- What is National Rescue Dog Day?
- Why do shelter dogs need rescuing?
- How does a dog end up in a shelter?
- Debunking Rescue Dog Myths
- Success stories: Transformation through adoption
- Why is rescuing a dog good for you?
- Saving Lives: Rescue one dog, save a lot more
- How to celebrate National Rescue Dog Awareness Day on May 20
- French Bulldog Rescue Organisations & Adoption Tips
National Rescue Dog Day brings awareness to the many rescue dogs that need to find their forever home. You won’t find a more touching story of success than that of a rescue dog. The sheer love and thankfulness they shower their rescuers with will bring tears to anyone’s eyes. A rescue dog knows the hardships of life on the street or in unsuitable conditions. They know they are loved when they find their forever home and in return, they change your life for the better. You will be hard-pressed to find many others in your life who will love you like your rescue dog will.
However, not everyone knows the joys that await when rescuing a dog. To increase awareness and to encourage more people to improve their quality of life with a lifelong friend, we celebrate International Rescue Dog Day, on May 20th!
What is National Rescue Dog Day?
Each year, around 3.1 million dogs enter shelters in the USA alone. There are many ways that dogs end up being homeless and in shelters. From unethical breeding like in the French bulldog breed, to simply being a stray to just losing previous owners due to illness, a variety of reasons can land a dog in a kennel hoping for a forever home.
In 2018 Lisa Wiehebrink, a children’s book author and executive director of Tails That Teach founded National Rescue Dog Day to bring awareness and motivate more owners to adopt their next dog.
Why do shelter dogs need rescuing?
Life in the shelter can be difficult. But above all, it is short. In the USA there are roughly 5000 animal shelters that are operating to shelter those millions of homeless dogs (among other animals) that need it every year. Ideally, each dog will only stay there temporarily until they are adopted or their original owners retrieve them.
However, that isn’t always the case. Often animal shelters are overwhelmingly filled with amazing dogs that need their help. So much so that room must be made for new arrivals. When that need becomes impossible to ignore, shelter workers are forced to choose the oldest and sickest dogs (and cats or other animals) to euthanize them.
How long a dog can stay in a shelter varies according to legislation from state to state and even from country to country, but the fact remains that there is a time limit. All of those dogs are living on borrowed time.
Approximately 400,000 to almost 1 million dogs are euthanized annually according to the ASPCA. And though that seems a huge number, it has actually declined from previous years when more than double that amount was the norm.
This decline is thanks to adoptions! More and more prospective dog owners choose to adopt a stray, thus saving their lives. That’s why National Rescue Dog Day is so important to bring awareness about the number of dogs in shelters and encourage people to adopt a dog rather than buy a puppy. When you adopt one of the many dogs from a shelter to be a part of your family you are saving lives and giving a dog a second chance at a truly happy life.
How does a dog end up in a shelter?
Dogs end up in shelters because they were either found roaming the streets or because they were surrendered there by their owners.
Many of the dogs roaming the streets aren’t actually strays but dogs that have escaped from their homes or have lost their way. Without a microchip, it can be hard for owners to reunite with their lost dogs which end up in shelters.
Another reason for a dog to end up in a shelter is to be surrendered there willingly by their owners. That doesn’t happen because the owner doesn’t love their dog. It can be any range of reasons, from financial difficulties to having to move to an illness, making the owner unable to care for the dog properly anymore.
There are also those surrenders that happen because there are behavioral issues the owner can’t handle with their dog. That often happens not because the dogs are at fault but because there is a mismatch between the breed and the owner: when people get a breed without knowing the breed’s needs, it often leads to the dog acting out when the lifestyle is inappropriate for it.
Lastly, there are dogs that end up in shelters from illegal puppy mills or when they have been seized from abusive homes.
The truth is that all dogs can be the perfect companion to the owner who is a good match for them, knows how to properly train them, and is aware of their breed’s temperament and needs. So, before you decide what dog you like, make sure you’re educated in their breed!
Debunking Rescue Dog Myths
People looking for their forever family pets may feel unsure about adopting a rescue dog due to a number of common myths about them. Let’s debunk them today!
Shelter dogs all have behavioral problems
As already described, there are very few dogs that end up in the shelter due to behavioral issues, and even then, it’s often not an issue with the dog but with the previous owner.
When you go to a shelter, you may notice dogs (and cats) being nervous, scared, or huddled in a corner. That is completely normal! The shelter is a new, unfamiliar environment with a lot of other animals housed in close proximity with each other. It’s only natural that a lot of dogs react with caution, fear, or even defensiveness while they adjust, especially when they are new arrivals.
You can’t find purebreds in shelters
They may require a bit more research, but you absolutely can find purebred puppies and dogs in shelters. In fact, around 25-30% of dogs in the shelter are purebred. All you need to do is look for them.
You don’t know what you’re getting with a rescue dog
Lack of papers or pedigree might make prospective owners nervous that they don’t know what they are getting into with a rescue dog. However, that’s not true. According to the SPCA, rescue dogs are more likely to come to you healthy and well-behaved. That’s because they receive training while they are in the shelter while they also have all their health needs met.
What a pedigree tells you is how a dog is supposed to look and what requirements its breed has when it comes to daily needs (exercise, grooming, etc) and health needs (usual breed health risks, etc). The shelter will be able to tell you as much, even if your dog is a mix. As for their health going forward, research has shown that mixed breeds are at lower risk for genetic diseases, but have no difference in health risks for other ones common in dogs in general. Beyond that, you know as much about your rescue’s future as you would buying a puppy from a breeder.
