Hurdles Rescues Commonly Face

Rescues work hard to protect and save animals making sure they are removed from dangerous and unhealthy conditions and placed into safe caring and clean conditions then onto forever homes. Most non-rescuers do not realize the work rescues perform to do this task and all the subtasks this entails and with these tasks can come many different possible scenarios that could arise causing their work to be easier or harder. This post is going to discuss some of the hurdles a rescue faces when doing their jobs to help and protect the animals in need.
!. Funding - Funding is one of the biggest hurdles a rescue faces being there is not always enough funding to get their rescues completed in a timely manner or even at all. It costs a rescue to plan and prepare for a rescue and depending on the project or rescue they need to first plan out and get an idea what they need to do the task, a lot of rescuing they will need supplies such as food, dishes for food and water, if cats litter boxes and litter, kennels or crates, bedding, then there is the next thing Veterinarian visit for exam, testing for various diseases per each species, then vaccinations and spay or neutering the animal if needed and if treatment for illness is needed or for injuries that too is done, then the cost to transport to do rescue, to appointments, to foster if foster is used, or to meet and greets or adoption events.  Rescues depend on your donations, pledges and on rare grants to help cover the costs of doing rescues and of those donations they can take donations of pet supplies, cash, or even donations of services. So consider donating towards your local rescue group and if see a fundraiser consider checking it out and helping them out.

2. Help - Rescues do a lot of work and some rescues especially smaller ones and those who are just starting out lack enough help to keep the flow going smoothly. and tasks completed properly and efficiently. If a rescue only has three volunteers to do the work to care for 20 animals lets say cats in this example, they would have to clean litter boxes daily, make sure kennels or rooms are clean and free of dirt and debris, feed and give fresh water washing dishes as needed or at least once a week, washing kennels if used once a week minimum, if one or more cats need medication then the volunteers would also need to give those as prescribed, socialize and grooming also on a daily basis as needed. There are then the tasks of documenting daily on each animal's condition and tasks done and how much time was spent doing the tasks, and what medications and how given were also performed. If it was for dogs the dogs would also need some exercise or walk and some work with obedience skills, and if needed behavior rehabilitation is also worked on. The volunteers also are responsible for arranging appointments, transportation, and other tasks such as planning and operations of events, adoptions, and fundraising which would take up a lot of their time and if this scenario group had more volunteers they could do even more in less time but in this scenario this group is so busy they have to eliminate some tasks from daily to every so many days such as training, or event planning or fundraising, and so forth. But with hard work and dedication, this group does struggle through but the animals are safe and will be able to find forever homes. Rescues are always looking for good quality volunteers to help with fostering, animal care, socializing, help with cleaning kennels and pet rooms, exercising animals, help with events and fundraising. And volunteering is always a great way to make some new friends both two-legged and four-legged and is a great way to show your community support and your support for the animal world.

3. Safety -Rescues deal with a lot of safety concerns from bites, scratches, broken bones, or even life threatening be it from a scared or injured animal to a very violent angry human, from an animal stuck in a tree or in a storm drain, or trapping of a feral or scared unsocialized animal. The rescues must consider precautions and take all the measures they can to protect their volunteers and the animals as best they can without causing danger or injury to anyone involved or in the surrounding area, If an animal is feral it could lash out and hurt someone or attack another animal as reaction as to protect themselves out of fear. The rescue needs to be prepared for anything that could happen such as someone tripping over a rock and breaking a limb, someone running into something and getting a bruised arm, someone stepping on a sharp object or rubbing against sharp object causing laceration requiring stitches, scrapes, burns, and most of all bites and scratches are possible and doing rescue the bites and scratches are almost always a given.  There are rare cases where an estranged person or a mentally ill person may lash out at a rescue or its animals and the rescuers causing stress and a lot of negative results all around. Sometimes a person may have some issue with rescues and will find a way to either harm the animals in their care if they can get to them or they may spread very negative rumors just to harm the rescue and animals with this comes chance of physical safety as well as mental safety. Most Rescues are planning and preparing for the safety of both the animals and the volunteers as well as the public when they do their rescue but they also prepare for accidents and have a plan of action if animal or person are hurt in the process of a rescue. If a rescue is too dangerous the rescues usually try to find a better way to do the rescue but in rare cases, the rescue needs to get done regardless and a rescue may still do it anyway knowing injury can happen.

