Revised 6/07/08
To place your dog with us
please read the page below on how we rescue your dog:
(See bottom of page for hints on
how to place a dog near you if you are not located in the Pacific Northwest, USA.)
If you have a dog in our adoption area, the Pacific
Northwest, USA, then you are welcome to deliver them to us. People deliver dogs to us very often because they
do want to see our Herd and meet us before placement. We encourage that.
You are always welcome to meet us and know how much we love
rescuing dogs. We take this rescue very seriously and find them all great homes. We love animals and want to help
this breed.
NEW! As of June 2008 we can no longer
accept mixes, ONLY purebreds. We are being overrun with needy wieners and our re-training techniques work better with
purebreds after 36 years in this breed. We can't help them all and so we need to stay with the breed we know best, purebred
Dachshunds.
If you are in the Spokane area please contact Partners
for Pets or Pet Savers in the local phone book to see if they have room too. Call your local shelter if out of the area
for a referral for a rescuer near you who does small breeds please.
We can only retrain around 40 to 50 dogs each year
and find them forever homes. We are still being called to help 100 to 150 dogs each year. Many we have to turn
away so it makes sense to find a different rescuer for part-breds as folks are looking to adopt purebreds from us. We
often end up holding the part-breds for months. This way we can try and help more purebreds dogs. Sorry for the
inconvenience, but we only have so much room in our home for homeless dogs.
1. Dachshund Rescue NW (DRNW) will rarely turn
away any dogs because we have a very long waiting list so contact us today. If we are full up at the moment then you
may need to hold your dog for a few weeks until we get some of ours adopted though so please be aware of that.
We check email daily unless out of town so please send us a message ASAP.
Our phone number is below if this is an emergency placement but please read below for more details before calling. Thanks.
2. We are located about 20 minutes West of Spokane, WA.
(That is Washington state, not the District of Columbia.) Visitors are welcome to visit by
appointment only.
3. We also take wiener deliveries via train and airplane.
We live only five minutes from the airport. We will be happy to pick up your puppy.
4. We can also meet you part way (if we
do not have another appointment). We no longer have Wiener Underground volunteers from Seattle or Portland.
There are rescuers in Portland, OR, Oregon Dachshund Rescue, and the
Seattle area, they are listed on the last page of this web site. Please try to find a rescuer near you before calling
us. If they are overflowing with homeless dogs as we usually are then by all means get in touch. Or if your dog
has issues then let us know as they will probably end up here. Most rescuers are not qualified to retrain the naughty
ones like we are or they do not work at home like I do.
5. We have time for only around 40 to 50 dogs a year and
you might have to wait a few weeks until we have an opening. Please be patient as we have to properly care and train
the ones we have already before we introduce a new baby to The Herd or our pack. Hahahaha.
6. I am sorry, but we will not share our
waiting list with anyone.
We need that list to adopt out our dogs
and because of privacy issues. Thanks.
7. We will take your dog for free unless they are not spayed or neutered.
We do not charge for that service as
we never want any wiener in jail at the local shelter.
But if you can assist with financial support for your dog while it is at
our rescue then it is always greatly appreciated, but it is not a requirement. Can you buy us a 50 pound bag of dog
food, Purina Dog Chow Lamb & Rice or regular Purina Dog Chow in green bag or Purina Puppy Chow when you deliver your doggie?
That is always helpful and we always need dog food with all the dogs we get in year round especially on holidays, nights and
weekends. We are open year round caring for other people's dogs.
FYI, We feed around 200 pounds of dog food a month plus another 100 pounds
of specialty, premium foods for those who are pups, obese or have allergies. We have to get the food from
town plus numerous dog treats, dog toys, dog laundry and laundry supplies, maintain the web sites, maintain the dog phone
with voicemail, pay for transportation to and from the farm, pay for ALL vet bills for everyone's dogs
including our own as well as volunteer our time to retrain everyone else's dogs plus handle ALL
the other expenses associated with the "bank account draining hobby" as my husband says.
So ANY financial assistance for your dog while they
are in our rescue or with our foster homes for around two to six months per dog on average is always appreciated.
Local shelters will charge you to take your dog. And
your dog won't be as happy in a small cage as in our home snoring on a couch and trashing our home and yard (or another
rescuer's home) so please consider a rescue first.
We think rescuers can find the best home as we already know who
should adopt and who shouldn't in this market plus site visits so we make sure they can afford to care for your dog properly
along with researching their references like their vets, etc.
