Welcome
We are a Not-For-Profit 501(c)3 * PO Box 351, Bradenton, FL 34206 * Phone: (941) 776-7370
Upcoming Events
The 6th annual Get Rescued in Gulfport event will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Mark your calendar! Details will be posted soon.
New Arrivals
In January, new mom Heidi was rescued from the shelter with her six 2-week-old puppies. She is sweet and adorable and we expect her puppies to be the same. They are now in a loving foster home and will be adoptable in mid-March. ANY donation towards their care would be greatly appreciated!
This beautiful, little girl named Cheetah was hit by a car while crossing the street. Even though she is very emaciated she still lifts her head to nuzzle and trustingly lets her foster mom administer her daily antibiotics. In spite of contracting pneumonia shortly after she came to Underdog, she is completely house-trained and will go out in severe weather, even though a gust of wind can literally blow her over. And her hardships don't end here. She is heartworm positive, therefore requiring shots and confinement and she will need a spay surgery.
The pins holding her broken leg will have to stay in until she is completely over the pneumonia, yet this gorgeous, little heroine continues to steal hearts with her patient and loving ways. She is finally able to enjoy short, sunny walks. Cheetah is an angel with her housemates, and her foster mom has yet to hear a single woof, whimper, or growl, and she asks for so very little except our love and patience. Truly, this is why we foster at UnderDog, to give LIFE a CHANCE. Cheetah's medical expenses will GREATLY surpass her adoption fee. We welcome donations in any amount to help with her medical expenses.
We are an 'all volunteer' rescue. None of our volunteers or officers collects a wage or salary. Every cent donated toward these needy dogs will help to pay their vet bills.
A special 'Thank You' to Frank and his staff at Dog-gone Beautiful Pet Grooming in Bradenton. He and his staff groom our UnderDogs free of charge, and offer us boarding at a reduced rate.
The Benefits of Adopting a Mature UnderDog
Mature Dogs Often:
- don't chew. They learn to ignore your socks, shoes, and remote control. A mature dog can usually have run of the house without being destructive.
- let you sleep at night. A puppy can be very demanding in the wee hours. If you prefer peace and quiet, most mature dogs feel the same way.
- are already house-trained and can "hold it" for longer periods. If not, the foster parent is likely to have made progress with training/manners/behaviors before the dog is adopted.
- are generally calmer than younger dogs. A puppy is not likely to be able to relax when you are occupied or get home from work, whereas a mature dog is inclined to sit calmly with you as you unwind at the end of the day, cook or watch TV.
- have well-developed personalities. What you see is most likely what you get.
- travel well, and have already learned good manners. You will immediately have a dog that you can proudly take everywhere. You don't have to wait for a puppy to grow up.
- make exceptional, extremely loyal companions who appreciate the opportunity to have a safe, loving home.
Carson's Story
Our friend Mike Harvey, 'The Canine Coach', in Sarasota volunteers his time and expertise to take on the challenge of training one of our UnderDogs, a Boxer named Carson. Carson was extremely dog-aggressive and was too much for any of our fosterers to handle.
Carson has been with Mike since November 2009. In the months leading up to this video Carson was trained in Dog Obedience and Socialization Classes. He is now ready to be adopted. The family that adopts this amazing dog will be required to attend Mike's classes so Carson's aggression will not resurface. Those classes will be free of charge. Click here to read Carson's bio on Petfinder.
Pictured below are UnderDogs who need loving homes. Click here to view our complete Petfinder listing.
How Our Adoption Process Works.....
We are a Florida rescue and only adopt within the state. Applicants are subject to home visits, and veterinary references (please include phone number) will be checked. If you are browsing our dogs on Petfinder, and reading the bios, you will see a contact e-mail (usually the foster home) when you click to enlarge the photos. Feel free to e-mail the foster family with any questions about the dog.
