- Our Mission
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- The non-profit, all-volunteer rescue program of the San Francisco
Bay West Highland White Terrier Club exists for the purpose of rescuing surrendered, abandoned or stray
Westies and finding them safe, loving and permanent homes.
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- We endeavor to obtain all Westies
in animal shelters thus avoiding euthanasia. We also aid Westie owners
in recovering lost or stolen pets.
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- Our rescue
program, which has been in existence over 20 years, serves the Westie Rescue
needs of Northern California from the Central Valley to the Oregon
border.
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- The SFBWHWTC rescue program is
funded solely through donations.
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- Reasons Westies are Placed in Rescue
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- Every year, for a variety of reasons, Westies in this country find themselves in need of new homes.
When Westies are surrendered by their owners into our rescue
program, the most common reasons include lack of time, family relocation,
divorce, a new house, addition of a new baby, nipping at children, medical problems, death of an owner,
owner moving into a retirement home, allergies as well as incompatibility with the Westie personality and
temperament.
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- Sometimes Westies are lost, abandoned, or turned in to shelters.
We obtain some Westies from shelters when they
are unclaimed
by their owners. And sometimes they are rescued from commercial breeding facilities, commonly referred to as "puppy mills".
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- To understand a rescue dog
from the dog's point of view, please read the heart rendering article, Second
Hand Dog, written by a little rescue named Tansy.
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- Surrendering Your Westie into Our Rescue
Program
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- It may happen that
due to life circumstances beyond your control, you may find the need to
surrender your Westie into our Rescue Program. Be assured that we are
here to help you and your Westie.
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- Please click
HERE for
detailed information about surrendering your Westie into our rescue program.
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- Whatever you do - please do not take your
Westie to a shelter. Your Westie deserves so much more.
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- Our Rescue Volunteers
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- The
rescue coordinators and volunteers of our rescue program are members of the
SFBWHWTC. We are not a shelter and we do not have a facility. The
Westies placed into our rescue program are fostered in our private homes until a new
permanent home can be found through our adoption process.
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- While in foster care, all rescued Westies
will receive a complete checkup from a licensed veterinarian, including
bringing all vaccinations up-to-date. The Westies will receive
emergency treatment as determined by the SFBWHWTC rescue program and the
appointed veterinarian.
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- We also ensure all rescued Westies
are spayed or neutered prior to placing in an adoptive home.
All known information about the rescued Westie will be disclosed to the
adoptive owners.
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- Age and Health of Rescued Westies
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- Most of the dogs placed into
our rescue program are males and most are between the ages of 3 to 8 years.
That is not to say we don’t ever have females in rescue, just males are
more prevalent. This is a common pattern seen in other Westie rescue
groups as well as other breed rescue groups across the country.
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- We sometimes have dogs under the age of 3 but we
rarely have puppies in rescue. Bear in mind that Westies can live 15+ years, therefore, even a 10 year old Westie is not "old".
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- All of the rescued Westies available for
adoption from our program are healthy, although some may have chronic skin
problems or other manageable chronic health issues.
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- Westies and Children
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- We will not place a rescued Westie in a
family with children under seven years of age. We often do not
know the background information pertaining to each Westie's previous
experiences with children. And sometimes when we do know the dog's
background we find the Westie has been placed into rescue because of
problems with children.
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- For the safety of your children or grandchildren, our policy is to not
place Westies into homes with young children.
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- Our Application Process
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- We place rescued Westies into
qualified adoptive homes, selected
through our application process, to provide
a high level of care and love. Each rescued Westie's needs, personality, temperament
and background are evaluated then matched with an appropriate applicant.
The welfare of the Westie is our foremost concern.
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- The first step in our adoption process is
completion of the adoption application form. If you would like to pursue
adopting a Westie rescue from our rescue program, we need to receive a completed
adoption application from you. Each application must include a $10.00
non-refundable processing fee. Our Adoption
Application form can be printed from our
website and mailed to us.
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- When a dog is placed into our rescue
program, we review ALL of our pending applications to make the best possible
match between the dog's needs and the prospective adopter's preferences. Our
process is focused on the welfare of the Westie, as the needs of the homeless
Westie are our primary concern. Our goal is to place each dog in an environment
appropriate for that dog's background, personality, temperament and needs. Therefore, no one
is ever at the top of the list for the next dog. And it is impossible to predict
how long it will take for each applicant to receive a dog.
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- Every person who is selected to adopt a
Westie from our rescue program will be required to sign our Adoption
Contract.
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- We are committed to the life, health
and well being of every Westie we place. If at any time the adoptive
family can no longer care for the dog, we will again place the Westie in our
rescue program to be rehomed.
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- Adoptions Costs
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- Rescued
Westies are not "free". Some rescue Westies require medical
attention as many have not had any recent medical attention in their previous
situation. There are the costs of a complete health examination,
immunizations, parasite control as well as spaying and/or neutering if the
previous owners did not take care of this most important part of responsible pet
ownership. We require an adoption fee to help us cover these costs.
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- An adoption donation of $500.00 -
$1,000.00 is required for each dog adopted.
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- All donations received are used for the
purpose of rescuing, providing medical care and placing homeless Westies
into new forever homes.
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- Available Westies
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- In the event we do not have an
appropriate applicant for any Westie in our rescue program, we may place
information about available
Westies on our website.
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- Please note we do NOT list all of
the Westies that are adoptable on our website
. The majority of adoptable Westies are
placed in homes selected through our adoption application process. If you
are sincerely interested in adopting a homeless Westie, we strongly encourage
you to submit an adoption application in order to be placed on our waiting list.
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- Help with Allergies or Behavior Issues
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- If you
have any questions regarding your Westie's skin allergies or
behavior issues, please
contact us
as we are also here to help with problems that may arise.
We would like to help you
find a solution so you will be able to keep your Westie a member
of the family in good standing.
We will
either answer your questions or we will direct you to experts
who can assist you.
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- Recommended Reading
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- If you feel a Westie is the right dog for you and this is the right time in your life to adopt a
rescue Westie, please read our Adoption
Agreement, then print and complete
our Adoption
Application. Mailing
instructions are on the application.
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- Foster Care Homes Needed
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- You can help save the life of a
Westie by volunteering your time and home to provide Foster
Care.
