Metro area organization uses foster care to give dogs a second chance.
By Kinne Chapin
A Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Volunteer. (Photo by Mirah Horowitz)
We all know that a dog is a man’s best friend, but sometimes man doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain. Our best friend can end up in an inattentive home, in a shelter that is forced to euthanize due to lack of resources, or left behind in an international move.
Fortunately for dogs that have drawn the short end of the stick, there is Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
Mirah Horowitz, executive director of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, founded the organization in 2009 to help save dogs with no place to go. Most of the rescued dogs come from high-euthanasia shelters from Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
In the years since 2009, Lucky Dog has helped over 3,000 dogs find a home. Can you say mission accomplished?
Lucky Dog may have achieved its extraordinary results because it’s not your ordinary animal rescue. Instead of having a brick-and-mortar shelter to host its dogs, the organization puts each of the dogs it rescues into the care of a metro area foster family. Each weekend, Lucky Dog hosts an adoption event so that their pups can mingle with potential adopters and perhaps even find a permanent home.
“At Lucky Dog, finding the right dog for a family is just as important as finding each dog a home,” Horowitz explains.
Before each of their dogs gets adopted, Lucky Dog interviews the potential owner about their daily schedule, living space, and other pets to help find the right fit. Because each dog lives in a foster home, Lucky Dog already knows what home environment each dog prefers. Horowitz believes that Lucky Dog’s focus on pet and owner matchmaking is what sets the organization apart.
But though Lucky Dog facilitates the adoption of between 100 and 150 dogs each month, there’s always room to grow. “We can never have enough foster families,” Horowitz remarked, “because the number of foster houses we have is directly related to the number of dogs we can take in.” Lucky Dog also welcomes volunteers to help with its weekly adoption events, and donations of everything from collars to dog food.
So it’s true, man doesn’t always look out for his best friend. But even if a dog has been neglected, there’s always a second chance—if he’s really “lucky.”
One Lucky Dog. (Photo by Mirah Horowitz)
