticks had the honor to donate to Second Chance recently and in speaking with Michelle Mulnard Curtin, she told us more about Nick. Nick has his own Second Chance dog named Popi who he loves immensely.

He is such a terrific kid.  He is so dedicated to the animals.  Not just ours, animals in general.  He loves to help in anyway he can.  His family adopted a senior Chihuahua mix from one of our large-scale rescues and he loves his Popi!  He is always thinking of ways to raise money, advocate for the rescue, get blankets and towels etc. He is an amazing young man.  He loves to enter contests and win or lose he has such a great time.  He has won product for other rescues he has won paintings for his kid sister, he has won things for our rescue on a few occasions.  Some of which he has asked us to share with other people and other rescues. Of course we are happy to share as long as it helps the animals.  How can I say no? Nick is always doing good for the animals, we want him to continue. If spreading the wealth is what he wants, he has earned the right to make that request in deed!

Michelle also told us more about Second Chance: Read more

All dogs need a helping hand; whether it’s as a small puppy in a new home or as a rescue dog in need of medical treatment or socialization. When we look at the heart wrenching videos and photos on the web, many times we see small creatures that are weak and helpless, but one rescue shows that big dogs need love, too. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue’s mission is pretty self-explanatory—help big, fluffy dogs in need. Find out more about this Nashville-based rescue in the BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight!

When & Why did you start?

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping giant breed mixed breed dogs in need. We value dogs of all breeds, but we specialize in what the name says: big, fluffy dogs. We have volunteers in several states in the South and New England who work to help homeless big fluffy dogs find a home to call their own. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue works to save Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands and their mixes from euthanasia.

Our dogs come in to rescue for many different reasons. Many were abandoned at high kill shelters in the South, some were turned in by owners who could not properly care for them, and still others are failed livestock guardian dogs. Regardless of their origins, our goal for every dog we have is the same: a safe, happy home where each dog is a well-loved member of the family. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. We have volunteers in several states in the South and across New England.

What's different about your rescue?

Big Fluffy Dog Rescue has a “No Dog Left Behind” Policy. That means if we take a big fluffy from a kennel at the shelter, we take any dog that is in there with him or her. We always take Momma’s with their babies. No Dog Left Behind! Read more

Running a rescue takes a lot of dedication and organization to boot, but that key factor to many rescues is networking. If any organization is serious about saving animal lives, they’ll tell you that you have to constantly be meeting people and finding the really dependable ones. That’s what one rescue depends on and has built itself into a national, all-volunteer, breed-specific organization. It’s all started with a little Cairn Terrier named Colonel Potter. Read his story and more about the organization he inspired in the BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight on the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network.

When & Why did you start?

Col. Potter began as the result of ONE little Cairn boy (named Col. Potter) who was tragically killed. As donations in his honor began to come in from Cairn club members  – so many wanted to help – the process began so that the organization was formed and became a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) in October 2001. Since that time, over 3,500 Cairns or mostly Cairn mixes have been rescued and brought into CPCRN (Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network). Many of the dogs that we have helped have been what is considered to be "non-regular" Cairn rescues—those from puppy mills (the breeding dogs) and those who are purchased at auction. We also handle those with some health issues and the elderly. Several have had Heartworm and were treated for this. Some have had some behavioral issues, and are now great little pals in private homes.

What's different about your rescue?

Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network is truly a network of volunteers. We have 600+ members and 200+ active volunteers. We do not have a facility. We were the first non-shelter, all volunteer national online rescue group working across the U.S. and Canada. Our volunteers donate their time, homes, hearts, and money so that CPCRN can be the great organization it is. We are the largest single breed rescue and do not receive any corporate funding. All volunteers, including our Board of Directors and Officers, are unpaid. We have teams for all aspects of the rescue and adoption process: Communications; Home Visit; Foster Home; Match Maker (yes, that is right – matching the right home for the right Cairn); Contracts; Transport; Promotion/Fundraising; Medical; and the first stop for a rescue Cairn, the Intakes Team. Read more