FAQ
Who does CB Rescue Foundation Help?
The short answer is - any dog we are able to. Whether that means providing help to others such as the Siksika Nation's dog feeding program, or taking in stray dogs, owner surrenders, and at-risk dogs from high-kill shelters ourselves to get them vet care and find a perfect home.
CB Rescue Foundation is based in Calgary, and we have helped many dogs in our region. With the help of our flight angels, and partnerships with other rescues and organizations, we also branch out to areas around the world that have much lower adoption rates and chance of success. Many of our animals come from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Helping those dogs means there is more space to take in additional dogs, spay/neuter and vaccinate them, and help reduce overpopulation one step at a time.
We do our best to find homes for each and every dog that comes to our rescue. At times we rescue senior dogs that need a lot of attention and medical care, in which case we keep them as hospice dogs and continue taking care of them in any way we can.
CB Rescue Foundation is based in Calgary, and we have helped many dogs in our region. With the help of our flight angels, and partnerships with other rescues and organizations, we also branch out to areas around the world that have much lower adoption rates and chance of success. Many of our animals come from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Helping those dogs means there is more space to take in additional dogs, spay/neuter and vaccinate them, and help reduce overpopulation one step at a time.
We do our best to find homes for each and every dog that comes to our rescue. At times we rescue senior dogs that need a lot of attention and medical care, in which case we keep them as hospice dogs and continue taking care of them in any way we can.
How does CB Rescue Foundation use your donations?
First, we would like to thank you for your donating - those who donate money, items, and their time to our cause have allowed us to help and continue helping hundreds of dogs.
There are a lot of costs associated with running a rescue, many of which we will not discuss in this section. The costs outlined below for a single dog are approximate, and can vary greatly from dog to dog depending on where they came from and how they lived.
Rescue & Boarding ($50-300+)
General Necessities ($80-300)
Some of our other costs include providing items and food for stray and shelter animals at the Siksika nation, aiding our partner rescue Collares Rojos in the Dominican Republic, supporting families in need through our temporary foster outreach program, and more!
There are a lot of costs associated with running a rescue, many of which we will not discuss in this section. The costs outlined below for a single dog are approximate, and can vary greatly from dog to dog depending on where they came from and how they lived.
Rescue & Boarding ($50-300+)
- For cases where the dog is at high-risk in a kill shelter, we pull them out of the shelter and pay the adoption fee and find boarding until a flight companion is found.
- Flying dogs is cheapest on a direct flight with a flight companion, but fees have gone up significantly in the last couple of years.
- All of our dogs are spayed or neutered before they can be adopted
- All of our dogs receive the necessary vaccines and preventative medication before they can be adopted
- We require all of our dogs to be microchipped
- Because we want to give a chance to dogs that are often overlooked, neglected or abandoned, they frequently require vital medical treatment. A large part of our funds goes towards vet bills, and it is usually where we need the most financial help.
General Necessities ($80-300)
- This includes leashes, collars, dog beds, crates, poop bags, food bowls, toys, and other items.
Some of our other costs include providing items and food for stray and shelter animals at the Siksika nation, aiding our partner rescue Collares Rojos in the Dominican Republic, supporting families in need through our temporary foster outreach program, and more!
What makes a good dog rescue? What are things to look for and look out for?
We’ve been running a rescue for a few years now and we’re always looking for ways to improve. We learn from our mistakes (yes, there have been a few!) as well as those we see from other rescue groups. We LOVE all of our dogs and want to see our rescues as well as our adoptive families succeed and prosper together.
First things first...
Rescues in Canada are not governed by an organization. This means there is no set of rules or regulations for rescues to follow. It also means when dealing with a rescue they can do what they want, whether they have the dog’s best interest at heart or not. This can be a slippery slope, especially for prospective adopters wanting to adopt a dog.
I am hoping this post will help the public determine what makes a reputable rescue and who they should support, and possibly adopt from.
