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Siberian Husky Rescue Site
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SHCA Rescue Committee
Suggested
Guidelines
HOW TO
BEGIN
When a Club decides to
start a Rescue committee, it should be willing to support it with some of the
Club funds, at least as a loan until the Rescue Committee is self-supporting. If
a group chooses to start a Rescue effort separate from a breed club, it is
suggested (but not required) to incorporate.As a general rule, a rescue group should not be
totally separated from a breed club willing to support a Rescue Committee. Rescue should be an integral part of a club's purpose to preserve and protect
Siberian Huskies.
MEMBERSHIP
STRUCTURE
Keep the organization
as simple as possible. If the rescue group is part of a club, have a chairman of
the committee, a secretary to keep all records and correspondence, and a
treasurer to keep accurate financial records and pay all bills. If you
incorporate separately, follow the laws of the state in which you are
incorporated.Your committee, if possible, should also consist
of a person in charge of accepting dogs into your program, another person in
charge of finding homes, and a third in charge of placing the dogs.
Whichever way you organize, keep the structure
simple. Spend your time, money and effort saving Siberians, not having
meetings.
WHERE THE DOGS COME
FROM
The rescue group should make
contact with the local animal control agencies (pounds, shelters, humane
societies--public and private) and get to know the personnel of these agencies.
Ask that a committee member (your person in charge of accepting dogs into your
program or an alternate) be contacted if a Siberian Husky should appear in their
facility. Tell these people about the work you are doing and be sure to follow
up with a letter requesting their cooperation. Include in your letter the names
and phone numbers of people your committee has authorized to pick up a dog in
the rescue group's name.Request that all Siberians be released to you as
quickly as possible. There is usually a holding period for a stray, but dogs
turned in by their owners may often be turned over immediately. (If a lack of
cooperation occurs at this level, contact your local County Commissioner or the
person at the next level up.) You might find some of these agencies unwilling to
work with rescue groups. Quite often this is because a rescue group ahead of you
did not perform or live up to the rules. If you are called regarding a Siberian:
1) go to the facility, 2) check on the dog, and 3) follow up in a few days if
the dog is not yet available for adoption. After your organization becomes known
in your community, you will find that people wanting to dispose of their
Siberians will call you directly. This will save the dog the trauma of what is
often less than an ideal kennel situation. IT IS THIS COMMITTEE'S FEELING THAT
SHELTER ANIMALS BE GIVEN PRIORITY. Those animals that are in immediate danger of
being euthanized must be given priority over a dog whose owner no longer wants
him, if you are faced with rescuing one or the other. With the give-up you may
be able to buy some time until you are able to foster the dog.
WHICH DOGS TO
SAVE
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NOT ALL
SIBERIANS ARE ADOPTABLE! Rules will have to be made by your committee. The SHCA
Rescue Committee is not anxious to promote the current fear of dogs infecting
this country by placing dogs with bad temperaments, who have not been properly
socialized or are, due to unfortunate breeding practice, just plain vicious.
Bad-tempered and infirm old dogs are usually the most common causes for
euthanasia. Be sure that the people on your committee charged with evaluating
the rescue dogs are capable of this judgment. You cannot use up a place with a
Siberian Husky who has a bad temperament and hope to someday change its
personality while you allow others to die for lack of space.
STRAYS/LOST & FOUND
Stray dogs that come into your rescue group should be
carefully handled. As your work becomes known, people who find a Siberian will
automatically call you. Make yourself thoroughly familiar
with the laws of your city, state, and county. As an
example, in one state the law requires the dog be advertised as "found" (these
ads in daily newspapers are usually free.) If no claim or identification is
made within five days, the dog then belongs to the finder. Your group must
routinely spay and neuter. However, be careful not to perform any treatment or
altering except in an emergency until at least the required time has elapsed. If
the dog belongs to rescue and the owner turns up after the required time, you
can return the dog, but require reimbursement by the owner for any veterinary or
other care you have given.
VETERINARY
SERVICES
All dogs you receive
must be taken to a veterinarian and completely checked over. (It is suggested to
check first for heartworm and brucellosis--two problems which will perhaps cause
you to have the dog euthanized.) If the dog checks out negative on these two
tests, have him checked for other parasites and problems. The dog should then be
brought up-to-date on all vaccinations (DA2PL, Parvo, rabies, etc.) Neutering
should then be performed if the dog is in otherwise good health.If the dog is too emaciated to
undergo neutering, it should stay in your system until the veterinarian feels
this procedure to be safe. If you rescue a puppy which is too young to be
altered, you should write in a clause on your adoption contract requiring
neutering as soon as the veterinarian feels is appropriate. In this case, follow
up with the new owner involved as well as the veterinarian to confirm that the
surgery has been completed. SPAYING AND NEUTERING
IS A MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY OF A RESCUE COMMITTEE.
Many veterinarians will work
with a rescue group. Each committee member should approach his/her vet and
discuss this problem with them. Many will offer a discount in order to help the
rescue group. If the area you cover is large it would be advantageous to enlist
the aid of several vets in various areas (possibly in the area of your foster
homes, etc.)
Confirm your verbal agreement
with your veterinarian in writing. It is strongly recommended that you operate
on a cash basis--better for your budget and many vets are quicker to cooperate
when they know they will get paid right away. Also, the vet has a good chance of
securing new clients from your referrals.
