POODLE RESCUE OF HOUSTON
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : p******1@g***l.c*m
Mission Statement
Poodle Rescue of Houston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates distressed dogs, mostly poodles, around southeast Texas and occasionally reaching across a seven state area. Since incorporation in 2006, Poodle Rescue of Houston has rescued and found homes for more than 7,000 dogs, including 268 during 2021.
About This Cause
POLICIES, PRINCIPLES AND VALUES Poodle Rescue of Houston (PRH) exists to care for unwanted dogs, rehabilitate them, and find them suitable loving homes. The primary values guiding this work are compassion and integrity, along with engagement, dedication and creativity. Poodle Rescue of Houston has established policies in alignment with these values, which can be seen below. Poodle Rescue of Houston is not a sanctuary. Dogs are accepted into the program if there is a chance that they can be rehabilitated and adopted out to a good home. Poodle Rescue of Houston takes dogs as owner surrenders, stray surrenders, pulls them from local shelters, and accepts them in court-ordered breeder seizures. Dogs have been rescued from as far away as Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. Compassion underlies decisions about which dogs to accept into the program, including those with serious medical conditions requiring expensive surgeries and extended care. Compassion also governs the very difficult decision that sometimes has to be made to euthanize a dog in order to end its suffering when medical interventions are not successful, or when aggressiveness makes the dog an adoption risk. That decision is made jointly by the veterinarian and the Executive Director; it is never made lightly. Integrity as a guiding principle means advancing the best possible care and living circumstances for the dogs, while spending money carefully in order to maintain the long-term viability of Poodle Rescue of Houston. Some of the hallmarks of this principle are: Poodle Rescue of Houston has never compensated its officers AT ALL. There is no financial benefit to any director, officer or volunteer, nor to their families, through their association with PRH. Poodle Rescue of Houston does not use any professional fundraising services. Fundraising expenses are kept extremely low, and the PRH Adoption program operates largely by word of mouth, Facebook, the PRH website and link to PetFinders, and through occasional small ads in pet journals. Administrative expenses (accounting services, law, insurance, office, website) average about 1.6% of total program expenses. The IRS Form 990’s (non-profit tax returns) are available as public records. You’ll find links on the website for our filed returns. Volunteers’ engagement, dedication and creativity help PRH accept and place nearly 600 dogs each year. Very dedicated volunteers photograph and advertise the dogs on the website each week; help show dogs to adopters; groom and socialize dogs; and provide laundry and kennel cleaning support. Volunteers are creative in cultivating fundraising opportunities and finding community or store-front venues in which to promote visibility for Poodle Rescue of Houston at low- or no cost. Details are included in Poodle Rescue of Houston’s 2012 Achievement Report. ADOPTER AND DONOR PRIVACY POLICY Records of adopters are maintained as confidential documents and are not shared with any other entity. Volunteer lists and adopter lists are used to communicate through emails informing of special events and for newsletters. Each communication includes an “opt-out” statement for anyone wishing not to receive any further communications, in which case the name is removed from the listing for future correspondence. Address lists are managed as “bcc” on mass emails to shield email addresses. Donors may designate a gift to Poodle Rescue of Houston as a tribute. In this case and with their permission, the donor will be mentioned in the newsletter. Otherwise, donor names are not shared with any entity. By permission, adopters' pictures and stories may be used on the "Happy Tails" site. OPERATIONS POLICIES Daily operational decisions, including those related to medical treatment, are made or confirmed by the Executive Director or Director / Operations in conjunction with the veterinarian. Kennel staff are engaged for as many hours as required to ensure the welfare of rescue dogs. Sanitation and handling protocols are documented for staff and volunteers and are expected to be followed at all times. The Director / Operations may under certain circumstances limit access to visiting adopters and/or volunteers to some dogs to protect their welfare and that of the dogs. In order to support the welfare of the dogs in the program, all prospective volunteers must be at least 12 years of age. All volunteers must attend a training / orientation session. Prospective adopters are screened in a preliminary interview by the Executive Director or by the Director / Operations, or others as designated by the Executive Director, to establish that the prospective