- 2019 year in reviewFebruary 2, 20200
2019 was an incredible year for so many dogs and cats! Thanks to our incredible network of volunteers, fosters, donors, rescue partners and fans, RezDawg Rescue had a positive impact for a lot of families. In 2019, we drove 81,200 miles during 58 trips across the Four Corners region so that we could rescue 1,754 dogs and cats. The numbers show a powerful story of how we continued to work with communities to save homeless pets through our transport, fostering, medical treatment and adoption efforts!
- Happy Tail PetSmart BoulderJuly 28, 20190
We feel a sense of accomplishment when our animals are adopted into loving homes. True, we didn't make them cute and irresistible. But we did rescue them from the Rez, made sure they were healthy and socialized, and generally hung out for a few weeks getting to know each other. We become invested. That's why we love receiving the one-year adoptaversary pics/video/story updates our adopters send in. They're confirmation that the RezDawg adoption process effectively finds "loving homes." But you know whats better than that? Adopters who send updates and return to adopt from RezDawg again. (And again.) We've decided this means the RezDawg adoption process effectively finds "loving homes" AND we're easy to do business with. But you know what's better than even that? When someone who encounters A LOT of animals decides to adopt from RezDawg, repeatedly. Elora works at the Boulder PetSmart and just adopted Bentley (the black and white one, ...
- 2018 year in reviewMarch 6, 20190
Want to know the impact of all of our amazing volunteers, fosters, donors, rescue partners and fans? In 2018, we made 50 trips -- driving 61,832 miles across the Four Corners region -- in order to rescue 1,624 dogs and cats. Please check out our 2018 year-in-review infographic and see how together we helped save homeless pets through our transport, fostering, medical support and adoption efforts!
- Open volunteer positionsSeptember 29, 20182
If you are interested in helping RDR succeed and would like to contribute your skills, please consider volunteering in one of these positions. Occasionally, we have other temporary positions available as well. Please email Angela Cerci or call her 505-399-1654 to learn more. Volunteer Coordinator Responding to volunteers who wish to get involved and onboarding new volunteers. Cat Care Coordinator Serve as a cat care specialist at one of our 11 Petco and PetSmart stores, including feeding, cleaning, socializing and transport of new arrivals to stores). Adoption Event Coordinator Coordinates monthly adoption events in partner Petco and PetSmart stores and in locations throughout the front range of Colorado Adoption Event Assistant Works with our Adoption Coordinator, prepares and scans paperwork before and after events, arranges pickup of kennels and supplies, communicates with Foster Parents about events and provides any needed assistance during events. Email Inbox Manager and Profile Coordinator Sorts all email arriving in the general RDR emailbox. Creates canine ...
- Natural Born Healers by Steven SableJuly 23, 20174
The crucible that is the Rez produces strong, smart and loving dogs. Generation after generation of RezDawgs face starvation, abuse and plain old bad luck. But nature provides and when a Rez dog faces a problem, they overcome adversity by depending on ancestral knowledge passed down by true survivors. Good mamas explain, “when you’re hungry, bees are an option but leave the wasps alone.” Rez dogs know which grasses sooth an upset tummy and how to identify bad water. They come to us with knowledge we couldn’t possibly understand and an ability to heal in a totally natural way. As impressive as this might be, a RezDawg’s ability to heal themselves isn’t their most impressive trait. Their true superpower is their ability to heal us. And some of us need healing. We had parents that didn’t know how to parent. We viewed the world differently and were ostracized because of it. ...
- RezDawg People - Carol Kuzdek by Steven SableJune 19, 20171
When we started this blog, we promised we’d “toss you over our shoulder and take you on a tour of Rez Rescue.” The mission is simple: to share information about what we do, how we do it, and introduce you to the amazing people who make it all happen. Carol Kuzdek, President of Whole Pets in Boulder, CO, is one of those people. She’s a RezDawg donor, sponsors adoption events, fosters cats (recently added puppies to her skill set) and has been an advocate for animal welfare her entire life. It’s difficult to assess how many Rez Dogs and Rez Cats are alive and thriving because Carol got involved - and she’s not one to count totals. Numbers like that aren’t important when you’re the kind of person who judges achievements by focusing on what can be done today and tomorrow rather than looking back at what happened yesterday. In the ...
