Adopting Puppies

--What you should know first--------------

Sadly we are in full swing with puppy season as thousands of puppies are born or sent to shelters all over California this time of year. Although TDS does not "specialize" in puppy rescue, we have stepped up to cover some of the spill over that other rescues can not cover.You will see many adorable looking puppy faces on our site. They represent a fraction of those pups that are sent to die in shelters because there are simply not enough qualified homes for them.

We want our potential adopters to know that puppies are the most vulnerable of all rescues and come with risk. They are subjected, at the shelter level,to many pathogens that their young bodies are often helpless to resist.We send them to indiviual fosters and within those enviroments can be lerking something invisiable to us which may harm them. They can appear healthy, happy and be struck down days later with a disease which will threaten their lives. There is no way to prevent this from happening, no way to predict which puppy will face the test of survival. For these reasons, we can only tell you what we have observed in our puppies but can not guarantee health.  We will not adopt out a puppy to you without a full disclosure of all we know.  We do the best job possible to provide a clean, healthy environment for our puppies to thrive in while waiting for adoption. Our puppies are given worming and vaccines as age appropriate.We watch carefully.Puppies are sent to our vet if it appears there is a need.At this point testing is done to secure an answer for a symptom we are seeing.  This may help but is no guarantee against disease. It takes a puppy 21 days or so after the first shot to develop protection in their blood stream. Three weeks later another shot is given and three weeks later the last shot. This seris of shots takes 3-4 months to complete and then the puppy is fully vacinated. Before this time ANY puppy from ANY source is vulnerable to disease. When you bring a puppy home, it must be to a clean enviroment (clorox the area before the pup comes home) and keep the puppy HOME and in a QUIET area for the first week. Puppy should NOT go to any public place (other than your vet in a crate) until four months of age. You can contract Parvo and have a dead puppy in 72 hours. (as an example) Distemper is a winter disease that thrives in the cold...it is everywhere. Wild mammals like raccoons can bring it to your backyard. It can take a week and you can see symptoms...

All new puppies should avoid stress because stress lowers resistance to disease. All new puppies should be watched carefully for signs of listlessness, loss of interest in food, diarrhea, eye "buggers", coughs, mucus from nose. Hours can count. If your puppy shows any of the above signs, and you got it from TDS, contact us immediately without delay and or contact our vet at 530-795-3735. We are all committed to the health and welfare of all dogs/puppies in our program-adopted or not. Any puppy showing signs of illness should be returned to us without delay!

Most puppies make it through their babyhood without a problem but shelter pups do run an extra risk and should be considered carefully. Rescues do a great job montioring the needs of puppies in their care and most of our puppies move into their new homes without incident. But we, as all rescues, shelters and breeders, have seem our share of Parvo, Distemper,Kennel Cough, parasites and bacterical infections.We have seen it strike one puppy and no others in a litter. No one has the answers why.

In conclussion, it is not our intention to scare you away from adopting a rescued puppy. Just want you to be informed so you can make the best choice for your family, We have enjoyed a high rate of happily adopted puppies without incident. But we too have suffered through a disease that struck a puppy without warning.

Thank you for your interest in rescue puppies. You are the last leg of the rescue process. 

This has been an incredible year for The Dog Spot Rescue, Rehabilitation & Re-Homing Center with over 700 dogs and puppies saved from euthanasia lists all over California. One of these dogs may have been yours. Look into your dog’s eyes and imagine what he or she went through to find his way to you. Know many more are at shelters right now, running out of time for someone to find them. Imagine if there was not a group of dedicated volunteers helping these dogs find their way into forever homes. And the vast majority of our dogs are the ones who wouldn't have otherwise had a chance. We open our hearts and facility to older, ill, neglected and abused dogs passed over by everyone else. We do this because they all deserve a family, a good life, and TIME to make the connection. When one speaks for those who have no voice, nothing short of excellence will do.

A dog in our program is given care, including not only the basics of food, shelter and medical treatment but also loving support for their wounded souls. Imagine the transition from a life of neglect and mistreatment to that of a valued family member. It’s our job and our passion to give this to each of our dogs. And perhaps our greatest challenge is a financial one. Between adoption proceeds, a few donations, and our personal savings we made it through 2009. It hasn't been easy-- for example, our medical costs for the year were over $67,000 because we never leave a dog behind for reasons of economy. Please consider helping us help them. The Dog Spot Rescue and Rehabilitation Center will help the dogs that pass through our gates return to their communities as solid dog citizens through careful evaluation, basic training, nutrition and love.

We recently moved to Penryn, California in hopes of providing the best services possible to our California community. We found a beautiful retreat where dogs can come to rest, heal in body and soul, and find loving permanent homes. We are working hard with our county to get all necessary permits needed to provide a permanent place for our future charges to start their road to recovery. And while the new year is filled with promise, there are also challenges.

Especially in this tough economy, the number of dogs and puppies needing our services is daunting. By conservative estimates, the shelters are seeing over a 50 percent rise in owner surrenders, strays, and night box drop offs. Foreclosures have left many dogs abandoned in backyards to slowly starve to death if not found in time. These dogs, frightened and confused, will emotionally shut down, fail a quick behavior test and die lonely and afraid. More and more dogs and young puppies are pulled from fields, forests, parks, living off what they can steal as they fend for themselves and their young. The Dog Spot Rescue had more than 60 of such moms and pups this year. Many more need us and with your help their lives will be saved.

The Dog Spot Rescue works with other rescue groups such as Pets Unlimited, S.F. SPCA, Animal Friends Rescue Project and Big Dogs Rescue. We help these organizations with their most challenging dogs, whether from a need for training,  or undoing a lifetime of abuse. We give them time and training and a place to recover at their own pace. These dogs go on to be successfully adopted and be an asset to their new families. All dogs at The Dog Spot are adopted. As an all-volunteer organization, we are here for our community of people and dogs. But we can't do it alone and ask that you join our team.

Continuing our work and growing into the new facility will require a 2010 expenditure of at least $350,000. All monies go directly into the program. While some of this will come from adoption donations, we're also depending on kindred spirits like you. Please give as generously as you can, so more dogs and puppies can get their last chance to live. For us and for the innocents in our care, our deepest thanks.

Lindsey - Coordinator Adoptions/Volunteers (707)689-5413	Ashley- Office Manger Post Adoption Information (707)342-4042

FEATURED DOG      Amazing Grace

A volunteer was at a local shelter to pick up a dog, when Gracie caught her eye. Think beyond belief, she stood , filthy, huddled on a cold concrete floor body trembling, eyes empty and sad. She had been starved to a boney frame and left abandoned in the shelter night drop. She joined the ranks of many pit bulls, but there was something extra urgent about this dog. Staff arrived with gloves and a catch pole, Gracie's time was up. The staff was sad for her, but the fact is that no rescue wanted her and in her condition she was not adoptable, afterall she was just another pit bull. As hard as she tried the volunteer could not leave her behind and intervention happened, Gracie was saved for now. She has hope in her eyes, a spring in her step and a wag to her tail. Gracie is fabulous with other dogs and cats. Remarkably she has no food issues. Gracie loves to give kisses and tell us all about how happy she is. Please consider adopting Gracie today.