The most important thing to look for when a dog comes into a particular rescue, is what policies are in place to protect the dog? Look for the following criteria, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Health & Wellness: When a dog enters a rescue, every dog should come with a health certificate or a “Health and Wellness” check-up from a vet that the rescue works with. The rescue should have all medical documentation for the dog, and have it available to fosters or potential adopters. Documentation should include the following:
The family has the right to verify the health of the dog. If there are no medical records given, this is a BIG RED FLAG!
While no rescue can guarantee the health of the dog, and circumstances are sometimes out of their hands, they need to have policies in place so that every dog adopted is deemed healthy by a vet or that the adoptive family is fully aware of ANY known medical concerns.
Intake: Dogs should be in the care of the rescue for a determined time period to assess the dog for any behavioural issues. If behaviours are noted, a trainer should be working with the dog to correct the unwanted behaviour. Dogs also need time to decompress. For example, they should not be brought to adoption events right after coming into the care of the rescue.
Fostering: While in the care of a foster family, ensure that the rescue has open communication with the family to assess the progress of the dog. For example, the rescue might have the family fill out a foster report card on the dog so potential families and the rescue itself, can place the dog in a home that will be the best fit. The report card would potentially indicate things like house training, resource guarding, interaction with humans and other pets. The rescue has 100% of the responsibility of the dog in care with regards to vetting, training, food and any other items the dogs need.
Adoption Process: At CB Rescue, we conduct an interview, an application form, a home check and a meet and greet. Multiple families are interviewed as we look for the BEST home, not just any home. We also do a 7-day trial period. This is for the family to see whether or not they can work with the dog. There are times when the family may not see the whole personality of the dog, as they need to be comfortable. This may take more than 7 days to happen. Also, in the 7-day trial, we can send a trainer if need be over to the family with any issues that may arise.
Return Policy: If the situation occurs where a dog after adoption does not work out with the family, does the rescue mandate that the dog be returned to their care? No exceptions. Ask the rescue about the number of dogs they have adopted out and what their return rate is. If a rescue has a dog that is being returned over and over again, that is a major problem. The rescue needs to address that situation with a behaviourist. It is not fair to any dog or family to be put in that situation!
CB Rescue Foundation currently has a return rate of less then 1%. We are very proud of this, for it reflects our diligence and standards.
Success of the Dog: Every rescue should be proactive and not reactive when it comes to the dog. They should be doing everything in their power to ensure that each dog is vetted and trained to the highest standard. This means temperament tested by a qualified behaviourist.
Rescues should take on dogs that they can set up to succeed. This means having screened fosters ready to go, funds to cover vet costs, or training that they may need. To us, quality is more important than quantity. CB works hard to ensure that each dog succeeds and is NOT set up to fail!
Rescue Collaboration: Does the rescue work with other reputable rescues? Rescues that are reputable and responsible usually attract "like" rescues. They work together for the greater good of the dog. This means sharing resources, knowledge, information, and even donations.
Is the rescue run like a business or a TRUE non-profit: We have found that in our experience, a rescue that operates as a business is usually very different to a 100% volunteer based rescue. The motive behind why they are running the rescue will for the most part dictate how the rescue is run. Rescues that have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
Rescue Expectations: Understand that rescues will make mistakes. They may be overrun due to low resources, lack of funding, time or volunteers. Some of these rescues run solely on volunteers who have full-time jobs like CB Rescue Foundation.
When a rescue follows their outlined policies and procedures, it leads to a more organized system, and the dog will be better set up for success, not failure. Don’t be afraid to ask the rescue questions! Get references from other families who have adopted from the rescue.
If you do not do your due diligence, adopting a dog can be a very frustrating and negative experience. So let's all do our best to make it a happy and wonderful experience instead!
First things first...
Rescues in Canada are not governed by an organization. This means there is no set of rules or regulations for rescues to follow. It also means when dealing with a rescue they can do what they want, whether they have the dog’s best interest at heart or not. This can be a slippery slope, especially for prospective adopters wanting to adopt a dog.
I am hoping this post will help the public determine what makes a reputable rescue and who they should support, and possibly adopt from.
