Tag: animal shelter

Puppies are small and helpless creatures who need our love and care. Now imagine a puppy that has never had human interaction and lives its days in a cramped cage with inadequate care. On top of that, this small dog has a birth defect. This is the scene in many puppy mills across the nation. Inhumane and cruel, puppy mill breeders often euthanize small dogs with birth defects, but that’s where Safehaven Small Breed Rescue steps in. This Pennsylvania rescue rescues and rehabilitates dogs that otherwise wouldn’t make it to a pet store from a puppy mill. We spoke to the rescue’s chair Teri Walters about the struggles and success of Safehaven Small Breed Rescue. Read more below in BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight.

When & Why did you start?

Safehaven Small Breed Rescue was founded in 2006 when a little senior Shih Tzu breeder named Pooh came into our care. She had many illnesses due to her previous neglect and other rescues and shelters had suggested euthanasia. We saw something in her eyes that said she was not ready to leave this world, so we gave her a chance. With proper veterinary care and a lot of love, Pooh healed and went on to live another 6 years, happy and content with her life. She made us realize that many of the dogs deemed “unadoptable” and euthanized by other rescues just needed the time and care to heal. Many of these dogs have never been kindly touched, or showed gentle affection, cowering at any hand coming towards them. They needed to learn that people could be kind. This we could provide, thus, Safehaven was born. Read more

haven |ˈhāvən|, noun: a place of safety or refuge : a haven for wildlife.

Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary believes that safety for their favorite giant breed dogs is a personal dedication that requires your full self. That’s why this rescue began--to give refuge and solace the full dog; their mind, body and soul and the people of Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary commit themselves likewise. Read more about this Indiana rescue in BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight on Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary. 

When & Why did you start?
We have worked in rescue in one way or another for a very long time. We officially created our own Non-Profit Mastiff Sanctuary in Jan 2011 when we were searching for a fawn Mastiff to adopt. I had subscribed to many rescues and shelter feeds and made many great contacts. But we were flooded daily by neglected and abused Mastiffs and realized there was no centrally located rescue in our area for these Gentle Giants and as most people in our area were looking for small dogs, the Giants waiting in shelters were very hard to place and there was no where for them to go. As we continued to get notifications, we soon began coving our entire Tri-State of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois and now network, rescue & place Mastiffs from Indiana and all surrounding states.

What's different about your rescue?
Our goals remain the same as any other rescue out there. Its all about saving innocent lives and finding wonderful loving homes for these big kids. People tell me that what makes us different is our personal bond and attachment to each one. We love them and mend their spirit and we stay involved for the rest of their lives. We have an open door policy that encourages new families to reach out for questions and assistance and we have been known to babysit when the family has to be out of town. We keep our numbers small enough so that we can give personalized attention to each unique Mastiff and we do not kennel here, so each one truly feels at home. It is always the Mastiff that sets the pace. They tell us when they are ready to adopt a forever family and we do not rush that. We are also very conscious of their sensitivity to change so we personally transport each of our babies and stay in that area to ensure their transition to the new home. Our last adoption took us to Louisiana which under normal circumstances would be too far, however when a Mastiff says that’s his or her perfect home, we listen. They haven’ t led us wrong yet!  Read more

In Mississippi, one dog became the face of anti-animal cruelty and was a significant factor in getting bills passed in his state. And one animal organization stood behind him, Community Animal Rescue & Adoption in Jackson, Mississippi. This central Mississippi no-kill shelter and rescue is truly a force of change in their city and state. Read more about this rescue in the BestBullySticks.com Rescue Spotlight on Community Animal Rescue & Adoption. 

When & Why did you start?
CARA was started in 2001 by four animal lovers who kept running into each other rescuing dogs and cats in the Jackson, MS metro area. CARA has grown from a backyard operation to become Mississippi’s largest no-kill animal rescue organization. Since 2001, CARA has placed over 6000 animals into loving homes. CARA currently cares for 280 dogs, 130 cats, 4 guinea pigs and 2 rabbits.

CARA is a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable, and educational corporation organized to rescue and provide care, shelter, food, and treatment for abused, unwanted, and stray animals in central Mississippi. The objectives of CARA are to rescue animals in need, restore them to health through nutrition and veterinary care, when necessary, and facilitate their adoption to qualified individuals. CARA works to reduce overpopulation of stray and unwanted animals by supporting spay/neuter programs (including a low cost spay/neuter program for low income and disadvantaged persons), by ensuring that all animals in its care are spayed or neutered prior to adoption, and by educating the public on responsible pet ownership.

What's different about your rescue?
The staff and the volunteers do so much with so little to make sure our animals receive exceptional care and unconditional love while they wait for their fur-ever homes. Read more

It's that time again! TODAY ONLY Best Bully Sticks is holding a 1-Day Animal Shelter / Rescue Giveaway! These giveaways are open to those shelters that haven't won a donation from BBS in the last six months, and have actively participated in giveaways. Visit the OfferPop App on our Facebook Page to find out if your shelter made this list! The rescue with the most votes by 5pm est on August 21st (today) will win $500 of BBS product! 

If your rescue doesn't appear on the list, please leave a comment below nominating your favorite Animal Rescue or Shelter. We will add your favored organization in our next giveaway. 

Simply put, Best Bully Sticks loves dogs. That is why BBS hold fun and engaging giveaways not only to giveaway our products to needy animals but to educate our fans on local shelters and their missions. 

Best Bully Sticks has the opportunity to highlight a very special animal rescue who’s main goal is to save “Death Row” dogs. Eleventh Hour Rescue starts many days like this:

Our day begins with logging onto our computer, only to find we have a mere 161 emails to read before finishing our morning cup of coffee. Some of the subject titles read, “Senior Hound, last day is today,” “Overflowing with Puppies,” “13 more left, please help,” “Shy girl, and 3 legged beagle due to be gassed Tuesday.” Imagine having such a death sentence being held over your head, opening email after email, seeing the faces of fluffy, highly adoptable puppies, a scared little Shepherd curled up in the corner of a dirty kennel, a Labrador with just a blur behind him where the camera couldn't capture how fast his tail was wagging.

Sometimes, well... no, most times, our eyes are welled up with tears, and the thoughts of: Where are we going to put them?  How will we pay for the transport?  What if one is heartworm positive, how will we pay for the treatment?  This is when we take a deep breath, email our volunteers, start brainstorming about fund raising ideas, rebalance the checkbook, and just end the morning with an emailed response of 'We'll take them all', backed only with one thought...

'We'll figure it out'.

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We talked with Elyse Langsett, EHR's Fundraising Director, after they won BBS’s most recent 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway on Facebook. She elaborated on how this New Jersey rescue was started, their struggles and their successes. Read more