Rescue dogs can’t bond as well with new owners
Most vets and dog experts will categorically say that dogs are very resilient and very forgiving. If they are shown love and acceptance, they are highly likely to form a strong bond with new owners as they had with previous ones.
Or, in the case of abused dogs, once they trust that they are safe and loved, they will form a powerful bond with their owners, forgetting the hardships of the past.
Older rescue dogs can’t be trained
Every dog can be trained at any age. In fact, vets argue that older dogs are easier to train than puppies because they have a longer attention span and full bodily faculties! However, if you are worried you won’t be able to train an adult dog, you can easily adopt a puppy from the shelter. There are many!
Success stories: Transformation through adoption
Being a French bulldog mom myself, I wanted to highlight some success stories of Frenchie rescues! All of the following stories are of shelter dogs that are purebred Frenchies:
Tugboats Story
A Forever Home for Ivy
Ivy is a six-year-old French bulldog that was a puppy mill surrendered at the Chicago French Bulldog rescue. When her owners first got her she was timid and didn’t like to be touched or held. However, when Ivy saw her owners petting their other dog, she quickly began to seek the same attention, warming up to her new family. From shy and reserved she quickly became alert and effusive in her love of her new owners, seeking belly rubs and following them around everywhere. Her owners are thankful she has made their lives better by just being a furry love bug.
Penelopes rescue
Peggy’s amazing transformation
Another amazing transformation is Peggy, a Frenchie that arrived at that same shelter in terrible shape. She was emaciated and with severe breathing issues. The shelter workers took care of her, bringing her weight up to healthy levels and treating her breathing issues. Peggy was transformed from a depressed, reserved dog to a happy, loving, playful one who loves to be with people and other animals.
Minnie’s Tough Story
Olive’s Happily Ever After
Olive was surrendered to the Socal French Bulldog Rescue after her owner couldn’t afford her necessary surgeries. The shelter workers found her a good foster home for Olive to have her essential surgery and nursed her back to health. Afterward, Olive was adopted by her mom and is currently living her best life in Wisconsin!
Why is rescuing a dog good for you?
Getting a dog is a commitment, both financially and emotionally. So why is that worth it?
You will live longer
Studies have shown that dog owners are likely to recover better from serious illness and live better lives with lower stress. You are less likely to get a heart attack or a stroke if you are a dog owner. If you do get either, you are likely to recover faster and better than people who don’t own a dog.
You will feel better
When you own a dog you get a faithful friend that unconditionally loves you and looks up to you. Those same studies found that dogs can boost your production of “happy hormones” such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine.
That means that just being around you, your dog will make you feel happier, more content, and generally better. Your dog will also boost your tendency to be more social and meet more people. It’s not a coincidence that dog owners report lower rates of anxiety and depression!
Saving Lives: Rescue one dog, save a lot more
By adopting a dog from a shelter, you are already saving a life by giving that dog a second chance at a happy life in a forever home. But that doesn’t stop there.
By taking your rescue dog home, you make it possible for another stray dog to find shelter and help in its place. By gaining a new best friend you have immediately freed up resources and space for more dogs to be rescued! And while that is happening, you are also helping your community lower the amount of stray dogs in the streets.
Lastly, by choosing to adopt from shelters you are helping fight unethical breeding and puppy mills. Dogs or puppies you find at pet shops are almost always sourced from unethical breeders and puppy mills that exhaust mother dogs in horrible conditions. By reducing demand for such dogs, you are discouraging the practice and helping curb this cruel practice.
How to celebrate National Rescue Dog Awareness Day on May 20
Create awareness
The best thing to do is to educate people as much and as thoroughly as possible about dog rescue. Help debunk those myths, share adoption stories, and talk about dog rescue and its benefits on social media. All of these things can help people consider adopting a dog when they otherwise wouldn’t have!
Volunteer
The work of shelters never ends. There’s a constant need for resources and people to support them so that dogs can get the care they need and a chance at a new, happy life. So, to celebrate National Rescue Dog Day, how about volunteering at your local dog shelter?
Maybe participate in any events taking place and spread awareness of what your local shelter does to your community.
Another way to volunteer is to foster rescue dogs. Shelters always need more room and more caring people to temporarily host rescue dogs until they find their forever home. If you have the capacity and the time, fostering can be an incredibly rewarding experience without making the commitment of adopting.
Advocate with your wallet
Money talks, so use it!
Consider donating to your local animal shelters to help them provide more for their rescues. Do your research and find businesses that support shelters and other animal rescue initiatives and support them by buying their products or services.
Adopt a rescue dog!
If you are ready to invite a dog into your life, consider choosing to adopt a rescue dog. Do your research and find the animal shelter that best fits what you are looking for (especially if you are looking for a purebred dog). Visit the shelter and invest time to interact and play with the dogs to see if any of them steal your heart!
If so, then take the plunge and get a new best, loyal, true friend today. The best way to celebrate National Rescue Dog Day!
French Bulldog Rescue Organisations & Adoption Tips
Our top French Bulldog rescues, are dedicated to the well-being of French Bulldogs and can be excellent resources for adoption, fostering, or volunteering opportunities.
French Bulldog Rescue Network (FBRN)
Rockaway, NJ
Dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming French Bulldogs from various situations, including commercial breeding kennels and public shelters.
French Bulldog Rescue Network
SNORT Rescue
Northeastern US
An all-volunteer nonprofit focusing on rescuing brachycephalic breeds like French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, English Bulldogs, and Pugs.
If you are seriously thinking of rescuing a Frenchie be sure to download our Top Ten Tips on Rescuing a French Bulldog before you do.
