Having A Boxer Rescue

Have you ever considered starting a Boxer rescue of your own? If you have, know that this decision is one that takes serious thought and investigation. There is more to operating a rescue than simply opening up your home to unwanted dogs, and caring for them while you search to find them a good home. This is why many new rescues cease to exist after 6 months of starting.

How does one run a successful Boxer rescue? For starters you need to create realistic goals and stick to them. For instance, how big of an operation are you intending on running? Do you want to cover your town, your state or country? Will you only take in Boxers, or do you plan on rescuing other dogs as well?

If you are new to the Boxer rescue business you should stick to rescuing only Boxers in your town. Then once you feel you can manage this, you can then consider expanding. Just remember, if you do expand your rescue business and take in more dogs, and reach out to more than one community, you will need others to help you. A giant rescue organization is not something one person can manage on their own.

Therefore, be smart and know your limits. Even though you may want to rescue all the dogs in the world this is unrealistic. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You’ll only burn yourself out which will result in the failure of your Boxer rescue operation and the saving of zero dogs. Remember, rescuing one or two dogs makes a huge difference. Do what you can.

Once you have set your realistic goals, you then need to consider the legalities. Starting and maintaining a Boxer rescue can be quite expensive depending on where you live. The best thing to do is to choose to start a “non-profit” organization. A good idea is to employ an attorney who can help you. This will make the process easier.

After the legalities are covered, find out if there is anyone in your community willing to volunteer and help you in your cause to rescue Boxers in need. These people need to be willing to work without pay, and should be just as devoted to the breed as you are.

You will also need to develop policies and procedures for your Boxer rescue. Some of these include:

• Intake – Determining who will be responsible for accepting dogs, and what must happen to the dog first (ex. visit the vet, etc.). You will also need to draw up a surrender form that the owner of the dog must sign that gives you ownership of the dog.
• Foster care – Who will take care of the dogs you rescue? Foster home volunteers or kennels? Will you pay for all of the dog’s expenses? You will need to draw up a legal contract between you and the Foster people.
• Adoption applications – You will need to create a thorough adoption application that interested applicants will need to fill out if they wish to rescue a Boxer. The application must include important screening questions in order to ensure that the applicant has a lifestyle suitable to the Boxer.
  • Adoption contract – Once an applicant passes the screening test a contract needs to be signed.

You will need to advertise your Boxer rescue. The best way to do this is to create your own webpage and advertise your rescue on a national kennel club or national breed club websites.

As you can see there is plenty for you to consider and think about before starting your own Boxer rescue. Do your research and contact other rescue organizations to learn what you can from their experiences.

Finally, remember that while running a Boxer rescue is a wonderful thing, it isn’t for everyone. You must carefully consider if this is the best path for you. Don’t forget, even if you can’t run a rescue yourself, you can always help out others by volunteering your time, becoming a foster parent, making donations, sponsoring a dog, or adopting one yourself.