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Red Collar Rescue - giving dogs a second chance at life
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ed Collar Rescue started in 2009 when it came to our attention that dogs in the Wide Bay region were being put to death unnecessarily due to an absence of refuges. We started out just taking dogs that came through the local vet surgery from the pound, then as word got around, expanded as more pounds came on board. In January 2011, with the floods in Bundaberg causing huge numbers of displaced dogs to be left unclaimed, we approached the Bundaberg Council about allowing us to rescue these animals as well. What started out as a trickle of dogs, suddenly became a deluge, with up to 10 dogs a week coming into care. We also take private surrenders when space permits To this end we liaise with other refuges all around Queensland and down into New South Wales to move certain types of dogs into refuges where the specific needs and requirements of that dog can better be catered to. We also channel many dogs into the larger mainstream refuges where they stand a better chance of being found by their new family. Everything has been entirely self-funded, with the founders selling off a lot of personal items to fund the building of the pens initially, but as time moves on we have been fortunate that we are starting to receive donations from people in the community to help us try to expand at a similar rate to the demand. We are in constant need of materials and other items to help the refuge run on a day-to-day basis. We strive to ensure that each of them finds the perfect family and goes on to enjoy a happy and valued life. Each dog is desexed, vaccinated, microchipped and on heartworm prevention before leaving us, so that we know they stand the best chance of a long and happy life, and are not going to contribute to the hundreds of thousands of innocent animals that are put to death each year. Since Red Collar Rescue Inc started we have rehomed over 1,200 dogs. We always are in need of foster carers who can take a dog into their home and look after it while we find a suitable home for them. All they need to supply is the food and some love. We take care of the rest of the expenses. This gives a dog a loving environment rather than a pen to live in at the shelter and the dogs benefit greatly from this. We also learn so much more about the dog’s personality with regular check-ups with the foster carers. If you think you could help in this way feel free to contact us. It takes a lot to run a rescue and we are grateful for any help from the public in means of donations, volunteering time to walk the dogs or help at our fundraising events. Even if it’s just sharing the dogs profiles on Facebook and getting them and our name out there in the world. So many people are considering adopting a new member of their family rather than getting an intentionally bred dog. They are mostly surrendered just because they grew out of the cute puppy stage but are so deserving of a second chance at happiness. It can be very frustrating to see these poor dogs abandoned by irresponsible pet owners. We have changed the lives of so many dogs and more importantly bought so much happiness to many people through doing this. The happy outcomes make it so worthwhile. Remember … Don’t shop - adopt. If you can’t adopt - foster. If you can’t foster - donate. And if you can’t donate help spread the word so we can go on to save many more dogs. Follow Red Collar Rescue on Facebook, contact them or view current dogs looking homes via the website: www.redcollarrescue.org. For adoption or fostering enquiries or to donate food or money, phone 0438 869 085 or 0412 515 564. Check out page 20 for this month’s Red Collar Rescue Dog of the Month looking for a loving home.
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