One Starfish Rehoming Connections
Our Featured Pet...
Pandora-
Two months ago, we took little Pandora into our rescue program because she had a congenital heart defect. The shelter considered her "unadoptable" and no other rescue could be found who was willing to commit to the surgery she needed. Fortunately, over the past several weeks, many generous people donated to Pandora's Fund, and we are happy to report that Pandora has just had her surgery done (at the UW Vet School in Madison, Wi) and she is now perfectly healthy. She is a sweet, happy, loving puppy--normal, (full of mischief!)....and she's now available for adoption! Pandora has a very outgoing personality and she enjoys playing with other dogs. Pandora is about 5 months old and she presently weighs 15 lbs. We think she is a Sheltie/Cocker Spaniel mix, and will eventually grow to weigh about 25 or 30 lbs.--just the perfect size! She is very smart and is doing well on perfecting her housebreaking skills, but--as with any puppy--she needs to be taken out frequently so that she won't have accidents in the house. Pandora plays well with children, but--if adopted by a family with children--interactions would need to be supervised so that the children didn't inadvertently injure her. We don't want Pandora to be a "latchkey" dog, so an adopter who works part time, is retired, or works out of his/her home would be ideal for her. Pandora also would very much enjoy a safely fenced yard to play in (please, no invisible fencing) and another gentle dog to play with. Pandora will be spayed prior to adoption, and she has been microchipped, she is up to date on immunizations and she is on heartworm preventative. Although Pandora will need a final cardiac ultrasound re-check in about three months (which our rescue group will pay for) she is basically ready to go to her new home at this time. We have invested over $3000 in making Pandora a healthy puppy, but her adoption fee is only $350. If you are interested in possibly adopting Pandora, please write to us (our e-mail address is: frostwoods@powerweb.net) telling us a little about yourself, your daily schedule, lifestyle, family situation, if you have a fenced yard and/or other pets, etc. Then, if we feel Pandora would be a good fit for you--and that you might be the right adopter for her--we will e-mail you an adoption application. (Please remember, we do not want Pandora to be a latchkey dog, and we want her to be adopted by someone who has a safely fenced yard for her to play in.)
If you aren't in a position to adopt Pandora--but would be willing to help us with the balance we owe the Vet School--below are a couple of ways you could assist us in our rescue work:
1) Mail your donation check to:
One Starfish, Box 404, Columbus Wi 53925
2) Send a check--or call in a charge card donation--to our veterinary clinic:
Columbus Countryside Veterinary Clinic
N4359 Temkin Rd.
Columbus, Wi. 53925
(920) 623-3366
Thank you so much!
"We can do no great things.
We can only do small things with great love."
Mother Teresa
Who We Are
While our rescue group does usually have a few dogs available for adoption, our main goal is to provide assistance to folks needing help in finding the right dog to adopt. The rescue world is virtually inaccessible to potential adopters who don't have access to a computer and/or are not computer savvy. Even for those who do find their way to Petfinder, dealing with rescues and various shelters can be very confusing and intimidating. Folks who don't understand the basic operational differences between shelters and rescues may not have any idea what questions to ask or what to expect when contacting a rescue and, consequently, they can easily become discouraged in their search.
We assist potential adopters by helping them understand how rescues work, what to expect in dealing with rescue groups, and the advantages and disadvantages of working with a rescue vs. a shelter. By networking with other rescues and shelters, we try to help potential adopters find the best pet for their situation and lifestyle. And, for those who don't have access to a computer, we will surf the net for them and then provide them with various leads to follow up on.
We also offer suggestions on a number of dog-related subjects, from tips on safely re-homing an animal to advice regarding which dog breed (or breed mixes) might be best for an individual's unique living and family situation.
