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A Better Life Dog Rescue is a group of volunteer animal lovers who help homeless neglected and abused dogs find caring, responsible homes. With the invaluable assistance of our foster homes, A Better Life Dog Rescue has been able to rescue and rehome almost 500 dogs to date. Many of our dogs are found as strays or abandoned at vets, kennels, rental properties and drug houses. Many were due to be euthanized at kill shelters. Others are surrendered to us by families no longer able to care for them. All our dogs are provided with veterinary care, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, tattooed or microchipped and provided with training where necessary. They are then adopted into suitable loving homes, giving them a second chance at a better life.
At A Better Life Dog Rescue we believe every dog deserves to be treated as a cherished member of the family. Dogs are pack animals and suffer greatly by being chained, penned or otherwise excluded from their family, even for short periods of time. Being included inside the home is essential for a dog's emotional and physical health. It is just as cruel to starve a dog of their emotional needs as it is to starve them of food and water. Our adoptive homes must meet our very high standards of compassion and commitment to their new family member.
A Better Life Dog Rescue depends on the generous support of caring and compassionate people to continue our mission of rescuing and rehoming neglected and abused dogs. As we have no paid staff and no overhead costs, every penny donated to us goes directly to the health and welfare of our dogs. ABLDR is a federally registered charity and tax receipts are issued for all donations we receive.
Happy Ending
I am writing to thank you for Charlie. Charlie is the sweetest, kindest, most loving dog I have ever met. I can't imagine that we have only had him for two weeks; he seems like he has always been a part of our family. My boys adore him and he is great with them. He is always happy and well behaved. We've never even had an accident in the house! I hate to even think of what would of been Charlie's fate had your group not rescued him from California. He is just a joy and we are all in love with him.
I also wanted to say thank you to Mike who did our home visit and worked with us until he found the right dog for both our family and for the dog's well being. I have great respect for your group as you were not just looking to place your dogs quickly rather looking for the best situation for the dog and for us! We had applied for a different dog and when it turned out that his foster mom and Mike thought he would do better in a house with out children Mike went to work finding us Charlie. I think that in itself says a lot about your group and how much you really do care about the dogs you place.
Rita, Charlie's foster mom has been so friendly and great to both Charlie and us. Charlie was clearly happy in her home and well loved and taken care of. We have spoke since we adopted Charlie and she has made it clear that we can always call her if we have any questions of concerns about Charlie.
I admire your group and all of your volunteers and really respect what you are doing for these dogs. Charlie is a part of our family already and we couldn't imagine life with out him.
Thank you again,
Dawn, James, Colton, and Jayden Okoth
New Members Needed Desperately
A Better Life Dog Rescue Society is seeking new members to help with
all aspects of dog rescue. Dedicated dog lovers are needed to help
drive rescued dogs to foster and adoptive homes, as well as to vet
appointments, doing home checks on adoption applicants, and many
other aspects of rescuing abused and neglected dogs. Applicants will
need a vehicle, time to dedicate and a great love for dogs.
Please call Jen at 778-688-6340. You
can also e-mail us at info@betterlifedogrescue.org.
OUR NEED IS GREAT
A Better Life Dog Rescue Society is in dire need of donations if we are going to be able to continue rescuing abandoned, homeless and surrendered abused and neglected dogs. (ABLDR 2007 Financial Statement.rtf) Last year, our total expeditures came to over $80,000. Vet bills alone were over half of that at over $45,000. We took in a large number of dogs who had been ill or injured and several needed expensive surgeries. These were all young dogs with many years of life left to enjoy. They are all happy, healthy and living in their loving forever homes. At A Better Life we will not euthanize a dog for cost reasons.
ABLDR adopted 64 dogs into loving homes last year, an average of over one a week. The average cost of a dog from rescue to ready for adoption was $1,250. Our adoptions fees last year were $250. That is a shortfall of $1000 per dog. This shortfall was partially offset by a few thousand in donations and a fundraiser. But the majority of the shortfall, over $50,000, was paid for from the life savings of the founder of A Better Life and her husband. Their savings have now been exhausted.
Our costs however have not gone down. This year we raised our adoptions fees to help partially offset the shortfall but it is still not nearly enough. If A Better Life is going to be able to continue rescuing dogs it will only be because people like yourself who care about the suffering of dogs will help us by donating to our organization. ABLDR is a federally registered charity and tax receipts are issued for all donations we receive.
