Canine Companions Rescue Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation founded in 2004 for the purpose of working with the community and area animal control agencies to promote the adoption of dogs without families.
Mission Statement:
To prevent and/or reduce the numbers of dogs in, and entering, Michigan shelters.
To prevent and/or reduce the numbers of dogs in, and entering, Michigan shelters.
It's a simple statement with a lot of implications. We came up with our current Mission Statement after struggling to come up with something that encompassed all we do, but also wasn't too wordy and clearly reflected our mission. We wanted something we could look to for answers when we weren't sure how to proceed. We began by listing all of the things we do (or won't do). Then, for each thing we asked ourselves, "Why do we do this/Why won't we do this?" Sometimes we had to keep saying,"Yes, but why?" but in every case the final answer was that we didn't want dogs to keep dying in shelters. That's really what it's all about - either preventing dogs from going into shelters or getting them out once they are there so they don't end up being euthanized.
We began, as most rescues do, as a pull-and-adopt rescue. With limited resources (volunteers, money, and space), all of our time and energy went into pulling dogs from shelters, taking them to the vet, and then taking them to adoption events. Over time our resources grew, we realized we need to be more. We began to think about doing more for, and in, the community.
We started with some smaller things, like collecting school supplies for Oakland Family Services foster children, and visiting the residents of the Sunrise Senior Living Community with puppies or with Valentine cards our volunteers made, we helped place dogs into senior living facilities, we brought puppies and spoke to children at schools and club meetings to educate them about rescue, and spaying and neutering, we offered free training advice to our adopters (and really, anyone who asked) to help them overcome issues with their pets that might otherwise result in a return or surrender, we offered to do "courtesy posts" for people looking to re-home their dogs (altered only) so they could hopefully avoid resorting to surrendering to a shelter - and that is not a comprehensive list.
We also started attending annual conferences for rescues to learn how to be better and do better. We studied a variety of "best practices for rescue" publications and made a commitment to follow best practices to the best of our ability.
In 2018 we started Paws Project, to both help our local communities and also serve our mission. In short, it's a program designed to keep animals in their homes by assisting with the needs of pet owners, including offering low cost ($50) spays and neuters (we cover the remaining cost) among other things, as resources allow. The low cost spay/neuters also helps control the pet population, which of course helps reduce the number of animals going into shelters.
An exciting thing happened in 2016 - we purchased a property! It was definitely a "fixer-upper", but our volunteers and supporters came through in a big way and helped us make basic repairs and improvements. While local ordinances do not allow for us to use it as a kennel or adoption center, we can keep a few of our dogs there, usually ones that need a little extra care for medical or training. Beyond that, we have a place to groom, train, meet, teach, store items, and have social time for our dogs. One day we hope for a "real" facility, but while we wait and plan for that, this property provides many comforts that we did not previously have.
We are still a work in progress. We still learn from, and become re-energized by, conferences. We have goals to further improve our policies and practices as resources allow. We have ideas for new programs and to further develop existing programs. We have a dream for a real facility one day. We want to be the best we can possibly be in every way possible to support our mission of saving lives!
We began, as most rescues do, as a pull-and-adopt rescue. With limited resources (volunteers, money, and space), all of our time and energy went into pulling dogs from shelters, taking them to the vet, and then taking them to adoption events. Over time our resources grew, we realized we need to be more. We began to think about doing more for, and in, the community.
We started with some smaller things, like collecting school supplies for Oakland Family Services foster children, and visiting the residents of the Sunrise Senior Living Community with puppies or with Valentine cards our volunteers made, we helped place dogs into senior living facilities, we brought puppies and spoke to children at schools and club meetings to educate them about rescue, and spaying and neutering, we offered free training advice to our adopters (and really, anyone who asked) to help them overcome issues with their pets that might otherwise result in a return or surrender, we offered to do "courtesy posts" for people looking to re-home their dogs (altered only) so they could hopefully avoid resorting to surrendering to a shelter - and that is not a comprehensive list.
We also started attending annual conferences for rescues to learn how to be better and do better. We studied a variety of "best practices for rescue" publications and made a commitment to follow best practices to the best of our ability.
In 2018 we started Paws Project, to both help our local communities and also serve our mission. In short, it's a program designed to keep animals in their homes by assisting with the needs of pet owners, including offering low cost ($50) spays and neuters (we cover the remaining cost) among other things, as resources allow. The low cost spay/neuters also helps control the pet population, which of course helps reduce the number of animals going into shelters.
An exciting thing happened in 2016 - we purchased a property! It was definitely a "fixer-upper", but our volunteers and supporters came through in a big way and helped us make basic repairs and improvements. While local ordinances do not allow for us to use it as a kennel or adoption center, we can keep a few of our dogs there, usually ones that need a little extra care for medical or training. Beyond that, we have a place to groom, train, meet, teach, store items, and have social time for our dogs. One day we hope for a "real" facility, but while we wait and plan for that, this property provides many comforts that we did not previously have.
We are still a work in progress. We still learn from, and become re-energized by, conferences. We have goals to further improve our policies and practices as resources allow. We have ideas for new programs and to further develop existing programs. We have a dream for a real facility one day. We want to be the best we can possibly be in every way possible to support our mission of saving lives!