- FIRST, an application must be approved for adoption from our rescue. If you do not see a dog that you would like to adopt now, you can get 'pre-approved' to speed up the process when you do find 'The One'. Many of our puppies and popular breeds (Pomeranians, Schnauzers, Poodles, etc) have a wait list and are adopted quickly. You only need to complete one application to be eligible to adopt. Applications are kept in our 'active' file for a full year.
- SECOND, we determine whether the dog that has been applied for is a 'good match' for the household that wants to adopt him/her. We take into consideration the dog's activity level, compatibility with other members of the household (human and other pets), lifestyle and environment. We may call you to discuss our available dogs and their temperaments to find the perfect match. If your application has been approved, but the dog you applied for is no longer available, please take the time again to look over our adoptable dogs. We will make every effort to find the right dog for an approved applicant. If you do not adopt one of our dogs, please visit your local shelter or go to PETFINDER to adopt a dog from one of the other 600+ rescue organizations located throughout Florida.
We rescue our dogs for life. Once an UnderDog, always an UnderDog. If, for any reason, challenges arise do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help. If you cannot keep your adopted UnderDog, we will take the dog back until a new home can be found. Try to give us as much notice as possible. We understand that life is unpredictable, and we will always accept a returned UnderDog, or help you through a temporary situation so that you can keep him/her.
Keep in mind that we are an 'all volunteer' organization. We all have jobs, families, our own pets, and foster dogs. We are also busy working out details with various shelters and other rescue groups, and transporting dogs from the shelters. Often times we have to drive to shelters for emergency situations to save injured dogs that must be picked up immediately or they will be destroyed. Unfortunately emergency situations must take precedence over the application process. We ask for your understanding and patience when we are unable to return your calls or e-mails immediately.
About UnderDog
The majority of our dogs were scheduled for euthanasia at kill shelters throughout Florida. We are an 'all volunteer' organization. We do not have a shelter or a paid staff. We collect adoption fees to pay our vet bills. This includes shelter fees, medications, spay/neuter, all shots, heartworm testing and treatment, monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventatives, microchips, dentals, surgeries, skin treatments, setting broken bones, or any other health care deemed necessary by our vets. Our vets offer reduced charges so that we can keep our adoption fees reasonable, but their services are not free. We often rely on extra donations to pay expenses when the cost of care exceeds a realistic adoption fee.
How Rescue Funds Are Utilized
We received our 501(c)3 Not-For-Profit status from the IRS in 2008. We have 30+ active volunteers who each donate over 15 hours per week: transporting to vet/grooming appointments, bathing, fostering, returning calls, home visiting, supervising meetings of UnderDogs with potential adopters, and documenting medical records. It totals a minimum of 450 hours per week, over 23,400 hours per year. Multiply those unpaid hours by an hourly wage and you will see that our volunteers truly are priceless!
We have no payroll, bonuses or salaries.
In 2008 Underdog rescued 413 dogs, placed 438 in loving, approved homes (as we had some from the prior year), sterilized 396 dogs (some had been previously sterilized). Additionally, we rescued/transferred 75 dogs to breed-specific rescue groups. We also spayed/neutered an average of 8 dogs per month at a reduced cost (or sometimes free of charge) for needy owners.
We recently purchased a laptop and QuickBooks software necessary for our recordkeeping. A local CPA volunteered her time and helped us set up our chart of accounts.
In 2008, we averaged 1-2 organized transports per week from kill shelters as far south as Miami, and as far north as the Florida panhandle. These large transports each carried as many as 24 dogs. Since gas was at a premium in 2008, we reimbursed several organized transport drivers for their fuel expenses.
Most people are unaware that shelters charge rescue groups a fee, usually $18 - $65, to rescue each dog.
It becomes necessary, at times, to board dogs temporarily until a foster home becomes available. UnderDogs are often treated to a day of beauty at Dog-gone Beautiful Pet Grooming in Bradenton, where the staff donates their grooming talents.
Please spay and neuter your pets. Read Common Myths and Facts About Spay/Neuter, from the Humane Society of the United States.