- New Grant from Maddie's Fund by Steven SableMay 22, 20170
Rescue requires a higher level of customer service than retail, banking or the restaurant business. In simple terms, rescues need to maintain a higher attention to detail because our clients are also our bosses – and because we have so many of them. We work for the dogs/cats we rescue and owe them the best possible experience. We're directly responsible for making sure our volunteers have a great time while making the world a better place. Our donors and rescue partners expect that we'll be smart about how we go about the day-to-day of rescue. What makes rescue great is that sometimes, we’re the customer too. Quite often, other groups go above and beyond the call to make sure we’re as satisfied with the experience as anyone. Maddie’s Fund is one of these “other groups.” Maddie's Fund® is a family foundation created in 1994 by Workday® co-founder Dave Duffield and his wife, ...
- Gearing Up for Puppy and Kitten Season by Steven SableMarch 6, 20177
RezDawg is gearing up for puppy and kitten season and the only limiting factor on how many Rez Dogs and Rez Cats we can save is the number of spaces available in our foster network – now over 100 strong (and growing.) If we want to rescue more Rez animals in 2017 than we did in 2016 (and we do,) we need more foster homes for both dogs and cats. We hope this basic information will give you a flavor of what’s involved and convince you to give it a try – at least once. What does it mean to “foster” a RezDawg? Fostering with RezDawg means inviting a rescued dog to live at your house as one of the family - on a temporary basis. While they’re with you, your foster dog will receive appropriate vet care and vaccinations, learn important socialization/behavioral skills and generally transition from rescued dog to “someone’s ...
- Cat People by Steven SableJanuary 7, 20174
In conclusion: Puma found her forever people (in a one-pet household), endorphins were released and rescue is easier and more rewarding than you think. … There is irony in being the de facto cat lady for a dog rescue. It loosens a bit when you consider that Jayma has/does rescue dogs and RezDawg Rescue has saved thousands of cats from an “uncertain fate.” The fact remains: Jayma is an animal person. This matters to Puma. It matters a lot. As an example of living life with a big heart, a passion for animals and the patience of Job, Jayma sets the standard. Puma’s rescue was a long drawn-out process that actually started in 1998 – seven years before she was born. This is when we cut to the scene showing Jayma sneaking into a kennel in the back corner of the Kansas Humane Society in Wichita. Cue the foreboding orchestra music with lots ...
- Gertie's Story, Part 2/by Steven SableNovember 12, 20161
From Part 1 of Gertie’s story: “Gertie had been rescued but wasn't out of danger. She was in much worse shape than Polly knew…” Polly knew Gertie’s obvious problems were alarming enough. Good nutrition would eventually rejuvenate her immune system and that would allow the wound on her cheek (that refused to heal) to heal itself. But her crooked snout could be a big problem. Was this a “beauty mark” that had healed and allowed Gertie to thrive or was this a pending surgical issue? Fortunately, Gertie’s eating and breathing weren’t compromised by her bent face. She would soon become known as “the face only a mother could love.” Unfortunately, there really was a surgical issue lurking in the details. Gertie had a dime-sized hole in her upper palate. The cavity impacted with food at every meal and that lead to incessant sneezing and relentless infections. This would have to be addressed and ...
- Gertie's Story, Part 1/by Steven SableSeptember 27, 20161
Gertie is a Black Lab/Boxer mix from Thoreau, New Mexico. If she were human rather than a Rez Dog, you'd find her at a place like Woodstock: long, lustrous dark brown hair barely restrained by a Native American headband while she shared a twist of some calming substance with her many admirers. She's THAT laid-back and pretty. But her good looks aren’t conventional. Her nose points to the left when her face is looking straight ahead and the beauty mark beneath her left eye is actually a barely-healed scar. Trust me when I say “conventionally attractive” is boring. Boys like “character” and Gertie wears hers like the badge of courage it represents. And don’t doubt that the boys do indeed like Gertie. She lived at the Giant gas station in Thoreau and her pack consisted of herself and two brown males. The “boys” may or may not have been responsible for her ...
