How We Work
We thank you for your interest in adopting a rescue animal.
The following section will provide you with more information on how CHR
addresses three fundamental areas of care we provide to
each rescue dog---Medical-Nutrition-Behavior.
Our rescue focuses on rehabilitating the rescue dog and
understanding their medical, nutritional and emotional needs. By doing this,
we see the rescue dogs transition into their new home seamlessly
and our adopters have a full understanding of the newly adopted
dog's needs. This reduces the return rate and also establishes a
stronger bond between the adopter and their new dog. It's a win-win situation for the dog
and adopter. Every dog that CHR rescues is treated like they are the only dog in the
rescue
Medical
Medical care matters! It matters to the dog, our rescue and our treasured adopters!
At intake, every CHR dog receives medical attention from our partner vets. Vaccinations are updated if needed,
heartworm testing is performed, and additional testing for dogs over 8 years old like blood chemistries and urinalysis
help us to understand the complete health profile of every new intake.
Additional medical attention may be needed with:
The EYES!
Many of the breeds CHR rescues have big bubble eyes and with the eyes being bigger, they get into more
trouble. We often see dogs come in with untreated dry eye, ulcers, eye infections and other eye conditions.
Our vets often perform a tear test, smear test and glaucoma test on many of the dogs we rescue. Medications
are prescribed regularly to treat the rescue dog's eyes.
Here is more information on the three most important eye
The TEETH!
An estimated 70% of American dogs have some sort of dental disease and BOY DO WE SEE IT on a regular basis. Providing dental care to our rescue dogs is a critical part of our preventative regimen. It's an expensive add-on but we do not want to see our rescue dogs going into new homes with bad teeth. We just couldn't sleep at night knowing that there is the remote possibility that one of our dogs is suffering from a toothache.
Nutrition
Proper canine nutrition is a foundation to our dogs health as well as a fundamental tool CHR uses in it's
behavior modification program. Quite often, many of the rescue dogs we take in suffer from skin infections,
ear infections and numerous food and environmental allergies. Taking a proactive approach towards canine
health sets up our rescue dogs for success. Holistic supplements,fish oils, home cooked diet, raw diets, added
vitamin and special shampoos is just some of the examples of how our rescue approaches each rescue dog's
needs.
The results are no less than phenomenal in the way our rescue dogs look and feel. The proof is in the
pictures. By providing healthy additions to our rescue dog's nutritional needs, we can guarantee our rescue
dogs transition into new homes at an optimal state of health.
Canine Behavior
Next on the road to recovery......Canine Behavior. Adopting a new dog is an exciting
adventure for every person looking to add a furry friend to their family. We look at the pictures of all
the dogs needing homes and then that one picture draws us in and WAM! that's the pup that
grabs our heartstrings. Without any hesitation, we bring the dog home and
present our new pooch with toys, treats, and a new bed. But what often is
overlooked is the hidden baggage that a new rescue dog comes with. What if they roll on into
our homes with problem behaviors, then what?
That's the unfortunate situation many new dog owners find
themselves in when adopting a new dog with an unknown history. And worse, many new owners
feel guilty at the thought of returning the dog to the shelter or rescue where they adopted the
dog from because they just don't want to put the dog back into a situation where they are
once again homeless. Sadly, more often than not, dogs adopted with
behavioral problems are returned to shelters or rescues and the result is sad for everyone.
CHR has made it part of our mission to try to understand the behavioral needs of our rescue
dogs because it matters to us just as much as providing medical care. Every foster parent is
provided with behavioral support to help their foster dog tackle even the most challenging
problems. More involved cases may need pharmaceuticals or holistic supplements to help our foster dogs lead a more balanced life while they relax in their foster homes. A foster parent questionnaire is provided to every foster parent to help our Adoption Team understand the emotional needs of the rescue dog.
Providing behavioral support to foster parents helps the foster parent care for the rescue dog in the best
way possible to produce a more balanced dog who emotionally transitions more easily into a new home. It also allows a more detailed behavioral analysis so our adoption team can pass the behavioral information directly onto the applicant and adopter.