Many people in search of a family pet have no thought other than to go to a local shelter and pick out a dog or cat, with the aim of giving him a better life. It is an admirable thing to do. Unfortunately, it is a gesture that goes wrong far too often. A pet chosen without research, forethought, careful assessment of their needs and realistic goals, often ends up returned. The failure of adoption is something that shelter workers face daily. There are concrete reasons why adoptions fail, but I believe the most important one is that our society has forgotten the meaning of compassion and lacks the ability to forgive.  Our desire for instant success has made us intolerant of anything less than what we want for ourselves at the time we decide we want it.  Adoption can make us better people – and not just because we are saving a life; rather, it gives us a unique opportunity for personal growth. I feel that many adoptions fail because people miss out on this aspect of the process. Compassion and forgiveness are emotional “muscles.” If we don’t use them, they don’t grow very strong. It is often very hard to call up compassion – and even harder to forgive and forget. One way you can build these muscles is working with a dog from an animal shelter. It is tempting to rail against thoughtless people who may have yelled at or hit him, but that is not compassion. Compassion is
accepting that some people don’t know anything other than to yell at and hit a dog that misbehaves. Feeling anger over this doesn’t solve the problem, but working with the dog using positive techniques and showing him how to behave does.

“Emotional baggage” is a familiar term in our culture and can be a pitfall in human relationships - and not surprisingly, with pets too. Memories can get in the way of our success and sabotage our attempts to form an emotional bond. If we are to succeed, I feel we must do a few things. We must not worry about an animal’s past. Our job is to forgive his past and move on to our future together. We must also forget about our past – not hold him up to the standards of a dog or cat we had before. He is his own self. I think this is the most important lesson adoption teaches us. In our own lives, many of us hold on to our demons and can’t them go – but if we can let them go with our new companion, then we are a step closer to doing it in other aspects of our
lives. Building a relationship with an adopted pet is not very different than building a good human relationship. Love is not instant. We will make mistakes. We will feel exasperation at times. We’re going to have to rethink our strategies along the way. If we can do this – accepting both our own and his mistakes, then we’ve practiced the art of forgiveness. If we’ve learned how to adjust our expectations in relation to his abilities, then we have mastered the art of compromise. If we can accept that he can’t master housetraining until we figure out whether he’s eating the wrong food, our schedule is wrong or he just hasn’t put two and two together – and we’re not mad about the stain or smell – then we’ve practiced compassion, forgiveness and tolerance. There are those who feel animals are inferior and we can’t learn from them. They are missing out on a lot. Giving an animal a second chance might be the
best way to learn about ourselves – and in this endeavor, the ordinary dog or cat can indeed give us a better life.

News

West Virginia Shetland Sheepdog Rescue, Inc. is only accepting Shelties. Each of the dog’s health care costs are between $165-175 for spaying/neutering, shots, heartworm tests and heartworm prevention, not including long term care and food.  Won't you please consider adopting a wonderful Sheltie or one of our Sheltie mixes. And if you can't adopt, please consider giving us a donation for the care and comfort that you bring to each one of these animals at our shelter. We have many wonderful animals for adoption.  We want wonderful forever homes who will give them the life they deserve. Please SPAY/NEUTER your pet to reduce the pet population in our communities.

Who We Are

WV Shetland Sheepdog Dog Rescue, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to finding new homes for stray, abandoned and owner-relinquished Shelties, and Sheltie mixes.  We promote responsible pet ownership, bi-monthly grooming, a proper diet and spay/neuter. Since we are a non-profit we gladly take donations, which are tax-deductible, to help the costs of food, supplies, healthcare, and fostering of the animals. Without donations from the community we will not be able to take in any of these wonderful dogs, so please remember to donate to a worthy cause.  Adopting a friend All dogs adopted from us are groomed, bathed, given current vaccinations, spayed/neutered and fed a proper diet for puppies and adult dogs. Prospective owners must be responsible, consider basic obedience classes, have a fenced in yard or kennel in back yard with ability to walk dog on leash at all times. Families with children under 5 will be considered according to their circumstances and the dogs applied for. Dogs must be fed nutritious food, given good water at all times, sheltered in hot and cold weather, bathed, brushed, played with, loved and wanted. If any of these conditions are not met, please bring the dog back to WV Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. Donation fees for Shelties is $275.00, Shelties under 1 year, $350.00, Shelties over 8
years old, $200.00 and mixes are $175.00. to cover the vet costs and help other Shelties.

Long Term Care

We also offer "long term care" for people who own Shelties and have lost their home, been drafted into the service, or have to move and need someone to care for their Shelties until they return, or are ready for them.

Come Visit Us!

We are located in Alderson, WV and have foster homes located throughout the country. Please call for an appointment and directions as we are a foster home shelter network and, fortunately, work during the day and sometimes evening hours to the benefit of all the doggies.