We are professional dog trainers too so your dog stands a greater
chance of finding a permanent home where we offer the adopters free training advice fo the life of that dog. No
shelter can do that for your dog so do your research when placing your dog.
NEW! If your dog is not spayed or neutered before placement with us then
we may need to ask for a $50 fee to help us cover that cost before placement. Please be prepared for that. Thanks.
All our rescues are spayed and neutered before placement so we do not end up rescuing their relatives later on after doing
this rescue as volunteers since 1991.
8. We do not "buy" our rescues and neither does any other
rescue that we are aware of. We get asked that often enough we thought we should finally tell why we do not buy dogs
as we really do not care how much you paid for them originally.
We spend our personal money operating our rescue
(as do all rescuers). We use what little money we do make from adoption fees to help the dogs that we already have here.
We love the dogs, but we aren't rich folks because we do the dog rescue. We
could drive newer vehicles or have a much nicer home and furniture if we did not have the dogs here too. Please be aware
this is NOT how we make a living, but our noisy, house-trashing and yard-abusing hobby. The adoption fees
do not even come close to covering all our expenses so please be aware of that.
So we will never be able to purchase
anyone's dogs so please be aware of that before getting in touch. If you have to have money for your dog then by all
means sell them without involving us. Thanks.
If you just want to sell your dog to someone then please place an ad in your local newspaper.
Then YOU can screen the homes by home visits (to make sure that the dog is not going to medical experimentation or a
local puppy mill breeder or someone reselling your "free" dog). Please do make sure they do not later give your wiener
kid to the neighbor or co-worker later on when their family situation changes too. The passed around ones rarely learn
to trust people so make sure this will be their last home like we do when we place them.
We also have an adoption contract to take back any of our rescues since 1991. Will you
do that if your co-worker gets a divorce? We do. We care about your dog for their whole lifetime. We have
spent years building contacts with our local shelters and other rescuers too so we all work together caring for your dog too.
I ALWAYS know when the dogs are dumped later so we can retrieve them.
Do you know most of the "dog flakes" in this market who take in "free" dogs and later re-sell them
without your dog's best interests at heart? We do and we know how to spot the ones who are only trying to turn a quick
buck by re-selling your dog on Craig's List! We have a very LONG adoption process so we can screen new homes.
Folks who go through our adoption process are serious about wanting a new wiener family member. See our adoption process
information on this web site.
9. Please use a rescue rather than a shelter to place
your dog.
The search to find a perfect home and people that won't dump your
dog later takes a lot of time and dedication to find homes like that so please do what is best for the dog not what is
easiest for you. Please consider a rescue first to place your dog.
Then will you follow up later and make sure that dog is still safe?
Do you have time? That's what rescues do, we care what happens to your dog down the road as well as the inital adoption.
There is another page on this site, Page 2
by our Home Page, explaining why rescues exist and why we do what we do for the animals.
10. Please be aware that once a dog is placed in our
rescue you will never see your dog again. You will be asked to sign a waiver to that effect stating the dog will never
go home again.
Once you give us the dog they are no longer yours so please never call
us asking for the dog back.
We are a rescue. In case you do not know what that is we do not store
nor board dogs until your family situation changes nor do we re-train them and give them back to you. Once a dog comes
to this rescue this is a final decision so there is no going back from that. Please do not call or involve us
in your dog's life until after you have asked everyone in your life to take in your dog.
Please do not waste our time until there is no other option for your doggy
then by all means get in touch. Once we start the retraining process then the dog will stay in our rescue until
they are placed in their last home. If you insist on getting your dog back we will just transfer them
to a rescuer on the coast in Portland or Seattle. A rescued dog will stayed a rescued dog once we are involved no matter
how much you insist or threaten to sue us this policy will not change. Thanks.
However, we will give out some free training advice to you and tell folks
to buy Dachshunds for Dummies to help them train, housebreak, make their dog stop killing their
cats or quit biting their children. I will do what I can to help so your dog stays in your home, but once
the dog arrives at our home then they will no longer be your wiener. Please keep that in mind before contacting
us.
Again, do not contact us until you have exhausted
all other options on dog placement as our volunteers are busy taking care of the dogs that we currently have.
Thanks.
11. Here's what we need from you to make this wiener
adoption go easier for us and them later on if you decide to use our rescue:
We request that you provide with this info, but we will still take
your dog even if you give us no information on the dog. But if we do have all or some of these details it makes your
dog more adoptable. We do realize that folks just don't keep good records so the more info you can give us the better
chance we have of finding a forever home for your buddy.
