Well, sometimes, I can admit when I’m wrong (emphasis on sometimes) and I think it’s about time I owned up to something: I am a rescue snob.As of late, I’ve found myself turning up my nose at the Frenchie walking down the street or the Goldendoodle down the block. If I can recognize the breed, I mount my high horse and take off at full gallop.
While I don’t mean to be, I find myself judging a situation and a dog before I even know the full story. So, I’m sorry for that. I would never want someone to judge me without getting to know me (and even then please keep your judgment to yourself) so I am ashamed to have found myself doing it.
This past weekend, I went out with two people who had dogs that I assumed weren’t rescues before I met them. One was a large (read: giant) St. Bernard named Truman, and the other was a Silky Terrier named Scrappy. If I were to run into these dogs and their owners, I would immediately think they had shelled out thousands of dollars for a premium pup, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Both these dogs were given second chances when their previous owners surrendered them for different reasons. I’ll get to the specifics later, but in summary, these two gorgeous, purebred dogs were saved by some pretty cool people. So, I wanted to honor them in this post, apologize for my better-than-thou attitude and give a shout-out to some rescues who specialize in specific types of dogs.
Sometimes when a purebred dog comes into a shelter, it will be transferred to a rescue group. This is because some breeds require special care which a rescue can provide. Also, these organizations are able to best assess the kind of environment the dog will thrive in. Breed-specific rescues also usually have a network of people interested in a certain type of dog, so the dog can find a home quickly. It’s an all-around win for the dogs of the rescue world, sending dogs to a rescue will also open up more room for another dog to stay at the shelter.
If you are looking for a specific dog, the easiest way to find whatever breed you’re looking for is through Petfinder. You can search different filters including age, breed, and sex of the animal you’re looking for. It’s like match.com for pets, minus the awkward first date.
However, if you’d like to keep an eye out for a breed, want to get involved, or maybe even donate, I’ve put together a list of rescue groups of the top 10 most popular breeds in the US below.
#1: Labrador Retriever – there are four (yes four!) rescues in/around the Chicagoland area
#2: German Shepherd
#3: Golden Retriever
#4: Bulldog
– Illinois English Bulldog Rescue
#5: Beagle
– Midwest Beagle Rescue, Education, and Welfare
#6: French Bulldog
– Chicago French Bulldog Rescue
#7: Poodle
– Michigan Standard Poodle Rescue
#8: Rotweiler
– Recycled Rotts (uhhh maybe my favorite rescue name ever)
#9: Yorkshire Terrier
– National Yorkshire Terrier Rescue, Inc.
#10: Boxer
– Boxer Rebound*edit: a reader pointed out Rescue Warriors Corps often has many pure breed dogs for adoption and they were right. Currently, they have a couple Frenchies, Labs and Terriers available!
Are you surprised by the list above? I was! Let me know your favorite dog breed in the comments below!
THE RESCUE:
Obviously, the two pups featured below are not available for adoption. However, I figured I’d give a little background on both these guys.
Scrappy is a Silky Terrier that my friend Lephan (of Macarons and Lavender) scooped up at the Anti-Cruelty Society about five years ago. Originally she and her husband had an eye on an older dog but once they arrived at ACS, they discovered that dog was spoken for and that’s when they fell for Scrappy. He’s the spunkiest and most handsome little man and I was all too happy to shoot with him.
Truman is what my dream dogs are made of. If you’ve ever wanted a big teddy bear from FAO Schwartz, he will gladly fill that role. Weighing in at 155 pounds, Truman found his way into Chicago via his (foster fail) mom. He now resides in Logan Square and is the coolest dog I’ve ever met. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it felt like to be in someone’s entourage, just hang out with Truman for a day, he gets requests for snuggles and pictures all the time. It wasn’t a full shoot with Truman, but I will for sure be hanging out with him again! Want your own giant pup? Take a look at Just Giants Rescue.
THE RUNWAY:
Weekends (and life) are all about comfort. I just got these shoes for my birthday and was excited to try them out. Little known fact about me: I hate open-toed shoes. Walking around the city with exposed feet just gives me the heebie-jeebies. I am a sock girl through and through so I was stoked to find a summer shoe that was basically a full coverage shoe. These are also the most comfortable shoes…ever. I ended up walking 3 miles in them and not a single complaint. The dress I’m wearing is actually Brandy Melville, but I found a similar one that I’ve linked below.
It’s a very sad but true post! I own two Pits and one who is 12 was bought off the street corner by my fiancé and we rescued Scarlett 2 years ago from a High Kill shelter. She literally is the best dog and the thought of someone giving her up and then her being euthanized is so sad. That being said whenever we walk them people always assume they both are rescues! Nope We bought Peanut ad rescued Scarlett!
Would love for you to stop by! xo, Jessica || The Petite Diaries
Ahhh! I would LOVE to meet both of them! Pits are some of my favorites and always have a big place in my heart 🙂