Pugs are one of the most popular dog breeds in the state of Pennsylvania, especially in the Philadelphia region, where the Pug Meetup group is the one of the largest in the country. Pugs also are one of the preferred breeds of inhumane puppy mills in and around Pennsylvania. But Pugs, for all of their charm, have special health needs that go with their flat-faces. When Pugs have outgrown their cute phase, they are often abandoned. Don’t start a Pug rescue organization unless you have a lot of experience living with and caring for Pugs.
Pugs have a tendency to get along with other Pugs, which makes keeping more than one at home ideal. This has given many people the idea to begin a Pug dog rescue in their local area of Pennsylvania. Some people start out with good intentions and suddenly become overwhelmed with the animals dumped on their doorstep, even to the point of causing a hoarding situation that other animal shelters have to clean up after. Take at least six months to plan out any type of animal rescue, even for small, friendly dogs like Pugs.
Talk To Your Local Dog Warden
It is imperative that you have a long talk with your local dog warden about starting a Pug rescue operation. Dog laws are different from town to town. Also, you may need your dog warden’s help in filling out your paperwork. You need to determine:
1) How many dogs you are allowed to keep in your home. You must stick to this number.
2) What vets are in the area.
3) What name to give your Pug rescue. You have to have a name before you apply for a kennel license or a non-profit license.
4) What shelters are in the area that may have Pugs that you can take off of their hands .
5) What the reasons are that people have for dumping their Pugs on the street. You need to hear them in order to ask yourself if you can handle the emotional turmoil.
The Money Question
Unless you are an accountant or have a reliable helper who is an accountant, hire one to handle all of the money work, including all of the paperwork needed for taxes on charities. You and your helpers will have to get in the habit of keeping all charity expenses separate from your personal expenses.
In order to get your Pug rescue started, you can take out a bank loan, sell something really valuable or win the lottery. Keep in mind that running a Pug rescue is a full-time job in and of itself. Work with your accountant to determine how much money you need in order to take care of a certain number of Pugs in one year. That’s your budget and you need to stick to it. It’s good to see an actual number on paper to help you reach your goal.
It’s also a lot cheaper to foster the Pugs out to individual homes than have one building that acts as the Pug shelter. You don’t have to have a big building in order to have a Pug rescue. Finding foster homes is a never-ending process. Expect most of your Pug foster parents to burn out really quickly.
You can take advantage of local events to do some fund raising. By having a website for your Pug rescue, you can put a PayPal donation button up as well as feature Pugs available for adoption. It’s also cheaper than ever to make up mugs, calendars and T-shirts featuring your Pug rescue’s logo. When your Pug rescue charity is more established, then you can apply for state charity grants and for ASPCA grants.
Resources:
Wonderpuppy’s Starting a Rescue Article List
PA Dog Kennel Licensing
PA Charities Electronic Register
Starting a Successful Rescue
Pennsylvania Pet Shelters and Animal Rescues
