We’re pleased to bring you news of another financial award given by our non-profit charity, this time to a small, inspirational group of rescuers headquartered in Ohio. A breed-specific rescue group, this organization places abandoned coonhounds with foster homes until appropriate adoptive families can be matched to these quintessentially American dogs.
Aptly named, American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue (ABTCR) is a not-for-profit association that’s been in continuous operation since May, 2004. In their many years of operation, ABTCR has helped to rescue and find forever homes for untold numbers of hounds, not just in Ohio but all over the country.
At any given time, this group provides essential daily care for dozens of Bloodhounds and Coonhounds, covering the costs of all veterinary expenses. They also pay for food costs on behalf of fosterers whenever possible. Achieving so much with so little, this is an excellent group of life savers – all of them deserving of a little extra financial assistance.
If these hounds were heroes in a story, ABTCR would be the angel arriving near the end of the tale at the darkest hour. Many of these hounds are dropped off at humane societies, or abandoned in the wild, after failing to perform as a hunting dog, often without any training. Irresponsible breeders, out to make a quick buck, may dump entire litters if the dogs aren't purchased according to an accelerated time table. If the dogs are lucky enough to survive abuse and abandonment, and actually make it into a shelter, they’ll wait to be chosen by an adoptive family. Only, the majority of people intent on adopting a shelter dog aren't seeking a hound, a breed strongly associated with hunting. Now that ABTCR has established itself as a reputable rescue, more and more shelters know to contact them regarding hounds who aren't attracting the interests of prospective pet parents. If the dog meets breed and behavioral criteria, ABTCR admits them to their foster program, where they'll receive superb care and veterinary attention. Thanks to ABTCR’s dedicated team, literally hundreds of hounds have been saved from a sad and lonely end, some only days or hours away from euthanasia.
The duration of foster periods depend largely upon the ages of the dogs. Thanks to cute and cuddliness factors, puppies usually remain in foster care for only 2-3 weeks. Adults may linger in foster care for months, sometimes more than a year if they're very old and/or sickly.
In addition to initiating the immediate transfer of hounds from shelters, ABTCR volunteers oversee necessary veterinary care (including spay and neuter procedures), place dogs in a caring foster home, and ultimately transport the pups to their adoptive forever homes. All prospective pet parents hoping to adopt a Coonhound or Bloodhound are required to submit a detailed application and undergo a rigorous screening process, to ensure that every dog is suitably matched.
This rescue envisions itself as a public resource for information, providing current pet parents with advice about how to improve the relationships they share with their canines. The goal here is to improve the life experiences of folks who co-habitate with Coonhounds and Bloodhounds, preventing abandonment and abuse scenarios in the first place. Additionally, ABTCR actively works to change the public perception that hounds are simply hunting dogs. In fact, hounds have proven to countless families and individuals that they are excellent companion animals, devoted family members and wonderful with children.
Their challenge is to save as many hounds as they can, given the financial constraints of a small-sized non-profit group. Adoption fees rarely cover the full costs of alteration surgeries and other sometimes life-saving veterinary treatments. Because their need was so clear and present, the Board’s decision whether or not to fund their application was an easy one.
ABTCR used the Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation donation to cover the costs of extensive veterinary care for three of their rescued hounds.
Winchester
Two of the dogs were from a group of nearly two dozen recently liberated from a failed attempt in Northern California to establish a puppy mill operation. The perpetrator, who set up shop in a warehouse noted for its “deplorable conditions”, decided to abandon the dogs, leaving them locked up to die with no food or water. Felony indictments were brought against the individual, and by the time authorities allowed ABTCR to take charge of two of the dogs, there were many long-standing medical conditions with which they had to contend. Both of the Bloodhounds, Winchester and Reba, required surgeries ... procedures the rescue might not have been able to afford without our financial grant. As of a couple of weeks ago, Winchester was happily living at a foster parent’s home and Reba had been adopted by her loving forever home.
Reba
But that’s not all. Another dog, this one a Treeing Walker Coonhound, made an astonishing but drawn-out recovery from wounds sustained after being hit by a car. His previous ‘caretaker’ allowed a horribly fractured leg to heal without proper alignment, and the hound had a pronounced limp. Then ABTCR stepped in, taking the dog into a foster care. The Coonhound was treated by a reputable vet who reset the bone. After a difficult mending period, where the pup had to endure multiple pins in his bones, this lively-in-spirit pup now has a completely healed leg with full functionality. To top it all off, he has been adopted by a caring family where he has room to roam, and without any remaining disability.
We’d like to convey our heartfelt thanks to all of our readers and customers who, through their personal donations and continued business, made this grant possible. Each one of you has directly helped American Black & Tan Coonhound Rescue to continue its vital work towards making the world a better place for abandoned, abused and neglected hounds.
Remember, every time you order from Life’s Abundance, a portion of the sale goes directly to our foundation. If you, or someone you know, works with an animal rescue organization that you think is especially worthy of recognition and some additional financial support, please encourage them to submit a grant application. We hope to provide funding to many more groups this year, subsidizing more dreams and making additional life-saving stories possible.
Check back next month for another dose of good news from our charitable foundation!