We have had a few people complain about our high adoption fees. Our answer is always the same. First, our adoption fees are the same as the Surrey SPCA, which in addition to collecting adoption fees, also receives hundreds of thousands in donations every year, as well as government money for their animal control contract with the City of Surrey.
Secondly, we point out that the adoption fee rarely covers the cost of the dog to us. Even dogs who do not need expensive surgeries, still need medical treatment, spaying or neutering, vaccinations, tattoos, microchips, kennel costs when our foster homes are full and (now that our trainer who donated her services to us last year has moved out of the province) training costs. This averages around $700 per dog. Our adoption fee is less than half of the average cost. But we cannot charge an adoption fee that would cover our expenses because this would make our fee on par with breeders. And we want as best as we can to discourage people from buying dogs from breeders and to adopt a rescued dog instead. The shortfall between what we charge and what the dogs cost us must be made up by donations.
Finally, we point out that the adoption fee is the cheapest part of owning a dog. High quality dog food and regular vet care are far more costly than the adoption fee. If a prospective adopter finds the adoption fee too much of a financial hardship we respectfully suggest that they may not yet be in a financial position to afford and properly care for a dog. Naturally many people who cannot afford to own a dog would still love to have the wonderful companionship and love that a dog provides and be able to provide a caring home for a rescued dog. We ask those people if they would consider fostering a dog for us instead. But we must be responsible to our dogs and place them in adoptive homes where they will never be at risk of being denied the medical care they need because the family can't afford it.
So please donate now to help us continue our mission of rescuing suffering dogs and finding them loving homes. We can accept donations by PayPal or cheques mailed to ABLDR, P.O. Box 75033, White Rock, B.C. V4B 5L3. We can also accept Visa and Mastercard donations over the phone at 778-688-6340.
If you would like to sponsor one of our dogs, please let us know by e-mailing us at info@betterlifedogrescue.org. We will post the names of each dogs sponsor at the end of their bio on the adopt a dog page of our website.
The dogs you help may never know what you have done for them, but you will know that you have helped end their suffering.
ABLDR 2007 Financial Statement.rtf
A Better Life is in urgent need of foster homes. All types of homes are welcome to apply. While it is easiest for us to make use of foster homes that have no other pets or young children, we welcome applications from people who have both. The most important qualities of a foster home are a patient, loving environment, and a commitment to helping abandoned or neglected dogs gain confidence and trust.
Many of our long term foster homes have either adopted the dogs they were fostering or their home situation has changed and they are no longer able to foster. We are currently facing an all time low of foster homes. This is making it increasingly difficult for us to rescue dogs in need. We are despairing that we will soon be forced to turn needy dogs away if we do not find new foster homes soon. Please contact us as soon as possible if you are able to open your heart and home to a lonely, homeless dog.
We thank you and our dogs thank you.
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Donations of leashes and collars needed.
If you have an old but still servicable leash or collar that you no longer need (we especially need leashes, gentle leader harnesses and haltis) we would very much appreciate if you could donate them to us.
They can be mailed to us at ABLDR, P.O.Box 75033, White Rock, B.C. V4B 5L3. Alterenatively, they could be dropped off at Tisol Pet Foods at 152nd and 30th Street in South Surrey, or dropped off @ 13475 Hilton Rd,Surrey
Thank you.
A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS
- My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
- Give me time to understand what you want of me.
- Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
- Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.
- Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.
- Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
- Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.
- Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me.Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak; perhaps I have toothache.
- Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.
- On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.
Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. He created them for you, so take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters.
At A Better Life Dog Rescue we get new dogs into rescue every week.
We also work closely with many other animal rescue groups, as well as some Lower Mainland animal shelters and pounds.
Should we not have a dog that interests you up for adoption at this time, please let us know what breeds of rescued dog you are interested,
in adopting by filling out the adoption application available as text only (.txt) or an
MS Word document (.doc) and e-mailing it to us at adopt@betterlifedogrescue.org.
We will keep your application on file and will notify you when such a dog comes into rescue.
We will also contact other local rescue groups to see if they have a dog fitting your description.
Please note: Requests for specific breed dogs will only be considered if they are accompanied by a completed adoption application.
We will only make the very time-consuming effort to find a dog from other rescue groups and shelters if we know the intent to adopt is serious and that you are an appropriate home for a rescued dog.
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