4.Time- Time is one of the biggest hurdles in rescue as some animals at risk or in need don't have a lot of time to be rescued leaving them at risk of either being abandoned, abused, homeless and in danger. Some of these cases how long it takes to get the rescue done make the difference of life or death of the animal. Sometimes a rescue gets a call for ani animal that is stray that has been hit by a vehicle and injured but wondering around they need to get to the animal as quickly as they can, or an animal needs rescue because owners abandoned it in a house to live off what was left for their food, even times people throw their house cats out of the house for whatever reason or go dump them in areas to fend for themselves which they are likely to be preyed upon by predators or shot at by nearby residents, or attacked and hurt or killed by other cats or even starve to death. Time is always matters as well if an animal is sick no matter what the animal or if they are injured. The sooner they get to the Veterinarian the sooner they can be treated and have the chance to survive and recover. If an animal is sick and showing signs of for an example runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing or coughing this cat needs to go in right away and get tested for various diseases as well as get started on a medication if Veterinarian prescribes it, most cases these are signs of Upper Respiratory Infection in cats for sure and this disease is very contagious so time is of the essence to treat and help the cat recover but also to get cat into quarantine and stop the spread of the disease to anyone else that can get it. The same thing would be with quarantining any animal showing signs something is wrong immediately to assure if they are sick it does not spread to others, but also getting it seen by the Veterinarian and find out whats going on.  Time also plays a big part on scheduling appointments and how soon you can get the animals into the veterinarian or how long it takes animals to find a forever home (most rescues now don't have time limits but some shelters do. Animals sometimes take a lot of time to heal from abuse and neglect or injury or sickness and others overcome it quickly. Either way, it is still time-consuming and if the schedule is not planned right there won't be enough time to do everything needed to include animal care, administrative work, planning, and even rescuing. Time management is very important but even with that time is still a hurdle in some instances of the rescue.

Doing rescue has its ups and downs and many people do not realize what rescues do to help the animals people are throwing away, giving away, abandoning, abusing and leaving them helpless and alone. If it was not for rescues more animals would be suffering and struggling to survive on their own. Rescues may have hurdles but they fight through them and do what they do and help the animals and protect the animals.

Volunteering, Adopting, Donatint are all great ways to help rescues continue their jobs and community support is always a great asset in a rescue life.

What to do when your pet is missing

So your pet has gone missing now what do you do?

Animals will hide if they are scared, hurt or sick so first things first look everywhere even in places you would not think he or she would go, also walk around the neighborhood and look for them, getting the whole family involved may help make it a little more widespread covering more ground. Maybe assign tasks (if there are others in your family available to help) such as someone call local law enforcement to report missing pet, local vet clinics, local rescues, and shelters reporting lost pet and to see if anyone found your pet. If you have pet micro-chipped contact microchip company and report lost pet too. Assign another person the task of making posters including pictures of face, full body of pet and a good description but make sure to leave one special detail out that only you would know about the pet so if someone finds it and gives that detail you know it's your pet then have a few people go out and put them out all over town in stores, gas stations on bulletin boards etc, also maybe have someone post on social media pages as well in groups like Lost Dogs MN, lost and found animals, craigslist, anywhere they allow you to post your lost pet. Have one person answering calls and messages that may come in response to your posters and posts and a couple others following leads making sure to keep a phone with them to keep in contact.

Never pay a fee to anyone claiming they have your pet but tell you that you need to pay a fee as this is a scam, except if the pet is with animal control then yes take it seriously and go get your pet as quickly as you can. Keep good notes if anyone states they have seen a pet looking like yours, making sure to document location, time, date, and with location making sure you have street names and city etc. And if the person had your pet what that person looked like, did they have a vehicle etc. If the animal found deceased ask for pictures and go see for yourself.

So so far no luck now you start visiting rescues, shelters, impounds, animal control etc and request to see all strays that came in during the time your pet came up missing and make sure to have a picture and identifying paperwork with you so you can claim your pet right away if he or she is there. Just calling sometimes just is not good enough as it has happened that someone's animal showed up there and the person taking the call said they did not have the animal for whatever reason be if they did not look, they did not see paperwork or did not get the description right and this then leaves your pet in the shelter, impound or wherever wondering why they are not going home and how they got there. And you are worried and still looking even when your pet is right there at the shelter or rescue. If you find your pet make sure to let everyone know that you contacted so they don't keep looking. And make sure to thank everyone for their help.

A New Start for an older Rescue

Forever Furry Friends is making lots of changes, including but not limited to increasing number of fosters and volunteers but also the way we do things and operate. As demand changes so do the laws and  guidelines. So many things to try to keep up with and so little time being there are millions of animals in this world that need help and it is not their fault.

The economy takes a toll on families causing them to have to rehome their beloved pets due to job loss, health issues, and then there is those people who have no clue what to expect and do not realize how much work is involved to owning a pet and how much it can cost to care for a pet. Some people do not even think before they buy or adopt acting on the spur of the moment or they get a baby thinking how cute they are and small not thinking about when the animals grow up to be adults.

Our rescue is out to help both the community and the animals by providing education on preparing for owning a pet, how to care for your new pet, provide information and resources for pet owners and others in the community, and providing a service to take in abused, abandoned, neglected, unwanted and homeless animals getting them the Veterinarian care needed and work on socializing and get them into loving permanent homes to spend the rest of their lives in.

Some of the other things we plan on adding to our services are as follows:

Rescue services - take in strays, impounds, ferrals, getting them vetted and rehome once they are determined to be unowned or claimed and find homes for them. 

pet food and supply bank to help with supplemental packages to help pet owners make it through the month when they run short.

Pet meals on wheels program  - provide delivery to those who have pets and on the meals on wheels program of pet supplies and food.

