Chrissy, who now happily chases balls at her new forever home!
Frequently Asked Questions
Just what is the K-9 Hospice? We are a no-kill, 501c3 nonprofit organization devoted to rescuing and caring for dogs many other shelters consider "unadoptable" (and would thus put to death) due to age, illness, or some other condition such as blindness or mange. We actively promote adoption, the elimination of animal cruelty and neglect, and the critical need to spay and neuter all pets to reduce the unnecessary overpopulation.
What is your relationship with the Humane Society of the Greater River Valley? Since the fall of 2009, the HSGRV has provided physical space for K-9 Hospice dogs. The HSGRV is not associated with the HSUS, but is another no-kill, 501c3 nonprofit organization with similar values to our own. In our partnership we share resources and work together to raise funds to care for all the dogs, find volunteers, coordinate volunteer work days, and promote public education concerning pet overpopulation and animal abuse.
I keep hearing that the K-9 Hospice and HSGRV are "unique" rescue groups. Just what is unique about you? We are unique in a number of ways! First, we are unique in that we are a no-kill rescue site (there aren't many of those around anymore), which means that our animals will NOT be put to death simply because they are not adopted. Our facility is unique - it's an old hog farm that we're in the (slow) process of renovating, which has lots of room for dogs to run and play and swim in our pond. We're also unique in our all-volunteer status, in the kinds of dogs we have (many of which would be put to death in other shelters), and in our exercise system.
The place seems a bit run-down. Why aren't more improvements being made? We DO look a bit "rough," that's true! There are a great many physical improvements we dream of making - and many we have already made - to our facilities. What gets in our way is simply this: not enough people willing to help out, and not enough money to purchase what we need. Your donation of time and money would help us immensely! We want yard care done more regularly, get the buildings painted, and update all electrical and plumbing. We want to create an actual office and reception and greeting area. We want a clinic space to help with on-site treatment of dogs. We want a nicer birthing room for pregnant dogs that come to us, and puppy room for the litters brought up. We want to renovate and outfit each of our dog rooms. Unfortunately, volunteers are few and far between, and the ones we do have do not have the time to work on projects more quickly than they're currently doing. What little money comes in goes first to direct care of the dogs - food and vet care. If we had more adoptions and fewer dogs, we could tackle these projects more quickly, and money would go further. Or if we had more people, we could tackle these projects more quickly. And if we had more money, we could even hire some of the work done. Until such time, though, we focus first on providing the care and love these dogs need. We wish we were "prettier" but have high hopes for 2011! Join us, and help us make the improvements!
Is it true that your dogs just run around up there, and fight a lot? Yes and no! Because of our large property, whenever possible we do have the dogs out so they can run, play, dig holes and sleep in the sunshine, so they are not cooped up in their kennels all the time. Typically this means some dogs are out while others remain in their kennels, then it's switched so others can spend a few hours outside. During the high heat of summer they are out more so they can find their own cool spots. On occasion, there are fights - just as our dogs at home may sometimes fight, or cats will fight, or even people. But fights are the exception and not the rule, and the majority of the time they play happily with each other, sleep next to each other, and so on. It's remarkable how they know when it's time for play, or to eat, or to rest or to return to their kennels. We know which dogs do and do not get along with each other, and we keep them separated or enclose a dog in one of our outside runs.
Who cares for the dogs? We have been fortunate to have several dedicated volunteers who have been remarkable with the dogs!
I'd love to come see your place. Can I just come up any time? For your safety we request that people NOT come up on their own but instead schedule a time. Because we do not have a regular 'staff' we are simply not yet set up to have regular public hours - hopefully we can change this in 2012. Sadly, when people have come up on their own in the past, problems tend to happen - gates or doors get left open and dogs get out when they are not supposed to, putting dogs and people at risk. We have even had people who, upon seeing our closed gate to our parking area, have parked their cars and walked around or climbed over the gate, in spite of clear No Trespassing signs! No idea what's going through their heads when they do that, but clearly they don't stop to think about potential consequences.
