The majority of our animals come from area shelters. Animals at a shelter have either been picked up as strays by Animal Control or by concerned citizens, or have been surrendered to the shelter by owners who no longer want them. It is our preference to take animals from shelters since shelter animals will ultimately face euthanasia if not adopted in a short period of time. We also take animals from owners under certain circumstances, and always have a signed Owner Release form giving ownership of the animal to TBDR. Some of our animals have been abandoned, either at veterinarians' offices, outside the homes of individuals known to be "animal-friendly", or in public areas such as grocery store parking lots, busy streets, and wooded areas. Often these animals are malnourished or wounded.

It is always better to adopt from a shelter if at all possible, since shelter animals are at risk of euthanasia if not adopted. TBDR and other local rescue organizations are another source for people looking for rescued animals. There are some advantages to adopting from one of these organizations.

Animals at a shelter are necessarily confined in individual cages, and due to the overwhelming number of animals there, they cannot receive much personal attention. The shelter is a very stressful environment for the animal, and often their true temperaments cannot be determined. Our animals live in the homes of volunteer foster parents for days or weeks before adoption. The foster parents are able to observe them in a natural setting, and therefore better able to match your needs to a particular animal. We can answer questions about the animal such as How active is it? How affectionate is it? How does it get along with other animals or with kids?

Since Big Dog Rescue is a non-profit organization our income is only from adoptions, donations, and grants. Overall, we try to base the adoption fees on the amount of the medical expenses for that pet. In general adoption fees range from $150 to $300.

All of our animals are spayed or neutered, currently vaccinated, heartworm negative, and microchipped at the time of adoption.

Big Dog Rescue has a seven day "trial period". If your new pet doesn't match your home, you should return it to the foster parent you adopted from. Your refund will be mailed to you. After seven days we will always take them back, but no refund will be issued.

Yes! Although Big Dog Rescue does have an executive board, we generally leave adoption decisions in the hands of the fostering parent. Our goal is to match the right pet with the right 'forever' home. If one doesn't match, another pet may work out better for adoption.

Usually our animals come to us by less than dramatic means. Most of the time, we have not pulled them from burning buildings, or saved them from raging floods. Animals who have been shot, tortured or left to starve; animals who have been given a chance in a shelter but whose time has run out; animals whose owners have died or become too ill to care for them are in as much danger as if they were threatened by fires or floods. When we say rescue, we mean rescued from death, since that will be the animal's ultimate fate.

Everyone who is part of the Big Dog Organization is a volunteer who typically has a job, a family and their own animals to care for. Sometimes it may take a few days for someone to get back to you. Please be patient.

1 - Donate: Big Dog Rescue is a non profit run exclusively by volunteers, so we always need donations in terms of money, time, supplies. Click HERE for details.

2 - Tell a Friend: Tell your friends about Big Dog Recue and what we do!

3 - Spay or Neuter your pet: All our pets come from shelters which are overcrowded due to unwanted pets.

Ask the foster parent to bring the pet for a trial visit. If the fostering parent thinks there's a good match, they will bring the pet to your house for a visit and play session.

It depends on the particular pet you are interested in adopting. Some pets are more active than others! Ask the foster parent about the activity level of the pet of interest.

Generally, our animals come from local animal shelters. Occassionally, we take strays but only from emergency situations such as the Hurricane Katrina victims we gathered.

All our pets live with foster parents at their houses. Once they leave the shelter and become part of BDR, they will not go back. We keep our pets in foster homes as we want to minimize their exposure to diseases. Also, by keeping our pets in foster homes, we can learn more about their personalities for better adoption matches.

Once you find an animal you are interested in adopting, you should fill out a questionaire. Our questionaires ask for basic information about you and any current pet history. After the questionaire is submitted, you should speak with the pet's foster parent to get as much information as possible about the animal. To adopt, you also will need to complete a contract, which then makes the pet yours.