Dog Rescue
One of the best ways to combat puppy mills and greedy backyard breeders who care very little for the health and well-being of our beloved canine companions, is to adopt from your local shelter or other animal rescue organization.
There’s something for everyone at a shelter, so let’s take a quick look at what you’ll find there…
Puppies: For many people, that’s the only way to go. They love the rolly-polly puppy stage and that’s good because there are often puppies available through rescue. Yes, they do usually get adopted quite quickly, so sometimes it might mean waiting a bit until the one that’s right for you comes along, but adopting a dog should never be something done in haste. Puppy cuteness wears off in just a few months time, but being a responsible dog owner means being prepared to love and provide proper care for your dog through all the stages of his or her life — a life that can last upwards of ten years.
Young Adult Dogs: Depending on the breed, this can mean anywhere from ten months to four years of age, and the advantages of adopting these dogs are numerous! For one thing, there’s no having to guess the size that your dog will grow to be because — ta da! — they’re already there. You’ll also have a much better idea of what sort of grooming requirements you’ll have to deal with, what your dog’s energy level is, how they get along with other animals, how they react to strangers, how well they travel in the car, etc. Not to mention most of them are usually already house-trained, or at least well on their way.
Senior Dogs: There is such an incredible feeling that accompanies the loving and caring of a dog in their golden years. They still have so much love to give in return, and make the best, most loyal companions. Adopt a senior dog, and when you look into their eyes, you’ll swear you can see the gratitude shining there.
Purebred or Mixed Breed: You’ll find both in shelters and in rescue, though the mixed breeds far outnumber the pure breeds.
Do your research to determine the best breed for you, then see if there’s a matching Breed Rescue organization near you. If not, be patient and check in frequently with a number of rescue organizations until you find the right one for you.
If you’re not partial to any particular breed, however, and simply looking for the love, loyalty and companionship a dog has to offer, there are so many wonderful, beautiful “mutts” who need a loving home.
Listed below are local Ottawa and area dog rescue organizations; I urge you check these out as an option when looking to add richness to your life by adopting a dog.
Remember: Not all dogs in rescue have come from dire circumstances that will require some form of rehabilitation before they can truly shine as the wonderful dogs that they are! Some dogs have lived in very loving homes and are only looking for a new forever home because their previous owners were unable to keep them. So if you’re concerned that you won’t have the time or resources to help a dog get over his or her past, you can still find the perfect dog for you through rescue.
Rescue Me ♥
ARBED RESCUE
Website: Arbed Rescue
Location: Martintown, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-528-1764 or e-mail
About Us: We are an all breed rescue in Martintown (East of Ottawa) entirely volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing forever homes for abused, neglected, or abandoned animals.
BIG SKY RANCH ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Website: bigskyranch.ca
Location: Kemptville, Ontario
Contact Information: 613- 258-7118 or toll free 1-866-433-7118 or email
About Us: Big Sky Ranch Animal Sanctuary is the only non-kill Sanctuary of its kind in Eastern Ontario.
BIRCH HAVEN RESCUE & REHABILITATION SERVICES
Website: www.birchhaven.org & www.bhrr.petfinder.com
Location: Oxford Station, Ontario
Contact: 613-725-4279
About Us: We specialize in assisting Giant Canine Breeds & Equines & focus on the Special Needs (Deaf, Visually Impaired, Sick & Injured). Our area of assistance is across North America & our area of placement is mostly in Eastern Ontario. We provide a safe ‘haven’ for animals for life should they not be adopted or are deemed un-adoptable. We are a non-for-profit program and we are an all Volunteer organization without any salaried employees.
BLUE MOON CATAHOULA AND BIG DOG RESCUE
Website: Blue Moon Catahoula & Big Dog Rescue
Contact: catahoula@sympatico.ca
About Us: We are a small, non-profit rescue group located between Ottawa, Cornwall and Montreal, Canada, modestly hoping to contribute in three main areas of pet ownership education and rescue:
1. Helping Catahoula Leopard Dogs, Catahoula mixes or large dogs of any breed abandoned in kill shelters… Catahoulas mostly come to us from the USA, but Canadian ones are starting to show up now and then too. We foster dogs, and also help out with the rescue and transport to safe haven for other serious rescue groups.
2. Helping all needy animals in our part of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. We hope to maintain a few foster homes in the area in order to assist with the rescue and placement of more animals … eventually cats too if possible. Please contact us for a chat if you are interested in helping our community!
3. Helping other needy dogs just about anywhere in Ontario and Quebec… or further afield … if transport can be arranged and there is a spot available, we know no boundaries!
