Why Rescue

Dogs bring immeasurable joy and support into the lives of their human companions. They give us their affection, their loyalty and their ultimate trust. It’s therefore hard to comprehend that millions of dogs in the United States may not experience that love in return.

Each year, the ASPCA estimates that:

  • 6.3 million companion animals enter shelters, 3.1 million of which are dogs
  • Almost 1 million animals are euthanized

We can attribute this in part to animal overpopulation – a problem that humans have the ability, and some would even say the responsibility, to eradicate. We can help by first spaying and neutering our pets. Avoiding pet stores and breeders when choosing a dog is a big help, too. While not all stores are linked to irresponsible breeding, some may be linked to puppy mills without consumers even knowing. Puppy mills are establishments that breed puppies for sale in conditions regarded as inhumane. According to heart-breaking statistics released by the Humane Society:

  • 10,000 puppy mills are estimated to exist in the U.S.
  • 2.6 million puppies are estimated to be sold annually who originated from puppy mills

The Humane Society further characterizes these establishments as having “continuous confinement” “lack of human contact and environmental enrichment” and “minimal to no veterinary care”. There is no dog that deserves to endure this quality of life.

Rescue is single-handedly the biggest way that we can make a difference for the dogs that have been surrendered, forgotten, mistreated and neglected. There are so many good reasons to rescue a dog, including:

1. Save a life. By adopting, you provide a second chance not only at happiness but at life itself for your pet.

2. Help break the cycle of pet overpopulation. There are not enough homes for all the puppies born every year; adopting helps weaken the pet overpopulation cycle by decreasing demand.

3. Help stop cruelty in mass breeding facilities. Adopting means not supporting such inhumane acts.

4. Adopt a trainable adult dog. Adolescent and adult dogs are mature enough for all training and may even have basic crate-training and house-training skills. Some of our sweet pups even know the beginning training of good canine citizenship, including “sit,” “stay,” and “leave it.”

5. Choose from a great selection of adoptable dogs. Dog Star Rescue (DSR) offers a wide variety of dogs, most of which are fostered prior to adoption. This gives us a good assessment of their personalities so that we can help make a great adoption match.

6. Pay less. All dogs are fully vetted, spayed or neutered and vaccinated. You’ll receive a lifetime of love from an eternally grateful pup for an average adoption fee of $500. This can be compared to a purebred puppy that can cost upwards of $2,000 before your first vet visit.

7. Encourage others to adopt. Spreading the word about Dog Star Rescue to friends and family helps another great human/canine match to be made.

8. Save two dogs for the price of one. Opening up a space in a foster home allows one more dog from a high-kill shelter to be brought into foster care.

9. Feel good. Not only will you feel like you’re doing the “right thing” by adopting but you’ll also reap all those benefits dogs give to us mere humans every day: unconditional love, unintentional amusement, a sense of purpose and fulfillment, as well as improved health.

10. Become a part of the Dog Star Rescue family. Adopting from Dog Star Rescue gains you entrance to a pretty special group of folks and if you are interested, we have an exclusive Dog Star Alumni Facebook group that you can join to arrange play dates, share fun pics or even ask other DSR alumni dog-related questions. The only thing we love more than successfully placing one of our dogs is receiving joyful updates (with photos!) detailing how spoiled our pups are in their new homes. They deserve nothing less!

Everyone here at DSR is a passionate advocate for our dogs—and for dog adoption in general—and we commend you for taking the time to learn more about unwanted dogs in the United States and what we can all do to help.

The future is bright. Together, we can make a difference for these dogs. Dog Star Rescue is proud to have rescued nearly 4,000 dogs through the support of our incredible community, and together, we will continue with our ambitious rescue goals.

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