- Conclusion - Edgar's Interview/By Steven SableSeptember 16, 20166
Continued from last week's blog: I tried to meditate while waiting for Edgar to return so we could finish our interview. No go. Rather than popping the interfering thought-balloons that came to mind, my mental jujitsu made them grow quicker and stronger. OK, open your eyes then, Steve. Take a deep breath. Tendrils of stress clawed up the back of my neck like they always do when I’m unsure of what to do with my hands, or worse yet, when I don’t know how to tell an important story. So I opened my eyes, fidgeted a bit and looked around for something to distract me… something to divert my mind from the possibility that the words I wrote about Edgar wouldn’t affect people. The fact that my storytelling might not save a dog or two or a million hadn’t formed until that moment but now that the thought was here, it’s ...
- Edgar's Interview/by Steven SableSeptember 9, 20162
January wind blows cold at Canyon de Chelly. The gusts of January 4, 2016 blew particularly cold, driving mean clouds across the sky and sending locals and tourists alike to huddle around their fires in as many layers as mobility or fashion would allow. The threat of rain became a reality as the Park Ranger locked the Visitor Center and double-timed it across the parking lot to her battered old pickup truck. She sat in the cab and rubbed her hands together in a hopeless quest for warmth while motor oil came to temperature and SiriusXM streamed her favorite song to ancient speakers. She’s Good People, and I have no doubt she’d have climbed out the truck and into the rain if she’d heard the pained whimper of a Cattle Dog mix birthing her sixth litter behind the dumpster. But good music should be played loud and the Rez Dog ...
- Edgar's Story, Part One/by Steven SableAugust 30, 20162
This is a true story about a Rez Dog named Edgar. We have a fair amount of information about his early life but as with all Rez Dog Rescue Stories, we’ll need to make some assumptions if we want to finish with an accurate biography. Let’s just say Edgar has the look of a Heeler/Beagle mix. If the Rez Law of Random Interbreeding holds, he also has the blood of other breeds running through his veins: from Corgi to Chihuahua, from Cattle Dog to Yorkshire Terrier. Each breed contributes unique characteristics that increase a Rez Dog's ability to survive. Does Edgar have a Catahoula bent that will help him dig for bugs to eat? Is there any Lassie courage in Edgar’s heart that will give him the strength to battle a coyote? He most likely has those traits and more but we don't know where they came from. The fact that ...
- Rez Dog People by Steven SableAugust 23, 20162
I spent this past weekend with sixteen happy people. We weren’t together all at once. I spoke with them sequentially. All sixteen arrived at the RezDawg booth to pick up a dog or puppy they met previously or noticed online. We were swamped from the moment the gates opened and my job evolved organically: keep people in line from getting bored while volunteers who know what they’re doing move things along as quickly as possible. As a group, the sixteen shared few characteristics. Single men and single women waited with families and friends grouped in twos and threes. They covered the spectrum of age, ethnicity and cultural inclination as well. I chatted with them all and asked many impertinent questions. Inadvertently, I learned what hidden traits these complete strangers had in common. I also learned what traits make a good Rez Dog Rescuer/Adopter. Turns out, they’re the same traits. Considering how many ...
- What is a Rez Dog? by Steven SableAugust 8, 20164
My first Rez Dog sat beside a 75mph freeway, waiting patiently until I arrived. I didn’t know she was a Rez Dog - had never heard the term. I pulled to the shoulder of AZ Hwy 89 in Northern Arizona to make an “empty highway” picture and there she was, sitting on the shoulder of the road, eight miles from the nearest structure or sign of human habitation. She was a mix of many herding breeds and looked tired, skinny and dirty. Some associate Rez Dogs with dangerous, feral animals and to be sure, those kinds of Rez Dogs do exist (through no fault of their own.) But my first reservation rescue, Page, showed no sign of aggression. Instead, she stared at me with an open demeanor, direct eye contact and came across as a regular dog slightly befuddled by unique circumstances. She also looked relieved that I’d arrived, but ...
- You: The Greatest Dog Photographer EverJuly 20, 20162
If you have a great dog (and we all do,) you can make great dog pictures. Here is the secret to great dog photography: be smarter than your dog. At my house this takes focus, hard work, a polished plan of attack, and a well-developed sense of humor. Here are a few tips, tricks and hard fought lessons that might help you make some pictures of your best buddy worthy of framing, displaying on your desk at work, or sharing with complete strangers in line at the grocery store. Equipment, Part I – Almost all cameras have a “Portrait” setting. If you can find the little picture of a human head on the dial on top of your camera, select it and you’re good to go. This will produce images where the subject is in focus and the background will be nicely blurred. Select the picture of a sprinter if you want ...
