[Purple]

Purebred dog rescue casts safety net

By Deborah Wood
The Oregonian

PORTLAND, Ore. — Across the country, dog lovers who are dedicated to their particular favorite breed provide networks of rescue, foster care and adoption. It's a loose system that provides an important safety net for dogs and can be a wonderful place to find a new pet.

And it can take its toll on the rescuers.

Go to Jenell Rangan's Portland, Ore., townhouse, and it's clear she loves dachshunds. There are dachshund paintings on the wall and an antique sign for a long-ago dachshund kennel. Rangan is the president of Oregon Dachshund Rescue, and her house provides a temporary home to an assortment of rescue dogs.

"I take the deaf, the blind, the disabled. I have never said 'no' to any dog," Rangan said. She's taken in rescue dachshunds for about 25 years, but lately she's been feeling overwhelmed. "I used to get one to five dachshunds a month. Now, it's not unusual to get in one to three a day," she said. In the past 18 months, she's placed 560 dachshunds in new homes.

She blames the growing numbers on people breeding the dogs for profit — but not warning people of what life with a dachshund is like. "They're inquisitive. They're hunters. They're feisty little guys. People take them because they are so cute," she said.

But each breed has its own set of problems. Dachshunds tend to have a mind of their own, and it's not unusual for a rescue dog to be looking for a home because it nipped at a child.

Purebred rescue takes some of the pressure off shelters that have high euthanasia rates. It also can be an important resource for shelters that have high adoption rates but a dog with behavior problems.

Because purebred-rescue groups have a network of experienced dog lovers who open their homes to their breed, it gives the dogs a chance to get over issues from separation anxiety to nuisance barking.

Purebred rescue will also often step in to save a dog with expensive medical problems.

While most veterinarians give discounts to the nonprofit purebred-rescue groups, the costs still add up. Even young, healthy dogs usually need to be spayed or neutered. Many need vaccines. Then there are special medical needs of a handful of them that can add up to big bucks. Oregon Dachshund Rescue, for example, has veterinary bills of about $1,000 to $3,000 a month.

There is no central directory of all purebred-rescue groups. Still, a quick Internet search will lead you to them. Here are the places to start:

To find local dogs, go to Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue: www.spdrdogs.org.

Go to www.petfinder.com and type in the breed that interests you. The site will direct you to adoptable dogs at shelters and in rescue groups.

Go to the American Kennel Club Web site (www.akc.org) and click on "Breeds." On the left side of the page under "Breed Contacts" is "Breed Rescue." It will direct you to one or more rescue groups for almost every AKC breed.

Many animal shelters also have information on purebred-rescue groups that work with them.

Once you find a group, expect to be questioned and examined, and have your background probed. Volunteers spend their time, and usually a chunk of their personal income, caring for animals that someone has abandoned. They don't want those dogs to be abandoned again.

Rescue groups will typically have potential adopters fill out a questionnaire about their homes and lifestyles. Many require a fenced yard. Most will do a home visit to make sure it's a good place for a dog. Some may not send a dog to families with children or to people who work outside the home full time.

Adoption fees vary by group, and often by the age and health of the dog. Most adoption fees are about $200, but may be as low as $100 or as high as about $450.

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