1. Health history from your vet and/or from you.
Please get copies of all their paperwork and send with them. If you
give them shots and do your own worming then please copy it off your calendar on a sheet in legible handwriting with specific
dates and what was done with what brand of wormer and shots. The more details you give us here the better for the healthy
life of your beloved family pet. Most times when the paperwork is not sent when the dog is delivered is is NOT
sent to us later because the dogs seem to be out of sight out of mind so if you love the dog please send their health paperwork
when you give us the dog. Thanks.
2. Do they have stuff?
Their dog toys and/or beds or something familar to make the transition
easier. If they have a favorite blanket, keenel or bed or dishes then by all means please send them too. Would
you move with your favorite things? We would appreciate keeping their collar and leash too. Dogs are always coming
without a collar and a leash so please bring yours for them. Thanks.
Their stuff will go with them to their new home unless their toys were
destroyed. then we have then go with new toys and/or a blankie to make the transition easier with something familiar.
3. All their personality details written down.
We need birthdate of birth, name, age, personality quirks, likes and dislikes,
do they likes cats and kids and any behavioral problems that we need to fix before adoption.
Please be detailed, specific and let us know all the dirt.
We will still take them even if they are a pain in the rear. We
also take in all difficult dogs because even if yours bites. If you tell your local shelter via intake paperwork that
yours has ever bitten anyone then they will be put down right away because the shelter has liability issues and they can not
adopt out an "unsafe dog." They will not even come to our rescue if you give a shelter a "biter." That
dog will be put in quarantine the seond you leave the shelter then slated to be put down at the first possible moment.
FYI.
Our rescue volunteers including us will retrain them for new homes,
but if the dog bites all kids, marks the carpet or kills the neighbor's chickens we need to know that for our safety's sake
please. Might as well tell us as we will find it out by the first few days, but save us some time and finger chomping.
Please be honest because we realize that most folks do not give away perfectly happy and well trained dogs. There is
a reason why you are giving them up to rescue so tell us please as we will just find it out anywise.
We specilaize in re-training the rotten or nasty ones too. We
will keep them as long as needed until they are ready for a new home. We have never put down any dogs since 1991 and
will not start now unless your dog is very dangerous or mentally ill or so untrainable to be a safe pet or if they
have a terminal disease like cancer. Even the mildly mentally ill ones can benefit with professional training by someone
with 36 years in the breed.
FYI, Old dogs over age 10 are NOT usually adoptable to most potential homes.
NO ONE wants to adopt likely vet bills and only have them a few years before they pass away. Please do what is
right by your own dog and KEEP them as you should or put them down as it would be much kinder them passing them around
at that age. We still take them of course, but the kinder thing to do is please put them down if you insist on dumping
an older dog.
FYI, fatally sick dogs will have to be put down by you, not us. If your dog
is very obviously injured or sick then please take them to the vet. We will not take in an obviously sick dog we have
to take immmediately to the vet then have to put down. We are trying to find new homes not infect nor kill the dogs
that we currently have in our rescue. Thanks for that.
We do take in several downed or crippled dogs each year. If your dog is injured
such as a downed dog then we will work with them once you have done their initial X-rays so we know we can repair their injury.
If they have a congenital defect (birth defect such as disintegrating spinal column) and we can not repair their injury then
you will need to care for your dog or put them down which will be kinder then dumping them in a rescue or shelter.
Yes, we do take in several deaf or blind or both dogs each year thanks to thoughtless or uninformed
breeding practices of double dapples or piebalds to other colored dogs to get colored offspring. These
deaf or blind dogs are usually birth defects or massive injuries and yes, we still do take them in, but you will have to help
financially with their care as many stay for months as folks are always looking for perfect dog not those with special needs.
If you did not want to keep your special needs dog then chances are no one else will want them either. Please be aware
of that.
4. Please give us enough of their food for three days.
We can transition them to our feed without any upset tummies. The
change to our new home will be stressful enough without having diaherea too.
5. Can you send us a photo via email? Have a funny photo
of them? It helps to place them in their new home if we have emailed photos showing their personalities. We will
also take photos of them too, but any great shot you have would be greatly appreciated.
6. If you make an appointment to give us your dog and change your mind then please do
us the courtesy of calling to cancel your appointment at the number below. About half the time we agree to take in a
dog folks change their mind and do not bother to call. We would not do that to you and we hope you will not do that
to us either. That is just basic common courtesy. Thanks.
In case of emergency placement
please call 509-796-2140 our home phone and leave us a detailed message on voicemail as we are NEVER near the phone.
