Florida Little Dog Rescue Group

Happy Holidays and Welcome 2021!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from Florida Little Dog Rescue!!!

As 2020, a year that most of us will be glad and thankful to see bid adieu, comes to a close we wanted to wish all of our friends, family and supporters a Happy Holiday Season and best wishes for an amazing 2021! 2020 has been quite a busy, and trying, year for us at FLDR, and we are anticipating being just as busy, if not busier, in 2021. As we celebrated ELEVEN years of Florida Little Dog Rescue, we were very excited to have added another 200 rescues to our pack in 2020, but the year isn’t even quite over yet! Just in the last few days we have taken in 4 puppers (yes, we worked all weekend after Christmas!) with more still coming in during the last few days of 2020.

Rescue never gets a vacation, but that’s ok, the puppers are worth it, every second, every day, every month, all year! Most of our puppers are seniors and/or severely medically or behaviorally challenged pups, where FLDR was their only chance for a happy ending. While our intake team would love to be “unemployed” in the new year, we recognize that is not likely, and more pups will need our help to find loving homes like yours!

We began 2020 with the joint rescue of 134, which quickly became over 180, (as some were pregnant) dogs from a hoarding situation in Orlando. No one plans to rescue that many dogs ten days before Christmas - but after being asked to help with “maybe 40”, we simply could not abandon any of them once we arrived and learned of the true volume of pets in the home. It has been an enormous undertaking, and many of the dogs were essentially feral, most had medical issues, and it has been an emotionally and physically draining and rewarding process. Our photo collage features features some of these pups, plus just a few of the pups that FLDR has been able to save this year, including Daniel, our sweet 16 year old sheltie abandoned at animal control after his owner passed away; Regis and Kathie Lee, two sweet bonded senior chis in very rough shape; Izzy, a chiweenie puppy with an injury leaving her unable to walk or stand; PeeWee, a chihuahua mix with a cleft palate; Finley, a pomsky who is deaf, vision challenged and has thyroid issues, left behind by another rescue after they took the puppies from the same home; Ocita, a tiny little Pomeranian mix who arrived with almost no hair and covered on sores, and Fauci, our “little” German Shepherd pup who was taken to animal control when his family didn’t want to fix his badly broken leg (he had his surgery today 12/29, and is resting comfortably this evening with a new plate, pin and lots of screws in his leg, and a $2500 surgical bill).

We also have a kitten, Salem, that is an honorary “dog” for the time being, as we couldn’t leave him behind either. And there *may* be a couple (or nineteen) hedgehogs identifying as dogs as well….what can we say? It’s been a very *interesting* and BUSY year.

Please, as you consider your end-of-year giving, please remember that all donations to Florida Little Dog Rescue are tax-deductible as we are a fully certified and registered 501(c)3. Many companies, such as Disney, Boeing, Salesforce and Bank of America just to name a few, offer corporate matching funds as well! As an added bonus, any donations made before midnight on 12/31 will be matched by a very generous supporter, up to $10,000!! Just use any of the links here on our website to donate and your contribution will be automatically added towards the matching funds!

You can also check out our Amazon Smile Wishlist, which lets you send much needed products right to our pups and foster parents, plus a percentage of your purchases on Amazon are also donated to FLDR when you choose us as your charity of choice!

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/45-3208425 - link to choose us as your charity of choice

and

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/32T2PWOYWK20J - link directly to our wish list

Please also know just how much our foster parents LOVE receiving updates and pictures of their former foster pups ~ there is nothing quite as encouraging on a “down” day as being able to look at one of your former pups that arrived broken, scared and afraid to love now living the “great life” as a cherished family member!!!

Thank you all so very much for supporting rescue, our volunteers and pups at Florida Little Dog Rescue!!

Much Love and Many Wishes for an INCREDIBLE 2021,

All the Puppers of FLDR and the rest of their “staff” at Florida Little Dog Rescue!

Want to Shop AND Help the Pups?

