Northern Chautauqua Canine Rescue (NCCR), a no kill shelter, was formed in 1999 by Jann Balsano and Brenda Luce. The Town and Village of Westfield and Town of Ripley Animal Control Officer permitted NCCR to lease a facility on his rural property. In return, volunteers at NCCR cared for the stray dogs from his municipalities and if they were unclaimed, placed them in new homes. NCCR began as an all volunteer dog rescue and placement service, was incorporated November 23, 1999 and received 501(c) 3 status June 21, 2000. NCCR purchased their own building in 2002.

NCCR was formed to help the neediest dogs and puppies in our area – the strays, the orphaned and the abandoned. The majority of the dogs taken in are unclaimed strays from all over our county that are turned over to NCCR. In many towns in our area, strays that are not claimed within a certain amount of time are euthanized. When space is available, NCCR also works with high kill shelters throughout Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia taking in dogs that would otherwise be destroyed due to space constraints. At NCCR all of these dogs are given a second chance at life.

250-350 dogs enter NCCR each year. Some of the stray dogs are claimed by their families and those that are not are put up for adoption. Each dog is altered, fully vaccinated, wormed and micro chipped,  NCCR volunteers work diligently to “match” each dog with a family most suited for the dog; taking into consideration the lifestyle of the family as well as the needs and temperament of that dog. Follow-up telephone calls and/or interviews help assure us that the adoption is successful.

NCCR operates on a limited budget in a relatively rural area. NCCR income comes from fundraisers, donations and a contract with our local municipality to house stray dogs brought in by the dog control officer.