# project: rescue the dogs



## dogmission (Sep 15, 2013)

hey guys,

as some of you may know, about 4 million dogs are euthanized each year mainly because of owners whom can't take care of them. many shelters are utilizing social media to spread the awareness but that's not enough. 

i know this might sound like an overzealous plan but what if we could somehow come up with a low cost solution and propose it to the city to help fund the cause. some of you might say, our government doesn't care about this or may not have enough money. then perhaps we can target all of the big name pet companies who probably do have a budget for this. what ever it is, i believe that if we believe in the cause enough, we can make it happen.

at a very high level, i was thinking we can use the funds to obtain a large chunk of land in the suburbs where we can create a dog ranch for all dogs who can't find an owner and before they run out of time, we can save them. again, i know it sounds a lot easier than it actually is but i feel that with the proper planning, we can make this happen. 

*so how can YOU help?*

become active in this discussion

suggest ideas on how we can save these dogs

build upon these ideas

here are some questions that come to mind -- feel free to chime in with answers or if you have questions to add to the list

*branding*

what is a good name for this project?

what colors should we use for the logo?

what is a good tagline/slogan?

*research & analysis*

why are dogs abandoned?

why might we NOT be able to save certain dogs? ie. they attack people

which cities have the highest rate of euthanized dogs? this is a good starting point on which areas to focus on.

i'm against caging dogs but there are certain breeds that need to be separated from others, which are they?

*finance & accounting* (calculating project costs)

what is the average age of the dogs that are euthanized?

how old do dogs live up to on average?

what are the avg food costs for dogs per year?

what are the avg health expenses for dogs each year?

how much would it cost to hire a full time on-site veterinarian?

how many in-house veterinarians for every 1000 dogs?

*sales & marketing*

how can we raise awareness for this?

how can we raise funds for this cause?

*administration*

how do you start a non-profit organization?

what is the procedure for putting dogs up for adoption?

what are the requirements needed from people when they adopt dogs?

*architect & construction* (incorporate to project costs)

what type of building structure is low cost that we can build for this project? what is the cost per sq ft?

dogs need to be separated when they eat/sleep. outside of that, i feel that they should roam around and play with each other. what type of layout should be created for this project?

thanks!


----------



## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

It is impossible to house ALL dogs that can't find a home.


----------



## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

you could contact Milo Foundation (CA) or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (Utah)- they have great operations including very large dog ranches....


----------



## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

The 3-4 million figure factors in cats as well. As far as getting something like this off the ground, large scale facilities start out small. Where ever you're located and what space you need would be up to you. Grants, fundraising, and tax status as well. Essential basics to getting off the ground. I would recommend contacting any facility you can and getting what information you can about their operation. Not all of it's going to good or usable, but it's a start. Knowing business and how to operate one is essential as well. Too many rescues have very little idea how to operate a business. 

Can't field the branding because this is a dream of mine one day as well.  



dogmission said:


> *research & analysis*
> 
> why are dogs abandoned?
> 
> ...


Dogs are abandoned for a myriad of reasons. Training issues, medical issues, some people just don't care to have the animal any more. Focusing on owner retention and serves to help that happen needs to be better targeted in the rescue community. I'm assuming you are not planning on operating on a sanctuary type level if there are dogs that can't/won't be saved and you'll have to determine what you consider that to be in your intake requirements. 

I don't have hard and fast figures, but through the Dept of AG you can find shelter statistics for various areas. Areas in California have high rates of euthanasia, as well as the south. Rural areas tend to have high rates, too. And I mean, Detroit currently has roughly 50,000 stray dogs roaming the city, especially the abandoned areas. 

I don't know what it means to be against "caging" dogs. How are you planning on housing them? You won't just run into breeds, you will run into dogs that just do not like other dogs, that don't like certain dogs, don't like the same sex, opposite sex, whatever. They have to be kept somewhere? 

I kind of feel like a vast majority of this stuff you could.. you know, google yourself, or pull it off the HSUS page you got the photo/most of the questions from.




Kayota said:


> It is impossible to house ALL dogs that can't find a home.


So don't try!


----------