- Manny's Final UpdateJuly 8, 201614
Some outcomes hurt. With a heavy heart, we announce the death of Manny, a two-year-old-ish Rez Dog, resident of a waste area behind a construction site in St. Michaels, AZ. Manny died on July 6, 2016, following successful surgery to repair injuries sustained during a holiday weekend hit-and-run. Those that knew him loved him, and we hope the choice to not wake up from anesthesia was his to make. Little is known about Manny’s early life. He was likely born in St. Michaels but could have easily been dumped there or conjured out of Rez Magic during 2014. His first success on the social scene happened early that summer when, after much sniffing, he was accepted into the Basha’s Dumpster Pack. At six months of age, he was the third youngest male to accept that honor since the pack was established in 1984. Arthur, a ChinPin Rez Dog from Kayenta, associated with ...
- Behind the CurtainJune 18, 20160
Behind the Curtain Let’s look behind the curtain to see how RezDawg Rescue goes about the business of saving dogs (and cats!) on Native American Reservations - and whether or not we’re making a difference by working as hard as we do. Before we look, we should get some facts straight. When RezDawg Rescue packs up the volunteers and supplies and heads to the Rez to hold a low cost/no cost spay and neuter clinic, we’re very aware that we’re nothing more than invited guests. As good guests, we recognize that different cultures are… well… different. The Rez can be a magical place accented with world-class scenery and deeply spiritual good-humored people. It can also be a depressing place where packs of starving dogs dart between broken cars piled behind dilapidated double-wides. Native American Reservations in the Four Corners Region are geographically remote and nobody would refer to them as affluent. This reality ...
- The Drawer Puppies by Steven Sable - The Rez Dog BiographiesMay 9, 20162
Noteworthy things happen every time I set foot on the Rez. Inevitably, those things change how I see the world or live life. Last month, RezDawg let me out for a field trip (check out our photo album on Facebook) to the spay/neuter clinic in Pinehill, NM. On this trip to the Rez, The Drawer Puppies are who/what delivered. My moment of change came early on Day Three. Please understand that spay and neuter clinics are M*A*S*H units in (poor) disguise. Rez Dawg Rescue moved a vet, a vet tech, dozens of dog cages, medical supplies/equipment, volunteers and a metric ton of blankets hundreds of miles to the firehouse in Pinehill to set up shop. It’s a logistically stylish operation but the level of energy and organizational skills required to pull it off is staggering. The real fun – the hands-on – starts when you open the door on Day One. If you’re ...
- Raised by Dogs, by Steven Sable/The Rez Dog BiographiesApril 24, 20160
Welcome to Raised by Dogs, by Steven Sable/The Rez Dog Biographies. My first act as RezDawg Rescue’s official blogger is to share an email a rez dog rescuer sent another early this month. It begins: “I got a call from a local person about a skin-and-bones puppy near the gas station in (Rez Community.) On the way into town, before you get to the Chapter House on the left, look for a BLUE trailer right next to the Roads Department building. The pup is light beige and has ticks so you want to bring some Frontline as well as a vaccination. If you can’t find her, let me know by dark. I can trade shifts at work and start searching first thing…” If you’ve ever sent or received a similar email, bless you. If you haven’t and the paragraph above makes little sense, I have good news. My job as the blogger ...
- We have to have fun, tooApril 16, 20160
Announcement from Angela Cerci, Executive Director of RezDawg Rescue: Rez dawg rescue is always “about the dogs and cats.” Cost-effective and efficient rescue is about communication. We at RezDawg are very proud of our growing network of volunteers, partner organizations and donors that make up the RezDawg family. By working as a team, we rescued, fostered and transported over 1,150 dogs in 2015 and 2016 is shaping up to be even busier. We're opening our Thrift Store, we’re raising money to purchase a new and better equipped transport van, and we’re always working to build relationships with people and groups that will help us accomplish our mission: Save. Heal. Adopt. Make no mistake, rescue is incredibly rewarding but we don’t always get the outcome we’d like. Over time, that can wear on your soul. In an effort to make sure our volunteers and partner organizations don’t suffer from the burnout that’s so common in ...