At any given time, our own rescue has a very limited number of available dogs. However, if the animals we presently have available in our foster program don't meet someone's particular needs (or, vice versa) we offer assistance in their search for the perfect dog. Each year millions of dogs must be euthanized in shelters nationwide for the simple reason that there are more dogs bred than there are loving, adoptive homes. Puppy mills, pet shops, and casual breeders--those whose primary goal is making money by selling dogs--are the main reason for this heartbreaking statistic. By helping folks find the right dog to adopt from a rescue or shelter, we are doing our part to save these precious lives, one dog at a time....PLEASE CLICK ON THE GREEN ARROW BELOW TO WATCH A 5 MINUTE VIDEO THAT WE MADE RECENTLY. (BE SURE YOU HAVE THE VOLUME TURNED UP, SO YOU CAN HEAR THE MUSIC.) WE HOPE YOU APPRECIATE THIS ARTISTIC EFFORT THAT WE HAVE MADE ON BEHALF OF ALL THE HOMELESS ANIMALS, AND WE ASK THAT YOU SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FELLOW ANIMAL LOVERS.
What's New
Did you know that potential adopters frequently overlook black dogs in shelters, in favor of the lighter colored "more visible" dogs? These black beauties--through no fault of their own--are often the last to be adopted-- but the first to be euthanized. We want to help these forgotten black beauties be more "eye catching", to give them an equal chance of being noticed and--hopefully--adopted. With this in mind, we are excited to share with you an idea for a new project that we have just undertaken. We are making--and offering at no cost to shelters--colorful bandanas for the black shelter dogs to wear, specifically for their Petfinder or shelter website photos. This one picture often can make the difference betwen life and death for a dog. We are hoping that a simple bright-colored bandana (which can easily be slipped on prior to taking the photo) will make the black dogs more "visible" to potential adopters.
If you think this is a worthy project, there are many different ways you can help, including sewing bandanas for us and/or making a monetary donation (to cover the cost of the fabric, and then to pay for the postage needed to mail our bandanas to various shelters). This Black Beauty Bandana Project is totally funded by donations (of time and money) from generous people like you, so the more assistance we receive, the more shelter dogs we can save. If you would like to help us out, please e-mail us at: frostwoods@powerweb.net for more information.
Adopting a friend
Call us overly protective "mother hens", but we are looking for a few near-perfect adoptive homes for our foster dogs. Because all dogs are basically "pack" animals who enjoy spending time with their owner(s)--and because many of our available dogs have a previous history of neglect and/or abuse--we want them to enjoy a lot of quality time with their owners. (In other words, we prefer that they not be "latch key" dogs.) We also prefer that the adoptive family/couple/individual have no young children because most of our dogs are quite small and could easily be inadvertently injured or frightened by a youngster. Finally, we would like our dogs to be adopted by folks who own their own home and have a fenced-in yard.
Are we being overly fussy? Perhaps.... But our foster dogs are like our children, and we are willing to wait until what we believe to be the perfect home comes along! If you feel you would qualify to adopt one of our little ones, please e-mail us for an adoption application. (There is, of course, no implied obligation in filling one out.)
Prior to adoption, we ask for (and check) references as well as set up a time to visit the potential adopter in his/her own home to discuss the particular dog being considered. Our adoption fees vary somewhat, depending on our out-of-pocket expenses incurred in preparing each animal for adoption. All of our dogs are spayed/ neutered, microchipped, wormed, tested for heartworms, and immunized for rabies, distemper, and bordatella, and our fees normally range between $200 and $250.
We might not have the perfect dog that you are looking for in our own rescue program. But, once we have a better idea of your life situation and what kind of a dog you wish to adopt, we would be happy to help connect you with various shelters and other rescues (each of which has somewhat different adoption standards and requirements).
Many shelters either don't yet have a Petfinder link or aren't able to keep their postings updated on a daily basis, but we can help you connect with these shelters to determine what dogs they currently have available for adoption.
We hope you will give us the opportunity to help you untangle the "web" of various adoption options and to make the necessary connections. We offer this supportive service at no charge to you, and we receive no "incentives" from any shelter or rescue. What we do, we do for the animals, and because we enjoy working with folks in their search to adopt a dog that will fit their individual needs and lifestyle.
Puppy mills, pet stores, and backyard breeders--along with unsterilized pets--are the cause of the pet overpopulation problem. Light one candle of hope for these homeless animals by adopting a rescue or shelter dog, and be sure to spay/neuter ALL of your animals!
One Starfish Rehoming Connections
P.O. Box 404
Columbus, Wi. 53925
Email:
frostwoods@powerweb.net
Click here for a list of pets at this shelter
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