FOSTER
HOMES
Your committee will have to
secure as many foster homes as possible from among the members of your club and
other interested persons. You can place notices in vets' offices and even
advertise in your local newspaper (as you will for adoptive homes.)Because foster homes generally have their own
dogs, you must be considerate before placing a problem animal about which you
know nothing. Occasionally, a dog will display temperament problems after it
goes to a foster home. Sometimes the problem will not show up until several
weeks later. Investigate carefully. Remember, most of the dogs you are dealing
with have an unknown history. While Siberians are, in general, a pretty stable
group when it comes to temperament, there are cases where until the dog became
comfortable in the new surroundings, it did not display its true
attitude.
Local boarding kennels will sometimes keep rescue
dogs at reduced rates. Any foster home should be willing to keep and care for
the rescued Siberian Husky for an indeterminate (within reason) period of time.
Some rescue groups provide the food and nothing more. Some groups provide a
minimal fee of perhaps $2.00 per day. If you can pay some amount, it is
advisable to do so, as it can ward off "Foster Home Burnout." ALL FOSTER HOMES
SHOULD BE EVALUATED AS TO THEIR SUITABILITY. In any kind of foster situation, a
General Foster Care
Agreement should be used.
PERMANENT
HOMES
There are many ways to find
homes: advertisements in your local newspaper, notices in vets' offices,
newspaper feature stories, radio spots (local stations do help), your club
newsletter, company bulletin boards, etc. If you have a committee member in
charge of finding homes, that person should be sure that the placement member
has an updated list of all homes available and approved.Screen your applicants CAREFULLY, have more than
one person conduct an interview, and if possible do a house check of the
prospective adopter. A lot depends on the radius of your operation as well as
the number of volunteers that are available for assistance. Some rescues cover a
large area which may necessitate a direct referral of an applicant to a shelter
rather than physically removing the dog themselves.
ADOPTION/GIVE-UP FEES
A minimum charge or fee should be set by your committee for
adoptions as well as give-up fees. It seems best to have one set fee (called a
Donation to Rescue). The dogs you receive who have already been neutered, had
shots, etc., will save you money that you can spend on the Siberian who has been
injured or is sick. NO SIBERIAN HUSKY SHOULD BE GIVEN AWAY unless your committee
decides that the circumstances are exceptional, i.e., a healthy "oldster" who
would otherwise die. At present, rescue groups are charging between $75 and
$150. We are in favor of the lower end of the scale.
Give-up fees should
be charged to those individuals that need to place their Siberian for whatever
reason. Many owners welcome this fee as it helps ease their guilt over giving up
their dog, coupled with relief at not having to go to a shelter. You will have
to feed, pay foster care, neuter (in some case), etc. Therefore, you are
justified in asking for this fee. You can be flexible with the give-up fee
depending on the circumstances involved. An already neutered and fully-vetted
dog will cost less to the Rescue group than an intact, ill, or neglected dog.
$100.00 is not unreasonable in most cases.
DOCUMENTS/CONTRACTS
Some paperwork is necessary. A
"Release/Surrender Form"
must be filled out and signed by anyone who turns a Siberian Husky over to you.
Be sure a health record and all information relating to the dog's temperament,
likes, dislikes, quirks, eating habits, history with other animals, etc., are
made available. Shelters usually have their own releases or forms, but get as
much information as you can when the Siberian is picked up. As stated in the Foster Home section, use a "Foster Care Agreement" when
placing the dog in foster care. Leave a copy of the release with the foster home
and keep a signed copy in your files. "Adoption Contracts" should
be filled out in duplicate, one for the new owner and one for the Rescue group.
If you make up your own forms be sure to include as much information as possible
on the contract. A release of liability and
indemnification clause should be typed in bold print, capital letters, and
signed by the individual/family adopting the animal. This disclaimer of
responsibility for the dog's behavior must be part of the
contract.
FINANCIAL AID/FUND RAISING
Any
financial assistance the SHCA Rescue Committee is able to offer will not begin
to cover your total expense. You must become self-reliant. Fund raising is an
absolute necessity! If you are a Rescue stemming from a Breed Club, encourage,
at least in the beginning, "seed money" to begin your rescue group. After that
the committee is obliged to become creative in their fund raising techniques.
There are many ways to raise funds, i.e., bumper stickers with a rescue slogan,
raffles, greeting cards, Chinese auctions, solicitation (where permitted),
handling classes, etc.
EDUCATION
You must continually educate the public regarding
responsible dog ownership. There are many ways to accomplish this. Be
responsible when you sell your own puppies, use spay/neuter contracts or
non-breeding registration. Along with your breed club hold mini-seminars or
demonstrations on obedience training, housebreaking, crate training, etc. Even
if you are not doing rescue work, visit shelters in your area and pass out
literature pertaining to the Siberian Husky. This will make the shelter
volunteers aware of the characteristics of a Siberian and enable them to pass
the information along to potential owners should a Siberian enter their
facility.
FINDING
VOLUNTEERS
If your rescue
committee is part of a club, hopefully club members will assist. If you are not
involved in any club or the club members are unwilling to participate in the
Rescue effort, you will have to go outside your club for volunteers. You may be
able to find fanciers of your particular breed that are not club members but
live in your area or community, or you may have to get in contact with an all
breed rescue group. Other possibilities are people you have sold dogs to in the
past, or just a dog lover, etc. In any case, rescue needs volunteers to make
it work.
Comments and questions on the above material
should be directed to the SHCA National
Rescue Chairman
Return to Siberian Husky Rescue home
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