Great Dog Rescue New England (GDRNE) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit, shelterless, all-breed rescue group headquartered in Massachusetts. Our group is comprised of volunteers all over New England who love dogs and want to help those that end up homeless through no fault of their own. Loyal and loving dogs turn up every day in New England and Southern shelters, as owners turn them in or they’re found roaming the streets after being dumped. To the best of our abilities, we evaluate all of our Great Dogs’ temperament and suitability for living with other dogs, cats, and children. A dog’s health is checked, and we make sure they are up-to-date on all shots and are spayed or neutered. Then, we place them in loving foster homes until they find their very own family. Our goal is to meet the needs of each dog as an individual and to assure proper placement in a loving forever home.
Great Dog is dedicated to animal rescue. In addition to our primary goal of helping homeless and abandoned dogs find loving forever homes, we:
- donate money to spay and neuter clinics in the south to help solve the problem of pet overpopulation;
- engage in community outreach activities with local schools to help educate children and young adult
about animal rescue, responsible pet ownership, proper pet care, etc.
- adopt dogs to agencies that train dogs to assist physically disabled and hearing impaired people
(many dogs that were abandoned are now helping people lead independent lives!).
We are proud of the work we do with the dogs and in local communities.
Since September 2003, we have placed more than 3000 homeless and abandoned dogs in loving forever homes in the New England area. Every month, dozens of our Southern Great Dogs ride the transport north to their new forever and foster homes. The transport, which is licensed by the USDA, drives up as often as needed and arrives at our isolation facility in Harvard, MA. Our forever families and foster homes pick up their new dogs after the dogs receive a vet check and are quarentined for at least 48 hours per state regulations.
Often times our Southern adoptions are long-distance and we facilitate these adoptions by the transfer of pictures and information about the dog, and we arrange to have the adopter speak to a dog’s foster parents. When a dog is in a New England foster home, we are more than happy to arrange a pre-adoption meeting!
The process to adopt a Great Dog includes:
- completion of an application
- phone interview
- veterinary reference & personal references
- home visit
- adoption fee of $400 for dogs, $425 for puppies 5 months and younger
- adoption contract
We emphasize matching the right dog to the right family so that all will have many happy years together. The adoption application is the first step, and the fastest way to begin the process is to submit your completed application.
Great Dog Rescue New England needs foster homes! As a shelterless rescue, we don’t have a building where our dogs are housed until they get adopted. We are lucky enough to have loving families who open their hearts and homes to our dogs until they are placed, but we need more foster homes so we can save more dogs. If you can’t foster, we’re always looking for volunteers to help with home visits, screen applications, and to help with special events, so there are lots of ways you can help. Every month we save dozens of wonderful dogs from local and Southern kill shelters and place them in safe, nurturing homes. Please consider joining us in this effort; we would love to have you! For more information about volunteer opportunities, please review the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or fill out our volunteer application.
All donations go directly to the dogs and every little bit helps (and your donation is tax deductible!)! Even if you can’t foster, do home visits, or work on applications, your financial donation will help us to rescue and vet dogs in need. You can paypal a donation or mail a check to our post office box:
Great Dog Rescue NE, 9 Bartlet Street #316, Andover, MA 01810