What are the biggest obstacles you face as a rescue shelter? Oh my, there are so many! If we could boil it down to just one word, we'd say "apathy." There are lots of people who talk about their love of dogs and desire to help animals subjected to cruelty or neglect, but very very few who actually turn words into action. There's apathy towards helping with animal care. Apathy towards spaying and neutering pets. Apathy even about placing dogs for adoption - big tendency for people to simply dump their dogs off in the country someplace, or even at our gates, without any thought about the damage this inflicts on the dog. Apathy also shows in the number of people who complain about shelter conditions or care - here or elsewhere - but do nothing to work to improve things. Wish there were some way to get people to care enough to actually take action, to volunteer their time and muscle and skills, or to donate to shelters so all homeless, abused, or neglected pets can have the care and love they need and deserve!
What needs do you have right now? Right now we're focusing on making facility improvements and are working to replace plumbing and electrical elements and full outfit the dog rooms. Another big area is fencing! We need to complete the paremeter fencing to better ensure the safety of our dogs, and we want more secure dog run areas so we can further separate dogs when they are outside. And there are smaller things we need, such as storage cabinets in each of our dog rooms. Mostly we need people - people who will volunteer to help us improve the building conditions and do any of the many other things we want and need to accomplish to finish turning our place into a real dog home!
I've heard your dogs all had mange. Is that true? No! We did sometimes get dogs that had mange or other skin conditions of various types (just as we sometimes get dogs that have been starved or injured in other ways). However, all dogs with such skin conditions were being treated for those conditions.
What if I want to adopt? Adopting a rescue dog is a wonderful thing to do! For each dog adopted, 2 are saved - the one that gets a forever home of their very own, and one that takes that one's space at the shelter. Yet it's not a decision to be made lightly, and you need to learn as much as you can about different breeds, consider your home conditions and family needs, and learn what you can about any special needs there may be for a rescue dog.
What if I have a dog I want to place for adoption? Right now we are not accepting new dogs. Once we have a more regular volunteer staff, and steadier funding sources, we can once again accept new animals. Generally, we would have you call us to talk about your dog and what options might be available, such as placing ads, contacting other rescue shelters, or even putting an announcement online at places like petfinder.com.
What's the best way for me to contact you or to help out? We try to make it as easy as possible to contact us. You can call us at 479-284-2222, or email us at k9hospicecorp@yahoo.com, or even through our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you! You can help us by volunteering to fill a needed role, or by donating money (through our secure Paypal account, bottom of our home page), or by donating equipment, fencing, or other materials. You can also help by getting others involved, and just spreading the word about the tremendous needs in unfunded animal shelters and rescues!
What is your relationship with the Humane Society of the Greater River Valley? Since the fall of 2009, the HSGRV has provided physical space for K-9 Hospice dogs. The HSGRV is not associated with the HSUS, but is another no-kill, 501c3 nonprofit organization with similar values to our own. In our partnership we share resources and work together to raise funds to care for all the dogs, find volunteers, coordinate volunteer work days, and promote public education concerning pet overpopulation and animal abuse.
I keep hearing that the K-9 Hospice and HSGRV are "unique" rescue groups. Just what is unique about you? We are unique in a number of ways! First, we are unique in that we are a no-kill rescue site (there aren't many of those around anymore), which means that our animals will NOT be put to death simply because they are not adopted. Our facility is unique - it's an old hog farm that we're in the (slow) process of renovating, which has lots of room for dogs to run and play and swim in our pond. We're also unique in our all-volunteer status, in the kinds of dogs we have (many of which would be put to death in other shelters), and in our exercise system.
The place seems a bit run-down. Why aren't more improvements being made? We DO look a bit "rough," that's true! There are a great many physical improvements we dream of making - and many we have already made - to our facilities. What gets in our way is simply this: not enough people willing to help out, and not enough money to purchase what we need. Your donation of time and money would help us immensely! We want yard care done more regularly, get the buildings painted, and update all electrical and plumbing. We want to create an actual office and reception and greeting area. We want a clinic space to help with on-site treatment of dogs. We want a nicer birthing room for pregnant dogs that come to us, and puppy room for the litters brought up. We want to renovate and outfit each of our dog rooms. Unfortunately, volunteers are few and far between, and the ones we do have do not have the time to work on projects more quickly than they're currently doing. What little money comes in goes first to direct care of the dogs - food and vet care. If we had more adoptions and fewer dogs, we could tackle these projects more quickly, and money would go further. Or if we had more people, we could tackle these projects more quickly. And if we had more money, we could even hire some of the work done. Until such time, though, we focus first on providing the care and love these dogs need. We wish we were "prettier" but have high hopes for 2011! Join us, and help us make the improvements!