Please answer the following: Is the dog spayed or neutered, how old and any issues or why
you are placing them in a rescue? Please leave your name and number as well as the best time to call back. The
rest of the dog's details we can get later on as there is only so much time to leave or listen to a voicemail message.
Thanks.
Dogs are our hobby. The horses is
my business and why I am home to work with our dog rescues. I am outside in the barn most of the day and rarely
near the phone so leave us a message please. I do check email more often than the voice mail so email me a dragoonfr@hotmail.com
My husband works in law enforcement so this dog
rescue is our hobby and one we love helping our community by doing it so please be patient for a return phone call or email.
If you emailed us and did not hear back then
by all means please call. Sometimes the computer dies or emails go astray.
Sincerely,
Margo Mossburg
Director
Dachshund Rescue NW
and Dachshund Club of Spokane
************************
Need to place a dog in your area?
Please read all the following tips on how ti find a rescue near you BEFORE contacting us please.
1. Place a free classified ad on this site (the bottom
of this page is the link) with specifics on your dog. Be detailed and let people know as much as possible about
age, sex, problem = why you are giving them up and will you ship them or prefer to adopt to your area. Do not
forget all the contact info so they can reach you. (Classifed ads are for pet-related items only. All
others will be removed within an hour and the IP banned.)
2. How to find a local rescue in your area and try
to put the dog there. How to find a rescue in your area = call your local shelter and ask them for all area rescue
phone numbers. If your dog does not have behavior problems, then it is very adoptable. Many shelters have
access to rescues who will take the animals in. Walk through a shelter next time you are near one. You will always
notice the big dogs are there and most of the little dogs are not. Try to place your dog with a rescue rather than a
shelter. Rescues do not put dogs down and many shelters have to put down dogs for space reasons.
3. There might not be a wiener rescue near you. But all
breed rescues will still take smaller dogs quicker than large ones because they are easier to place. They also
have waiting lists just like I do of folks wanting specific kinds of dogs. Many recues have a network of foster homes
willing to take the dog until a suitable home is found.
4. Network! Tell your vet, feed store, pet store,
lawn mowers, groomer, grocery checkers, etc., that your dog is available. Any pet-related business will usually post
a flyer for you. Be sure to have a cute shot that is focused and up close. A dog that is twenty feet
away in a corner will not help to "sell" the dog to a new owner.
5. Place an ad in your local paper, but use this as a
last option. Folks looking for puppy mill or scientific experimentation people look for dogs there first. If you
give away the dog keep the papers or get the dog fixed first. Puppy mills are not a good way to go for your beloved
pet. Use this method of placing your dog as a last resort please.
6. Try to see the home your dog is going to. Deliver your
dog rather than letting someone come to your door. If the other animals are abused, too shy, underfed or
sickly, then do not leave your animal with them. If the kids look unfed, chances are so will your dog.
or search www.akc.org and find the Dachshund Club in your area who can put you in touch with the
local Dachshund breed rescuer. Search the internet for "rescue & Dachshund" and add your state or neighboring states.
You can find a lot of help placing dogs in your area. But we
can refer you if you still need help after reading this list. Check our links page on this site for more Dachshund rescue
sites to find some help in your area. It is better to place your dog with a Dachshund rescuer if you can do
it.
8. Be patient and only place your dog with those folks who "feel
right." If you get a bad feeling, then do not leave your dog with them. See how they treat theit animals,
spouses and kids. If the place is a nightmare and all the animals are hungry, then walk away and keep searching for
the right place to put your dog.
9. Please be patient. The goal is to place your
dog in a loving home that is permanent rather than dumping them on someone who will dump them again like used garage sale
furniture when they move or have a life crisis like a divorce, etc. Most rescues will take back a dog they already saved
once and that also is our policy.
We do not want our dogs bounced around and we follow up on them later.
Will you be able to check your pet later after giving it away? So find a rescue as your first choice especially if your
neighbor is not willing to help you out. Most rescues like mine have waiting lists of people wanting dogs and your co-worker
or neighbor will not have your pet's interests first in their life unlike loving and caring rescues. Please take a bit
of time to find a rescue to find a quality, permanent home for your furry kid.
10. Contact us after you have tried all the methods above first
and let us know you have an available dog. We have folks who contact us from all over the country. I do not know
of all shelters in your area, but I might be able to find someone near your state willing to at least contact you about your
dog and help you place them in a suitable home.
These tips should help you especially if you work with a local
rescue just for Dachshunds or your local all-breed rescues.
Good luck in finding a great, forever home
for your dog because they deserve it!
