It is estimated that animal shelters care for 6 to 8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of which approximately 3 to 4 million are euthanized, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Locally, one group is improving the odds for homeless dogs. The Dog Squad Rescue Inc. takes dogs from overcrowded local shelters, places them in foster care and works to find them loving, permanent homes. It is one of the few local rescues that take all breeds, sizes and ages.
“On average, we have around 15 dogs in our program at a time. We often have dogs that we're treating medically or behaviorally, so only about eight are usually available for adoption at a time,” said Caroline Wright, president of The Dog Squad.
TheCarlsbad Business Journal sat down with Wright to discuss the Carlsbad-based nonprofit in more detail.
CBJ: When was the nonprofit founded and what was the inspiration behind it?
Wright: I started as a volunteer at the Carlsbad shelter in November of 2006. I was walking dogs most days, so I noticed when a dog left. At first, I naively assumed that when a dog was no longer there, it had been adopted. Although this was often the case, the Carlsbad shelter has a good save rate, it wasn't long before I realized that sometimes the dog had been euthanized. After about a month, I rescued my first dog, a 1-year-old malamute/wolf mix. Buddy was a beautiful boy, very loving and the smartest dog I've ever come across. I just couldn't let him be put to sleep, so I went to bat for him. I found a rescue that would exit him and we found him a wonderful home on 19 acres with another wolf hybrid. After that, other volunteers started asking for my help to save dogs. At that time, I met Sue Barbato, a fellow volunteer. She introduced me to the rescue Shelter Pet Partners and over the next few months they helped us save several dogs. In January 2007, I started toying with the idea of starting my own rescue. I spoke to Sue and she was interested in coming on board. I submitted our 501(c)(3) application in June and we received our approval on August 7.
CBJ: How do you find the dogs your nonprofit assists?
Wright: We work with shelters in the San Diego area, including the Oceanside Humane Society, but our focus is helping the dogs at the Carlsbad shelter. We have established a strong relationship with the staff and shelter volunteers and we all work together to help the dogs.
CBJ: How do you support the local shelters?
Wright: By taking dogs into our program that need more than the shelters can give them. These include dogs that aren't kenneling well, have medical or behavioral needs or need a little extra marketing. We also take shelter dogs to adoption events two or three times a month to get them more exposure to potential adopters.
CBJ: How many canines has your organization helped since it was established?
Wright: We have officially rescued 151 dogs. In addition, through our adoption events we've helped about 30 shelter dogs find homes. We also, in conjunction with a rescue in Nevada, saved 18 dogs from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky last year. We flew there, hired a truck and drove them 2,000 miles to a ranch in Nevada.
CBJ: How do you measure success?
Wright: By the happiness we bring to our dogs and the people who end up adopting them. We get e-mails from adopters telling us how much happiness one of our dogs has brought to their lives.
CBJ: What needs does the nonprofit have?
Wright: Mostly, we need financial sponsors. Our veterinary bills last year were over $25,000. We also spend a lot on boarding and training.
CBJ: How can people get involved?
Wright: By going to our Web site and filling out a volunteer application. Our upcoming adoption events are posted on our Web site. We have events on June 6 and July 4 at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets.
CBJ: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Wright: The dog that we've had in our program the longest is Rocco, a 7-year-old red nose pit bull. Rocco is a magnificent, handsome dog. In spite of his intimidating appearance, he is incredibly charming and loving. He has a truly happy spirit. When we first took him into our program, he wasn't very good with other dogs. We've done a lot of work with him and he's come a long way. Rocco has a heart murmur, which may affect his longevity. We'd love for him to spend his last few years in a loving, permanent home.
The Dog Squad Rescue Inc:
6965 El Camino Real, Ste. 105-113, Carlsbad
(760) 804-1400
www.thedogsquadrescue.org
Locally, one group is improving the odds for homeless dogs. The Dog Squad Rescue Inc. takes dogs from overcrowded local shelters, places them in foster care and works to find them loving, permanent homes. It is one of the few local rescues that take all breeds, sizes and ages.
“On average, we have around 15 dogs in our program at a time. We often have dogs that we're treating medically or behaviorally, so only about eight are usually available for adoption at a time,” said Caroline Wright, president of The Dog Squad.
TheCarlsbad Business Journal sat down with Wright to discuss the Carlsbad-based nonprofit in more detail.
CBJ: When was the nonprofit founded and what was the inspiration behind it?
Wright: I started as a volunteer at the Carlsbad shelter in November of 2006. I was walking dogs most days, so I noticed when a dog left. At first, I naively assumed that when a dog was no longer there, it had been adopted. Although this was often the case, the Carlsbad shelter has a good save rate, it wasn't long before I realized that sometimes the dog had been euthanized. After about a month, I rescued my first dog, a 1-year-old malamute/wolf mix. Buddy was a beautiful boy, very loving and the smartest dog I've ever come across. I just couldn't let him be put to sleep, so I went to bat for him. I found a rescue that would exit him and we found him a wonderful home on 19 acres with another wolf hybrid. After that, other volunteers started asking for my help to save dogs. At that time, I met Sue Barbato, a fellow volunteer. She introduced me to the rescue Shelter Pet Partners and over the next few months they helped us save several dogs. In January 2007, I started toying with the idea of starting my own rescue. I spoke to Sue and she was interested in coming on board. I submitted our 501(c)(3) application in June and we received our approval on August 7.
CBJ: How do you find the dogs your nonprofit assists?
Wright: We work with shelters in the San Diego area, including the Oceanside Humane Society, but our focus is helping the dogs at the Carlsbad shelter. We have established a strong relationship with the staff and shelter volunteers and we all work together to help the dogs.
CBJ: How do you support the local shelters?
Wright: By taking dogs into our program that need more than the shelters can give them. These include dogs that aren't kenneling well, have medical or behavioral needs or need a little extra marketing. We also take shelter dogs to adoption events two or three times a month to get them more exposure to potential adopters.
CBJ: How many canines has your organization helped since it was established?
Wright: We have officially rescued 151 dogs. In addition, through our adoption events we've helped about 30 shelter dogs find homes. We also, in conjunction with a rescue in Nevada, saved 18 dogs from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky last year. We flew there, hired a truck and drove them 2,000 miles to a ranch in Nevada.
CBJ: How do you measure success?
Wright: By the happiness we bring to our dogs and the people who end up adopting them. We get e-mails from adopters telling us how much happiness one of our dogs has brought to their lives.
CBJ: What needs does the nonprofit have?
Wright: Mostly, we need financial sponsors. Our veterinary bills last year were over $25,000. We also spend a lot on boarding and training.
CBJ: How can people get involved?
Wright: By going to our Web site and filling out a volunteer application. Our upcoming adoption events are posted on our Web site. We have events on June 6 and July 4 at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets.
CBJ: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Wright: The dog that we've had in our program the longest is Rocco, a 7-year-old red nose pit bull. Rocco is a magnificent, handsome dog. In spite of his intimidating appearance, he is incredibly charming and loving. He has a truly happy spirit. When we first took him into our program, he wasn't very good with other dogs. We've done a lot of work with him and he's come a long way. Rocco has a heart murmur, which may affect his longevity. We'd love for him to spend his last few years in a loving, permanent home.
The Dog Squad Rescue Inc:
6965 El Camino Real, Ste. 105-113, Carlsbad
(760) 804-1400
www.thedogsquadrescue.org