Educational seminars and events for the public to learn about specific breed topics, pet problems and what to do , what resources are available for pet owners, and more.

Impound (once we get our registration and 501c3)

Veterinarian care assistance - help local residents with vet care for their pets to assure their pets get vaccines, spay or neuter and even treatments as needed by offering to help find affordable vet care, take the critters under our rescue name to get the care the animals need and the owner pays our cost, or help collect donations and pledges to help pay for vetting. Determination is case by case decision. 

Lost and Found animals which we help people post their lost or found pets, and share their posts as well as provide resources and information on what to do if you find a pet or lost a pet.

Pet adoptions - provide for adoption animals that were taken in by our rescue and has been vetted and socialized or prepared for their new home (some will be farm or colony cats)  Some going to live in barns or shops, and some in homes as family pets, sometimes even as a service animals. 

Resource bank as well, where we will provide resources of local business, property owners who rent to people with pets, pet and animals laws, where to find supplies that are good for our pets and at a decent price and lots more.

We would like to also provide in the future training for animals to help prevent animals from being bounced around from home to home due to issues or lack of training. Or to retrain as needed. This would also include behavioral services as well.

We have a lot we are working to be able to provide for our animal supporters and fellow animal owners. 

We are a special group of people who love animals and help animals but will also help the pet owners as well as best we can. We are not about the money, popularity nor about being in control but rather giving options and resources to help people keep their pets, and provide some supplemental services so they can keep their pets at home with them safely and keeping them happy and healthy. 

We are going to soon be non profit and do depend on donations and will be applying for grants once our non profit is filed. All donations both monetary and non monetary are used to vetting, supplies and helping the animals and their owners or potential owners to keep the animals safe and healthy. 

We are all volunteers and do this out of our desire to protect and rescue the animals in need.

Update on 15 dogs that came in from hoarder

On June 11th we got a call for help from a lady who needed a place desperately for her dogs, after three trips and gathering information we learned that the dogs 15 of them which two were 8 week old puppies were living all in the same house, and they were not taken outside to go potty etc. also were not socialized. 

These sweet Rat Terrier Chihuahua mixes range in age from 8 weeks to about 10 years old maybe, have since been placed in great foster homes where they are getting the attention they deserve as well as socializing and training. 

They will be slowly one or two at a time be getting vaccinated, vet checked as well as spayed or neutered if not already done. Then they will be posted for adoption. No dog will be let go until they have been vaccinated, vet checked as well as spayed/neutered. 

 

 Today Tiny (pictured above) got his Vet appointment and did very well. He is estimated to be about 7 years old but could be older but he shows a younger personality. He got his Rabies and Distemper Vaccinations today and is already neutered. He did well for being in a vet office for the first time probably, the car ride he got nervous but did better on the way home. He got to meet three other dogs, and several people even though he was shy and a little fearful he did good and let everyone pet him.  He does great here at the house too, he does not mind the cats and our other dog, as well as people coming and going. He can get hyper at times and does not really bark a whole lot. He does chase the cats if they run and will bark at them if they hiss or growl at him but does not really hurt them or hasn't yet anyway. He loves to cuddle, give kisses and play with his small stuffed gorilla we gave him to play with. He also loves walks and does well on the lead. If you go outside with him in the yard he does well and does not stray off, and if he starts getting close to the edge of the yard you can call out his name and tell him to come and he will return to your side.  Tiny will follow you around the house as well, and will lay on the couch with you when you watch tv. He is curious as well so will need to be watched so he does not get into trouble and can wonder off if left outside by himself. He is now available for adoption and will make a family or person a great companion.

Welcome to Fover Furry Friends Rescue Blog

Well this group started out with one person on her own, and then getting a call for desperate help from someone to take in some dogs our group is now growing quickly and has lots of support.

This rescue group is one rare organization and even though we are just getting started and working on our registration for non profit and licensing etc. We have made some awesome connections, and partners as well as support from people all over the world.

Our main purpose is to help the animals and we do not discriminate and we do have some very talented people who have joined the group and are awesome with the animals. Our future will only get better as we push forward, and we will be working with other shelters and rescues as well. Another thing we do is we work with helping disabled find a companion animal when there is a need, and we also make sure all animals are vaccinated, spayed or neutered and get any treatment they may need. Yes there will be times where there is no treatment or course for saving an animal but we have to try first before making any decisions and all those that say they are no kill does not mean they really are as they just send the animals out to other shelters or rescues who do kill, and some animals are either turned away or not given a chance before that decision is made.

We have not yet had to euthanize cause of space nor behavior issues, we have had to euthanize cause of untreatable and fatal illness in which the animals were already suffering and dying but we did try first to save them. And working with several Veterinarians around the area helps as well for some specialize in one or more areas where another might not be able to do anything. So we made it a point to work with as many Veterinarians as we can.

All our rescues are placed into appropriate foster homes and cared for there until they are ready of adoption and adopted out. We are strictly volunteer and foster run and have the utmost love and care for the animals.