Working together for animal rescue

We just had a success story of two groups working together for animal rescue. Odin is a three-year-old Doberman Pinscher whose owner brought him to us at the end of December 2007 because he was moving and could not take Odin with him. We assessed Odin medically and behaviorally, vaccinated him, and had him neutered. He was made available for adoption with the recommendation that he would be best suited to adopters who are fit and experienced, in a household with no young children or cats. He appeared on our Web site, Petfinder.com, PetHarbor.com, 1-800-Save-a-Pet.com, and on our Adopt-a-Pet program on Arlington Cable TV. In five weeks he got three adoption applications, but no one completed their application. In one case, the applicant’s apartment complex did not allow Dobermans.

During his stay at our shelter, DARE (Doberman Assistance, Rescue & Education) contacted our Adoptions Manager about Odin. DARE began looking for a foster home while we continued to accept adoption applications. By February 18, Odin still had no pending applications, so we transferred him to his new foster parent through DARE.

While the great majority of our dogs are adopted directly from the League, we actively seek rescue partners for dogs that prove difficult to place. We require rescue groups to complete a questionnaire and to sign a memorandum of understanding with us. We take our responsibility for the animals in our care very seriously and work with rescue partners that are well run and have high standards of animal care.

Odin’s story is a great example of how shelters and rescue groups can work together cooperatively for the best outcome for the animals in our care.