OUR MISSION as a small, totally volunteer nonprofit group, who give of their time, ability and even their homes is to provide for the rescue, care and placement of shelties who have been abandoned, neglected and/or given up by their owners for various reasons. We believe that all shelties, regardless of age, temperament or physical condition deserve to live in loving and caring homes that will provide them a safe and peaceful place, living out the remainder of their lives without abuse of any kind. OUR PLEDGE is to see that each sheltie that enters our program be spayed/neutered, receive all necessary vaccinations, be heart worm tested, current on both monthly heart worm and flea and tick preventatives and receive treatment for any other medical need that is deemed necessary on and individual basis. Foster families will carefully evaluate each dog for behavioral characteristics, which will assist in a successful placement, education for each owner will cover, but not limit itself to, feeding and grooming needs, helpful training techniques and detailed instruction on how to assist the dog with adjusting to it’s new home. OUR PROMISE is to find adoptive homes that are carefully screened to ensure the best possible match, choosing a forever family willing to provide the dog with sufficient amounts of love, attention and interaction and where they can live out their lives without fear of further abuse or neglect. OUR GOAL is the prevention of cruelty to Shelties everywhere, with emphasis first and foremost in our own state; to educate and inform the public regarding commercial breeding facilities (puppy mills) and why the public should never purchase a puppy from a pet store, the prevention of over-breeding and our utmost goal being the placement of rescued Shelties that find their way into our hearts and homes, into loving “Forever Homes” of their own.
Our Process Our emphasis at Sheltie Shack Rescue is placed on the quality of our adoptions rather than quantity of adoptions completed. We are not in the business of selling pets and as such we are not a cash and carry rescue. When we refer to a "fur♥ever home" we expect a lifelong commitment to the adoptive dog you have chosen to adopt. Our adoption process is designed to help carefully match a pet with both your lifestyle and well as their individual needs in mind. This can take some time, but using this method has produced a high success rate of happy adoptions. Our goal is to have this be a happy and certainly the final happy home for our sheltie. Adopting a New Companion If you are applying for one of our dogs from out of state, please note that we DO NOT SHIP OUR DOGS. If you are truly interested in adopting from Sheltie Shack Rescue you must be willing to make the trip to meet us and your potential new family member. We expect the entire family to come, including any other current canine companions, as there is no other way to assure compatibility of all family members. We have had many successful out of state adoptions and encourage you to apply if you can comply with these travel requirements. We do not place our dogs in homes where current pets are not properly vaccinated, not on heartworm preventative or not spayed or neutered unless there is a medical reason for not doing so or the dog is actively being shown in conformation. We only place dogs in homes where they will be indoor pets and never left outdoors when no one is home. For all puppies and nearly all of our adult dogs, a fenced yard is required. On occasion we may have a well socialized, leash trained adult or senior sheltie that will do fine in a condo/town house/apartment environment where a responsible adopter will agree that all outside activities will ONLY take place on a leash. This such determination will be made on a case by case basis. We do NOT approve of electric/invisible fences, dog runs or tie out chains. Shelties adopted from us must be kept on heartworm preventative (Interceptor, no Ivermectin based products). How to Submit an Application •Apply online •Download an application (MS Word) •We will review the application, and will contact you by phone and/or e-mail with any questions we might have. If your written application is approved, a home visit will be scheduled next. Since we often have volunteers do our home visits, we will contact you after getting their report and let you know if you've been approved to come meet the dog(s) of interest and hopefully adopt your next family companion. If your application is not approved upon initial submittal, we will let you know within the next 24 hours or if at any time during the adoption process we feel you are not a good fit for the dog you are interested in, for whatever reason, you will also be notified per phone or e-mail. •Adoption fees cover the spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, heart worm testing (treatment if necessary), dentals (when necessary) and worming. Other medical needs are addressed on a per need basis of each individual dog. You will find that our fee is considerably less expensive than going to the vet yourself with a newly purchased dog from a breeder because our vets support rescue and provide reduced rates for their services. Although we ask for a minimum adoption fee, we are always appreciative of any additional donation that helps defray costs such as travel expenses, food, bedding, toys and grooming services that are not factored into the adoption fee as well as set monthly operational expenditures. •An Adoption Contract for each dog will be signed as the last step of the adoption process. The contract is a binding and legal document that provides for returning the dog to Sheltie Shack Rescue if the adopter is no longer able to keep dog and allows for quick reclaim if there is abuse; the animal is found roaming free; or the dog is suffering from neglect. You can expect a follow up inquiry as to how the adopted dog is doing and, hopefully, you would like to share your success story with us to post on the web. Where To See Our Dogs Since we do not operate a shelter facility, only approved applicants will be invited to come and meet the dog(s) they are interested in and approved to adopt. Since not all dogs are located at the same foster home, arrangements will be made on an individual bases as to where this meeting will take place and where the adoption will be completed.
Shell Knob, MO 65747
