Most of our dogs start out as stray dogs. Dogs who either ran too far from home and whose owner(s) could not be located and dogs who were purposely dumped off along some roadway and left to fend for themselves. These dogs are picked up by local Dog Control Officers (DCOs) and held for seven full days (or longer). Once the dog is held for the required amount of time and an owner cannot be located, the Dog Control Officer can now either place that dog in a shelter, try to find him or her a home or have the dog euthanized. 

Luckily our area Dog Control Officers are caring individuals who contact us to take over the care of the dog. At that time, the dog is signed over to NCCR and our work begins! We take time getting to know each dog's personality. We have the dogs vaccinated and all are spayed or neutered prior to going on to their new homes.

Every day, we receive calls from people who, for one reason or another, can no longer keep their family dog or those that have litters of puppies they need to "get rid of." Well, as much as we would love to help every dog who is in need of a home, it is just not possible. We only have so many pens and just so many volunteers. Most importantly, we will NOT ever have a dog put to sleep just to make room for another dog to come in. That is not what we are about.

If you need help with your dog, training issues, behavior problems, and so forth, please e-mail us.  We can provide you training information, talk to you about things we have learned working with dogs over the years and direct you to trainers who may be able to help you. I cannot tell you how many times we hear this statement: "Fluffy needs a home in the country where he can run and play all day." I can tell you from experience, there are only so many homes "in the country" out there.  What Fluffy really needs is some training, some understanding and some patience. 

We need to all be a part of the solution of overpopulation. Spaying and neutering your pet is only one part of this solution. We need to also work on keeping pets in their homes. Can you believe that only 1 out of 9 dogs remains in their home for life??? That's horrible. What can we all do together to change this and truly make a difference?

Start by looking first to ourselves for solutions. We've found that, when given even half a chance, most dogs can be trained and taught to become very well-behaved, loving family members. Before you decide that your dog "simply has to go," look at the options that are available.

We can help one another. NCCR has many resources to offer and we're happy to answer questions and provide contact info for area dog services. You, too, can do your part. If your dog has not yet been neutered or spayed, get this taken care of. Now. Your dog will be healthier, and aren't groups like ours proof that there are already too many unwanted dogs?

Support your local canine rescue organization. You'll find them in the phone book, on the Web, or by calling your local vet. It doesn't take a lot of money, time or extra blankets to make the difference in a rescued dog's life. Who else do these dogs have to rely upon but all of us?

If a family member or friend is considering a dog, suggest they look first to the shelters. Adopted dogs understand that they've been given a second chance at life. They appreciate exactly what their new family means to them.

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