The most important thing to look for when a dog comes into a particular rescue, is what policies are in place to protect the dog? Look for the following criteria, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Health & Wellness: When a dog enters a rescue, every dog should come with a health certificate or a “Health and Wellness” check-up from a vet that the rescue works with. The rescue should have all medical documentation for the dog, and have it available to fosters or potential adopters. Documentation should include the following:
- Up-to-date vaccinations
- Rabies certificate
- Date of Spay/Neuter or a Spay & Neuter Certificate. The rescue should pay for all spay and neutering. No exceptions!
- Any blood work or X-Rays performed
- Any other vetting including, Deworming, Tick and flea and Heartworm prevention.
- Any other tests performed, including any behaviour notes or temperament testing.
The family has the right to verify the health of the dog. If there are no medical records given, this is a BIG RED FLAG!
While no rescue can guarantee the health of the dog, and circumstances are sometimes out of their hands, they need to have policies in place so that every dog adopted is deemed healthy by a vet or that the adoptive family is fully aware of ANY known medical concerns.
Intake: Dogs should be in the care of the rescue for a determined time period to assess the dog for any behavioural issues. If behaviours are noted, a trainer should be working with the dog to correct the unwanted behaviour. Dogs also need time to decompress. For example, they should not be brought to adoption events right after coming into the care of the rescue.
Fostering: While in the care of a foster family, ensure that the rescue has open communication with the family to assess the progress of the dog. For example, the rescue might have the family fill out a foster report card on the dog so potential families and the rescue itself, can place the dog in a home that will be the best fit. The report card would potentially indicate things like house training, resource guarding, interaction with humans and other pets. The rescue has 100% of the responsibility of the dog in care with regards to vetting, training, food and any other items the dogs need.
Adoption Process: At CB Rescue, we conduct an interview, an application form, a home check and a meet and greet. Multiple families are interviewed as we look for the BEST home, not just any home. We also do a 7-day trial period. This is for the family to see whether or not they can work with the dog. There are times when the family may not see the whole personality of the dog, as they need to be comfortable. This may take more than 7 days to happen. Also, in the 7-day trial, we can send a trainer if need be over to the family with any issues that may arise.
Return Policy: If the situation occurs where a dog after adoption does not work out with the family, does the rescue mandate that the dog be returned to their care? No exceptions. Ask the rescue about the number of dogs they have adopted out and what their return rate is. If a rescue has a dog that is being returned over and over again, that is a major problem. The rescue needs to address that situation with a behaviourist. It is not fair to any dog or family to be put in that situation!
CB Rescue Foundation currently has a return rate of less then 1%. We are very proud of this, for it reflects our diligence and standards.
Success of the Dog: Every rescue should be proactive and not reactive when it comes to the dog. They should be doing everything in their power to ensure that each dog is vetted and trained to the highest standard. This means temperament tested by a qualified behaviourist.
Rescues should take on dogs that they can set up to succeed. This means having screened fosters ready to go, funds to cover vet costs, or training that they may need. To us, quality is more important than quantity. CB works hard to ensure that each dog succeeds and is NOT set up to fail!
Rescue Collaboration: Does the rescue work with other reputable rescues? Rescues that are reputable and responsible usually attract "like" rescues. They work together for the greater good of the dog. This means sharing resources, knowledge, information, and even donations.
Is the rescue run like a business or a TRUE non-profit: We have found that in our experience, a rescue that operates as a business is usually very different to a 100% volunteer based rescue. The motive behind why they are running the rescue will for the most part dictate how the rescue is run. Rescues that have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
Rescue Expectations: Understand that rescues will make mistakes. They may be overrun due to low resources, lack of funding, time or volunteers. Some of these rescues run solely on volunteers who have full-time jobs like CB Rescue Foundation.
When a rescue follows their outlined policies and procedures, it leads to a more organized system, and the dog will be better set up for success, not failure. Don’t be afraid to ask the rescue questions! Get references from other families who have adopted from the rescue.
If you do not do your due diligence, adopting a dog can be a very frustrating and negative experience. So let's all do our best to make it a happy and wonderful experience instead!