adopters have a suitable environment and can provide a loving home for a pet, before they proceed to the Adoption facility to meet and interact with the dogs. If a prospective adopter does not meet the qualifications, they will not be allowed to adopt from Poodle Rescue of Houston. Adopters are advised that the rescue dogs have unknown histories and that house-training and temperament are not guaranteed. If a dog doesn’t work out, adopters are expected to return the dog to Poodle Rescue of Houston. The adoption fee, if the dog is returned within a reasonable time, will then be refunded minus a $50 service fee. INTAKE EVALUATION POLICY On intake to the PRH adoption program, dogs are evaluated according to medical and behavioral criteria, in order to assure their suitability for adoption. Medical criteria Dogs are checked for heartworms and other parasites, problems with skin, eyes, ears and teeth, luxated patellas and other joint or spinal problems, and injuries. If, in the judgment of the Executive Director and the veterinarian, the medical issues are too severe to allow the dog a decent quality of life, even with medical intervention, the dog will be euthanized. Behavioral criteria Due to their typically traumatic environment prior to rescue, the temperament of dogs must also be assessed to determine the likelihood of rehabilitation and adaptability to an adoptive home. PRH strives to provide socialization and to rebuild trust in dogs that have been abused, abandoned and neglected. However, there are occasions when behavior issues are so engrained and/or so severe that allowing the dog to be adopted out might present a risk to the adopter. This assessment is made by the veterinarian and the Executive Director (who is an animal behaviorist and dog obedience trainer), with consideration for the circumstances under which an assessment is made (i.e., not immediately on removal from an abusive situation or a city shelter; not when hungry, injured or ill, etc.). Behavioral Checklist The assessment is based on the ”Behavior Assessment and Reactivity” checklist developed by Bound Angels. The checklist assigns a “green / yellow / red” rating to these behaviors: Kennel Approach Possession Touch / Handling Food / Resource Guarding Correction Dominance Dog to Dog introduction Dog to Dog food issues Overall Behavior In the very rare cases where the dog’s behavior and reactivity are so aggressive or dominant in an injurious manner that behavioral interventions are not and will not be successful in retraining the dog so that it can be safely released to an experienced adopter, then the dog will be euthanized. MANAGEMENT POLICIES No director, officer, volunteer or family member of any such PRH associate shall use the relationship for any private benefit. All strategic and long-term financial decisions affecting Poodle Rescue of Houston, including any capital purchases in excess of $5,000, are taken by the directors in a meeting and documented in the organization’s Records. The Directors review PRH expenditures against the operating budget at each quarterly meeting. Any extraordinary expenses (not budgeted) are approved by the Directors via phone or email. No professional relationships that present a conflict of interest are tolerated. Poodle Rescue of Houston has a policy to address any potential conflict of interest issues. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY The Directors of Poodle Rescue of Houston do not tolerate any conflicts of interest arising from professional relationships on behalf of the organization. Should any such relationship or issue become known to any director, officer or volunteer, that individual may bring their concern before the Board to be discussed by all the directors. Any director, officer or volunteer found to be abusing their position for personal gain will be removed from their position and dismissed from service to the organization. Any malfeasance, including theft or misappropriation, will be reported to the authorities and all reasonable attempts will be made to recover the value of any misappropriated items or funds. DIVERSITY POLICY Recognizing that a diversity of people brings a wealth of different experiences and talents to the organization, Poodle Rescue of Houston encourages participation by, and demonstrates respect in all dealings with, individuals of all races, religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations. Beyond the requirement that kennel volunteers are at least 12 years of age and groomers must be at least 16, PRH encourages participation by individuals of all ages and from all walks of life. WHISTLE-BLOWER POLICY It is Poodle Rescue of Houston’s strict policy to be compliant with all laws and regulations relating to both finances and operations. No individual who discovers malfeasance and who, in good faith, reports it to a member of board of directors or to external authorities shall be retaliated against. Any act of retaliation against a good-faith effort to rectify misappropriation or conflicts of interest will result in dismissal from service to the organization.