Dalmatian Rescue’s Care for Life (CFL) program came about as a natural offshoot of our no-kill shelter policy.
- Our goal is to provide optimum care.
- We always have a shortage of Care for Life Homes.
- We first concentrate on the needs of Dalmatian and Dalmatian mix-breeds in kill shelters, lost not claimed, and Dals running on the streets.
We define our program to address the needs of Dalmatians and Dalmatian mixed-breeds that are found to be unsuitable for adoption. Unsuitability might arise from a chronic medical condition and or behavioral problems. Our extensive evaluation may include but is not limited to the advice of a trusted veterinarian, foster home reports, and hands-on experience with the rescue in question. Our director uses this information to decide if the Dal is suitable for adoption. Once in the program, the Dal\Dal-Mix is provided with supportive care and maintenance for life. This support includes medication, food, supplements, vet care, and creature comforts at no expense to the companion home.
Several of our current residents are owner surrenders due to behavioral concerns such as aggression and biting. Once a Dal has a “bite record,” we consider them a CFL pet as Dal Rescue cannot run the risk of liability by rehoming them.
Often it’s the senior Dals or those with medical issues that get abandoned and become absorbed in our CFL program.
What are some of the reasons these Dals come to us?
The owner passed away, family divorce, new baby, moving.
Although our CFL program sounds appealing and maybe the answer to some situations, it is a financial drain on our budget. We counsel those that may have options to keep their pets. These scenarios might include but are not limited to the following examples.
- Another family member to help while resolving issues.
- Short term boarding of the pet may help the situation.
- Vetting for underlying conditions causing the problem.
- Hiring a trainer to work through the behavior concerns before giving up.
We always encourage those who do surrender their pet to our CFL program to negotiate monetary sponsorship. These funds are sent to our organization on an ongoing monthly basis to help us offset the expenses for the pet’s lifetime of care.