Emerald City Pet Rescue Blog

It’s Puppy Mill Awareness Day! As a rescue, we’d love to honor this day by bringing to light some information about the dangers of puppy mills, and why we do what we do as a rescue to help save animals.

What is a puppy mill?
A puppy mill (or "puppy farm") is a place where dogs are bred for commercial/profit purposes. There are at least 10,000 puppy mills still operating in the USA which breed more than 2 million puppies per year. 

On the flip side, did you know that over 1 million dogs are euthanized annually in shelters?

Let’s chat about how puppy mills operate. "Mama dogs" are not treated as household pets, let alone treasured family members, in a puppy mill! They are kept in cages almost 24/7 (if not literally 24/7) often without any protection from the elements; hot sun in the summer, bitter cold in the winter, rain, etc. Often the cages have wire bottoms which can be very painful for their feet. These mamas usually don’t receive regular vet care; they are unvaccinated and often not groomed properly, which means that their nails are painfully overgrown, and if they are longer-furred, sometimes very painfully matted with caked-in feces and urine. These mamas are simply the tools in which puppy mills use to make money and regard for their quality of life is not considered. They are forced to breed litter after litter, one right after the other until they can no longer physically do so. Then they are “disposed of” sometimes using inhumane methods.

The puppies are born into these same horrific conditions. They are cramped and crowded in unsanitary conditions and not socialized. In larger puppy mills, these dogs are shipped to pet stores across the country, often in inhumane ways. In smaller “independent” (unlicensed) puppy mills, these dogs are offered up for sale on Facebook, Craigslist, and other networking sites.

When you see cute puppies running around in pet stores, please don’t forget where they came from! Purchasing a puppy from a commercial pet store is often supporting the puppy mills that continue to supply these stores. 

How can we stop this?
If you suspect a puppy mill is operating in your area, please report it to the police, animal control, and 1-877-MILL-TIP to file a report with the Humane Society. 

When thinking of adding a new furry family member to your household, PLEASE consider adoption!

But we have some reservations about adoption.
"We’re not sure if we’re in a position to care for a dog with medical or behavioral challenges right now."
We completely understand that! Not all dogs in rescues or shelters have an abusive past or medical problems, some end up in rescue through no fault of their own. A reputable shelter or rescue will work with you to help you find a pet that will be the best fit possible for your household.

"But we were hoping to find a puppy/kitten because we want to raise one from a young age."
Rescues and shelters have puppies and kittens! This often happens when we rescue pregnant mamas, so the puppies or kittens are born into good conditions and receive proper care and socialization until they are ready for their forever homes.

How do we know if a rescue is reputable?
Great question! These are definite red flags to look out for when seeking a pet to adopt. A responsible rescue or shelter will properly vet an animal before allowing him or her to be available for adoption. This includes vaccinations, spay/neuter (very important!), and being upfront about any medical issues that they are aware of. They will provide you with proof of the animal being vetted upon adoption. They will have some type of vetting process for the adopters as well; interviews, meet and greets, reference checks, and home checks. It is important to any responsible rescue to try and ensure the best match possible for the family and the animal so that the chances of that animal staying in that household for the rest of its life are good. They will also take back any animal that they adopt out if the adoption sadly does not work out. At ECPR, we are committed to our animals for their whole lives.

Rescue can be a very emotional job and it never gets easier. Although we sometimes take in pets from very sad conditions, we have the privilege and responsibility of saving these animals and then helping them find that happily-ever-after that they truly deserve.

If you are searching for a new furry family member, (or a not-so-furry one, we sometimes have hairless pets as well!) please visit our website at www.emeraldcitypetrescue.org we update it at minimum weekly with new adoptable pets. We are happy to answer any questions that you have, give us a call daily between 10am and 6pm at 206 557 4661 

(Images do not belong to ECPR, they are stock photos but an accurate representation of what conditions can be like in a puppy mill.)

At Emerald City Pet Rescue, the animals always come first. Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals in need, and an important aspect of this is increasing public awareness of the rescue effort at large. It especially touches our hearts when the youth of today show interest in helping animals in need.

On Saturday, May 4^th, Girl Scout Troop 40149 visited ECPR to present us with a donation of 10 percent of their cookie sales, which totaled $230!

