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Frequently asked questions What are the benefits of breed-specific rescue?  Operation K9 Rescue concentrates on American bulldogs, bull breeds and rare mastiffs. These are the breeds with which our board members and volunteers have significant experience with and could be considered experts on. We see breed-specific rescue as a benefit to all involved. Our team is especially equipped to handle and evaluate the breeds of dogs we service, as well as educate the public and prospective adopters on the breed. The breed-specific rescuer better understands the health concerns, temperament traits and special needs of the breed. This is particularly important when dealing with "power breeds." Power breeds, like the mastiff and bulldog breeds we rescue, are dogs who require more experience in handling. It's important that breed-specific rescues like ours are pulling these dogs from shelters, not only saving them from certain death, but screening and educating potential owners to make sure these breeds end up in the right hands of responsible, informed owners. It's also important to note that although Operation K9 Rescue specializes in these breeds, we often take in other breeds and assist other breed-rescues when in need. What are the credentials of your leadership? Members of Operation K9 Rescue have breeding, training and showing experience with the breeds of dogs we handle. We also have volunteers in the veterinary field as part of our team. In addition, Operation K9 Rescue Inc. works with several well-known dog trainers experienced in handling power breeds. What educational and training outreach does Operation K9 Rescue do as a non-profit organization? Operation K9 Rescue provides in-depth breed information via our Web site, adoption events, community fairs and pet expos. Additionally, make ourselves available to answer questions from owners and potential adopters via e-mail and telephone with any questions they may have about the breeds, training and temperament dispositions. In 2004, Operation K9 Rescue Inc plans to launch its Safety First program aimed at educating children on the safe way to approach and treat dogs they are unfamiliar with. Additionally, Operation K9 Rescue is developing a junior volunteer and mentoring program in conjunction with area shelters, aimed at educating our young volunteers on rescue, training and the veterinary profession. Also in 2004, Operation K9 Rescue will launch an 8-week training program. The program is aimed at training volunteers in dog training and handling, breed education and rescue protocol. Why go to a rescue versus a shelter? The benefit of going through a breed-specific rescue is that our board members and volunteers understand the breed, its needs and predispositions. We can do a better job of matching these breeds up with prospective home. The rescue is dedicated to placing the specific dogs that we have evaluated, temperament tested, spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Also, because we place most of our dogs with volunteer fosters until they are adopted, our dogs have been evaluated under different circumstances, some will have received training. Our goal is not just to get the dogs placed, to make room for more dogs that will be turned in to us. If a dog is not a good match for your family or lifestyle, the rescue will let you know. We dog partner with many area shelters and we've built great relationships with them based on successful track records of placing these dogs. They call us when one of our breeds come in because they feel that we are better equipped to evaluate and place these breeds. In addition, we spend a significant amount of time with each dog to understand its character and temperament before we attempt to place it in a home. How do you stay operational as a non-profit with a volunteer base? We operate purely on donations of money and the time given by our volunteers. We also participate in fundraisers aimed at increasing donations to ensure that the dogs we care for have everything they need. Some of the dogs we've rescued from shelters and abusive situations have required extensive medical care, sometimes mounting to thousands of dollars. We do our best to raise the funds to cover the surgeries, neutering, teeth cleaning and extractions, flea and worm treatments and general food and boarding needs our rescue dogs have. Unfortunately, many of the dogs we rescue were abandoned by their owners when their health was failing. Fortunately, because of the dedication and nurturing of our volunteers, as well as the expertise of the vets that we work with, we've been able to nurse many of the dogs back to health and place them into caring homes. Operation K9 Rescue welcomes tax-deductible donations of money and/or food and supplies. Every donation goes to ensuring the well being of the dogs in our care. « back to top 
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