'Recycled' dogs find homes

Normally, recycling is a continuous process. Reuse. Repurpose. Repeat. But in the case of a dog, a home forever is the goal.

Fletcher, a springer spaniel, was surrendered to a local shelter. When three months went by with no takers, his hopes were dwindling and his fate was close to sealed. Day in and day out in the shelter was giving this shaggy and dingy canine a case of cabin fever.

Central Bark's Cathy Warner kept a watchful eye on Fletcher via the shelter's Web page and saw his potential.

"I was seeing him every night when I went online. I told Sam (Hernandez, her partner), 'He's been in there too long. We've got to get him out,'" said Warner.

Warner contacted All For Dogs Rescue of Central Oregon. Central Bark is a foster care arm of All For Dogs Rescue. Warner talked with Susan Rutter, a board member and the Foster Home Coordinator, about bringing Fletcher into a foster home situation.

"For dogs who may be too stressed, fostering and dog rescues offer an alternative. Also, for those dogs that, for whatever reason, no one is noticing...moving the dog to a rescue gives the dog just the change he needs," said Rutter.

Fletcher came to Central Bark on a Friday night. Groomingdales owner, Kellie Landers, immediately gave him the works. Landers wants all the foster dogs to be given the best chance possible for a forever home, so she insists on the full spa treatment for each of the newbies.

Looking quite respectable, Fletcher settled in for the weekend with his new dog pals in his foster home. But hanging out and looking good was not all that was on the agenda. Warner hooked up Fletcher to her doggy scooter and took off. Needing to get his cabin-fevered brain back on track to being a dog, Warner sped past the industrial park and through town. Getting the built-in need for exercise taken care of, this handsome animal turned out to be a perfect gentleman. Before the week was over an exuberant family opened up their hearts to Fletcher and brought him home.

Warner and her partner, Sam Hernandez, have repeated this story many times since becoming a foster home to dogs. There's Chance, Willy, Bob, Karma, Howdy and the list goes on. All successfully placed in forever homes.

"Rescuing a dog is for people who want to make a difference," said Hernandez.

Before bringing a rescue dog into your family, you need a little education. To get a dog that's been "recycled" means you've just made an economic move in the right direction. While there are many purebreds in the recycling center, you will not be paying purebred prices. It's like finding a Valentino coat at the Habitat Thrift Store. You can have haute couture for pennies.

You can count yourself ahead of the game when you rescue an adult dog by not having to replace chewed up shoes, or get your carpets cleaned before potty training kicks in.

But more importantly than economics is finding the right dog for you and your family. Know what you want - and that doesn't mean the breed.

"You need to like the dog," said Hernandez. "Don't get hung up on breeds."

Consider energy levels: what was the dog bred for? When you invite a dog to live with you, size matters. There's a huge difference, literally, between a Chihuahua and a Mastiff.

What kind of grooming needs can you deal with? Maybe you'd like your new best friend to go to work with you or protect your abode. And of course this new addition should get along with all other members of your family, both the two-legged and four-legged kinds.

"You want the right fit, everyone is happiest that way," Hernandez said.

Dogs going through a foster program are exposed to more. Potential owners can see them in action versus sitting in a kennel.

Puppies have that endearing quality of being, well, a puppy. The milky breath, the round tummies, the play-till-they-drop mentality. If you've got to have one of them, rescues always have many. Maybe you're older, or not very active, and want your companion to not require the ball throwing and two-a-day walks; a senior dog could be exactly what you're looking for.

Adopting a dog through a rescue is a noble act and it's not for the weak. The application process can be strict and they have been known to reject homes that are not suitable. A lot has gone into these animals and those who have tirelessly devoted themselves to finding good home for the dogs don't want to see them recycled again.

All For Dogs Rescue of Central Oregon is run entirely by volunteers. It is not a shelter but rather a collection of foster homes. There are 16 foster homes throughout Sisters, Redmond and Bend and they are always looking for more. All of their adoption fees go to cover food and medical needs. All dogs are spayed/neutered and given vaccinations before entering the foster program.

All For Dogs Rescue will hold adoption days at the Bend Pet Express on Windy Knolls Drive, across from Costco, on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information visit http://www.allfordogsrescue.com. To become a foster home contact Susan Rutter at [email protected]