The Troop got to spend time in our meet-and-greet room with some of our ECPR alumni ambassador dogs, as well as adorable Chiweenie pup, Dobby, who just received an adoption contract! They learned about all of the different places from which we rescue our animals, how we care for them, and the steps of our adoption process.

With so many choices of places to help, we are honored that this group chose to donate to our non-profit rescue. It's wonderful to see young people enthusiastic about helping animals, and we are so very appreciative of their generosity!

Thank you, Troop 40149!

We love pet-themed holidays! Days like today are a great opportunity to remind everyone how important and special it is to invite a rescue pet to become a permanent member of your family.

Why Adopt Instead of Shop?

Many pets find themselves homeless through no fault of their own. Some are from breeding facilities or puppy mills, and are abandoned or relinquished when they are not purchased or can no longer produce puppies for sale. Others are given up by their homes, or lost as strays, and they end up at risk of euthanasia in overcrowded shelters. Sometimes, a loving family's circumstances change in unexpected ways, and finding a new home for their beloved pet is a difficult decision that must be made for the pet's best interest. No matter how a pet ends up as a rescue, they all have the same dream -- to be safe, to feel secure, and to know that they are loved. When you decide to adopt a rescue pet, you are taking an animal into your home that has experienced life, in varying degrees, without a home. You are offering them a tremendous gift, and the love that you will receive back from them is tenfold.

If you aren’t ready to adopt, that’s okay! There are many ways in which you can help rescue pets even if you cannot adopt one as a permanent member of your family. Fostering is a great option to help a pet along their rescue journey! Here at Emerald City Pet Rescue, we have an active foster program. Although we do our best to provide a positive experience for them here at the rescue while they wait to find forever homes, some animals do much better in a home environment. You can provide a rescue pet with an opportunity to de-stress and allow their true personalities to emerge by fostering while we take care of the financial costs of caring for that pet, including veterinary bills and medications. Click here to learn more about our foster program!

Perhaps you are not in a position to be able to foster, but you still want to help. Donating is another great way to get involved and support rescue animals in need! Your donation will help rescue pets receive food, bedding, vaccinations, spays/neuters, dentals, and any other care that they require prior to adoption. You can also donate goods! Pet beds and blankets are always needed at your local shelter or rescue.

Do you have a little bit of free time? Consider volunteering! Our volunteers do everything from helping to ensure that our facilities are in tip-top shape, to spending time directly with the animals, to attending outreach events such as monthly visits to senior centers.

Last but certainly not least, if you're active on social media, sharing pets that are posted as available for adoption is another great way to support rescue animals. The more people that a pet's profile reaches, the better the chances that the right family will find the pet that best matches their lifestyle!

So you see, even if you can't adopt a pet on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, there are still so many ways in which you can help and get involved. We have a wonderful, pet-loving community here in Seattle, and Emerald City Pet Rescue is proud to be a part of it!

If you have visited Emerald City Pet Rescue's website prior to March 2019, you might notice that a few things have recently changed. Okay, let's be honest, you might notice a lot of changes! That's right, our website has recently undergone an official makeover!

Emerald City Pet Rescue was founded in 2013. We began in a small room in the back of a vet clinic in West Seattle, and ever since then, our organization has experienced rapid growth! In 2014, we opened our first public adoption center in SoDo, which is also where our retail store, Emerald City Pet Supplies, is located. Don't forget to stop by and chat with our knowledgable staff about our pet food and products. All of the proceeds from our retail store go right back to the rescue to help save more pets!

We now also operate Emerald City Kitty Harbor, our cat adoption center in West Seattle; adjacent is Emerald Kitty Cafe, where you can get a great cup of coffee and delicious snacks, with vegan and gluten-free options available! Just like our retail store, all of the profits from Emerald Kitty Cafe go right back to the rescue.

We feel humbled and honored to be a part of the rescue effort. Over the years, we have rescued abused, neglected, and homeless animals both near and far. Our work extends to the local community and down to California. We have rescued animals from Thailand while working with SOI dogs, and recently, we even rescued a schnauzer from China! Our in-house veterinary hospital works to care for the medical needs of our rescue pets, and all of our amazing staff and volunteers help to ensure that our animals are comfortable and happy while searching for their forever homes.

Please feel free to check out our website to learn about all of our adoptable animals. We are so excited to continue growing as an organization, and we appreciate the wonderful support that we have received from our Seattle community!