Denise at Paws (DAP) is a registered not for profit dog rescue organisation with tax deductibility for all donations $2 and over. We are run solely by volunteers who give their time freely to help homeless dogs in need. The dogs that we rescue can come from any number of places: Pounds in the Sydney metropolitan area, back yard breeders who no longer have any use for their breeding dogs, \ puppy farmers who have finished using their breeding stock and also private surrenders from people who are no longer able to care for their dog. We are of the opinion that dogs from all of these situations need our help, and we don’t discriminate, we will help any dog that we possibly can.

All of the dogs that come into our care are taken immediately to our vet where they are assessed. After examination by our vet, the dogs will have all of their necessary vet work done. Occasionally, we may need to delay surgery if our vet feels the dog’s condition is such that it would not be advisable to proceed with surgery immediately, in which case the vet work will be done as soon as the dog’s health improves to the extent where it can safely undergo surgery. Routine vet work will include a thorough health examination, desexing (as approximately 95% percent of the dogs we rescue are not desexed when they come to us), dentals are done, a C5 vaccination is given along with a heartworm test and all dogs are microchipped.

Some of the dogs we rescue require extra operations performed. These can include surgery for displaced hips/legs, broken legs, cruciate ligament surgery, luxating patella surgery, eye problems including cataract surgery, heart surgery and liver shunt surgery. As well blood work, x-rays and ultrasounds are often performed by our vet to diagnose medical conditions that the dogs present with. Lumps and bumps are removed and investigated, and all skin conditions are treated.

After the initial vet work is complete, our rescue dogs go into foster care with our wonderful band of volunteer foster carers. When in foster care our dogs are treated as a member of the family. For many of our rescue dogs it is the first time they have been allowed inside a house as we believe that the majority of these dogs have lived outside and for the best part been ignored and neglected. The dogs are taught socialisation skills, are house trained, and become much loved members of their foster family. Dogs in foster care are carefully assessed, and when the foster carer gets to know the dog a story is written outlining the dog’s personality and the type of home best suited for the dog.

We are always looking for new foster carers so that we can help more dogs in need. Being a foster carer to a dog in need is a very rewarding experience, and suits a variety of people. Some people, for whatever reason, are unable to make a permanent commitment to a dog, a commitment which can last for up to 15 years. Others use the fostering experience as an interim measure before committing to permanently owning a dog. Sometimes our foster carers become so attached to their foster dog that they adopt him/her themselves.

 

Find out more about Denise at Paws and how you can help:

Visit www.deniseatpaws.com.au