Check out our Amazon Smile Wishlist, which lets you send much needed products right to our pups and foster parents, plus a percentage of your purchases on Amazon are also donated to FLDR when you choose us as your charity of choice!

link to choose us as your charity of choice

and

link directly to our wish list :)

Sebastian, a Poodle (and maybe Schnauzer) mix

Meet Sebastian! Sebastian is a 3 year old, 14 pound, male Poodle (probably Schnauzer) mix. He is a very soft-coated Poodle, maybe Schnauzer mix, and is a brindle-brown. Please note despite his soft coat, he does actually shed, we would not consider him "hypo-allergenic". Sebastian arrived in rescue after he was found as a stray by animal control and his initial adopter from there was sadly unable to keep him due to a sudden and unexpected change in circumstances. His foster mom says, "This sweet dog is a happy, goofy and active guy. He has frequent zoomies and will play with a toy with you or by himself, squeaking away for the whole house to enjoy. At first he was pretty anxious about his upheaval and expressed this with some nervous activity, finding it hard to be calm. He adjusted in just a few days. Boundaries and decorum aren’t yet on his list though, and he will be in your lap, on your shoulder, kissing your ears, and seeing if he can share your coffee. He thinks humans are for cuddling with, cats are for chasing, and dogs are for romping with, so a cat is not a good idea and your dogs should be very tolerant and playful. He has a loud bark, but settles nicely in an enclosure or crate and sleeps through the night. . He has a potty pad in his enclosure and uses it or will alert you that he needs to go out. He takes some extra time to do his business outside because there is so much to look at! If you give him the time to focus on his business he is mostly housetrained, but his new owner will need to learn his time-table and perfect his house-training. Because Sebastian has exhibited some leash anxiety, a fenced yard is a requirement, and not-negotiable. He is happy to meet people in the house but is nervous outside on a leash and barks at on-comers, so he needs patient leash experienceAdditionally, frequent free outdoor exercise moderates his indoor activity so that his calmer antics are quite adorable. He is accustomed to a dog playpen enclosure but will also settle in a crate. Sebastian has not been destructive in the house but loves chew and squeaky toys, which have a short life expectancy! He already knew all about toy boxes and found ours right away. It’s now looking kind of empty, so toys (except his treasured lovies) will need some frequent replacing. This is an innocent, active, and puppy-ish acting dog. If you would like to liven-up your house with a wiggly bundle of affection, and have the energy to keep up with him, Sebastian is your boy!" Sebastian is neutered, up to date on vaccines, heartworm negative, microchipped and has had his teeth cleaned! He is fostered in the Orlando area, and his adoption donation is $300.

How Many Have YOU Helped Save?

4450

Dixie found a furever home!

Hi Friends! We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, or as wonderful as it can be in 2020 anyhow. This year has not been the easiest (understatement) but it’s almost time to celebrate 2020 ending and 2021 beginning. It’s been a busy year at FLDR and yes, even though our socials have been quieter, we have been saving dogs throughout the pandemic. Our volunteers have stepped up and allowed us to continue to rescue pups, even as some have had to take a break. Much like many of you, our FLDR team has had many impacted with job loss, illness and uncertainty during the pandemic. FLDR has had to modify some of our operations as a result and we have strived to help as many pups as possible, while always making sure their needs come first. As most of you know FLDR focuses mainly on medical and behavioral rescue cases, the leftovers and left behinds. Our fosters and volunteers love being able to play a small part in helping our puppers get a new “leash” on life, and a happy ending/new beginning. No one at FLDR is paid and we operate solely off donations, which in a normal year we fundraise for throughout the year. This year, I will be honest - it has been very, very challenging to fundraise. It’s hard to ask for donations when so many are struggling, and many of our regular monthly donors or yearly donors have had to cut back on their donations or stop them, which we completely understand! but it has impacted our reserve fund, which is our safety net for emergencies. Emergencies like Fauci, a 10 week old German Shepherd pup with a broken leg. His story is heartbreaking (more details later after we have a full medical workup and plan for surgical repair), but don’t tell him that, as he is at our vet right now and apparently “licking everyone and trying to bounce around” so we had to approve sedation for a splint set and new x-rays because he was intent on non-stop fun apparently (but what “kid” isn’t like that on Christmas Eve?). In order for us to say “yes” without hesitation to pups like Fauci, we have to have funds to do so, and much like 2020, we are coming to the end of reserves, and so we do have to ask for helping paws. Thankfully we are blessed with a wonderful donor who offered a match on all donations through the end of the year up to $10,000, and thanks to your generosity on Giving Tuesday and since, we have just over $4700 matched. We are really hoping to get the rest of the way to our goal, and all donations are even tax-deductible! So friends, if you are able to lend a helping paw, please donate using any of the links here on our website, or the link on FaceBook. The website link ensures we receive the funds immediately, FB is on a 30 day delay, but we are very thankful they have the option to donate right there! Please also like and share our socials, so more friends will see our posts:) And as always, THANK YOU for your continued support of our FLDR Pack.