Is it true that your dogs just run around up there, and fight a lot? Yes and no! Because of our large property, whenever possible we do have the dogs out so they can run, play, dig holes and sleep in the sunshine, so they are not cooped up in their kennels all the time. Typically this means some dogs are out while others remain in their kennels, then it's switched so others can spend a few hours outside. During the high heat of summer they are out more so they can find their own cool spots. On occasion, there are fights - just as our dogs at home may sometimes fight, or cats will fight, or even people. But fights are the exception and not the rule, and the majority of the time they play happily with each other, sleep next to each other, and so on. It's remarkable how they know when it's time for play, or to eat, or to rest or to return to their kennels. We know which dogs do and do not get along with each other, and we keep them separated or enclose a dog in one of our outside runs.
Who cares for the dogs? We have been fortunate to have several dedicated volunteers who have been remarkable with the dogs!
I'd love to come see your place. Can I just come up any time? For your safety we request that people NOT come up on their own but instead schedule a time. Because we do not have a regular 'staff' we are simply not yet set up to have regular public hours - hopefully we can change this in 2012. Sadly, when people have come up on their own in the past, problems tend to happen - gates or doors get left open and dogs get out when they are not supposed to, putting dogs and people at risk. We have even had people who, upon seeing our closed gate to our parking area, have parked their cars and walked around or climbed over the gate, in spite of clear No Trespassing signs! No idea what's going through their heads when they do that, but clearly they don't stop to think about potential consequences.
What are the biggest obstacles you face as a rescue shelter? Oh my, there are so many! If we could boil it down to just one word, we'd say "apathy." There are lots of people who talk about their love of dogs and desire to help animals subjected to cruelty or neglect, but very very few who actually turn words into action. There's apathy towards helping with animal care. Apathy towards spaying and neutering pets. Apathy even about placing dogs for adoption - big tendency for people to simply dump their dogs off in the country someplace, or even at our gates, without any thought about the damage this inflicts on the dog. Apathy also shows in the number of people who complain about shelter conditions or care - here or elsewhere - but do nothing to work to improve things. Wish there were some way to get people to care enough to actually take action, to volunteer their time and muscle and skills, or to donate to shelters so all homeless, abused, or neglected pets can have the care and love they need and deserve!
What needs do you have right now? Right now we're focusing on making facility improvements and are working to replace plumbing and electrical elements and full outfit the dog rooms. Another big area is fencing! We need to complete the paremeter fencing to better ensure the safety of our dogs, and we want more secure dog run areas so we can further separate dogs when they are outside. And there are smaller things we need, such as storage cabinets in each of our dog rooms. Mostly we need people - people who will volunteer to help us improve the building conditions and do any of the many other things we want and need to accomplish to finish turning our place into a real dog home!
I've heard your dogs all had mange. Is that true? No! We did sometimes get dogs that had mange or other skin conditions of various types (just as we sometimes get dogs that have been starved or injured in other ways). However, all dogs with such skin conditions were being treated for those conditions.
What if I want to adopt? Adopting a rescue dog is a wonderful thing to do! For each dog adopted, 2 are saved - the one that gets a forever home of their very own, and one that takes that one's space at the shelter. Yet it's not a decision to be made lightly, and you need to learn as much as you can about different breeds, consider your home conditions and family needs, and learn what you can about any special needs there may be for a rescue dog.
What if I have a dog I want to place for adoption? Right now we are not accepting new dogs. Once we have a more regular volunteer staff, and steadier funding sources, we can once again accept new animals. Generally, we would have you call us to talk about your dog and what options might be available, such as placing ads, contacting other rescue shelters, or even putting an announcement online at places like petfinder.com.
What's the best way for me to contact you or to help out? We try to make it as easy as possible to contact us. You can call us at 479-284-2222, or email us at k9hospicecorp@yahoo.com, or even through our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you! You can help us by volunteering to fill a needed role, or by donating money (through our secure Paypal account, bottom of our home page), or by donating equipment, fencing, or other materials. You can also help by getting others involved, and just spreading the word about the tremendous needs in unfunded animal shelters and rescues!
