FAQs

Rescues 2the Rescue aims to create a vibrant network of shelters and trainers to maximize adoption rates for high energy, intense, obsessive, and driven dogs.  These dogs can be very hard to place into traditional pet homes but are likely to thrive when they have a detection career to channel their abundant energy. Using the wildlife and domestic dog advocacy expertise of IFAW and W4DC, R2R was started with an eye toward selecting conservation detection dog candidates but our goal is to expand into other detection disciplines in order to help the most dogs possible.

If you are a shelter or trainer, join Rescues 2the Rescue so you can post and search for dogs.

If you are a volunteer at a shelter, bring Rescues 2the Rescue to the attention of the adoption coordinator and/or the shelter’s canine behavior team.

If you are a trainer interested in becoming a regional partner for Rescues 2the Rescue, please contact Rescues2theRescue@gmail.com.

If you are a pilot or have a car and are willing to transport candidate dogs from shelters to trainers, please contact Rescues2theRescue@gmail.com.

If you support our mission, please donate here. Your donation is tax deductible and supports the upkeep of the website, program coordinators, and will allow us to extend our reach to more dogs and more detection disciplines.

No. Membership is free but donations are greatly appreciated. Membership reassures users that those who are posting or seeking dogs have taken the time to join our community and share information about themselves and their organizations with other participants.

Detection dogs are intense and obsessive over a reward – usually a toy. This obsession can be used to train them to find something by scent in order to receive that valued reward. Ideal detection dogs not only love their toy but also love to search, are a balance of independent and compliant, and have a strong work ethic. Toy obsession is the easiest aspect to evaluate and other qualities are demonstrated later during training. The R2R Evaluation was designed to take a snapshot of many of these qualities and assess the degree of toy obsession. Since so much work goes into training, most candidates should not be more than two-years old so that they can enjoy a long career. Additionally, dogs must be healthy and agile.

You can watch our video to learn more about the evaluation process.

No.  The evaluation allows people searching for dogs to compare “apples to apples”. R2R respects the demands on your time and has created an evaluation which should take less than 10 minutes once you are familiar with the process.

Reading member profiles will give you some starting information. It’s important to have a discussion (or several!) with the prospective trainer to understand more. R2R’s trainer members expect to have detailed discussions about all aspects of their work. Feel free to ask for references.

This is a discussion between the shelter and the trainer. Perhaps the shelter would like the dog returned to their facility or perhaps the trainer has connections and would be able to find a suitable home for the dog. This is a part of the arrangement that must be agreed upon between parties before the dog leaves the shelter.

Yes! Conservation detection dogs share many qualities with other types of detection dogs. We welcome trainers and handlers of all detection disciplines to use the R2R site.

Rescues 2the Rescue applauds your interest in sourcing rescued dogs for your business and welcomes you to become a member. Fill out the application to join R2R and a program coordinator will reply to you shortly. There is no fee to be a member.

As shelters intend to connect dogs with their forever homes, as opposed to intermediaries, you will need to be sure to explicitly discuss with the shelter how your business places dogs and how you accommodate dogs who are waiting for placement. It’s the prerogative of each shelter to decide whether or not to send a dog to any individual trainer. Membership in R2R does not guarantee access to dogs posted on the site.