What's in a name? More than you think, with SmallDog Rescue

June 26, 7:47 AMAtlanta Dogs ExaminerSandy Weaver Carman

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Salma Samoa waits for a forever home - SDR photo

It's always nice when an organization's name tells you exactly what they do. There's no doubt about what Small Dog Rescue's purpose is: to re-home small dogs into forever homes. But there's more, as a recent exchange with their officer of media and public relations, Jenny West Schneider showed.

Sandy: How did the group come to be?

Jenny: Brenda Kay Kyle – “Bren” to her friends – founded SmallDog Rescue in the mid-90's. It began as a one-woman mission to place homeless small-breed dogs and evolved into SmallDog Rescue and Humane Society, Inc. Bren set up a kennel in her Cumming, Georgia home to rescue all the homeless dogs she could. When she ran out of room at her home, she convinced friends to foster dogs she saved. Those “friends” grew to a sizable group of foster homes.

When Bren fell ill with terminal cancer, she asked Anne Stockton, our current Executive Director, to take on the task of managing SmallDog Rescue. Anne led the effort to get SDR recognized as a full-blown non-profit entity, increase the volunteer and foster-home base, and, overall, bring SDR from a “home grown” organization to a professional and highly-respected group in metropolitan Atlanta.

SmallDog Rescue and Humane Society, Inc. (SmallDog Rescue) is now a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization dedicated to finding loving families for homeless dogs in the Atlanta area. We do not shy away from taking sick or behaviorally-challenged dogs into our program. Thanks to private donations, we are able to provide excellent medical care for our orphaned dogs. Our volunteers work tirelessly, fostering, training, socializing, and giving the dogs daily loving care. Like Bren, we believe there is a home for every dog.

We are one of the few local groups to accept youth volunteers. Today's young people are tomorrow's leaders, and we hope to instill in them an understanding of the responsibilities of pet ownership. We believe it is our mission to teach people of all ages that companion pets are not objects, but living, feeling breathing creatures.

Most of our dogs come from local public shelters, many of which have significant euthanasia rates. We also recently began working more frequently with other local groups to rescue large numbers of dogs from commercial breeders and puppy mills.

Sandy: Can you estimate how many dogs have been rescued through your organization in that time?

Jenny: Since incorporating in 2004, SmallDog Rescue & Humane Society has regularly placed between 400 and 500 dogs annually.

Sandy: That's a huge number - how many people are involved?

Jenny: There are approximately 130 participants on our online message board. About 40 of those volunteers are active on a daily or weekly basis. On any given weekend, we average roughly 20 volunteers at our regular adoption events. We have an average of 25-to-30 foster homes.

Sandy: What do you look for in volunteers?

Jenny: We seek out commitment more than anything. We need volunteers for everything from providing foster homes to walking shelter dogs to making copies. We are a volunteer-based group – everything except day-to-day care at our intake shelter is provided by and done by volunteers.

Sandy: Any specific volunteer needs you have now?

Jenny: Foster homes. Help with fund-raising.

Sandy: Tell us about your regular adoption events.

Jenny: Applications are mostly received electronically. All applicants are thoroughly screened, and, if they pass the initial screening, they are invited to meet us and any dogs who might be of interest to them. We have a van donated by Sutherlin Mall of Georgia. Every Saturday, we load it with dogs who qualified applicants are interested in meeting or who our adoption committee believes might be a good match for screened potential adopters. They are transported to the PETCO store in Sandy Springs. It is there that the majority of meet-and-greets take place and adoptions are completed. Two Sundays per month, SmallDog Rescue holds similar adoption events at PetsMart in the North Point Shopping Center in Alpharetta. Our adoption schedule is posted on our web site each month.

We participate in the annual Animal Rescue Fair (ARF), as well as other community events. We hold large seasonal fund-raisers. We have in the past held a golf tournament, a wine tasting, several silent auctions, etc. Smaller fund-raisers occur regularly. Examples include bake sales, school-based programs, periodic dog washes at a local Red Bandanna store, Puppies on the Patio (dog-friendly “socials” at Broadway Grill & Cabaret in Sandy Springs) and a wine crawl event in Vinings. USA Entertainment has scheduled a Summer Pub Crawl for June 6th in Virginia Highlands, again benefitting SmallDog Rescue (www.usaentertainment.net/052809abt.html). For the past two years, SmallDog Rescue has designed, produced and sold a calendar, featuring photos of its many four-legged adoptees. All of these events and programs depend on countless volunteer hours and skills to bring together.

Sandy: The name is SmallDog rescue, but it sounds like the organization does so much more.

Jenny: SmallDog Rescue’s goal is to be part of the solution to pet overpopulation and for homeless dogs – one dog at a time. All our dogs are spayed or neutered prior to adoption, so that there is no chance they will ever produce even more potentially homeless dogs. We do our best to educate out applicants, our adopters and the public on proper pet care. We advocate, first and foremost, for our dogs, so that each will be cared for in a loving and responsible home. We screen our applicants carefully in search of excellent, final homes for our dogs. We want them never to be caught up in the rescue cycle again.

This weekend, find SmallDog Rescue at the Sandy Springs Petco from noon to four, at the Northpoint PetSmart on Sunday from 11am to 3pm, and Sunday afternoon from 4 til 6, it's Puppies on the Patio at the Broadway Grille and Caberet on Roswell Rd. in Sandy Springs. Dogs of all sizes are welcome, and for a $10 per person donation, there are snacks, cocktails and goodies for the dogs.

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