What does DAWG do?
Your donations allow DAWG to provide a second chance for orphaned animals at the Mission Viejo shelter in a variety of ways including:
Veterinary Costs for lost/abandoned animals at the shelter
Critical Care
From dental care to critical care, every homeless pet receives the medical care needed to be restored to good health.
If an animal has been injured, the shelter is in touch with DAWG immediately, day or night, to make sure life-saving veterinary care is provided at the earliest possible moment.
Foster Care
Adoption Promotions
DAWG works closely with foster families who provide in home care for baby animals. The shelter’s pups and kittens receive important early treatment to meet all of their health needs. This includes neonatal kittens, just days old, who require a great amount of care to survive. Donations to DAWG are responsible for saving 98% of the hundreds of tiny kittens and pups brought to the shelter each year.
Training
DAWG covers obedience or behavioral training for dogs that may require professional training once a new family adopts them. Helping rambunctious dogs become well-trained K9 citizens helps to keep them placed permanently in their new home.
DAWG assists in making sure each feline and K9 is placed into a loving home as soon as possible. For pets who, through no fault of their own, seem to get overlooked, DAWG assists by subsidizing adoption fees during our highly successful adoption events. Held every July and August, these events find forever homes for 50-70 adult felines (and several K9s), who are in need of more exposure and assistance with finding that perfect family.
Spay and Neuter Program
In DAWG's efforts to prevent unwanted litters, each year we contribute some of our proceeds to spaying and neutering pets in the community as well as a small number of very young toy pups or tiny (runt) kittens too small to be spayed/neutered prior to their adoption.
Second Chance Rescue Program
Trap, Neuter and Return Program
DAWG pays for the spay and neuter and vaccinations of outdoor kittens and adult cats arriving at the shelter in a trap. With specialized handling by staff and foster families, the majority of these kittens become highly socialized. Spared from certain death, with proper care and socializing techniques, these tiny kittens are able to be placed into wonderful homes due to this extremely successful program. In just 6% of cases, under socialized older kittens or cats are spayed/neutered & vaccinated and returned to the family feeding them because they are not able to be adopted out.
DAWG helps orphaned animals in need through our Second Chance Rescue Program. As space becomes available in the shelter, DAWG and the shelter work together to bring some outstanding K9s and felines from over crowded shelters to the Mission Viejo Shelter. This rescue program relies on funding from DAWG so that every K9 receives needed medical care, training, spay or neuter, and care for any illness that may develop once they arrive at our shelter, so there is virtually no cost to taxpayers. Not only do we save the lives of some extraordinary dogs and cats, we are providing a great service to members of the community in search for a new K9 or feline family member. Once rescued pets are placed into a wonderful new home, the fees collected at the time of adoption provide funds to assist the animals that have been abandoned at the shelter