BOSTON TERRIER RESCUE CANADA
Website: Boston Terrier Rescue Canada
Contact:
National Rescue Representative
Kelly Pankatz
Email Address: bostonrescue@rogers.com
BTRC Regional Coordinators
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Rebecca Davies
Email Address: btccrescue_bc@shaw.ca
ALBERTA
Kristen Brown
Email Address: albertaBTCCR@gmail.com
ONTARIO
Kelly Pankatz
Email Address: bostonrescue@rogers.com
OTTAWA/QUEBEC
Luc Brisson
Email Address: boxersparadise@rogers.com
MARITIMES
Lee Anne Tibbo
Email Address: furkids@ns.sympatico.ca
About Us: Boston Terrier Rescue Canada (BTRC) consists of a team of dedicated and compassionate volunteers across Canada with one goal in common: to help purebred or mixed breed Boston Terriers in need. We work with our local animal shelters and communities to provide support and a safe haven for these homeless dogs. We are devoted to helping homeless Boston Terriers find “forever” homes where they will be cherished and loved.
We advocate an end to the operation of puppy mills, pet store animal sales, and the neglect and abuse of these precious dogs. It is the goal of the BTRC Program to educate the public about Boston Terriers by providing information about this special breed.
BULLIES IN NEED
Website: bulliesinneed.ca
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Contact: email or become a member of our bullies in need forum.
About Us: Bullies in Need (BIN) is a non-profit dog rescue based in Ottawa, Ontario, but we have several helpful chapters throughout Ontario. We pride ourselves on the quality of loving dogs we rescue while working with shelters saving the bullies (and sometimes non-bullies) off of death row. Bullies in Need has fostered great relationships with shelters and we truly believe that the animal control, shelter staff and volunteers are the heart and soul behind saving the abandoned animals that our society leaves behind.
BYTOWN ASSOCIATION FOR RESCUED KANINES (B.A.R.K.)
Website: B.A.R.K.
Location: 2229 Braeside Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-738-0119
About Us: Established in September 2001, the Bytown Association for Rescued Kanines (B.A.R.K.) is an all breed “no kill” rescue organization. We are a registered charity comprised solely of dedicated and experienced volunteers.
CANADA STRAYS
Website: canadastrays.com
Contact Information: form
About Us: CanadaStrays.com is a free service dedicated to helping owners reunite with their lost pets, and to finding homeless—or rescued and unwanted—animals a warm and comfortable place to live.
CANADIAN CHIHUAHUA RESCUE AND TRANSPORT
Website: ccrt.net
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Contact Information: 1-877-783-7333 or e-mail
About Us: CCRT a network of volunteers working together to rescue, transport, foster and provide necessary veterinary care for homeless, abandoned, neglected, or abused Chihuahuas.
CANINE RESCUE TEAM
Website: caninerescueteam.com
Location: Moved from Ottawa to Brockville/Kingston area
Contact Information: board@caninerescueteam.com
About Us: We are a team of volunteers who are comprised of animal loving individuals who have come together for the betterment of dogs .
Our mandate is to bring dogs into our rescue of all breeds, ages and needs and provide them with a safe foster home, all the vetting they need, as much food as they can eat, and all the love they deserve with the eventual goal of them being adopted to their forever homes-free of neglect, abuse, pain or suffering.
FRIENDS OF ABANDONED PETS
Website: foap.on.ca
Contact Information: 613-729-9820 or e-mail information@foap.on.ca
About Us: Friends of Abandoned Pets (FOAP) is an independent non-profit charitable organization situated in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We are a group of dedicated and caring people who love animals and want to make a difference in our community.
GOOD DOG RESCUE
Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON321.html#who
Contact Information: gooddogrescueadoption@live.com
About Us: A group of dedicated volunteers looking to find Forever Families for dogs in need. We take in all breeds of dogs and work with them until they are adoptable. We have a no-kill policy. No Kill MEANS No Kill!!
GREYHOUND SUPPORTERS OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
Website: gsncr.ca
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-216-8097 or email
About Us: The Greyhound Supporters of the National Capital Region (GSNCR) was established in the summer of 2005. We are a not-for-profit group comprised of individuals interested in the health and welfare of the Retired Racing Greyhound.
GREYHOUND PETS OF ATLANTIC CANADA – OTTAWA CHAPTER
Website: gsncr.ca
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-435-1797 or email
About Us: We are an adoption group dedicated to placing retired racing greyhounds in loving new homes after their careers are over. These dogs are smart, beautiful, and lots of fun to have around. They make great pets as most of them are 3-5 years of age and are usually house trained. We offer full support for new adopters if they are having any issues and welcome anyone interested to contact us.
HOPEFUL HEARTS
Website: hopefulhearts.ca & Hopeful Hearts Petfinder Page
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Contact: email
About Us: Hopeful Hearts is a non-profit dog rescue in Ottawa, Ontario. Hopeful Hearts Rescue was created in late September 2007 to help fill a void in the local rescue world for senior and special needs dogs. These angels are most often turned down by rescues due to difficulty with finding adoptive homes and inherent vet costs. Our team decided to step up to the plate!
K-911 RESCUE
Website: K-911 Rescue
Location: Manotick, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-489-0686 or email us
About Us: K-911 Rescue is a registered, non-profit organization located in Manotick (south of Ottawa) dedicated to finding forever families for dogs in need. We take in dogs of all breeds, from all circumstances, and work with them until they are adoptable. We have a no-kill policy.
