A Word About Our Dogs
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A great many of our dogs come from shelters in the south. We are endlessly amazed by how many beautiful, healthy, friendly and incredibly sweet dogs end up with no one to love them. Sadly, there are far too many who perish simply because they've got nowhere to go. We receive many pleas and requests for help from numerous shelters that are overcrowded & desperate to find responsible organizations who will provide a happy future for their perfectly wonderful dogs.
 Trixie
Over the years we have developed trusting relationships with a number of shelters who have hard working and devoted staff & volunteers who go above and beyond in an effort to save as many animals as they can! They provide reliable information to us about each dogs temperament, they tell us if the dog friendly to new people, other dogs, cats. They give us information about heart worm status, age, size.. We very often take dogs on "last call". Too many dogs end up on that dreaded list because they aren't flashy or fluffy, they may be shy or shut down, might have a medical problem that needs attention, or be an older dog, a blind or deaf dog... there are so many reasons, none of them fair! So its those very dogs, the ones other rescues tend to pass over that we choose to save! Every single one is a gift!
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Jamie, Merrily, Chester county shelter employees & a litter of puppies we sponsored for SPCA of Westchester
Stella
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Duffie
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Bear
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From the shelter, volunteers and/or shelter staff bring dogs to their local, rescue friendly vet for health screening, spay/neuter, necessary vaccinations, fecals, appropriate worming, heart worm testing, tests for Lyme and other trick borne illnesses and any other necessary medical attention. At times certain medical situations deem it necessary to bring a dog to a specialist which we do ASAP & depending on the condition, the dog is seen by a well respected vet either in the south or here in NY. After the medical work up our dogs are brought to a boarding facility called "DawgPatch" owned and operated by one of the most compassionate and devoted people on the planet, Lynn Angel. She and her amazing staff of "doggie-Mamas" provide enough TLC that when the dogs finally make it to us they all have that I am so loved look in their eyes! All dogs are quarantined at the wonderfully homey and love infused Dawg Patch for a minimum of 2 weeks. We treat heart worm positive dogs while they are in boarding at Lynn's because of the calm environment there, and because of the highly experienced care provided. All of our dogs are kept up to date with heart worm and flea/tick prevention. They are bathed, get nails clipped and learn how kind humans can be!
Poppy at Dawg Patch
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a dogs welcome at DAWG PATCH
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Adele getting loved on by Dawg Patch staffer
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Next our dogs travel to NY overnight in comfy cushy crates. Transport driver Elena Strauman and her assistant watch over the dogs all night and stop regularly throughout the long trip from SC for bathroom breaks, leg stretching, meals and water.
They arrive to us in great shape, some shy ones are a little nervous but most dogs are waggy tailed, happy greeters! Once they come off the van we practice proper doggie etiquette by being calm, quiet, peaceful and allowing each dog to introduce his/herself to us in their own way!
We let them stretch their legs, relieve themselves and sniff about, and once they've shaken off the long journey north and feel more settled we bring them to their kennels which are clean and welcoming, have fresh water, a soft bed and a tasty snack. Later on we walk them around the property alongside other dogs, provide an opportunity for them to be at liberty in the fenced play yards and we watch what they choose to do! Once they seem relaxed we photograph them .. as the days pass we photograph them again. We are always struck by the way each dog "BLOOMS"!
They arrive to us in great shape, some shy ones are a little nervous but most dogs are waggy tailed, happy greeters! Once they come off the van we practice proper doggie etiquette by being calm, quiet, peaceful and allowing each dog to introduce his/herself to us in their own way!
We let them stretch their legs, relieve themselves and sniff about, and once they've shaken off the long journey north and feel more settled we bring them to their kennels which are clean and welcoming, have fresh water, a soft bed and a tasty snack. Later on we walk them around the property alongside other dogs, provide an opportunity for them to be at liberty in the fenced play yards and we watch what they choose to do! Once they seem relaxed we photograph them .. as the days pass we photograph them again. We are always struck by the way each dog "BLOOMS"!
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In the week ahead we enjoy spending time with our new pack members and do so in a variety of different circumstances all in an effort to get to know each dog. Our staff and trainers assess temperament, create training plans and establish balanced, happy play groups!
We bring them our to our vet Dr. Klainbard at Family Vet Care in Ossining for complete wellness checks, microchips, and heart worm tests again.
He has a look at any odds and ends we might have noticed and helps us make arrangements to follow-up on any on going health issues.
We bring them our to our vet Dr. Klainbard at Family Vet Care in Ossining for complete wellness checks, microchips, and heart worm tests again.
He has a look at any odds and ends we might have noticed and helps us make arrangements to follow-up on any on going health issues.
During their stay with us all our dogs get as much attention, training, exercise, social enrichment and love as we can provide!
We fine tune each program to suit the individual needs of every dog. Most dogs play group in the morning and enjoy a long walk or activity in the afternoons. We groom, bathe and with the help of Sandi Christiansen professionally groom as needed! Our dogs are fed twice a day with a high quality food like Farmina, Origen and Acana. We also add supplements including probios and fish oils to their diets. All our dogs are dewormed with Panacur on a 3 days~ 3 weeks~ 3 months schedule. We make copies of all medical records and any information provided to us about each dog.
We fine tune each program to suit the individual needs of every dog. Most dogs play group in the morning and enjoy a long walk or activity in the afternoons. We groom, bathe and with the help of Sandi Christiansen professionally groom as needed! Our dogs are fed twice a day with a high quality food like Farmina, Origen and Acana. We also add supplements including probios and fish oils to their diets. All our dogs are dewormed with Panacur on a 3 days~ 3 weeks~ 3 months schedule. We make copies of all medical records and any information provided to us about each dog.
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Some dogs stay on with us a bit longer than others. Sometimes its because we determine a dog needs more of what we can offer here in terms of socialization, manners, medical care and other times we recognize a dog might need more time to settle, trust and show us more about who they are! Then there are those few dogs that are in our experience so ready to be a great addition to someones life but they don't catch peoples eye.. we don't know why that is.. maybe the stars haven't aligned just right for their families to know they are waiting!
While they are with us we do everything we can to make each dog feel heard, loved & appreciated for who they are as well as secure in their sense that they belong. We strive to share all we know & have observed about every dog so that each adopter to know as much about the dog they are adopting as we do! Perhaps most important of all is our mission to spread the beautiful truth we have had the great fortune to witness firsthand about DOGS 
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Dogs do have a language & we are certain you will find as we have that the conversations you can have to be life changing!
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Our sincerest hope is to make truly well matched adoptions. We want you to love and enjoy your dogs for a lifetime! We make ourselves available post adoption to help with you with any ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! We seriously want to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to call on us for help of any sort.. Even& maybe especially about the teeniest problems you might have .. Early adjustments are far easier to make than long standing issues!
IF you find for whatever reason the adoption isnt working out we will take any one of our dogs back! Sooner is better... its hard on dogs ( and people) to be uprooted from what they've come to know as home and family. More than anything, we enjoy the happily ever after updates our great adoptive families send us... especially those that come with photos!! We have been blessed with some of the kindest, most loving adopters a rescue organization could dream of! It takes a great many caring people to make a great difference in the life of every rescued dog.. and its ALWAYS worth the effort, time, love and resources!!
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We are entirely funded by private donation and adoption fees. Because we often rescue dogs that require extra time, attention and often medical care... the costs of what we do are far more than what you might imagine! We welcome donations of every size!
Check can be made payable to The Westchester SPCA and send them to our mailing address:
800 Old Kitchawan Road North
Ossining, NY 10562