Dogs of Del Mar: Adopt a Dog
- Ashley Jones, Del Mar City Manager (for identification purposes only)
For me, a commitment to service doesn’t just apply to my professional life, it reflects who I am and the things that are important to me in my personal life as well. Anyone who knows me knows I love animals, especially dogs. Dogs have played an important role in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, we always had dogs and that has continued into my adult life. My family currently consists of three humans, and three loving rescue dogs.
Rescue is important to me because almost a million animals are euthanized each year in the USA, approximately 400,000 of which are dogs. There are so many reasons perfectly wonderful animals end up in shelters due to no fault of their own. With severe overcrowding and limited resources, many of these animals never stand a chance.
So, what can you do to help? Foster, adopt, volunteer or donate.
Fostering an animal can literally save a life. While many rescues have the resources to take in animals and cover their care through adoption, they don’t have anywhere to house them. By agreeing to foster, you give an animal a place to stay and an opportunity for a better life. Most rescues will cover all expenses, your primary job as a foster is to give them love and care.
Before you add an animal to your family, please consider adoption. There are so many deserving animals in shelters and rescues that would make excellent companions. All they need is a chance.
Websites such as petfinder.com or adoptapet.com are free and make finding the right pet for your family easy. You can specify the age, gender, breed, and many other factors such as whether they are house trained, get along with other animals and any other behaviors that are important to you. Most local rescues can be found online as well and provide photos and background information for the animals in their care who are ready for adoption.
In the rescue community, volunteers and donations are essential and there are lots of opportunities to contribute. You can donate your time, funds, or gently used or new items.
There are many reputable shelters and non-profit rescues working hard every day in San Diego to save animals and give them a better life. If interested, you are just a quick Google search away from getting involved.