FOSTERS NEEDED!!

FLDR wants to save as many puppers as we possibly can and the only way to do this is by YOU joining our team!! We need fosters!! If you live in the Orlando area and would like to help save lives, we want you to join our pack! We are in need of foster homes willing to open their hearts and make a space on the couch for a rescued pup, usually just for a couple of weeks! We take care of the vetting, grooming, medications and you provide the love and snuggles! Please complete the "Adoption Application" and just put in the comments - "Want to Foster" and a Foster Coordinator will reach out to you right away!

We are also in need of people willing to do transports, usually from Winter Haven to St. Cloud or from north Orlando to St. Cloud a couple of times a month, during a weekday. Please email littledogrescue@gmail.com for more info on helping with Freedom Rides!

Welcome to Florida Little Dog Rescue Group!

Florida Little Dog Rescue rehabilitates unwanted, abused and abandoned little dogs and places them in loving and responsible homes to live out their lives as cherished family members. We would love for you to join us by adopting a dog, volunteering as a foster home or donating money to help save the dogs. We are a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization, and all donations to FLDRG are tax deductible!

Our Duchess

Thank you all for helping her really and truly become a "one in a million pup".

Save a Dog on Death Row!
They need YOUR help right now!!

Please help us save dogs on Death Row at local Animal Controls. These are dogs that can't be adopted out directly from Animal Control, mainly for medical reasons. When they can't be adopted, they need a rescue to save them when their time runs out. These pups desperately need our help, we are their last hope!

Click the Picture to Save One More!

Florida Little Dog Rescue Group rescues dogs from all over the state of Florida, but our main focus is the Central Florida area. Our volunteers live anywhere from Tallahassee to Tampa, but all of our dogs are fostered in the Orlando area. We are 100% volunteer-based, which means no overhead or salary costs. Your donation is used directly for dog care. We do not receive government funds. We are entirely supported by charitable donations.

We ensure that each dog is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, tested for heartworms and other parasites, examined by a vet and treated for any known conditions prior to adoption. All known medical information is fully disclosed to new families. While awaiting adoption, the dogs live in foster homes that provide love, patience and TLC to the pups! A pup's stay in foster care could vary from several days to several weeks, depending upon the dog's conditions and needs. Unlike shelter or kennel living, fostering the pups in a home environment allows us to personally evaluate each dog for behavior and temperament issues. We are able to see how they interact and react to other animals and children, if they are house trained, like to go for walks, play ball, etc. and that makes it easier to know what type of home/family would be best suited for them!

Please note, we are not a shelter. We do not have a kennel or facility that you can visit and see all the dogs. Each dog is fostered in an individual home. We do rescue out of our private homes and in our spare time. So, you cannot come visit our dogs until you have gone through the application and interview process and we have contacted you about scheduling a visit. We do not have set "hours" and we answer all calls and emails as quickly as we can!

Florida Little Dog Rescue - The Official Fan Page on Facebook