RESCUE/ADOPTION PROGRAM
Senior and special needs dogs can be every bit as adoptable as other dogs, but they usually need more time to find new homes, time they can’t often get in the shelter. They sometimes need time to heal. They need time to have their medical or behavioral issues addressed and to be brought back to an adoption-appropriate level of health. That’s what House of Little Dogs (HLD) does for our rescues. We give them that time, the care they need, and a chance at a new life.
Faith
Faith was a nine-year-old pug we took from a local shelter after she had been rescued from a puppy mill with almost 300 other dogs. She was blind in one eye and the other was infected and had to be removed. She was thin and sickly. She had a skin infection. She needed to be spayed and her vaccination history was a complete mystery. She was with us in foster care for about six months, during which time she was treated and regained her health. She was adopted by a wonderful lady from St. Louis, who took Faith into her heart and home and continued her care and recovery. Today Faith is a happy, healthy pug. Her owner took her to training to be an assistance dog, and now this blind little pug visits hospitals, schools, nursing homes, anyplace where people need a little love and comfort.
Sophie
Sophie was a miniature pinscher we took as an owner surrender. Sophie had gone blind, and her owner, who suffered from congestive heart failure, simply was not able to care for Sophie any longer. We took Sophie to our vet, brought her vaccinations up to date, and found out that she had glaucoma. We put her on a couple of medications to reduce the pressure in her eyes and keep them properly lubricated. She was with us in foster care for about a month before she was adopted by another wonderful lady who had experience with blind dogs.
Initial costs of vetting our rescues can vary widely depending on the condition of the dog and what we know of its history. When we pull a dog from a shelter, the shelter will often cover the costs of spay/neuter and vaccinations. However, oftentimes the dog is so elderly or ill that the shelter will leave it to HLD to get the dog medically evaluated before any procedures or treatments are undertaken, and then we will cover all those costs. When we take in an owner surrender or stray, we cover the all costs associated with the intake of a new dog. So the costs associated with the initial vetting and getting the dog ready for adoption can be quite high.
We like to get lab work (bloodwork/urinalysis) done on intake to help us determine the overall health of the dog and to make sure that any underlying conditions are treated and cared for before offering them for adoption. Many, if not most, of our dogs come to us with advanced dental disease that can cause great pain and often inhibit them from eating. At a minimum, most of them require a teeth cleaning, and many require dental extractions to provide quality of life. All intact dogs are spayed or neutered unless our veterinarians deemed it to be medically inappropriate, in which case the dog would most likely be admitted to our Sanctuary-Forever Foster program. Most of the time we need to bring a new dog up to date on their vaccinations. We always have them tested for heartworm and parasites, and we microchip every dog that comes into HLD. And many of our dogs require some kind of medication for underlying infections, arthritis, heart conditions, pain, etc. The costs for these procedures range as follows:
Lab work: $150-200
Dental Extractions and Cleaning: $400-650
Spay/Neuter: $150-200
Vaccination/Testing/Microchipping $100-200
Medications/Medical Supplies: $10-50
Once the dog is fully vetted, he either goes into a foster home or takes up residence in our Sanctuary. The HLD Sanctuary is located on a three-acre property in Washington County, Arkansas. The dog stays in foster care or at the Sanctuary until he is adopted. So until the dog is adopted, in addition to the costs of the intial vetting, we cover costs of any medications prescribed for the dog ($10-50 per month per dog); food, including special or prescription foods ($30-50 per month per dog); and heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative ($10-15 per month per dog).
FOSTER CARE PROGRAM
Dogs needing a temporary home while awaiting adoption or undergoing treatment for a medical issue will be placed in a loving foster home. Foster families are vital in saving the lives of adoptable animals by providing them a temporary shelter until they are ready to find their forever home.
As with all our Little Foster Dogs, House of Little Dogs will pay all expenses for vet care and medications. If necessary, we’ll even provide food, bedding, anything else our fosters might need to care for these little ones. We ask that fosters be available to bring dogs to events; to provide behavior info; to be agreeable to help with meet and greets with potential adopters, and to be a champion for your foster dog. In return, fosters get an unlimited supply of love and grateful affection from their foster dogs.
If you live in Northwest Arkansas and would like to help us change the world for these precious pups, please e-mail us at houseoflittledogs@gmail.com. You can also send us a message by clicking HERE.
FAQ
A foster home is a temporary living situation for Little Dogs in our rescue while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. Foster families provide shelter, food, care and love, although if necessary, even provide food, bedding, anything else our fosters might need to care for our little ones.
Because we only have so much room in the HLD Mother House, and sometimes our Little Dogs just need a place to stay while we find their forever homes, and because many of our Little Dogs need help to make the transition from the shelter or the streets to a permanent home. The number of Little Dogs we can save depends entirely on the number of people who open their homes and hearts to foster them.
Being a Little Dog foster family has rewards beyond the essential value of helping a pet in need find a new home. For some, it is a chance to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment or to try new companions for an existing pet. For others, it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home, or to overcome a behavioral issue.
Fosters will keep animals an average of 4-6 weeks unless it is medically or behaviorally indicated otherwise. Some Little Dogs need more time because of age, illness, injury, or behavior issues. You will be told up-front before you agree to foster the dog how long of a commitment we believe it will be.
Provide a safe, clean, caring environment; provide food, water, toys/enrichment, and shelter; provide exercise and socialization as appropriate; monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems; transport to/from any necessary vet appointments; transport to/from adoption events.
Cici
Cici was a tiny chihuahua, about 12 years old, who came to us from Texas. She had a grade six heart murmur and was very thin and frail. We were able to get her eating and gaining a little weight. She settled into life at the Sanctuary and was very happy here. She was with us for only three months before her little heart failed, but giving Cici three months of care, comfort, and love was a gift.
Bella
Bella was a 10-year-old Yorkie who came to us after her 95-year-old owner passed away. Her owner’s family was not able to keep her, so she came to us and was placed into a foster home. Bella came to us with a collapsing trachea. Soon after she was placed, she had a pretty serious episode of respiratory distress and had to be hospitalized for a couple of days. She was put on medications to help her breathe easier and to keep her calm, and because of the severity of her collapsing trachea and the uncertainty of her prognosis, Bella became our first Forever Foster and stayed with her foster family until she passed. While she was living with her foster family, HLD continued to cover her veterinary expenses, and her loving foster family loved and cared for her until she passed.
We are committed to getting as many senior and special needs little dogs as we can out of the shelter or at-risk situations and getting them to a safe place where they can get the care and attention they need. We are committed to serving our community by easing some of the burdens on our local shelters and by helping our neighbors and their pets in times of need