LANARK ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY (L.A.W.S.)
Website: lanarkanimals.ca
Location: Smiths Falls, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-283-9308 or email
About Us: LAWS is an independent organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of all animals. It is a registered charity that survives solely on private donations, receiving no funding from any level of government. Every year the shelter staff deals with over 2500 animals. These are lost, abused, or abandoned animals which are cared for until their rightful owners can be found or they can be placed in new homes.
NAVAN ANIMAL RESCUE CORPORATION (N.A.R.C.)
Website: narc-charity.ca also Blog With NARC
Location: 4388 Navan Road, Navan, Ontario
Contact Information: 613-834-7005
About Us: Navan Animal Rescue Corporation’s (N.A.R.C.) mission is to educate, inspire, and assist individuals and organizations of diverse cultures in treating animals with respect in order to achieve a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future with our companions/pets.
OTTAWA HUMANE SOCIETY
Website: ottawahumane.ca
Location: 101 Champagne Avenue
Contact Information: 613-725-3166
About Us: The Ottawa Humane Society is a non-profit, community-based organization and a registered charity. We have a volunteer Board of Directors, drawn from our supporters and the community at large. Since 1888, we have been the leading organization providing a safe haven for sick, injured and homeless animals in Ottawa.
PETFINDER
Website: petfinder.com
About Us: Petfinder is an on-line, searchable database of animals that need homes. It is also a directory of over 10,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Organizations maintain their own home pages and available pet database.
SPCA OF WESTERN QUEBEC
Website: aylmer-hull-spca.qc.ca
Location: 659 Auguste-Mondoux, Gatineau
Contact Information: 819-770-7722 or email ahspca@storm.ca
About Us: The SPCA of Western Quebec is a no-kill animal shelter located in the Aylmer sector of the city of Gatineau. We accept animals which can no longer be kept by their owner, as well as those who have no current home of their own.
UNDER MY WING PUG RESCUE
Website: undermywingpugrescue.com
Location: Ottawa
Contact Information:undermywingpugrescue@gmail.com
About Us: Our mission is to help pugs in need and, to the best of our ability, find them a “forever home” where they can rest their heads at night. UNDER MY WING – Pug Rescue is a small but growing non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers who are dedicated to providing a bridge between a pug’s past life and its better future.
We rescue pugs and provide them medical care, loving attention, comfort, balanced food, companionship, and eventually a loving forever home. Our volunteers do not receive any compensation for their efforts. They all donate their time, effort, and skills for the love of pugs.
WESTMINSTER PET SANCTUARY
Website: Westminster Pet Sanctuary
Location: Ottawa
Contact Information: Email kxo156@aol.com
About Us: Westminster is a dedicated, hard working, registered charity. All of our members and volunteers are unpaid so 100% of every dollar donated goes towards the critter’s care. We do this because all creatures big and small deserve to know what love is and we do not mind showing them!
Unlike some other shelters, our animals are not kept in cages. In order to better socialize them – they live as members of our families either at the Sanctuary or in a foster home. By the time you adopt them they will have had LOTS of contact with not only people, but other cats, dogs, and various other creatures!
We are a 100% “no kill” Sanctuary and will only euthanize a pet if it is in unimaginable pain that can never be recovered from. This is a belief that we do not take lightly. Our Sanctuary has never euthanized an animal due to space limitations, money, illness, or age. If the animal does not find a home it stays with us.
We do not receive funding from any corporations nor can we afford to have gala events or purchase tv commercials. Our money goes – and always has gone – right into the care of the animals. We have ZERO administration costs because we operate out of our own homes and have no paid staff. Sadly – funding and support is just not there for us to continue taking in the volumes of animals that people want us to. Our Sanctuary spends in excess of $100,000 a year taking care of these animals. Most often we take in those that would not survive without us. We take in those that are often on the brink of death from abuse or neglect. We take in the pets who need us most.
If the pets are medically fit they are put up for adoption. Terminally ill rescues stay at the Sanctuary so that they may enjoy their remaining time surrounded with love and all the comforts of a safe and happy home.
We are not only a pet adoption service – we are a Sanctuary.
For an extensive list of Shelters, Breed-Specific and Mixed Breed Rescue Organizations across Canada go to: Edward Bear’s Canadian Canine Safety Net
Don’t forget to read Edward Bear’s story! It will both break your heart and inspire you :)
Rescue A Dog
&
Receive FREE Dog Treats For 6 Months!
Every week, The Waggery’s Good Dog Blog features a dog from one of the local rescue organizations. If this turns out to be the perfect dog for you, and you adopt that perfect dog, let me know — either by posting a comment in that particular Adoptable Dog Of The Week post, or by email at TheWaggery @ gmail.com (no spaces of course ;) and once the adoption has been successfully completed and verified, once a month, for the next six months, I will send you a FREE bag of healthy, all-natural Pampered Paws Dog Treats!
Together, we can make a difference
Happy Tails Books collects inspiring, heart-warming stories about rescued dogs.
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