How do I become a dog/cat/animal recue in the state of Michigan?
2006-11-16 15:52:44 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
I already help a nearby rescue but would like to open my own rescue.
2006-11-16 17:04:01 · update #1
If you already help a nearby rescue, that may be the easiest thing to stick with. We have a nonprofit shelter for old animals, and the IRS paperwork can be a nightmare, if you do it correctly (and believe me, you'd better.). You are also required to have a board that votes, and if you sell the place later, have to deduct the cost of whatever outbuildings and sheds you constructed for the animals...
And then there's the hassle of soliciting free food from stores that can no longer afford to be generous "thanks" to non-nonprofits who sued the store when they found a bug in the free food....
Are you also organized and healthy enough to have fund-raisers and benefits? Can you pack up 20 animals and haul them to PetSmart every single weekend and sit there all day and hope that one gets adopted? Is that how you want to spend your weekends?
Are you going to specialize or do you plan to pick up every animal you see by the road? What do you do with all the unwanted puppies? There will be hundreds. Can you feed them all? Will you wind up sharing your house with them? Can you deal with a house that smells like pee? Instead, do you have the funds or means to have outdoor shelters built that are weather-proof and comfortable?
Where do you draw the line with the animals you will or won't take? Do you know your own limitations? Can you do the right thing for the animal when it comes time? If you're soft-hearted, you will never make it. Those people usually become hoarders, keeping diseased, dangerous or animals in extreme pain, until they are overwhelmed and wind up on the 6 o'clock news.
Do you have any medical experience? Do you have a vet that will work with you on cost or do you have an inheritance to pay for spaying and neutering the hundreds of pets that you will have?
Do you have friends that will volunteer to clean kennels, spend time with traumatized animals, go pick up free food for you in another county...
Do you ever plan to take another vacation? Who's going to take care of all those animals while you're gone?
Are you in an area where your neighbors won't complain about the howling or barking? Are you zoned for it? Could you lose your insurance over it? .
This is NOT an easy way to live, and thanks to backyard breeders and other irresponsible people, the overpopulation problem is becoming epidemic. Can you draw the line? Can you say no? Can you control your temper when some idiot tells you they have "purebred" puppies for sale with no papers for only $300.00 each, when you just took in a litter of mixed breeds no one is going to want?
Please consider very carefully if you can handle the ongoing heartache and paperwork involved in this if you want to make it official. Otherwise, remain a volunteer. Good people are in short supply, and you could help a great deal doing that.
2006-11-16 17:43:52 · answer #1 · answered by Charlotte M 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
First contact Rescues already serving your area. Volunteer with these organizations: foster, transport, hold fundraisers, groom/bathe animals, retrieve animals from shelters, talk with owners about turn-ins, do homechecks on potential adopters, etc.
Discover if this type of work is what you really want to spend your time and money on. Then, after you have worked with an organization or three for some years, you will know how to start your own group.
2006-11-16 16:06:46 · answer #2 · answered by Lori R 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Here is a list of rescues in Michigan you can join. They are always looking for volunteers especially those who can foster some of the dogs in their homes. http://www.k9calendars.com/rescue/michigan.php
2006-11-16 16:05:09 · answer #3 · answered by ojmoo 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you want to help a specific breed then go online and search your breed and city and rescue. Contact the group to see what you need to do.
If you want to help all breeds, contact a local dog rescue. You will most likely need to fill out paperwork, have a home interview and go from there.
Good luck!
2006-11-16 15:58:34 · answer #4 · answered by dog's best friend 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Start by volunteering there. What is your degree? What is your background?
You can't just dive into a job like this. You can volunteer there are go from there.
2006-11-16 15:57:37 · answer #5 · answered by FaZizzle 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you have to ASK...& especially HERE...you are ***NOT*** capable!!!!
Grow up first.
2006-11-16 23:39:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