Hundreds of animals need another home

Placer County has hundreds of abandoned pets, according to pet experts, and local groups work tirelessly to get them off the streets and adopted into good homes. "People bring their dogs in every day to surrender them," said Sandra Barry, who founded the nonprofit Haven Dog Rescue 12 years ago in Placer County. "We get so many phone calls from people wanting to just dump their dogs. It can be kind of depressing." Currently, Haven Dog Rescue fosters eight to 15 dogs at one time, depending on the number of volunteers available. They usually foster dogs from SPCA and the Placer County Animal Service in attempts to get them adopted. Haven Dog rescue assists with 50 to 100 dog adoptions a year, according to Barry. So far this year, volunteers fostered 56 dogs. Haven Dog Rescue does not have a physical location. Volunteers foster dogs from their own homes. Barry said that some owners often treat their dogs like possessions instead of like family members. As soon as the dog gets ill or isn't the "cute puppy" anymore, Barry said, the owners don't want them anymore. Shelters become full after the holidays, according to Barry, because many people receive dogs as unwanted gifts. "A puppy isn't a present; it's a commitment," Barry said. Haven Dog Rescue recently took in Elvira, a Boston Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier mix with special needs. Elvira has a medical condition called megaesophagus so she needs to be monitored when feeding and drinking. Elvira must be in an elevated position so her food will stay down. Elvira currently uses a bailey chair to help with feeding. She is 3 or 4 years old and was abandoned on a rope at the local shelter. "I started this organization because I had a passion for helping animals," Barry said. "It's a rewarding thing to meet a very scared dog and build trust, when you get to the point where you can walk the dog on the leash, when the dog would normally run away." Barry has a passion for older dogs because they're often overlooked when it's time to adopt. Barry is currently fostering four elderly and special needs dogs. Haven Dog Rescue needs volunteers to help with transporting dogs, feedings and special needs. Donations to care for the dogs are also needed. For more information, visit havendogrescue.org. Leaps and Bounds Rabbit Rescue volunteer Amy Mueller said that bunnies are a great alternative to cats and dogs. "They're easier to care for and it's nice to be able to keep them in an enclosure with everything they need." Mueller said. Leaps and Bounds, located in Roseville, is comprised of volunteers who foster rabbits until they can be adopted through the partnership they have with Petco. "We're a very small group," Mueller said. "None of us are paid on staff. It's a small group of volunteers but we stay on top of the bunny rescue in Placer County." Mueller has been with Leaps and Bounds for 12 years. She owned cats and dogs and was inspired to volunteer with animals. She started with SPCA but "was needed more at Leaps and Bounds." Leaps and Bounds has agreements with Placer County Shelter and SPCA to take in rabbits. "There's a misconception that if you place bunnies in the wild on their own, they will prosper," Mueller said. "They don't. It's not healthy and it's not OK." At any given time, Leaps and Bounds volunteers will have 10 to 15 rabbits in their care. Volunteers groom, spay and neuter, and care for the bunnies until they're ready for adoption. They assist in the adoption of 80 to 100 rabbits each year. Leaps and Bounds Rabbit Rescue is located inside Petco in the Roseville Shopping Center, 1917 Douglas Blvd., Roseville. The phone number is 916-782-8669. For more information on donating or volunteering, visit leapsandboundsrabbitrescue.cfsites.org.