Meridian Canine Rescue
#81 in United States, #1 in Idaho, #1 in Meridian
Saving lives through storytelling and education. We promote behavioral wellness through a holistic care approach for every animal in our rescue. Our life skill training curricula teach both dogs and humans how to live ‚and thrive together. The best way for us to help more animals is by sharing our knowledge and skills. We have several program to support our community with resources to reduce the amount of dogs with behavioral issues entering shelters in the state of Idaho. We also have a prison program (EPIC) where we also work with the incarcerated community and provide life skills to humans and dogs.
"I adopted my dog, Taco, from this rescue 7 years ago! They were ..." more
Idaho Domestic Animal Welfare Group
#100 in United States, #4 in Idaho, #2 in Meridian
IDAWG (Idaho Domestic Animal Welfare Group) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation based in Nampa, Idaho. We've been in existence since June 2000 and are staffed entirely by volunteers. IDAWG supports southern Idaho animals in need, assisting both shelters and private citizens. Sometimes this involves transporting or organizing transports for dogs or cats, or sometimes birds or bunnies, to rescues or permanent homes in adjoining cities and states. IDAWG also offers financial assistance to senior citizens and others who need help paying for spay/neuter services for their companion animals.
Fuzzy Pawz Rescue
#100 in United States, #4 in Idaho, #2 in Meridian
Fuzzy Pawz Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to finding loving families for homeless dogs and cats in Idaho and Utah. We rescue “at risk” dogs/cats from shelters and animal control facilities. “At risk” animals are those who have run out of time at shelters, have medical conditions, are seniors or don’t stand out in the crowd (i.e. black animals). We work with many shelters and pounds throughout the 2 states but focus on rural areas that do not have the facilities to hold dogs for more than a few days and do not have holding facilities for cats at all.
Our volunteers work to socialize our animals, work on minor behavioral and training issues and most of all provide them with loving care. Through our foster homes, we assess the dogs in a home setting, allowing us to better understand the kind of home and family the dog will need. All animals are screened by a veterinarian, vaccinated, neutered and given any other vet care they require.
All applicants are thoroughly screened and a home check is preformed before an adoption can occur. We consider an applicant’s previous pet ownership history. We work hard to match the lifestyle and personality of the people to the temperament and energy level of the pet they are interested in. Our goal is for a pet to end up in the right home, not just the first home to come along.
Our board of directors consists of 5 passionate women who between them have almost 75 years of animal rescue experience; these women saw a need in the Idaho/Utah area for an all breed rescue and stepped up. We have volunteers that are groomers, dog behaviorists, and animal nutritionists. We say “once a Fuzzy Pawz dog, always a Fuzzy Pawz dog.” Our volunteer base allows us to build lifelong relationships with our adopters so we can always be there for them to answer any questions and assist in any way we can to ensure their relationship with their adopted pet is always a great one.
Lake Lowell Animal Rescue
#100 in United States, #4 in Idaho, #2 in Meridian
The Lake Lowell Animal Rescue began with one person—Melissa Blackmer—simply trying to rescue a couple cats that had been dumped at the refuge area in Nampa, Idaho. The first cat rescued (and the one Melissa says will forever be her favorite) is a young male she named Fergus. Fergus had been hit by a car and suffered from a fractured pelvis and femur. By posting the story on Facebook, Melissa was able to raise enough money to pay for surgery and follow-up care for Fergus. Today he is living a very happy life with three golden retrievers and the best owners a cat could want! After watching his incredible recovery and seeing him go from the tragic condition he was in when she found him to, literally, the best outcome that could be hoped for, Melissa resolved to do what she could to help other cats abandoned in the Lake Lowell area.
The scope of the problem quickly began to sink in, however, as Melissa came to realize that abandoning all kinds of animals in this region is a common occurrence—and the animals generally don’t fare well. Amid cars, predators, and life-threatening frigid temperatures in the winter, “people don’t realize what the outcome for the animals will be when they ‘set them free in the wild,’” she says. She adds that most of the cats and dogs she rescues are friendly, and therefore at one time were likely someone’s pet.
Melissa then decided to set up a Facebook page with pictures of the few cats she was rescuing, hoping to find good homes for them, but the outcome far exceeded her expectations. “Two days later I was contacted by local news station KTVB,” Melissa says. “Very reluctantly I agreed to do a ‘small’ story on the animal-abandonment problem at Lake Lowell. KTVB, though, ran it as the lead story that night, which launched the rescue efforts into a much larger program than I ever intended.” Click here to view the KTVB news report.
As a result of the news story, a local family contacted Melissa and offered to help. The family is connected to a charitable giving foundation, and, obviously, huge animal lovers.
“They helped move the rescue program into a facility that we can eventually expand and therefore rescue even more of these animals,” Melissa says. “Most of the animals we rescue are cats, so we’ve done some construction and now have three beautiful cat rescue rooms and the most amazing back porch that we screened in and turned into a catio. Walkways have also been built so the cats can move back and forth between the rooms and the outdoor patio.”
Although a lot has been accomplished, Melissa says that much more needs to be done. “It’s a work in progress,” she says.
To describe this journey as a dream come true is an “understatement,” says Melissa. “And we’re working hard to develop the rescue into something even better.”
Melissa is not new to animal care. Her work for many years as a veterinary technician has helped prepare her for her additional role as an animal rescuer. Her network of other animal healthcare professionals and rescue workers has also proved to be an asset.
Now an established animal program run by a seven-member board comprising local community leaders and animal healthcare professionals, Lake Lowell Animal Rescue, Inc is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Plans are also in place to renovate a separate building on the property to provide more living space for rescued animals and limited, on-site healthcare.
“This has been an incredible blessing,” Melissa says. “It’s so rewarding to watch these guys come out of what are generally awful places and usually sick or injured from trying to fend for themselves, and then see them sleeping on fluffy cat beds, recovering at the rescue, and eventually getting adopted into wonderful forever homes. But I know all this wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of so many people—including the many vet clinics and other animal rescue organizations in the area that have provided healthcare and other assistance for no or very reduced cost. I’m very grateful to them!”
West Valley Humane Society
#100 in United States, #4 in Idaho, #2 in Meridian
West Valley Humane Society serves Canyon County, Idaho with a holistic array of services to people and animals that include: safe and secure temporary housing, medical care, food and nutritional support, enrichment, exercise, and behavioral modification for strayed, lost, and homeless pets.
West Valley Humane Society also provides low-cost preventative care for its community such as: vaccine clinics, microchip clinics, spay/neuter services, and targeted humane education.
West Valley Humane Society was founded in 2011 after Canyon County Animal Shelter became privatized as a charitable nonprofit entity. The organization serves thousands of animals in Canyon County and surrounding areas each year and continuously looks to provide support to network partners and the rescue community. West Valley Humane Society is a brick-and-mortar animal shelter that is a private, charitable, nonprofit Idaho 501(c)(3) Corporation.
Pawsitivity Rescue Inc
#100 in United States, #4 in Idaho, #2 in Meridian
Since 2018, Pawsitivity Rescue Inc. has been a beacon of hope for animals in Elmore County, ID , and its neighboring areas. As a locally owned and operated non-profit organization, we specialize in rescuing and nurturing both cats and kittens, providing fostering opportunities, accepting donations, and providing education - catering to animal enthusiasts. Our commitment to transparency and compassionate care has earned us the prestigious Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid.org. Join us in our mission to support and protect animals in need.