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The noted aviator and writer Antoine de Sainte-Exupery once said, “In giving you are throwing a bridge across the chasm of your solitude”. In that sense, this month’s featured rescue organization has firmly established itself as a builder of bridges, connecting thousands of dogs and adoptive pet parents.

It’s our great honor to announce our financial award to Going Home Greyhounds, a non-profit that provides refuge, aid and care for retired racers. Based in Wexford, PA, this rescue has been in continuous operation since 1995 and their reach covers a 100-mile radius which encompasses Pittsburgh. Going Home Greyhounds (GHG) is guided by a board of five members who oversee the day-to-day operations of more than 70 volunteers. This massive team is responsible for a variety of duties, including transporting retired racers from track kennels, bathing newly retired dogs, fostering Greyhounds in their homes, doing meet-and-greets with people interested in adoption, participating in local parades and handling the details of fundraising events.
Every fosterer in their network commits significant time and energy to locating qualified and loving homes for these graceful creatures. Caretakers are actively involved in making sure the adoption process operates smoothly. As a “temporary parent”, they can provide valuable insights into the personalities and individual needs of every dog, helping to place the right Greyhound with the right family. More...

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Noah's Ark Sanctuary

We’re very excited to bring you news of another financial award given by the Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation. This month’s highlighted organization is the Pompano Beach-headquartered Noah’s Ark Sanctuary for Abandoned and Abused Animals, an animal rescue working hard to re-home dogs and cats and to curtail pet overpopulation.

What began as a husband-and-wife team working part-time has now blossomed into a full-time network of dedicated rescue workers. After moving to South Florida from Tennessee in 1996, Barbara and Jim Beeson discovered that their fellow Pompano Beachers were offering up haphazard care for a feral cat colony. While food and emergency veterinary care were being irregularly covered, no spaying or neutering was taking place. The Beesons recognized that this small colony could grow to epic proportions, and that someone needed to act fast to prevent the development of a crisis scenario. Ultimately, with the tireless assistance of Barbara’s mom, Bette Walston, and local attorney Thornton Scott, Noah’s Ark Sanctuary for Abused and Abandoned Animals was officially founded. Since that time, their efforts have made a significant impact, recognized by both community leaders and governmental agencies. More...

Labrador Retrievers are an iconic American breed. Often, when we think of homeless dogs, we picture mixed breeds. It’s hard to imagine a gorgeous Lab fighting for life in the wild, confined to a small cage or condemned to die a lonely death in a gas chamber. Still, even purebred pups aren’t immune to the vagaries of bad luck and hard times. Whether they’ve merely lost their way, or lost their primary caregivers, these four-leggeds need a helping hand. Fortunately, a group of people has opened their hearts and homes in a coordinated, ongoing effort to help big dogs in need. And our Foundation has just given them a grant to further their mission.

It gives us immense pleasure to tell you about the latest financial award given by the Dr. Jane HealthyPetNet Foundation, this time to a committed group wholly dedicated to alleviating the needless death and suffering of abandoned, abused and neglected purebred Labrador Retrievers in the greater Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan area.

Founded in 1997, Dallas Fort Worth Labrador Retriever Rescue Club is the largest Lab rescue organization in one of America’s largest metropolitan areas. Their life-saving services are known well to shelters in their corner of the world. And even though they take in as many Labs as their resources allow, they estimate that they are only able to save about half of the purebred Labs in the metroplex. They recognize their work is an uphill battle, and yet they remain wholly committed and enthusiastic about their endeavors. These are true heroes, and we sing their praises. More...

This month, it is our great pleasure to announce another Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation financial award, given to Marion Regional Humane Society of Marion, IL. A non-profit, no-kill organization, this tight-knit group works closely with the public to achieve their twin goals of reducing pet overpopulation and matching up abandoned animals with new homes. In a profession that leaves some rescuers cynical about the cruelty of some people towards non-human animals, these folks do their good works with gentle caring, unflagging perseverance and good humor.

As we have seen many times in previous foundation-related blog postings, some rescue organizations take as their mission the saving of specific breeds of dogs. Other non-profits cater their knowledgeable care solely to cats. And then there are those organizations like Marion Regional Humane Society, who seemingly take their inspiration from that ark of old, opening their hearts and doors to animals of all stripes, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters and more.

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Over the years, Marion Regional has operated a spay-and-neuter program, offered veterinary medical aid, provided food and shelter, and – above all – improved the chances that abandoned animals will become united with loving forever homes. More...

This month, we’d like to highlight another financial award given by the Dr. Jane HealthyPetNet Foundation, this time to Cats Exclusive, a no-kill, non-profit, feline rescue organization committed to helping their South Florida community - both felines and humans alike.

Cats Exclusive has been in continuous operation since 1979, making them something of a legend among animal rescuers in Florida. Located in Margate, their facility allows sufficient space for the daily care of 70 cats at a time, and they typically operate at full capacity. Over the years, their adoption branch has overseen a substantial number of successful rescues … nearly 6,000 cats!

Their objectives include striving to promote and encourage kindness towards, care and understanding of cats and other animals, working to organize fundraising events on behalf of abused and neglected felines, discouraging the sale of any feline to pet shops or the use of cats by any organization for inhumane testing, and cultivating relationships between pet parents, breeders and cat enthusiasts. Cats Exclusive is affiliated with The Cat Fancier's Association, the world's largest feline registry, which also operates to cultivate the appreciation of all things feline through the publication of educational materials for the general public. More...

This holiday season, we’re especially pleased to bring you news of yet another financial award given by the Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation, this time to an inspirational organization of animal rescuers in Pennsylvania. First, though, we offer an important end-of-year message, which also provides context to illustrate the importance of this rescue’s work.

Many Americans decide to celebrate the holiday season by adopting a companion animal. And, who can blame them? Few would deny the happiness that comes from hearing the pitter-patter of tiny, furry feet through the house, or the genuine emotion of being on the receiving end of adoring gazes from puppies and kittens.

It probably comes as no surprise that holiday adoptions are often decided on the spur of the moment. Pet stores are well aware of this … they cater to our expectations for convenience and are commonly located no further than the local strip mall. While the proverbial “doggie in the window” may tug at the heartstrings, many potential adopters fail to realize that often the creatures offered by these businesses import their dogs and cats from “pet mills”.

Popular in the rural communities of Pennsylvania and a handful of other states, pet mills are a multi-million dollar enterprise. They are not just breeding grounds devoid of comforts, they are known for infestations, untreated infections, routine physical abuse and broken bones (and spirits to match). Pitiable dogs lead monotonous lives of desperation, locked away in cramped cages, enduring the harsh treatment at the hands of their tormentors. The females are repeatedly impregnated, sometimes only days after birthing a litter, and males who aren’t sold at a profit are often killed. More...

The Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation is pleased to announce one of its latest grant recipients, the Forte Animal Rescue (FAR). FAR well represents the noble spirit of small rescues which are short on financial backing but full of hope and strong in the belief they can affect positive change in the lives of their rescued animals.

Based in Marina del Rey, CA, Forte Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, nonprofit rescue organization that’s also committed to fighting pet-overpopulation and furthering the understanding of the human-animal bond through educational programs and community activities. Since FAR’s founding in 2002, this small band of devoted care providers have saved the lives of nearly 700 dogs!

Typically, this non-profit organization supervises the care of 40 to 50 canines. Without a facility of their own, their rescued dogs stay with foster parents or in an approved boarding house. FAR rescuers pride themselves in providing a 100% no-kill safety net for abused, neglected and abandoned canines. More...