Rescues.. Who and why we support them!

There has been a lot of negative media around rescue lately and well to be honest this is an unregulated industry so without proper checks and balances things may get out of hand.
Recently we have seen cases of rescues becoming more of a hoarding situation and then there have been some outright deceitful going ons too.
It is up to the general public to do our due diligence when we support them... but how daunting is this?
There are hundreds and hundreds of rescues just in Australia alone.
How on earth do you know who is legit or not?

We have some basic guidelines we follow when we choose to partner with a rescue.
We personally know individuals in each of our rescues we support.
If you know someone involved in a rescue this makes it a little easier to ask some questions before you donate time money or effort in supporting them.

Ask how animals come into their care and how high their intake is.
If it is high then do they have foster carers lined up for each animal as it comes in?
If not where does the animal go?
Saving an animal from a pound for the sake of saying "we saved a life" then putting it into kennels indefinitely is not in effect saving a life.This is taking an animal from one stressful situation and putting it into another and the animals needs cannot be met in a kennel situation.
This is not a slight against kennels it is just the nature of the environment.They are busy, noisy and staff have a very demanding job looking after multiple animals-feeding, cleaning, medicating,exercising and taking notes.
The same applies to overloading foster carers.
The animal may not be suited to the animals already in the foster carers home which puts stress on all the other animals in the home and possibly puts them in danger.
This also puts the foster carers under stress but usually there is emotional guilting being employed in these cases by the rescues.

We need to look at the 5 freedoms as set out by the RSPCA

1.Freedom from hunger and thirst: by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
2.Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3.Freedom from pain, injury or disease: by prevention through rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4.Freedom to express normal behaviour: by providing sufficient space proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
5.Freedom from fear and distress: by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

A good rescue will meet these guidelines.
A good rescue will also be very open and transparent about the known history of the animal and its needs.
A good rescue will take the time needed to asses the animal once in its care and work out a proper treatment plan be it medical or behavioural and implement this plan while in care.
A good rescue will work with professionals such as Vets, Vet Behaviourists, force free certified Trainers or Physios as the case may be and then work together with the foster carers to ensure the animals plan is in place and working.
A good rescue will understand when euthanasia is appropriate whether it is on medical or behavioural grounds and take that action.
It is inhumane to keep an animal alive when it is in constant pain or emotional torment.
Being open to be guided by professionals and to make that call is so important.
Euthanasia is sometimes the kindest outcome for many animals and to make claims of "no kill" is to admit you are not having the animals best interest at heart.

So who do we Partner with and why?
As I have already mentioned we personally know members of each of the rescues we support and have asked the hard questions already.
There are hundreds of rescues and we would be foolish to partner with as many as possible as this dilutes the support we can give.
Our Rescue Partners have all had discussions with us and have asked us about our business too to make sure we align with their ethos.

We proudly support:

New Hope Animal Rescue Incorporated
I have known one of the Coordinators Lis for many years and have seen the work she does.
As a group they ensure animals have foster carers before coming into care. I have seen them work tirelessly with people to offer solutions before surrendering.
Their animals must be in care for a minimum timeframe to ensure they can be properly assessed.This ensures the right home is found.There is no "in one day out the next" just to get them out the door.
New Hope take their responsibility to the animals and prospective new owners very seriously.
Force Free Certified Trainers are employed to work with the foster carers and then sometimes with the new owners to help them settle into their new home.
No expense is spared when it comes to medical or behavioural needs.
Their intake is not high which means they are able to give the attention to detail to the animals for the duration of their stay.
I see them reach out to new parents after adoption to ensure all is going well.
Bull Breeds are their sweet spot but they do help other breeds too!!
When you choose to gift to New Hope we would check who they have in care and probably adjust the gift to include the tougher toys!!

REAL Rescue NSW
I have known the ladies from this rescue for many years and they are highly skilled Certified force free trainers.
Their intake is usually quite low but their animals are usually special needs whether it is medical or behavioural.
They take the time needed to rehabilitate and then place the animal in the appropriate home.
We have seen dogs from puppy farms rehabilitated, socialised and placed in homes and cats from hoarders rehabilitated and come out of their shells and found great homes.
I have followed them for many years and have seen such great work being done.
Many of their animals have been with them for extended periods of time before finding a home - in fact I remember Patti who came into care extremely overweight.
She had such a journey getting her weight and mobility in order and ended up living her life (a great life) with Kate on the farm.
When you choose to gift to REAL Rescue we would contact them and adjust the gift to suit the special needs of the animals in their care.

Dog Rescue Newcastle
Jes has known one of their coordinators Kelly for many years.
She is a kind and gentle groomer and uses positive reinforcement techniques in her grooming garage -Check her out at Kelly's Grooming Garage!
Dog Rescue Newcastle employs force free trainers and no expense is spared medically and behaviourally.
Kelly has been doing great work recently with many litters of puppies being properly socialised and placed into appropriate homes.
Knowing the breeds and what size they will get to is so important when placing puppies and Kelly is doing great work here.
I think we all know how busy puppy life is!
There's trips to the vets for vaccinations and puppy classes and all the mischief they get up to!!
When you choose to Gift to Dog Rescue Newcastle your gifts go to Kelly and her carers in the area she coordinates.

Manx Magic -Home for Handicapable Cats
Manx Magic is coming on board with us next month when we launch our Cat boxes (yes you heard me CAT BOXES!!!)
I have known and worked with Charlotte for well over 6 years and know her to be passionate, compassionate and ridiculously knowledgeable in all things animal welfare and particularly Manx Cats!
Many Manx are born with deformities which can affect their quality of life.
Knowing how to care for these cats is a must as an owner and Charlotte does an fabulous job educating people on her page about the special needs of these animals. She did a whole series of "getting to know your nub" (the different lengths of the tails and what this means) So COOL!
Her cat enclosures are just incredible and she is very open and transparent about the animals and their environment and care.
Charlotte works with vets to ensure quality of life for her cats and when hard decisions need to be made she makes them in the best interests of the cats.
When you choose to gift to Manx Magic we tailor make a box to suit these handicapable kitties!

Hopefully this gives you a little bit more of an idea on what to look for when looking at supporting rescues but if you feel lost in the woods out there you are welcome to support our rescue partners with a Gift Welfare box and feel confident in the knowledge we have done our due diligence!

Stay Crazy!
Seven