Mission Statement
CUTEODYSSEY's Mission Statement
- To rescue abandoned, abused and injured domestic animals, rehabilitate them, have them vaccinated, spayed or neutered and and Place in Loving, Caring, Lifelong Homes.
-To enhance our local community by offering programs involving animals that benefit disabled persons, children, and the elderly.
-To increase public awareness of the companion animal overpopulation issue and provide solutions to end the killing of adoptable animals.
Cuteodyssey is an organization which was established to help people re-home their pets and offer support to pet owners.
Cuteodyssey's mission is to offer a loving sanctuary to animals who are unwanted or who's owners are unable to care for them until permanent caring homes are found for those animals. If a new home is not found for an animal it will remain at Cuteodyssey until the end of it's natural life.
Cuteodyssey will not judge a person for re-homing their animal, while the main focus of the organization is given to people who can not care for their pets for reasons of health, disability, homelessness or custodial sentence. Animals will be taken and re-homed for any other reason if this is what their owner requests.
Cuteodyssey will ensure all people who adopt their pet from Cuteodyssey are knowledgeable in the care and welfare of that animal and will be on hand for help and advice throughout the rest of that pet's life.
We provide a safe haven for Shih Tzus (see definition below). We "rescue" dogs that are:
* culled from puppy mill and back yard breeder stock
* that can not be placed by traditional shelters for health or behavior issues or are at the end of their time in high-kill shelters
* found as strays
* confiscated from abusive owners
* deemed no longer desirable or supportable by their owners.
To that end:
1. We provide food and shelter by placing the dog in foster homes, where their needs can be meet by a foster family within a home environment for as long as necessary, 2. We provide medical attention, regardless of the amount required, to restore their health. For those dogs that are terminal we will make them as comfortable as possible and provide the best quality of life attainable for the remainder of their lives.
3. We provide LOVE, something many of these dogs have never experienced in their lives.
4. We rehabilitate dogs that have either physical or behavior issues.
5. We find forever homes for the dogs taken into rescue, once they are healthy and rehabilitated.
6. We provide educational information to prospective dog owners
7. We actively work toward the elimination of puppy mills and backyard breeders that inflict so much pain on our friends
8. We work with shelters and other rescues to get our friends out of harms way and into safe environments.
We are driven to this mission because we believe that over the centuries, man and dogs have forged a special relationship built on respect, trust and mutual benefit. We believe that each generation is responsible to steward and maintain that relationship. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, for dogs to be treated as livestock and bred strictly for profit. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, to force dogs to live out their lives deprived of human companionship, in deplorable conditions, only to be disposed of at the end of their economic usefulness. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, to mistreat or abuse a dog for any reason. We believe that it is a violation of that stewardship, to bred dogs as fashion accessories that can be discarded like last season's shoes. We believe it is a violation of that stewardship, not to provide the type of food, shelter and medical care that dogs have come to depend on humans for while being their caregivers. We believe that every dog deserves the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the relationship forged with humans by their ancestors.
Shih Tzu: Most dog breeds were created over time to support their human companions by performing certain tasks (e.g. hunting, herding, etc). The Shih Tzu were bred strictly for companionship and are one of the most popular breeds in the US (consistently on the AKC top 10 list) because of their small size, cuteness and friendly, trusting, gentle personalities. This makes them extremely susceptible to the abuses of the puppy mills, backyard breeders and inattentive caregiver. We consider any Shih Tzu mix-breed part of our family. Occasionally small "friends", (dogs of other breeds) find themselves in the similar predicaments and there is no room for them in the rescues dedicated to the breed or the no-kill shelters. When called upon, we will not turn them away (resources permitting). "Small" in this context is defined as the breed's standard adult male weight is less than 30 pounds. In the case of mixed breeds the dog's adult weight or expected weight (if a puppy) is or will be less than 30 pounds.
Description
CUTEODYSSEY'S DOGGIE RESCUE is an all volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of abused, abandoned and neglected dogs. We are now a 501(c)(3) non profit!!
Cuteodyssey Rescue is primarily a Shih Tzu Rescue (although we do take other breeds and mixes), located in S Cali. We are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, tax ID number: 27-441-9788. Look for us soon proudly listed in Guidestar, the national database of non-profit organizations. We love dogs and we love to see them enhance a life. Our goals are two-fold. First, we want to save shelter dogs and secondly, we want your life to be improved by matching a wonderful dog to a safe, loving and caring family. No one should have to live without a furry little friend, when there are so many of these little munchkins needing loving homes.
Nowadays, we visit area shelters and rescue small dogs, usually between 3 and 15 pounds. Occasionally, we will also have dogs available that have been relinquished by their owners, for one reason or another. All our dogs are given their basic shots, rabies vaccine, flea and tick treatment, worming medication, vet checked, micro chipped, and are spayed/neutered. We keep the dog in our home for some TLC and evaluation in regard to its temperament, socialization, and health, in order to make the best possible fit for a prospective adopter.
The dogs you visit on our website are living in our home as loved members of our family. They beg at the table at meals, sleep in our beds, snuggle in our laps while we watch TV, go for rides in the car, chase the mop, and happily celebrate our return home, even after just taking out the garbage!!! We are not a shelter. This is our home and everyone that comes into our home has the run of it. (We have a lot of tile and hard wood!!) Sleeping kennels, cozy cages, and warm comfy couches, chairs and laps.
Forgive us if we seem to be intrusive when applying for a dog. We are extremely picky in choosing homes for our little ones and WICKEDLY protective. Once they become members of our family, we treat them as we would our own children when we're placing them in a new home. Although we don't have a history on the dog's past or know how it got to the shelter, we do have a sense of its character and needs. If you see a little one that you'd like to adopt, please fill out an application. We get quite a lot of email, so please be patient with us, as we do try to get back to each and every person. (We don't monitor our message machine very well, but we do monitor our email).
If we feel that you would be a good match for one of our little ones, we will phone or email you and make an appointment for you to see the dog. All dogs are shown in our home by appointment. We, generally, do not adopt our little ones to families with children. Our babies are children themselves and deserve your full attention. Thanks for checking with us and we hope you enjoy our web site.
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle; easily and often breached. Yet, still we would live no other way."
- Irving Townsend
