Deena was a rescue puppy born with a severely malformed front leg. She was taken to a specialist in veterinary orthopedic surgery, but sadly, nothing could be done. It didn’t seem that little Deena would have much of a chance finding a forever home. But she was a Lucky Dog.
“We found an amazing adopter,” says Mirah Horowitz, Executive Director of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. “Deena was just the right dog for the right person.”
Volunteer-Powered
Deena is just one of thousands of animals whose stories might have had a very different ending if not for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, an organization built on volunteer fosters. “We call ourselves volunteer-powered,” says Mirah. “We have about a thousand very active volunteers, another thousand who participate a few times a year, and about 200 foster parents.”
When Lucky Dog finds adoptable animals in high-kill shelters, this highly organized group begins matching fosters with fully vetted pets. “You know how when you’re traveling, sometimes you just need a place to crash for one night?” says Mirah. “We have an overnight foster program, in which we take a dog off transport from the shelter, give them an overnight stay with a foster, and take them to an adoption event the next day. Sometimes they’re in their forever home the next night.” Other times, dogs and cats move on to a boarding partner or full-time foster until they’re adopted.
With a headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area and 200 fosters in D.C., northern Virginia and Maryland, Lucky Dog can handle hundreds of potential pets each month. “Sometimes we feel like we’re playing a chess game with our dogs and fosters!” says Mirah. “But this group always pulls it together—even though it can be tricky.”
Miracles Show Up
One such tricky case came about when Hurricane Florence was heading straight for the Carolinas—and an animal shelter right in its path. Lucky Dog went into action, sending a transport truck to get the animals out of harm’s way.
“And then,” Mirah says, “the van died. Broke down on the side of the road with 50 animals on board and no air conditioning, a six-hour drive away from us and our foster network, with a hurricane on the way.”
A plea for help was posted on Lucky Dog’s Facebook page. “Within nine minutes, 55 people showed up,” Mirah says, disbelief and gratitude still in her voice. “People who had to prepare for the storm themselves came and put their animals in their own air conditioned cars and brought them water. Amazingly, a transport saw our SOS, came and loaded up the animals, and drove them to us.” (Mirah sends a special shout-out to the mystery person who put a new alternator in the van so it could be driven home.)
PetSmart Charities Provides Important Funding
This pet rescue is the recipient of a PetSmart Charities grant, which is vital to keeping operations afloat.
“The grant money helps us with the veterinary needs of the animals that are extraordinary, but things we’d ever say no to,” says Mirah. “The funds provide us with the ability to say yes to those animals and find them homes.”
And of course there’s the fun part—adoption events! “Being a non-brick-and-mortar organization, we don’t have a place where people can meet pets, so we bring our animals to PetSmart locations in the D.C. metro area,” says Mirah.
Lucky Dog even has a pre-approval program, in which prospective pet parents can be fully screened and approved before they come to the event. That means they get to take home a pet the same day.
Meet Hailey and Piglet
Mirah is hopeful that someone will soon take Hailey, a yellow Lab, and Piglet, a mix with a pink nose and a goofy grin. “They’re both great dogs,” Mirah says, “but they both have to be only dogs; they get along with other dogs, but they just can’t live with them. Hailey knows commands, and Piglet’s friendly and sweet, just needs special food to deal with autoimmune issues. They’re both wonderful. It’s just challenging to find someone willing to take on an only dog.”
But they’re both Lucky Dogs, just like little Deena. And that means miracles can happen.
